Gospel Chapel GF

Healing the Leper (Luke 5:12-16)

Religion can only identify the problem. The Gospel provides a cure.

Faith that Changes Us

What is "faith"? Where does faith come from and what does a life of faith look like?
Romans 5:1-2; Hebrews 11:1-6; James 2:14-26

From Knowledge to Surrender (Luke 5:1-11)

The Compassionate Authority of Christ (Luke 4:31-44)

How do you respond when you face rejection?
In Luke's Gospel, the first thing Jesus does after the Temptation - after a quick general overview (3:14-15) - is to spend some time at home. In his home town and the synagogue where he grew up, he read a key text from Isaiah, announced that it was being fulfilled, and then things got interesting. By the end of the Sabbath service, the hometown hero was about to be tossed off a cliff.
Later, when Jesus sends out the 12 and the 72, he instructs them to stay in the homes and the towns that welcomes them and their message, but for those who don't - simply move on.
In this first chapter of Jesus' ministry, Jesus is doing just that. He leaves Nazareth, and makes his way to Capernaum. This will become "home-base" for the rest of Jesus ministry in the region.
And here we see Jesus enacting the message of Isaiah that he had read in Nazareth. Jesus will teach and proclaim the Gospel with power and authority, but it will be displayed in compassion for the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed, because Jesus has come to declare the Year of the Lord's Favour.

Rejected at Home (Luke 4:16-30)

Jesus’ Family Tree

Jesus belonged to a family. We sometimes forget that. In our individualistic world we neglect the longer story to which our lives belong. This is were the genealogies of the Bible remind us of the longer story God has been and is telling through the family that is humanity.
In Five Smooth Stones of Pastoral Ministry, Eugene Peterson states, "The genealogical lists in the Bible, synonymous in so many minds with tedium, are, in fact, documentation for the most exciting parts of the story. For the gospel does not address a faceless, nameless mob, but persons. The history of salvation is thick with names. The name is the form of speech by which a person is singled out for personal love, particular intimacy, and exact responsibilities. The biblical fondness for genealogical lists is not pedantic antiquarianism, it is a search for personal involvement, a quest for a sense of personal place in the web of relationships in which God fashions salvation."

John the Baptist (Luke 3:1-20)

Luke's gospel starts with John the Baptist, his parents, his birth, his name, his purpose. Luke balances his time in the first chapters between John and Jesus. What does Luke want us to see?

Faith Takes Time (Luke 24:1-12)

The Resurrection is difficult to believe. Perhaps even impossible. Those who had followed Jesus for 3 years refused to believe at first. It took time for them to come to terms with what had happened. It was the last thing the expected.
Faith is not easy. It takes time. It requires we pursue our doubts and questions. We should never settle for a mindless, simplistic belief system. Resilient discipleship requires the ability to question, doubt, wrestle and seek real answers.