If I asked this question to a crowd, I would get as many different answers as there were people in the crowd. We all have traditions and customs we keep. When the word custom is mentioned, it refers to your pattern or habit of doing something. In Luke 4:16, we see that Jesus’ custom was to go to the synagogue on the sabbath day. So, what is your custom?
Luke 4:16 “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”
We find Jesus in Luke chapter 4, reading the Old Testament in the synagogue. This would have been perfectly acceptable in the Jewish church. They were familiar with the Old Testament, and it was customary to read it on the Sabbath. For most of the congregation, this was the way they learned what God had said and the events in their history. Not everyone had a copy of the scriptures, and many probably could not read.
It was the Sabbath, and He stood up to read. The scroll that was given to Him was the book of Isaiah.
Luke 4:17 “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written.”
When He began to read, these were the words He said. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” These words, recorded by Luke in 4:18-19, were taken from Isaiah 61:1-2. The congregation would have been familiar with this passage. There is no doubt that this passage teaches about the Messiah. No doubt the congregation knew this, but they would not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. The acceptable year of the Lord referred to the time God would reconcile them to Himself. There is now a time of goodwill toward men. In Jewish history, it would have alluded to the year of jubilee when servants could be given liberty and released from their indebtedness. The broader picture was that now God was saying it is an acceptable day of salvation.
They are seeing Jesus in a different light. He is proclaiming God’s word and His salvation to them. Although they did not fully understand or accept that Jesus was the Messiah, His custom of going to the temple on the Sabbath gave him a captive audience. He was building a reputation and credibility with them. Some would follow Him, while many would not.
What is your custom regarding your faith in Jesus Christ? There are many things we should and should not do as Christians, but one thing is sure: we are to attend and be involved in a local fundamental church. Hebrews 10:25 teaches us that we are to be faithful to attend church. Here we see the command to go to church. If we do not neglect assembling together, it would mean we need to be there for every service. It teaches us that as we draw closer to the Lord’s coming, we should attend more. There is great value in being connected to a body of believers. As the world goes further away from God, we will find ourselves with nothing in common with those around us who are not Christians. Their values, desires, and ethics will be those of serving themselves. For a Christian, we are to serve others, not ourselves.
Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
While we are in the world, we are not to be of the world. In John 17:14-16, Jesus is praying for His disciples. His disciples were in the world to be a testimony of Him, but they were not to live and act like the world. The same is true for us; we are to live separate lives for Christ, but interact with them to be a witness to them. Here is where your customs make a difference. If your customs are not different than theirs, they see you as a hypocrite, or they think they are ok because they do the same things you do. When you invite them to church, it becomes easy for them to tell you no because they see no difference. We are not to conform to the values, beliefs, or conduct of the world.
Examine yourself. Are your ways of doing things different from those of the people at work who are not Christians? Do you rob the company by wasting time on your phone while you are being paid to work? Do you take ink pens, paper, and such that the company paid for? These things that you may not pay much attention to can speak volumes to an unsaved person. Do you yield to the flesh and sleep in on Sunday morning, plan Sunday afternoon events so you cannot make it back for the evening worship, or use the excuse on Wednesday evening that you are too tired to go to Bible study? What about the study of God’s word and prayer? Are you making time for communication with God? I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. We must develop customs, things that are habitual, to grow in our faith. We must also do this because God commands it and, most importantly, because it makes us a good witness to a lost world. Our lives are a reflection of our God, our family, and our church. Others’ eternity depends on our customs. Stop being self-centered, develop godly customs, and become others-focused.
