Beautiful Word: Luke — It’s Not Because We’re Deserving. It’s Because of His Grace |
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Hey y’all, my name’s Lisa Harper. I’m a middle-aged chick – which basically means that my hair’s chemically dependent and my favorite pants are stretchy! More importantly, Jesus is my first love, my Savior, my living hope, and my main squeeze. Second only to my love for Jesus, is my love for my daughter Missy, who God blessed me with through the miracle of adoption. In addition to being a passionate Christ-follower and passionately biased mom, I’m a mediocre author, Bible teacher, recovering Pharisee, Tex-Mex food lover, a doctoral candidate at Denver Seminary, and a bona-fide, born and bred storyteller.
My mom, Patti Angel (yes, that’s her real last name), will tell you that I started telling stories as soon as I could string a few words together and only got windier as I grew up! I’ve always loved stories – telling stories, listening to stories, reading stories, and writing stories because I think human narrative is the heartbeat of real life. More significantly, as a Christian I believe that at its core, the Bible is a love story. Which leads me to a good-natured warning: this new Bible study on Luke is going to contain lots of stories and the Hero of every single one will be Jesus!
Speaking of stories, a few years ago I went to church with a young friend named Laurie who I met while volunteering at a faith-based, addiction recovery program. Laurie had turned her life over to Jesus after experiencing horrific abuse, which led to drug addiction and ultimately being arrested for possession with intent to sell. And like most of my friends in recovery she is refreshingly honest. Even in church! After listening to the pastor preach for a few minutes about what a motley crew the disciples were – how they were largely uneducated, coarse, and mistake-prone men – Laurie elbowed me in the ribs and whispered loud enough for most of the congregation to hear, “Hey Miss Lisa, Jesus has a thing for losers, doesn’t He?”
Although it’s admittedly informal, “Jesus has a thing for losers” could be an apropos subtitle for the Gospel according to Luke because his narrative reads more like Jerry Springer than Shakespeare! It’s replete with stories about Jesus engaging with outliers and outcasts like Samaritans, tax collectors, and the poor – people that ancient culture would surely have labeled as losers – yet the King of all kings lavished them with unconditional love and what some regarded as scandalous grace.
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A great example of our Redeemer’s counter cultural compassion is found in Luke 18, which Luke frames in verse 9: Then He told this story to some who boasted of their virtue and scorned everyone else.
In other words, the audience Jesus told the following parable to was a haughty group of yahoos who had the double whammy of being self-righteous and judgmental, which is like going to the movies only to find out the audio isn’t working and the popcorn’s stale!
Anyway, here’s the story our Savior told those supercilious stinkers:
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. — Luke 18:9-14
It wasn’t uncommon in the First Century to lump tax collectors with sinners because ancient tax collectors – also called “publicans” because they collected public revenue on behalf of the government - were about as well loved as dinner-time telemarketers! And to add insult to injury, they were infamous for charging whatever the market would bear and then skimming off the top before turning the coffers over to Rome. Which meant Jewish tax collectors built their bank accounts on the backs of their fellow countrymen making them the worse kind of traitors because their Beemers and fancy Mediterranean homes came at the expense of their friends, family, and neighbors.
Yet Luke makes one of those ancient Jewish IRS agents the unlikely star of this story! The takeaway is: -
being reconciled into a right relationship with God isn’t based on our deservedness, it’s based on His divine grace!
Human nature presumes that we have to earn favor with God. That we have to justify ourselves by checking off all the boxes on some sort of spiritual “to do” list. But the tenor and tone of our Redeemer’s earthly life and ministry prove otherwise. Luke paints a compelling portrait of Jesus opening the restorative refuge of His arms wide to include mistake prone misfits and that is the really, really good news of his gospel account! I’m so excited we’re going to be diving deep into Luke together – this is going to be an awesome adventure, y’all! |
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Luke: Gut-Level Compassion Online Bible Study |
Luke: Gut-Level Compassion Online Bible Study |
“The great news woven throughout the Gospel according to Luke is that perfection is not a prerequisite for a deep and personal relationship with Jesus.” - Lisa Harper
Join Lisa Harper for the Luke: Gut-Level Compassion Online Bible Study and discover how the Gospel of Luke is a literary masterpiece that doesn’t celebrate the elite, but embraces the outliers, outcasts, and overlooked! |
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To make the most of your study experience, we recommend the Luke: Gut-Level Compassion study guide. For a deeper experience, check out the Premium Bundle with the NIV, Beautiful Word Luke Bible Journal + NIV, Radiant Virtues Beautiful Word Bible for one low price! |
PREMIUM BUNDLE The Best Value - includes free* U.S. shipping! Get 3 incredible resources for one low price of $40! |
$40.00 51% off *Free U.S shipping included! |
This Premium Bundle includes: -
(1) Study Guide - The study guide includes discussion and reflection questions, video notes, scripture memory cards and coloring pages, and a leader's guide. You’ll also receive an individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!).
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(1) NIV, Luke Bible Journal - Journal through your study of the Gospel of Luke in this beautifully illustrated Bible Journal.
- (1) NIV, Radiant Virtues Beautiful Word Bible - A companion Bible fill with verse art, journaling prompts, weekly devotional readings and prayers, more coloring pages, and reading plans to guide you as you explore Scripture.
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STANDARD BUNDLE Study Guide + Bible Journal |
This Standard Bundle includes: -
(1) Study Guide - The study guide includes discussion and reflection questions, video notes, scripture memory cards and coloring pages, and a leader's guide. You’ll also receive an individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!).
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(1) NIV, Luke Bible Journal - Journal through your study of the Gospel of Luke in this beautifully illustrated Bible Journal.
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STUDY GUIDE with lifetime streaming access to all 8 videos |
In this eight-session video Bible study, join Lisa Harper for a deep dive into the Gospel of Luke, a literary masterpiece that doesn’t celebrate the elite, but embraces the outliers, outcasts, and overlooked! This riveting account reveals that Jesus is especially fond of ragamuffins in need of a safe place to lean in and linger.
The study guide includes discussion and reflection questions, video notes, scripture memory cards and coloring pages, and a leader's guide. You’ll also receive an individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!). |
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this devotion with someone who needs it today |
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