G.E.S.U.S. Weekly Reader
TELLING THE NEWS
 (Reading: Luke 3:1-20)
(Key Verse: Luke 3:16)

God's eternal plan is being worked out through Christ and his body, the church.  When a person believes in Christ, he or she finds salvation and gains membership in Christ's body.  God planned for this from all eternity and has given believers everything they need to live out his plan by faith.

Pointing People to Christ
THE POINT OF MINISTRY is to point people to Christ.  John the Baptist knew this and did it with great skill.
The unusual circumstances surrounding John's birth led his father to predict, "You my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High" (1:76).  He was right in more ways than he expected.  Since John was born into the priestly line, it was assumed that he would follow in his father's footsteps and become part of the religious institution of the day.  But instead of joining the priestly elite, he chose to minister outside the mainstream in the desert by the Jordan River.  There he met pilgrims from Galilee as they journeyed to and from Jerusalem, and he told them some things they were not going to hear in the religious headquarters.  The people needed to get back to the reality of dealing with their sins, coming to repentance, preparing their hearts for the entrance of the Savior, and living their lives in such a way that the reality of their commitment would be evident to all.  John was outspoken in the extreme, fearless in his proclamation, and right on target.
Tradition is valuable so long as it does not negate the truth, and ritual is beneficial so long as it does not obscure reality.  But the human heart is so deceitful that it will embrace anything, even religion, rather than comfort its on sinfulness and its need for God, who alone can deal with the heart's sin.  People need God, not religion, because God alone can deliver them from bondage to the delusions of their own hearts and introduce them to the freedom of life in Christ.  There they can experience the reality og God's saving grace.  If traditional boundaries have become a blockage to the message, willingness to step outside of those boundaries requires its own brand of courage, without which many will never be reached.
There is no shortage of people who will pontificate on religion.  But there is a dearth of people who, like John, will point people to Christ.  To do it effectively takes knowledge on the subject!  John could point to Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) precisely because he knew who he was!  Personal conviction married to personal experience of Christ is a fundamental prerequisite of effective evangelism.  Pointing people to Christ is a noble calling, a demanding vocation, and a blessed privilege.  We should not miss the point of pointing away from ourselves to him who is the point.