September 17, 2026 - Luke 9-11

Jesus “called the twelve together . . . and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God . . . And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel” (9:1-6).  Now, the disciples healed and they cast out demons as they went, but their primary work was the preaching of the gospel.  In fact, remember, as Jesus began his ministry, Mark reports, “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).  Furthermore, soon after, when in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out” (Mark 1:38).  When we think about Jesus’ own ministry and we remember the mandate he gave in the Great Commission of Matthew 28 (and other passages such as Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-47, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8), we discover that our great work is the preaching of the gospel.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

ye soldiers of the cross;

lift high His royal banner,

it must not suffer loss.

From vict’ry unto vict’ry

His army shall He lead,

till ev’y foe is vanquished,

and Christ is Lord indeed.   --George Duffield (1858)