JESUS WENT: To the Homes

Hi, this is Bernie Dake. Welcome to the Salvation Army's Words of Life. Welcome back to Words of Life. I'm Cheryl Gillum, and I'm here again with my special guest co-host, Tim Gillum. Welcome, Tim. We're glad you're here again.

It's great to be back. Well, last week we began a new Easter series with Major Luis Melendez. In today's study, Luis is going to be looking at one moment in Scripture where Jesus visited someone's house in Luke chapter 7.

In this study, Major Melendez is going to be discussing the importance of meeting in homes. If we're learning from the heart of God by watching Jesus, obviously this was very important. Right, and so especially during this pandemic that we've been going through, and everything has shifted from the corporate worship the way that we are used to doing it in our time, really the heart of the home and having Bible studies and meeting together in smaller groups has really been what we've been experiencing and what has been really fueling and propelling the church during these days.

Well, like you said, this is something we've experienced in the last few weeks and the last few months ourselves. So I think one of the highlights of our week is when we can get together with our small group. I call it our tribe, which we are able to share intimately with each other and break open the Word of God and to pray together and lift up each other's concerns. I just think it's so vitally important. And we've even done that with our children in an electronic way through Zoom, but that's been such an important part of our daily lives is meeting in these small groups.

How timely with the pandemic going on. Well, we know discipleship is really about relationship. And so when we are able to meet in these small groups like that in our homes, whether virtually or however that's happening in our small groups, we really sense the Father's heart in all of this regarding discipleship, regarding our walk together.

It becomes a very special time, at least it has for us, I know. And as we've prayed with our children in our home virtually or even met with our close friends through our small group, it's really been a special time of just walking this journey together in discipleship and following Jesus. And so we really look forward to what Luis has to say to us through this Bible study this week.

We hope you're enjoying Luis's messages and we pray that it's a blessing to your heart. He is worthy of the fullness of our praise. He has purchased our redemption from the grave. He is worthy of a holy life, a thankful heart for the one who died for us.

He lives to lift us up. Come praise the God of our salvation. Come praise the God of our salvation. Come praise the God of our salvation.

Come praise the God of our salvation. Jesus went not only to the cities, towns and villages, including the synagogues, but he took it a step further. Jesus entered the houses of many. Jesus went into the homes of many that invited him in. So Jesus considered family a place to visit. Like, for example, the household of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, the home of some of his disciples or even social events like weddings. The gospels share many of these moments.

I will only share a few. The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 8, verse 14. When Jesus came into Peter's home, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with fever.

He touched her hand and the fever left her and she got up and began to wait on him. Luke Chapter 4, verse 38 puts it this way. Jesus left the synagogue and went to the house of Simon. Now, Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked Jesus to help her. And you know what Jesus did?

He healed her. So the Gospel of Luke Chapter 7, verse 36 has another story. When one of the Pharisees named Simon invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisees house and reclined at the table.

In other words, he got comfortable because he had been invited. He was welcomed in the home and they had a place for Jesus at the table. Luke Chapter 19 tells the story that Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through and a man was there by the name of Zacchaeus.

He was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was. But because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree to see him. Since Jesus was coming that way, when Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately.

I must stay at your house today. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter. He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. What's amazing are the words Jesus said to him. Today, salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

Let me tell you something. When Jesus enters the house, the sick are healed. When Jesus enters the house, needs are met. When Jesus enters the house, salvation is made available. When Jesus enters the house, the dead are raised.

Yes, even the dead in gospel. In the Gospel of Mark five, Jesus enters the house of Jairus, whose daughter is dead. She had no life. She was just a corpse lying there. But Jesus took her by the hand and said to her, little girl, I say to you, get up.

And the girl immediately came back to life. What a ministry of hospitality by Jesus while on Earth. Jesus went to the homes of many and provided for their needs. The invitation is still present today. You may ask.

And how so? Well, listen to what Jesus promises in Revelation Chapter three, verse 20. Here I am. I stand at the door and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person. And they with me, we should do as Jesus did and knock at the door of homes to bring Jesus to offer salvation, to share a testimony, to fellowship, to accompany a solitary individual, to bring food to the poor, to visit the sick, to do a small group Bible study or prayer meeting. Now, Community Care Ministries is a unit of the Salvation Army formed for the express purpose of providing a spiritual and social ministry to those in a community. It seeks to provide comfort and cheer and when possible, material assistance to those in need. This ministry also provides the hope of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said it this way for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them. So the question arises if Jesus went during his earthly ministry to houses and enter the homes of many without discrimination and met the needs. Are you doing the same? Are you going? Are you teaching and preaching and healing those in need in your communities? Are you going into homes with the blessing and presence of Jesus Christ himself? Are we following the example set before us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Now, we do have a reality that we live in today. It's the circumstances that we know as COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. And how can we connect and enter into the homes like Jesus did? Self-quarantining isolation has created a longing for community and personal interaction with others. You can provide the most nurturing and healthy form of community for those seeking one. You can't quarantine the gospel.

The nature of the gospel is such that it doesn't shelter in place. It spreads. Share the good news. Bring Jesus into the homes and the hearts of those in need today.

Hey, how can we do this? Call someone. Text people. Leave messages.

Leave a note on the door, even if it's a sticky note. Offer and gather prayer requests. Use the online tools to communicate the gospel.

Distribute war cries. Use social media to encourage and share your testimony. Utilize media-based evangelistic platforms.

Get creative with Facebook and video apps and Zoom and livestream, et cetera, et cetera. For the sake of entering the homes just like Jesus did and with Jesus present with you as you do so. We must slowly step into the challenge of caring for the vulnerable and the sick. We must address the anxieties and fears of those ministering on the front lines of this epidemic and comfort those dealing with the loss of loved ones.

We must usher in the only one that can heal us, deliver us, restore us, and save us, and that is Jesus. So I say to you, go and teach. Go and preach. Go and witness. Go and make disciples. Go and heal. Go where Jesus went.

Go into the homes and provide the needs of those in your community. Let me pray with you. Lord, I thank you for the opportunity to share, to share the reality of the gospel and to share the need to go to those places like you went.

You went into many homes and you provided many needs. By the power of your Holy Spirit, open our spiritual eyes to see where we need to knock, where we need to go and share the gospel and teach about Jesus and heal and provide the need. Thank you for being with us. In your name we pray.

Amen. The Salvation Army's mission, Doing the Most Good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit salvationarmyusa.org to offer your support, and we'd love to hear from you. Email us at radioatuss.salvationarmy.org. Call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at P.O.

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