The Other Side of the Sea - Mark 5:1-19

You know, that little body of water, Galilee, Genessaret, Chinneroth, saw way more than its share of ministry and miracles. Whether on the sea itself or on one of its banks, Jesus did a lot of work that changed history. Consider Peter walking on the water, a fish with a coin in its mouth, the great catch of fish that almost sank the boats, The Lord’s prayer (version II), the Sermon on the Mount, “Peace, be still!”

In this account, Jesus compels His minyan to sail to the other side of the sea to a place where Jews didn't often go – Gadara. It was a short-term mission trip.

I find a poignant missionary truth in this story:

What's on the other side of the sea?

1. Foreigners! (vs 1) Culture, language, tradition, heritage, religion – everything is unfamiliar on the other side. What the disciples ran into when they ran aground was eye-opening and jaw-dropping. One of them might have said, “Dorothy, we ain’t in Kansas no more!” Indeed, crossing the lake put them a world apart from the usual fare. Here, there are no Pharisees badgering them, no tax collectors harassing them, no temple tops gleaming in the sun. Just raw difference. God never called His servants to living lives of comfort, but He does call them/us carrying crude crosses. It may not be Club Med awaiting you when you dock. 

2. Men (and Women) in need. The first man to greet them was the man most needy. This particular one is demonized.

*He lived among the tombs (he was spiritually dead, what better place to haunt?) 

*He was possessed with an unclean spirit (it happens here too. The demons of drugs, lust, etc.) 

BTW: The demons within were called Legion, that is, there were many spirits.

*He was bound with fetters (that is, he was chained to his sin)

*He was exceedingly wild (no man could tame him)

Every lost person you encounter is no better or worse off than this man. The demons which keep them from the cross may be more subtle, but they are every bit as insidious and effective as this maniac.

But, Praise the Lord, Jesus came! Someone cared enough to go to the other side where a great need existed among many people in great need.

*This man saw Jesus (as opposed to what he had been seeing – darkness of the worst kind)

*This man ran to Him. He ran away from everything else – this is repentance. The demons urged him away from Jesus, away from deliverance, but he was compelled toward salvation.

*This man worshiped Him – to his knees and to his face he dropped before the only One Who had the power to save him from his misery.

3. Demons on a Mission. Remember the ministry that Satan has! To steal, kill and destroy. In the 3^rd world his work often looks much different than its manifestations here in “Christianized” America. But the end goal is the same. Abbaddon/Apollyon, the Destroyer has one set of goals, destroy lives, damn souls to hell and get back at God for expelling him from heaven.

Note: We must be very careful to separate the demons from the demonized. On demons, we must have no mercy. On the victim, we must have compassion. Jesus went out of His way for the man, not the devils.

Consider this, who was really speaking, the man or the devils? Who was really acting bizarre? It was the demons within using the man without. We wrestle not with flesh and blood.

4. Swine Feeding! On the other side of the sea, we will find disgusting, cannibalistic, suicidal pigs. There is nothing kosher on the other side. All of our societal taboos are turned on their heads in Gadara. You will not be comfortable when you cruise to the other side. There, they may speak Pig Latin, and you don’t even eat bacon!

5. Fear!  (vs 15) Why were people afraid? As a result of Christ’s power, the man was now sitting, clothed and in his right mind (possibly now he was left handed? I’m just sayin’).

*They were afraid of change. Can you imagine? Their comfort zone included a demon possessed, naked, uncontrollable mad man who lived in the grave yard!!! They'd rather have the familiar with its discomfort than a Savior that will change everything. 

*They were afraid of the unknown. Never had this kind of power been displayed. Exorcism, deviled ham, changed life, a new normal. No possessed men terrorizing the graveyard, no swine feeding on a hillside. "Demons? We know. Salvation? Not so sure about that!"

Men are gripped by, yea, frozen by fear. “What if I do get saved? Will I be ostracized by my peeps? Will I ever get to have fun again? Will I have to learn Christianese? Will the church demand all my money?”  

As they say, you don't know what you don't know! 

6. On the Other Side - A New Missionary (18-19)

Goodness! Without a day of discipleship, this man went from demoniac to so soul-winner, from crazed loony to being in his right mind. Hopefully, on the other side of the sea, we will find some lives so transformed that the mission target becomes the missionary. 

Perhaps today, you will feel a heavenly nudge to go across the sea, or across the street, out of your “normal” and into some foreign, demonized, needy and fearful part of the world to find the next target of God's grace, and possibly, the next missionary. If so, go! You have been given the promise of His presence and power to present His message. 

The Parable of the Sower - The Key to All Parables.

And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?   4:13

It is said that Jesus taught 46 parables in the Gospels. Being as how this was one of the chief methods of communication by the Man Who spake as no man ever spake and taught with authority like no other, It is best for us to know the basics of the parable.

