MINISTER TO THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS

MINISTER TO THE PEOPLE'S NEEDS

 Luke 10:9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'


And heal those in it who are sick - 

Notice this verse begins with and (kai) linking it to the previous thought. In other words those who receive Jesus' men is where healing of the sick can take place. Easterners are often more impressed by what people do than by what hey say, thus religious men are thus expected to have extraordinary powers. .

Luke describes the ministry of our Lord“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Heal (2323)(therapeuo from therapon =

• \ an attendant, servant) means primarily to care for, to wait upon, minister to.

•  It has two main senses in the NT, one speaking of rendering service (Acts 17:25) and the more common use describing medical aspects such as to take care of the sick, to heal, to cure (Matt. 4:24; 12:10; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:7; 10:9),

 to recover health, to restore.

•  to heal miraculously in Matt. 4:23, 24; 10:1, 8; Acts 4:14. Providing care to improve a situation. is a command in the present imperative. 

•  In the NT therapeuo never means “to serve” in a secular sense, and only once in Acts 17:25 does it denote worship. Paul's point here is that the true God has no cultic dwelling and does not need a cultic ministry, so that the therapeuÃein that is suitable for idols is inappropriate to him.

 A much more common use is for “healing,” not merely in the sense of medical treatment, but in the sense of the real healing that the Messiah brings. 

1. Jesus has power to heal the sick (Lk. 7:21ff.). 
2. This is no less a part of his ministry than preaching (Mk. 4:23).
3.  No sickness can resist him. He heals many (Mk. 3:10) or all (Mt. 12:15), whether they be ill, lame, blind, maimed, or deaf and dumb, and whenever the need arises even though it be on the sabbath (Mt. 12:10 etc.). 
4. Driving out demons is one form of healing. This is done by the word in what is sometimes a violent struggle (cf. Lk. 4:40-41; Mk. 3:10-11). 
5. The word also cures ailments or defects, though Jesus will often touch the sick (Mk. 1:41), take their hand (1:31), lay on hands (5:23), or perform acts like those of doctors (7:33; cf. Jms. 5:14).
6.  The sick may simply touch him or his garment (Mk. 3:10; 5:28; cf. Peter's shadow in Acts 5:15 and Paul's clothing in Acts 19:12). 
7. The healing is total as Jesus, initiating the age of salvation, takes away the sicknesses of the people (Mt. 8:17; cf. Is. 53:4). 
8. The actual processes may have parallels in Greek and Jewish records, but the important point is the demonstration that with Jesus God's kingdom has already broken into our suffering world.
9. The real miracle, then, is not the breaking of natural law but victory in the conflict for world mastery.
10. Following up this victory, Jesus commands his disciples to heal the sick. 
11. The command itself, received in faith, grants them the power (Mt. 10:1 etc.).
12. The risen Lord repeats the commission, and in Jesus' name the apostles heal the sick and demon-possessed (Acts 5:16; cf. Peter in Acts 3:1ff., Philip in Acts 8:7, Paul in Acts 28:8-9).

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The Kingdom of God - One must understand that there are two phases to the Kingdom of God.

1. The first phase is the invisible, internal Kingdom of God and which He later described as "in your midst” (Lk 17:21-note), the Kingdom in which the King reigns in the heart of the person who has accepted Jesus as Messiah
2. To proclaim the Kingdom of God is to preach the Gospel, to proclaim the good news of salvation, explaining how one can enter the Kingdom of God.
3.  When the King returns on "the day that the Son of Man is revealed," (Lk 17:30- the heart of every person will also be revealed as to whether they sought the kingdom of "self" or the kingdom of the Savior!
4.  The future phase of the Kingdom of God is known as the Messianic Age or the Millennial Kingdom.(See more detailed explanation of Jesus' meaning of the Kingdom of God in  Luke 17:20-21).
5. Jesus knew the Jews were looking for the future aspect of the Kingdom of God, but His preaching and that of His disciples was to explain how one could enter the invisible aspect of the Kingdom of God in the present and in that way they would be assured of experiencing the visible Kingdom of God in the future.
6. John MacArthur explains the kingdom of God has come near - The message the seventy proclaimed was that the kingdom of God had come near because the King, the Lord Jesus Christ, was present—the same message proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17, 23; 9:35; Luke 4:43), and the apostles (Matt. 10:7).
7. A kingdom is a realm, sphere, or territory ruled by an absolute monarch who functions with absolute authority. In the kingdom of God, 
8. He is the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). In a general sense, all creation is included under His sovereign rule in His universal kingdom (Ps. 103:19), but the kingdom of salvation is the theme of all gospel preaching.
9.  Those who enter that aspect of His kingdom through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ submit themselves completely to His authority and receive all the benefits of eternal life.
10. The rest of humanity is in the kingdom of the world (Rev. 11:15), under the rule of Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2); there are no free agents.
11. a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20–21.