S = 6:17-19 “And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.”
O = Jesus was approachable by anyone whether Jews or Gentiles, Jerusalem scholars or Judean sinners, Galilean fishermen or tax collectors, the devout and the demon-possessed, the healthy and the sick, the young and the old. Every man and woman could come into Jesus’ presence with an equal sense of being able to hear him and learn God’s plans for them, and an expectation that Jesus would meet their need and heal their disease.
A = Is the church today such a place for all types of people to come and hear, to come and be healed as Jesus touches their lives through his Word, his Spirit, and his people’s love? I hope so. Am I comfortable leading a messy church like that crowd Jesus addressed that day? I hope so. Am I also part of that needy crowd that sought out Jesus for help…even today? I know so! As a pastor once said, “We don’t want to get so healthy that we no longer need the Physician.” Have we gotten strong enough and healed enough that we think we can do life on our own? I hope not.
P = O Lord, you know my heart and my need better than I do! You came down to reach me long ago, and are still here by the Holy Spirit. Please do your work in me and in all those other people out there who might have thought that there was no hope. May we know that we know that we know that you came to earth to Jesus for everyone…including me! Amen.
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