"'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor'" (Luke 4:18-19, NIV).
Throughout the Gospels, we see how much Jesus cared for hurting people. Just look at how He preached. He always started with a hurt—poverty, blindness, brokenness or imprisonment. Why? Because He came to share the Good News with people who needed hope.
When hurting people approached Jesus, He did not blow them off. He never told them they should only be concerned about correct doctrine. He met their needs with compassion.
Notice the last line of today's Scripture: "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This refers to the "Year of Jubilee," which God established when He created the nation of Israel. It was a year when every debt would be canceled, every prisoner would be released, every slave would be set free and all land that had been sold to pay off debt in the previous 50 years would revert back to its original owner.
So, as Jesus read Isaiah's words in the synagogue of His hometown, He was boldly proclaiming: "I am the day of Jubilee when everyone's sins and debts are wiped out."
There are still broken people in the world today. And Jesus wants you to serve them, following His example—preaching the Good News of freedom in Christ. 
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America's largest and most influential churches. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick started The PEACE Plan to show the local church how God works through ordinary people to address the five global giants of spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy. You can listen to Daily Hope, Pastor Rick's daily 25-minute audio teaching, or sign up for his free daily devotionals at PastorRick.com. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global online community created to encourage pastors.
For the original article, visit pastors.com.
Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Dr. Mark Rutland's
National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)
The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!
FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.
Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.
