Luke 4:14-30
Transforming our community
Introduction
– ILL: God in our city, ref Barna “Demise of church in LA county”
– God wants to transform the community
– challenge not gospel, not people hungry/needs, but church
– many outside radar of world/church
– passage // our church vision, “touch/transform lives”
How do we transform our community?
A. Preach good news to the poor
– ILL: Interview of Mother Theresa, interrupted by commercials (affluent/luxurious)
– God has a special heart for poor
– Wes Stafford “You mess with poor, you mess with Me. You bless, I will bless”
– Prov 19:17, Deut 15:11, Prov 21:13
– of all passages, Jesus chose Isa 61:1,2
– ILL: preacher & atheist barber, slum, not blame God // unkempt homeless man
B. Proclaim freedom for prisoners
– ILL: 1971 “Stanford Prison Experiment”, 20 prisoners/prison guards (6 days)
– NSW, Kairos Christians go spent 1 week with group of inmates, teach love, acceptance, forgivenes
– when Jesus in charge, things have to change, lives would be transformed
C. Proclaim recovery of sight for blind
– Acts 26:17, 18; 2 Cor 4:4
– spiritually blind
D. Release the oppressed
– Gk. shatter into many pieces
– responsibility to help/begin healing process
– domestic helpers: trauma, emotionally oppressed