I thank "gotquestions.org" for the following insight for parables:

A parable is, literally, something "cast alongside" something else. Jesus' parables were sorties that were "cast alongside" a truth in order to illustrate that truth. His parables were teaching aids and can be thought of as extended analogies or inspired comparisons. A common description of a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. 

We find, in verse 2, this parable being introduced as Jesus teaching them "in His doctrine." Which simply meant that the parable was His conveyance of His instruction. 

So, in brief, what key does this parable offer for the unlocking of all of the 45 other parables?

Mainly the following:

God sows the seed of the Word of God into the field, which is the world (more specifically, the heart of the individual). That ground is either receptive to the seed, or is not conducive to its germination, growth and fruitfulness.

I feel that the field (heart) referred to is the individual heart of every individual to whom the seed is introduced, including believers.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon me, individually, to be receptive to God's Word however it is conveyed to me; whether by my reading, hearing or meditation. If I prepare my heart to be receptive to the seed of the Word, it will find good ground and will reproduce in me abundantly.

This prepares my heart to receive the teachings of all of my Lord's parables and teachings. 

30 things happened when you purposefully skipped church

1. You forsook the assembly
2. You disobeyed the Savior
3. You were a bad example to others, including your kids and the other children of the church
4. You missed the spiritual meals prepared especially for you
5. You failed to be admonished and edified
6. You failed to admonish and edify others
7. You diminished the importance of Christ's bride
8. You showed you don't love that which Jesus loved so much, He gave Himself for it
9. You disappointed your pastor
10. You missed the huddle about how your church is going to impact the world
11. You became a weak link in the chain
12. You missed the opportunity to tithe
13. You didn't contribute to missions
14. Your place in the congregation was empty
15. Your praise was not voiced in collective worship
16. You missed the prayer requests of those brothers and sisters who could have used your prayer
17. You were not able to weep with those who weep
18. You missed the opportunity to rejoice with those who rejoice
19. You didn't have the chance to respond to the altar call
20. You missed meeting with Jesus Who said, in the context of the church, where two or three are gathered...
21. You missed, so others who look to you missed also
22. You began your downward slide toward being "out of church"
23. Your part of/in the body didn't function
24. You devalued the worth of your church
25. You removed yourself from the spiritual blessings and protection offered in the church
26. You revealed your priorities
27. You were a poor testimony to lost family and neighbors
28. You were unable to share your burdens with your spiritual family
29. You failed to be inspired by the missionary report
30. You were not moved to tears and shouts when a new believer came out of the waters of baptism

But hey, you were on Facebook, so, yeah, you're good!

Bitter Waters Turned Sweet

Ex 15:22-26

Israel was fresh off one of the greatest and most miraculous victories in all of history. 430 years of bondage was obliterated by the mighty hand of God at the Red Sea. He had worked mightily by opening up a dry path through the sea and then inundating the Egyptian army therein. The subsequent praise songs of Moses and Miriam, "I will sing unto the Lord" and "Sing ye to the Lord" topped the Praise and Worship charts for that year.

However, only 3 days later, one of the most inane "what have you done for me lately?" whines ever uttered fell from the lips of God's MFN (most favored nation) citizens.

They had come to a place called Marah (bitter), aptly named, for the water there tasted as bitter as Mrs. Douglas' Green Acres coffee.

Moses was the nearest scapegoat, so they cast the blame on him. Goodness gracious! He's the man God used to deliver them from slavery and marched them across the dry sea bottom and then toward the Promised Land. He surely didn't deserve the tongue lashing he was receiving from 3 million ingrates.

But, how can we blame them too harshly? These were people with a slave mentality. They expected "massa" to fend for them once they "done come out da fields." This was just the beginning of their gripes and groans. There'd be complaints innumerable to follow. Moses was just beginning to feel burden of ingratitude and short term memory.

God, however, provided yet another miracle for these undeserving whiners, as He would time and time again. I suppose that's called grace, and I should be careful to count the fingers pointed back at me as I denigrate these stiff-necked, heart-hearted, memory-challenged children of Israel.

Here's the miracle...and it does hold credence for our plight. When they had tasted that the water was bitter, as we will similarly experience in our pilgrimage through life's wilderness, the bitter waters were sweetened when a cry was made to the Lord and the Lord showed Moses a tree to be cast into the waters. whereupon, the water became potably sweet.

Here it is friend: When life gets bitter, look to the tree that will make things sweet again, the cross of Calvary. Only that tree, when it is applied to our circumstances, can suffice in making the bitter sweet again.

It is wonderful when bitter Marah is made sweet thanks to Moriah (Calvary).

Float like an Egyptian

Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

10 plagues were foisted upon these people. The first six brought irritation, the next three, devastation, and the final plague, dread!

