Free chapter to new book unpacking the stories from Luke – perfect for personal or group devotionals

Free chapter to new book unpacking the stories from Luke – perfect for personal or group devotionals

 

Our friend Graeme Young has just published a wonderful little book called Luke into Jesus: How to Live as Children of His Kingdom.

Graeme is a superb communicator across all age spectrums and this book is a helpful guide to understanding what is written about Jesus in Luke.

  • Younger readers will find that the words used are simple and easy to understand.
  • Readers who are new to studying the Bible will find clear explanations of things that they may not have learned about before.
  • Older readers who know the stories well will find more for them to discover.
  • Families or small groups who use this book as they read Luke together will find plenty to talk about.

The purpose of the guide is for us all to be ready for everything that Jesus wants us to be and to do as children of his Kingdom, whatever age we are.

Each section from Luke is considered using the following four criteria:

  1. Informing :- explaining things that will help us in understanding the passage.
  2. Introducing: – showing how the passage helps us to get to know Jesus better.
  3. Inspiring: – seeing how the Holy Spirit is at work in the passage and in Jesus.
  4. Instructing: – discovering lessons we can put into practice in living for Jesus.
My motivation for beginning to write Luke into Jesus came from considering this thought:
In coming days, there will be many youngsters and adults who will be coming into Jesus’ Kingdom with little background Bible knowledge. As they begin to follow Jesus, what could help them to grow in their practical knowledge of the Bible and their experience of the Holy Spirit?
I decided on an easy to understand but detailed guide to the whole of Luke’s Gospel.
Luke into Jesus explores the book of Luke in 89 parts.
Each part has notes about it in 4 sections:

Graeme’s motivation for writing Luke into Jesus came from considering that in the coming days, there will be many youngsters and adults who will be coming into Jesus’ Kingdom with little background Bible knowledge. As they begin to follow Jesus, what could help them to grow in their practical knowledge of the Bible and their experience of the Holy Spirit? He decided on an easy to understand but detailed guide to the whole of Luke’s Gospel.

Luke into Jesus explores the book of Luke in 89 parts.

Here’s Graeme’s take on Luke 7: 36-50 where Jesus is anointed by a so-called sinful woman

Anointing-of-Jesus-feet

A woman expresses her thanks to Jesus

Informing:

• At meals like this one, instead of using chairs, they lay on their side on big flat couches with their head towards the table and their feet towards the outside. It was usual before the meal to provide water to wash guests’ feet. (Open sandals, bare feet and dusty roads made this a good idea.)

• Greeting a guest with a kiss showed that he was accepted as an equal, and perfumed water or oil was provided as an important part of making someone welcome.

• Alabaster is a soft stone used to make perfume bottles.

Introducing:

• Jesus knows what is going on in people’s hearts.

• He knew what Simon was thinking and challenged him to see things more clearly and to change his attitude.

• Jesus knew what the woman was thinking, and he encouraged her in her steps of faith.

• He said to each of them what they needed to hear.

Inspiring:

• We see here the results of the Holy Spirit’s work in this woman’s life. She is here to do something for Jesus because of what he has already done for her. At some time before this, Jesus had said something to her, or done something for her which had let her know that she had been set free from her many sins.

• What she does in Simon’s house is a big “Thank you” to Jesus. Her action is like a picture of someone when they are baptised as a follower of Jesus. The person has already experienced Jesus in a way which has changed their life on the inside, and now they openly show their thanks and their commitment to Jesus. That puts them in the place where the Holy Spirit can say more into their lives.

Instructing:

• We should be careful how we think about other people and what they do. Simon looked like he was accepting and honouring Jesus by inviting him to a meal, but he was neither accepting Jesus nor honouring him. The woman did have a very bad past but what Simon did not know was that her life had been changed by Jesus.

• We should not criticise the way that someone else chooses to worship Jesus. While we may decide that we don’t like what they are doing, Jesus may be deciding that he does not like what we are doing!

• It is good to ask Jesus to help us to see people as he sees them, and to thank him for all that he has done for us.

Download another free chapter

If you enjoyed the above then click through to The Young Resources website to download another free chapter. This time on the Prodigal Son.

Buy the book

Luke into Jesus is available from Amazon. US link here. If you are in the UK you can buy direct from the Young Resources website. There’s also a special price if you would like to have multiple copies for small groups or children’s ministry.