Spiritually Curious

June 10, 2013 Monday Message:

“The crowds found out where Jesus was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.” Luke 9:11

Jesus had sent his disciples out to heal those who needed healing, to cast out demons, and to preach about the Kingdom of God. Now they had returned, and Jesus wanted to spend some time with them, choosing a quite place in Bethsaida. This didn’t work for long.

Word was out about Jesus. Nowadays we sing a song about this, calling Jesus, “the Famous One, the Famous One.” A New York City public relations firm would envy the size of Jesus’ following, and the persistent pursuit of his followers, especially with no TV, no Internet, no Facebook and no Twitter. The entire ad campaign was simply disciples and word-of-mouth: “Son-of-God speaking today – 9AM sharp – don’t miss it!” And 5,000 men and their families showed up!

People are spiritually curious when the Holy Spirit has opened their spiritual eyes. We’ve all sung the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” Not the eyes on my physical face, but the eyes of my spiritual heart.

When people find out that I work for a church, they often have a question or two. I have personally seen these encounters spark new Bible studies and small groups, and increase church attendance. Not because of MY great evangelistic skills; it’s because once the Holy Spirit has paved the way, spiritual appetites are insatiable. It’s a God-thing.

Norton Lawellin

It’s Father’s Day this Sunday, and Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) is a great place to start the day. Pastor Michael Pilla teaches Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke. We gather at 10:30am in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. See you at church!

NL