The previous day and night, they witnessed God's presence and protection upon Israel: the cloud and the pillar of fire.

And yet, they pursued after God's people into a dry path of the sea, walled on either side by a hundred feet of water.

Next thing they know, the walls have crashed upon them, their chariot wheels fell off and not a one of them could swim to shore.

Every Egyptian that undertook this sortie against Israel became a floater and washed up on the beach.

When will the lost learn NOT to fight against God and to treat His children equitably? How many set backs must occur, how many crop failures, how many (super)natural disasters, how many firstborn lost, how many flat tires until they realize, you don't mess with God or His anointed?

Those who oppose God and oppress His kids hope for smooth sailing, but may just end up as floaters.

Jacob's Thefts: Birthright and Blessings

Please Read Gen 27

Vs 30, And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

Esau had a priority problem. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to hunt. I am sure I have done like Esau and went hunting when I should or could have been seeing to something more important.

But Esau was born to hunt. He was good at it! (27:27a). Hunting can be therapeutic. Nature and skill, contemplation and competition, patience and thrill - all converge on the hunt. Those who don’t go, don’t know. It was Esau's passion.

But hunting proved to be Esau's downfall on two very important occasions.

The first time is noted in Gen. 25:27-34. Esau came home from the hunt absolutely famished. I can see him in his dusty camo, dropping a carcass from his shoulders, laying his bow carefully against a post and saying to his twin, "I am starving to death, you got anything cooking, O King of the Crockpot?"

Jacob's conniving mind had already shifted into high gear. "Yeah bro, just happen to have some killer chili fixed, you want some? I'll ladle a bowl for ya if you'll sell me your birthright!"

Esau's response: "Whatever!" Now, no one ever called Esau an Einstein, but can you imagine, Isaac was coming up in the world and Esau had plenty to inherit, but he blew it all off for a bowl of chili! Wow! McCormick's Seasonings would have been proud.

Esau didn't know how Hurricane Jacob had hit him until later. After he thought about it, he shrugged it all off and decided he hated his birthright anyhow. (25:34)

Fast forward several years and we find the mighty hunter flummoxed as a fawn on the freeway once again by his stay-at-home homeboy twin.

Jacob (supplanter) hears from mom, who hears from dad, that Isaac is hankerin' for some mutton before handing out his final blessings.

Mommy tells her boy that he needs to pull off the Houdini of the century by fooling dad into thinking he's Esau. No small feat! But he did it.

Have you ever wondered how Jacob pulled this off?

1. Though twins, Esau was rough as a cob and Jacob was slick as a whistle.

2. Isaac was nearly blind and half deaf in his advanced years. I would imagine he was feeling a bit melancholy as the end neared, and therefore somewhat gullible.

3. Rebekah must have been an efficient seamstress. She was able to take sheepskin and sew it into sleeves, gloves and a collar, worn by baby-skinned Jacob, which would fool Isaac into thinking he was the rough-skinned, hairy, hunter brother. That was some doing when you consider the wool had to have the authentic feel and hair length of Esau's hands, forearms and neck. Amazing!

4. Jacob tried to impersonate the voice of Esau. Imagine as he tried to drop his tone a half an octave and project a gravelly, earthy voice. Isaac didn't buy it. He ended up trusting his sense of smell and touch over his sight and hearing. Old age, it ain't for sissies!

It worked! I am thinking there had to be some Divine intervention to pull this ruse off, but it worked and Jacob ended up with Esau's birthright AND his blessing.

This is a coup that must have embarrassed Jacob's prodigy all the way from Joseph to David to Jesus.

But, praise God for the transforming power of His touch. A subsequent dream of a very long ladder and an all-night battle royal wrestling match with a Theophany transformed Jacob into Israel, causing the birthright to progress to a manger in Bethlehem and the blessing to catapult the Jews to most favored nation status with heaven.

What a story! 

I AM For the WALL!!!

Trump is right. There needs to be a wall.

It needs to be high and solid and impenetrable. Only citizens should be allowed in. In fact, I would go as far as to say, only Christians should be allowed. If your name isn’t on the registry, you don’t get in. Don’t get me wrong, if you are willing to get your name in the books, speak the language, leave your lies and wickedness outside the gates, you can enter. But again, let me be clear, if you are a terrorist, a druggie, a player, you don’t get in! If you are flashing the horns at the rock concerts or don’t know how to tell the truth, forget about it, you will be left outside the wall.

Additionally, when you get in through the gates, you need to be honoring God and giving praise to Him, or you are not welcome.

By the way, Mexico is off the hook. They can’t afford to build this wall. There’s not enough tacos in Tijuana or tortillas in Torreon to pay for this border fence.

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12  And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13  On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15  And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16  And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17  And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18  And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19  And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20  The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24  And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25  And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26  And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.