Continuing or study of Mark we will move to chapter 2 where we find Jesus returning to Capernaum after preaching throughout the Galilee region. The people are excited that Jesus has returned and they begin to crowd around to hear Him teach.
Now there was at that time four guys who had a paralyzed friend who believed that Jesus could help there friend so the picked him up and carried him to the house where Jesus was. The house was so crowded that the couldn't even get to the door.
I don't know about you but when I look at the world all around me and I see all the problems and suffering going on, I wonder how in the world does Jesus have time for me? These guys could have just given up. The could have told their friend, "sorry there are just to many people here." but they didn't.
Look at what they did, "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on." Mark 2:4 The faith of these men was so strong that were willing to do whatever it took to get there friend to Jesus.
Now lets look at Jesus' response, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus saw their faith! James 2:18 says, "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
Now as the passage goes on some of the teachers of the Law got angry because Jesus said the man's sins were forgiven. So Jesus to prove that He has the authority to forgive sins heals the man.
The Good News: Jesus will always reward sincere faith. May you be willing to do whatever it takes to bring people to Jesus. May we believe that Jesus has the answers to both our physical and spiritual needs. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for your sins and want to heal you, so that you too may walk boldly in front of everyone so that they will be amazed and praise God because of His greatness.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 5
Today we will be closing Mark chapter one looking at the healing of a man with leprosy.
"Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation." health.google.com
In Bible times leprosy was incurable and fast spreading and any who contracted the disease was made an outcast of society. The were forced to leave their family, friends, jobs, and places of worship. They were considered "unclean." If you were to touch a person with leprosy you would be considered unclean and where treated as if you had the disease as well.
This knowledge will help us to better understand the Good News we have in Jesus Christ as we look at Mark 1:40-45. Here we find Jesus as He and His disciples are traveling through out Galilee spreading the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand when a man with leprosy comes and knells down before Jesus saying, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Now the custom of the time was this, if you saw a person with leprosy you would point and yell, "UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!" to run the person off and let others know that the leper was there and they too would take up the call, "Unclean,unclean..."
It is an understatement to say that lepers suffered. The disease it's self effects the sin and nerves in such a way that it deadens the nerves causing people to get cuts and infections. The infections cause their skin to rot which attracts rats and insects to eat their flesh while they sleep, but on top of that the would be void of human contact. The lost everything.
The Good News: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41
Jesus did the unthinkable, He touched the man. This single act was greater than the fact that Jesus healed the leprosy. Jesus looked at this man who had lost it all. Who had dropped to his knees before Him and call out for help and say his greatest need. This man needed to the loving touch of another person. So Jesus reached out His hand and touched the leper.
In that one action Jesus declared, "I will become unclean for you." This News is the heart of the message we have in Jesus Christ. Every one of us have become "unclean" in our sin. Our sin is more infectious, more deadly, and more offensive then the worst case of leprosy the world has ever seen. And Jesus is willing to make us clean. More than Just wanting to make us clean, He is willing to reach out and touch us in such a way that takes our filth and grime upon Himself and leave us clean.
May you come to the feet of Jesus, hit your knees and cry out, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Knowing fully that Jesus loves you so much that He took your filth with Him upon the cross and in Him you too shall be clean.
"Leprosy is an infectious disease that has been known since biblical times. It is characterized by disfiguring skin sores, nerve damage, and progressive debilitation." health.google.com
In Bible times leprosy was incurable and fast spreading and any who contracted the disease was made an outcast of society. The were forced to leave their family, friends, jobs, and places of worship. They were considered "unclean." If you were to touch a person with leprosy you would be considered unclean and where treated as if you had the disease as well.
This knowledge will help us to better understand the Good News we have in Jesus Christ as we look at Mark 1:40-45. Here we find Jesus as He and His disciples are traveling through out Galilee spreading the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand when a man with leprosy comes and knells down before Jesus saying, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Now the custom of the time was this, if you saw a person with leprosy you would point and yell, "UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!" to run the person off and let others know that the leper was there and they too would take up the call, "Unclean,unclean..."
