Luke 8:1-3
"And it came to pass afterwards, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others which ministered unto him of their substance," Luke 8:1-3.
The culture in which we live today tries to blend many things. The culture seems to like gray areas where everything blends and nothing stands out; where there are no absolutes, and every one gets a participation trophy. We may not realize it, but it is an attack on the kingdom of God when you bring this idea of blending into the spiritual realm. A term used today is ecumenicalism. This is a movement that promotes world wide unity among all religions. They all compromise core beliefs so they can join together. This is demonic. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," II Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Jesus Christ was not ecumenical; He preached the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and He did not compromise. Christ was not tolerant of any other religion, not even of the idolatrous works based religion of the Jews. Jesus Christ was kingdom minded.
The kingdom "basilesa" of God is the divine spiritual kingdom, the glorious reign of the Messiah. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were looking for a Messiah to come and set up a geo-political kingdom. It was their desire to rule the world. They were looking for their messiah to come riding upon a white horse and defeat Rome and all other kingdoms and they would rule and reign with him. But their messiah was not the biblical Messiah. Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost, and this was offensive to the Jews and did not make any sense to the Gentiles. "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence," John 18:36. Christ's kingdom is not a geo-political kingdom. All earthly kingdoms are temporary, especially the United States of America. All earthly kingdoms hate the kingdom of God. Christ's kingdom is the Superior Kingdom, and He does not lead us to blend with the kingdoms of this world. Jesus Christ was kingdom minded.
When the Lord saves us we are translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-14). "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth," Colossians 3:1-2. Turn to I Peter 2:9-11. You are a holy nation. This world lies in wickedness. "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness," I John 5:19. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God," Hebrews 11:10. Turn to Hebrews 11:13-16. "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were," Psalm 39:12. "I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me," Psalm 119:19. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him," Colossians 3:17.
In our text in Luke 8:1-3, Jesus Christ was kingdom minded, and those whom He saved were also kingdom minded. "and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance," Luke 8:1b-3. We know that one of the twelve, Judas Iscariot, was not heavenly minded, but earthly minded. He was concerned with building his own kingdom here on earth. We see this with his actions. He was the treasurer, and John tells us in John 12:4-6 that he was a thief. This is further seen in his actions when once he understood that Jesus Christ was not going to take over the world he sold Christ out for thirty pieces of silver. Judas Iscariot was different than the rest mentioned here in our text. He had a love for money.
The other eleven disciples had their ups and downs, but they gave their lives for the cause of Christ. It is the women who are magnified in our text. They were kingdom minded, and their actions showed it. Remember, love is an action (Luke 7:47). These women were possessed by demons, and they had sicknesses. Jesus Christ cast out the demons and healed their sicknesses, but most of all, He saved their souls. Our fleshly infirmities do not compare with our sins. How wonderful it is to know that your sins are forgiven and that you have eternal life in Jesus Christ! "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God," I John 5:13. These ladies counted the cost, they took up their cross, and they followed Christ. Some were there at the foot of the cross; they watched as Jesus was placed in the tomb and stayed until the stone was rolled to cover the entrance; and they were the first ones to the grave on Sunday morning. They were kingdom minded. How kingdom minded were they? No one had to beg them to serve Christ. No guilt trips. And they willingly ministered of their substance. Minister "diakoneo)" is to minister to the wants of someone, to supply someone's needs. Substance are things extent or in hand, i.e. property or possessions. They gave to the One who impacted them. They were kingdom minded, so they gave to kingdom work. They gave of their substance, but they first gave themselves. Serving Christ wasn't a box they checked on Sundays, and neither was their giving to the work of the ministry. They served and gave out of love for the One who first loved them.
Someone who is kingdom minded will give of themselves, and of their substance to the work of the ministry. How kingdom minded are you? Look at the evidences in your life. What are you doing for Christ's Kingdom?
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
