It’s time to leave your room!

Mark 5:19 “And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Here’s this dude who gets supernaturally freed from demonic influences and he wants to go with Jesus and minister along with Him – to serve Jesus, to help Jesus in any way he can. But rather than have this dude follow him, Jesus said, “I want you to go home, go to your community, go into your village and I want you to tell as many people as you can what I did for you. I want you to tell them and more importantly show them how I set you free.”

Here’s the thing the Lord wants us to see from this story; it is far too easy to stay in the place where the miracle took place – to stay in the presence of Jesus. Most of us want to stay there, we don’t want to leave but God needs us to leave that “upper room experience” and go out into the streets, into our communities and tell the world what Jesus did for us. Are you tracking with me?

Sure He Cares!

Mark 4:38 “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

The boys had yet received the revelation of Christ as their savior – one who protects them from harm. They started seeing Him as their healer, as their provider, as their teacher (Rabbi) but they had yet to see Him as their savior – from all things that would harm them. The calming of this storm was important for them to see, as it provided a glimpse into what true salvation is all about and what Christ the Savior came to do. (He came to calm the storms of life that rage around us.)

Scatter your seed

Mark 4:14 “The sower sows the word.”

This is very interesting stuff, something we would do well to comprehend. Our job is to sow the Word. We are called to take the Word and scatter it wherever we may find ourselves. Paul found himself in prison and sowed the seed. James before the council and he scattered the seed. Stephen before his accusers and he sowed the Word. No matter the position or state you find yourself, sow the seed of the living Word of God. Don’t become discouraged if you discover that some of the seed you’ve sown is rooted up, robbed or chocked; keep scattering it cause there always will be those in whom the seed takes root and produces a great harvest.

Unpardonable Sin…scary stuff

Mark 3:29 “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”

Okay…let me try tackling this topic. First, there have been many a Christian who have struggled with whether or not they have committed this unpardonable act. Fear that you may have possibly done so is a great indicator that you haven’t, for full-fledged apostasy is a defiant rejection of all that is Christian and lacks the tender conscience of your worry of such an action.
Second, there is no scriptural evidence to suggest that such an act could be taken by a professing Christian. Third, some theologians even suggest that this act of blasphemy could only occur in the actual days of Christ’s ministry while on earth, as it implies taking the works of Christ and comparing them to works of Satan and or to reject the claims of Christ outright. Fourth, others say it is knowingly slandering the works of the Holy Spirit and attributing His works to the works of satan. Fifth, a continual willful rejection of the truth concerning Jesus. And lastly, if a Christian falls away and then begins to completely reject the power of the Holy Spirit that transformed them and firmly believes that his/her Christian experience was actually a work of satan, then the act of the unpardonable has occurred.

Which one is correct? Are they all? Is there a measure of truth in each theory? All I know is that the first point is universally accepted, everything is conjecture.

Intimidation

Mark 3:2 “And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.”

Intimidation has always been a tactic of the enemy. Like Jesus, don’t allow it entrance. Don’t let it sway your God call and purpose.

How does intimidation look in the society and culture we live in? Well, it could come in the form of people mocking you; of folk talking about you behind your back; of people ignoring you…. Not bad considering what they did to Jesus and his boys.

Sick in the head!

Mark 2:17 “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

What a powerful statement! Jesus was giving people an opportunity to take a look within themselves. How did they see themselves? Did they see themselves as self-righteous based on their exploits or were they desperately poor in need of a savior? Were they Self-made men or God-made men? Were they cool in their own eyes or were they sick in the head in desperate need of help? Friends, people must wake up to the fact, that they have a “distance” disease, that can only be cured by drawing near. Encourage them to do so. Lead the way for them and some will end up following.

Bring it!

Mark 1:27 “And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Every time I read this I can’t help but think what life must have been like back in that day. Churches or synagogues must have been dull and lifeless. The preaching must have become…stale and powerless. No wonder the folk so embraced Jesus when He came. They were hungry and weren’t even aware that they were famished until real food was laid before them.

I believe the same is true today. Our neighbors, friends, coworkers…are hungry but don’t know it. They are in need of the real thing and I believe when you and I bring it, they will say like this crew said, “what is this? A new teaching with authority! Let’s then bring it!

What is most important to you?

Mark 1:17 (ESV) “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
(NLT) “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
(HLM) “Follow Me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people!”

The first people Jesus called were dudes who would help him catch men. He needed people around Him who would be willing to catch people with the power of gospel. To Jesus, the thing of great importance was the salvation of lost souls – how are we doing with this? What is of most importance to us? Is it receiving all we can from God? Is it the pursuit of being blessed? Is it searching for the next miracle, sign or wonder? How about the greatest miracle, the salvation of a soul, when was the last time you did that? When was the last time I did that? Are my books and seeking after knowledge more important than seeking after a lost soul? Am I more concerned about doing right by the Lord, than doing what is right – to seek and save those who are lost?

“Lord, forgive me and don’t let me slip into a doldrum of religiosity, of following a man-made pattern of Christian living but work in me a breaking of these ways and infuse in me a heart that weeps over those who are lost without you. Lord, may nothing be of more importance. Make me, oh God, a fisher of men.”

Go Get Em

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

“Make disciples of all nations.” This my friends is a 3 step process: (1) “go,” (2) “baptizing them” and (3) “teaching them to observe or obey everything” Christ has commanded.

Step 1 – “Go”; this means you and I have to Go and find them, Go and get them. They aren’t yet followers of Christ but because of you going and the promise of v20, they will become one.
Step 2 – “Baptizing”; now that they are a Christian we move them toward public acknowledgement and commitment.
Step 3 – “Teaching them to observe or obey”; this means bringing them (these new Christians) to a place where they desire to live and do things God’s way. This my friends is discipleship. Let’s then go out and do it.

Oh, the blood of Jesus!

Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

One of my favorite songs contains a verse with some extremely powerful wording; “what can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus”. The sacrifice of Christ on Calvary made a final sacrificial provision for man’s sin. His shed blood became the atoning way for which man to be reconciled with God and with it came a new order for redemption. These OT sacrifices may have been done away with by Christ’s ultimate sacrifice but their importance of preparing the way for Christ’s sacrifice still remains important today. For by reading about the detailed process of sacrifice in the OT; the time it took and the commitment level needed, it makes the reader appreciate and understand all that Christ went through for us. His shed blood is of central importance and significance in our Christian faith, thus one of the reason why we participate in communion on a regular basis.