"Uncomfortable Truths," Luke 4: 16-20, Pastor Richard Strode
When we believe what we are doing in God's Name is questioned by another Believer, it makes us uncomfortable and seemingly convicted as sinners. There is a lesson to be learned from Jesus telling the synagogue worshipers that He is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61: --4 prophecy--declaring freedom for the have-nots, the economically and politically oppressed and those living in struggle situations. For those worshippers, they wanted to kill the messenger and the message, but they failed. We are called to obey God rather men (Acts 4: 29) when we witness others suffering and we have the capacity to make a difference in their lives. Those who intercede for sufferers are often called "righteous troublemakers because in their display of assertive agape love they make the needs of others their priority. Sacrificial love for others is costly: it disrupts families, finances, impacts health and put lives at risk. We must do more than pray; we speak up for them and help them however we can. This is how the world knows us as Christians.