It is an understatement to say that lepers suffered. The disease it's self effects the sin and nerves in such a way that it deadens the nerves causing people to get cuts and infections. The infections cause their skin to rot which attracts rats and insects to eat their flesh while they sleep, but on top of that the would be void of human contact. The lost everything.
The Good News: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41
Jesus did the unthinkable, He touched the man. This single act was greater than the fact that Jesus healed the leprosy. Jesus looked at this man who had lost it all. Who had dropped to his knees before Him and call out for help and say his greatest need. This man needed to the loving touch of another person. So Jesus reached out His hand and touched the leper.
In that one action Jesus declared, "I will become unclean for you." This News is the heart of the message we have in Jesus Christ. Every one of us have become "unclean" in our sin. Our sin is more infectious, more deadly, and more offensive then the worst case of leprosy the world has ever seen. And Jesus is willing to make us clean. More than Just wanting to make us clean, He is willing to reach out and touch us in such a way that takes our filth and grime upon Himself and leave us clean.
May you come to the feet of Jesus, hit your knees and cry out, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Knowing fully that Jesus loves you so much that He took your filth with Him upon the cross and in Him you too shall be clean.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 4
Sorry about the delay in this study, we lost internet for a couple of days.
As we continue our look at Mark (Mark 1:21-39), we find Jesus in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. While there Jesus goes into the synagogue to teach. The Bible tells us that the people were amazed because Jesus taught as one with authority. Jesus' authority was so great that a demon cried from a possessed man, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus then rebuked the demon, and freed the man from it's presence.
After Jesus leaves the synagogue He went to Simon and Andrew's home where He finds Simon's Mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus heals her sickness. That evening the whole community shows up with their sick and demon possessed looking to Jesus for the answers to their problems.
Jesus worked late into the night healing the sick and freeing the possessed. I can imagine an exhausted Jesus climbing into be. Everyone counting on Him to fix their problems. The people sleeping on the ground around the house waiting for Jesus to wake up.
Then we read the most interesting thing, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."
The Good News:
There are three things that we need to focus on in these passage. The first two I will just briefly look at because we will look at them later the third is the main focus of today's blog.
1. We have a teacher in Jesus who isn't like the other teachers. He has authority over every created thing, both physical and spiritual, and at His very word the demons tremble. James 2:19 says, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."
2. We have a Lord who cares deeply about His people. He is concerned about all of our problems. Whether we are dealing with sickness, disease, demonic influence, depression, addiction, or a host of other problems that we face in this life freedom is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Who will always bring blessing to His people. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
3. This is the main point that I wanted to share today. When we find Jesus going to pray and then telling His disciples that it is time to go somewhere else, it might catch us off guard. What about all those people that are looking for Him?
The beauty in this passage is that Jesus goes to pray. This gives us a great example for handling the stresses of life. It is easy to get caught up in all the needs surrounding us. And we could spend our lives in one place dealing with one need after another, which would be a good thing. But in the end we could miss God's best for our lives. Jesus could have stayed in that little fishing town healing the sick and casting out demons but then the greater work that God called Him to do would have been sacrificed to the needs of the masses. Jesus' mission was to preach the good news and to ultimately become the fulfillment of the greatest news of all. Your sin debt is paid in full.
Jesus wants us to know that no matter what is going one in your life, we have a friend in Jesus who is always looking out for our best. We may not always understand what is going on around us but we can be sure that Jesus is in control.
May you rest in the good news that Jesus finished is finished the work He came to do. While He was on the cross, He declared, "It is finished." The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom freeing us all to have full access to the Holy of Holies.
As we continue our look at Mark (Mark 1:21-39), we find Jesus in Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. While there Jesus goes into the synagogue to teach. The Bible tells us that the people were amazed because Jesus taught as one with authority. Jesus' authority was so great that a demon cried from a possessed man, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" Jesus then rebuked the demon, and freed the man from it's presence.
After Jesus leaves the synagogue He went to Simon and Andrew's home where He finds Simon's Mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus heals her sickness. That evening the whole community shows up with their sick and demon possessed looking to Jesus for the answers to their problems.
Jesus worked late into the night healing the sick and freeing the possessed. I can imagine an exhausted Jesus climbing into be. Everyone counting on Him to fix their problems. The people sleeping on the ground around the house waiting for Jesus to wake up.
Then we read the most interesting thing, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."
The Good News:
There are three things that we need to focus on in these passage. The first two I will just briefly look at because we will look at them later the third is the main focus of today's blog.
1. We have a teacher in Jesus who isn't like the other teachers. He has authority over every created thing, both physical and spiritual, and at His very word the demons tremble. James 2:19 says, "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."
2. We have a Lord who cares deeply about His people. He is concerned about all of our problems. Whether we are dealing with sickness, disease, demonic influence, depression, addiction, or a host of other problems that we face in this life freedom is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Who will always bring blessing to His people. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
3. This is the main point that I wanted to share today. When we find Jesus going to pray and then telling His disciples that it is time to go somewhere else, it might catch us off guard. What about all those people that are looking for Him?
The beauty in this passage is that Jesus goes to pray. This gives us a great example for handling the stresses of life. It is easy to get caught up in all the needs surrounding us. And we could spend our lives in one place dealing with one need after another, which would be a good thing. But in the end we could miss God's best for our lives. Jesus could have stayed in that little fishing town healing the sick and casting out demons but then the greater work that God called Him to do would have been sacrificed to the needs of the masses. Jesus' mission was to preach the good news and to ultimately become the fulfillment of the greatest news of all. Your sin debt is paid in full.
Jesus wants us to know that no matter what is going one in your life, we have a friend in Jesus who is always looking out for our best. We may not always understand what is going on around us but we can be sure that Jesus is in control.
May you rest in the good news that Jesus finished is finished the work He came to do. While He was on the cross, He declared, "It is finished." The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom freeing us all to have full access to the Holy of Holies.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 3
In Mark 1:16-20 we find Jesus as He calls His first disciples. This is where we get to the heart of the Good News. Now you may be thinking, "Brad isn't this early to be calling it the 'heart of the Good News'?" Just bear with me.
In Jewish society, the greatest thing that could happen was that a rabbi would pick you to be a disciple of his. Jewish education worked like this:
First one would have to go through Bet Sefer, meaning the house of the book. As a boy at the age of 6 you would begin your training in the torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. You would study in bet Sefer for about four year in which you would memorize the entire text, word for word.
Now if you were the best student, at age 10 you would move into Bet Talmud, the house of learning. It was here that a young man would memorize the rest of the scriptures. The Idea was that by the age of 13 or 14 a young man in Bet Talmud would have memorized the entirety of the Hebrew scriptures.
Once you completed Bet Talmud if you were the best of the best you could then go to well, known and respected rabbi to apply for Bet Midrash, the house of Study. During this stage a rabbi would ask questions, if he thought you were good enough. Then based on the answers to you questions, the rabbi would either answer, "Lech Acharai" – Come, follow me. or "Go, home to your village. Make babies. Pray that they become rabbis. Go home and learn the family business - fishing, farming, carpentry. Because you won’t be studying to be a rabbi."
What is so great about Jesus' disciples are the fact that they had returned to their homes and were working in the trade of their fathers. They were not good enough.
The Good News:
You and I are not good enough to be a disciple of Jesus, but He bids us to come and follow Him. Jesus wants you and me even though we don't have it all together to be His disciples. When Jesus says, "come follow me" what it means is that He believes that you and I can do the things He is doing.
May you delight in the fact that the greatest Rabbi ever has called to you, "come, Follow me." That He sees so much potential in you that He has decided to make you His own. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi, Jesus, in such a way that people do not know where He stops and you start.
In Jewish society, the greatest thing that could happen was that a rabbi would pick you to be a disciple of his. Jewish education worked like this:
First one would have to go through Bet Sefer, meaning the house of the book. As a boy at the age of 6 you would begin your training in the torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. You would study in bet Sefer for about four year in which you would memorize the entire text, word for word.
Now if you were the best student, at age 10 you would move into Bet Talmud, the house of learning. It was here that a young man would memorize the rest of the scriptures. The Idea was that by the age of 13 or 14 a young man in Bet Talmud would have memorized the entirety of the Hebrew scriptures.
Once you completed Bet Talmud if you were the best of the best you could then go to well, known and respected rabbi to apply for Bet Midrash, the house of Study. During this stage a rabbi would ask questions, if he thought you were good enough. Then based on the answers to you questions, the rabbi would either answer, "Lech Acharai" – Come, follow me. or "Go, home to your village. Make babies. Pray that they become rabbis. Go home and learn the family business - fishing, farming, carpentry. Because you won’t be studying to be a rabbi."
What is so great about Jesus' disciples are the fact that they had returned to their homes and were working in the trade of their fathers. They were not good enough.
The Good News:
You and I are not good enough to be a disciple of Jesus, but He bids us to come and follow Him. Jesus wants you and me even though we don't have it all together to be His disciples. When Jesus says, "come follow me" what it means is that He believes that you and I can do the things He is doing.
May you delight in the fact that the greatest Rabbi ever has called to you, "come, Follow me." That He sees so much potential in you that He has decided to make you His own. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi, Jesus, in such a way that people do not know where He stops and you start.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 2
In yesterday's study we glanced over a couple verses at the end that I want to focus in on today. These verses are found in Mark 1:12-13.
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
These two verses are huge in our understanding of the depths of the Good News we have in Jesus. Many people in the world today struggle to find connection with God. He is so much greater than we are, it is hard to connect. How can we connect with a God who doesn't understand our weakness and struggles? How can we draw closer to a God who doesn't understand our dependency on food, drink, social interaction, and all the things that fulfill our daily lives?
In steps Jesus. When the light of the world came in human form in the man of Jesus, He limited Himself to be subject to all the needs, hurts, and struggles of the human life. Through His life he dealt with the same things we do. He experienced the dependency that a child has on his or her parents. He experienced what it was to be hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to morn the death of a friend, to be betrayed by someone close to Him, to be rejected by those He loved, to be mocked, to be slandered, to be ridiculed, and ultimately killed.
The Good News:
Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Jesus Christ has faced every test and trial the you and I will ever face and He was victorious. He understands what you are facing today.
God wasn't content to sit on a lofty perch and watch and wait for man to struggle fruitlessly to crawl to His thrown. God stepped out of His thrown and into the human experience in order to meet us where we are. God isn't waiting for us to get our lives together so we can come before Him, but He comes to us in the midst of our failure and says, "Follow me. I will show you a better way." God desires to work in your life right now.
May you embrace the Good News that God wants to meet with you right now. He loves you! He desires to do a mighty work in your life today.
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
These two verses are huge in our understanding of the depths of the Good News we have in Jesus. Many people in the world today struggle to find connection with God. He is so much greater than we are, it is hard to connect. How can we connect with a God who doesn't understand our weakness and struggles? How can we draw closer to a God who doesn't understand our dependency on food, drink, social interaction, and all the things that fulfill our daily lives?
In steps Jesus. When the light of the world came in human form in the man of Jesus, He limited Himself to be subject to all the needs, hurts, and struggles of the human life. Through His life he dealt with the same things we do. He experienced the dependency that a child has on his or her parents. He experienced what it was to be hungry and thirsty. He knew what it was to morn the death of a friend, to be betrayed by someone close to Him, to be rejected by those He loved, to be mocked, to be slandered, to be ridiculed, and ultimately killed.
The Good News:
Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Jesus Christ has faced every test and trial the you and I will ever face and He was victorious. He understands what you are facing today.
God wasn't content to sit on a lofty perch and watch and wait for man to struggle fruitlessly to crawl to His thrown. God stepped out of His thrown and into the human experience in order to meet us where we are. God isn't waiting for us to get our lives together so we can come before Him, but He comes to us in the midst of our failure and says, "Follow me. I will show you a better way." God desires to work in your life right now.
May you embrace the Good News that God wants to meet with you right now. He loves you! He desires to do a mighty work in your life today.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Good News: Mark Part 1
The Gospel of Mark starts with a beautiful statement that we sometimes breeze through to get into the heart of this book. "This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God..." Mark 1:1.
As we begin to read about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we must first realize that we are reading, "Good News". So often we find ourselves reading the passages of scripture seeking our flaws, our failures. We look for judgment for our selves and others but John Mark wants us to look for something else, he wants us to find Good News in what he is telling us.
Being that this is how the book of Mark starts out I have challenged myself to go through the book of Mark and share the "Good News" in this blog. I am sure I will not write on every verse but I will be looking a sections of this Gospel account in hopes that we can grow deeper in our understanding of the Good News that God has given each one of us today.
Part 1:
As we begin to look at the writings of Mark we find Mark leading us to the pages of the Old Testament. He wants everyone to know that God's plan for the redemption of mankind has been planed and promised by God. This wasn't just a momentary choice but a well thought out plan. God had planned our redemption before the beginning of the world and at various times relieved bits and pieces of this plan to His prophets who He called to share His word and love with others.
I also love Mark's approach, he says look what Isaiah said and the prefaces Isaiah with a quote from Malachi 3:1 in which Malachi tells us the same thing then quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Malachi 3:1 says, "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." - Be ready, there is a messenger coming and when he shows up the messiah is coming soon.
Isaiah 40:3 says, "Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!" - Isaiah tells us about the very teaching of this coming messenger.
Mark then tells about the coming of John the Baptist, who showed up preaching this message of repentance, yet with these great words of hope, "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
John is announcing to everyone that will listen that the power of sin is about to be broken, that salvation is near at hand. One is coming who will bring the very Spirit of God to the masses. No longer will human tradition and man made buildings be needed to draw men to God. There is one coming that is so great and so mighty that we are not even worthy enough to be His slave yet He will immerse (baptize) us in the Spirit and Power of God Almighty.
The Good News:
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
The Calling of the First Disciples
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"” - Mark 1:9-15
Jesus came into the world and John the Baptist told us this is the one. The God-man who will take away the sins of the world. Salvation has come.
When Jesus came on the scene His message was this, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" In the King James Translation it says, "the kingdom of God is at hand" What Jesus is telling us from the very beginning of His earthly ministry is that the Kingdom of God is attainable. That is can be reached, NOW! It is now longer something we have to wait on.
Jesus came that you can experience God's kingdom in this life and in the life to come. We have a God who is active, now. He desires to give you blessing now. He desires you to experience the Fruit of His kingdom today. His Love, His Joy, His Peace, His Patience, His Kindness, His Goodness, His Faithfulness, His Gentleness, and His Self-Control.
May this Good News encourage you today as you draw deeper to God through the free gift of salvation found in Jesus, who is both Christ and Lord. Amen
As we begin to read about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we must first realize that we are reading, "Good News". So often we find ourselves reading the passages of scripture seeking our flaws, our failures. We look for judgment for our selves and others but John Mark wants us to look for something else, he wants us to find Good News in what he is telling us.
Being that this is how the book of Mark starts out I have challenged myself to go through the book of Mark and share the "Good News" in this blog. I am sure I will not write on every verse but I will be looking a sections of this Gospel account in hopes that we can grow deeper in our understanding of the Good News that God has given each one of us today.
Part 1:
As we begin to look at the writings of Mark we find Mark leading us to the pages of the Old Testament. He wants everyone to know that God's plan for the redemption of mankind has been planed and promised by God. This wasn't just a momentary choice but a well thought out plan. God had planned our redemption before the beginning of the world and at various times relieved bits and pieces of this plan to His prophets who He called to share His word and love with others.
I also love Mark's approach, he says look what Isaiah said and the prefaces Isaiah with a quote from Malachi 3:1 in which Malachi tells us the same thing then quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Malachi 3:1 says, "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies." - Be ready, there is a messenger coming and when he shows up the messiah is coming soon.
Isaiah 40:3 says, "Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,“Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!" - Isaiah tells us about the very teaching of this coming messenger.
Mark then tells about the coming of John the Baptist, who showed up preaching this message of repentance, yet with these great words of hope, "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”
John is announcing to everyone that will listen that the power of sin is about to be broken, that salvation is near at hand. One is coming who will bring the very Spirit of God to the masses. No longer will human tradition and man made buildings be needed to draw men to God. There is one coming that is so great and so mighty that we are not even worthy enough to be His slave yet He will immerse (baptize) us in the Spirit and Power of God Almighty.
The Good News:
"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
The Calling of the First Disciples
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"” - Mark 1:9-15
Jesus came into the world and John the Baptist told us this is the one. The God-man who will take away the sins of the world. Salvation has come.
When Jesus came on the scene His message was this, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" In the King James Translation it says, "the kingdom of God is at hand" What Jesus is telling us from the very beginning of His earthly ministry is that the Kingdom of God is attainable. That is can be reached, NOW! It is now longer something we have to wait on.
Jesus came that you can experience God's kingdom in this life and in the life to come. We have a God who is active, now. He desires to give you blessing now. He desires you to experience the Fruit of His kingdom today. His Love, His Joy, His Peace, His Patience, His Kindness, His Goodness, His Faithfulness, His Gentleness, and His Self-Control.
May this Good News encourage you today as you draw deeper to God through the free gift of salvation found in Jesus, who is both Christ and Lord. Amen
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Provision
There is this great story of God's provision found in the Old Testament. The prophet Elijah was called to confront Ahab, King of Israel, for his worship of the false god Baal, a Canaanite deity of rain and weather, called the "Life-Giver".
God had Elijah go to Ahab and tell him that there would be no rain until Elijah told him it would rain. This was a statement in direct conflict with Ahab's faith in Baal. If Baal was in-charge of rain then who was Elijah, as a servant of the Lord to say it would not rain.
God then told Elijah to go into hiding and in 1 Kings 17 we read these words, Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
God tells Elijah, because you are faithful and trust in me, I am going to take care of you. Hide yourself from Ahab and I will provide for you. Though there will not be rain I will provide you with water to drink and I will even send you food. And God provided. Twice a day Elijah received meat and bread.
This story draws me to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage Jesus tells His followers not to worry because God knows and will provide everything you need as long as we "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"
I discovered this truth first hand when we moved to Pennsylvania. We moved a family of 6 to a place in long term economic collapse to serve in a church that couldn't afford to pay us. Within a couple days in PA I had a job. A job that I kept until God called us to leave.
Now I have moved to Ohio, called by God to launch a new church. Once again God has asked us to trust Him to provide for our needs. This area has seen an 18% unemployment rate over the last year. After being in town for 1 day God has provided me with an interview for a job. I don't share this to draw attention to myself but to the faithfulness of God. God has promised that if we seek Him. (If we place His plans above our own) and His righteousness (If we desire to draw closer to Him in thought, deed, and morality) He will provide.
What is it you are trusting God for today? Are you drawing closer to Him? Are you trusting God's plan for your life?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
God had Elijah go to Ahab and tell him that there would be no rain until Elijah told him it would rain. This was a statement in direct conflict with Ahab's faith in Baal. If Baal was in-charge of rain then who was Elijah, as a servant of the Lord to say it would not rain.
God then told Elijah to go into hiding and in 1 Kings 17 we read these words, Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
God tells Elijah, because you are faithful and trust in me, I am going to take care of you. Hide yourself from Ahab and I will provide for you. Though there will not be rain I will provide you with water to drink and I will even send you food. And God provided. Twice a day Elijah received meat and bread.
This story draws me to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage Jesus tells His followers not to worry because God knows and will provide everything you need as long as we "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"
I discovered this truth first hand when we moved to Pennsylvania. We moved a family of 6 to a place in long term economic collapse to serve in a church that couldn't afford to pay us. Within a couple days in PA I had a job. A job that I kept until God called us to leave.
Now I have moved to Ohio, called by God to launch a new church. Once again God has asked us to trust Him to provide for our needs. This area has seen an 18% unemployment rate over the last year. After being in town for 1 day God has provided me with an interview for a job. I don't share this to draw attention to myself but to the faithfulness of God. God has promised that if we seek Him. (If we place His plans above our own) and His righteousness (If we desire to draw closer to Him in thought, deed, and morality) He will provide.
What is it you are trusting God for today? Are you drawing closer to Him? Are you trusting God's plan for your life?
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11
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