Look for the Patterns
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
Patterns are important. There are profilers for the FBI who study the patterns of criminal behavior to help them investigate crimes. We learn the patterns of famous people who reveal their systems for productivity. There are many patterns that reveal behavior, so when I started to study the patterns of Jesus, I was amazed at what I found. The first pattern I discovered was when Jesus taught the people, He immediately demonstrated the reality of a supernatural God. He did miracles, He healed the people, and took authority over evil by casting it out. Another pattern I found was the message that Jesus presented. I wrote a Facebook post about it.
One of the patterns Jesus was insistent on was repentance and believing in the Good News … the Kingdom has come. Remember, the role John the Baptist played was to prepare the way … a ministry of repentance. Jesus accented on what we do … which is to repent, and what He does … He brings the Kingdom to us. These patterns are important because they give insight into the role of the Church today. The Apostle Paul said that there is a pattern of those who plant and those who water, but the increase belongs to the Lord. Again, what we do … what He does. The ministry for us is simple … we prepare the way of the Lord. We preach the Gospel which prepares people to repent and accept Jesus who is the Kingdom of God. Patterns are important. ~Larry Kutzler, Facebook Post
The Prophets of old all had a pattern too. Their Prophecies all warned the people about God’s wrath that would come on those who disobeyed. The warnings of the New Testament Prophecies are also warnings about the Last Days, and the calamities to come. Again, all Prophetic writings are patterns that warn. When I was in Seminary, I was told that no doctrine should be established on one Verse of Scripture. The idea was to find the same pattern of thought many times in the Scriptures, to establish it as important to God. In other words, you look for a pattern of spiritual thought that God repeats.
The patterns of God’s moral code starting with the Ten Commandments, are repeated many times throughout the Scriptures, indicating moral behavior is essential to knowing God. The Apostle Paul had his patterns as he went out on missionary tours. Once believers came to faith in Jesus, he set up a Church and organized the ministry around Elders, only later to visit or write to these Churches to encourage and instruct.
Look for the Patterns
Once a pattern is discovered, it is helpful to study those patterns as indicators of how the Holy Spirit leads. His main pattern is to bring conviction. Sin, righteousness, and judgment are His targets, according to Jesus. His other pattern focuses on guidance, where He gives Gifts to do the work of the ministry. One last pattern is to give us a standard by which people would know we belong to Jesus … we call these the Fruits of the Spirit. Again, another pattern of what behavior looks like when we follow Christ. As you read and study the Word, look for the patterns, they will reveal the intent of being a disciple.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler