Founder’s Journal

(2/3) As the fourth chapter of his Gospel comes to an end, Mark reports that Jesus launched a short missions trip from Capernaum, which lies on the northern edge of the Galilean Sea.  Overnight, His team travelled to Gadara, at the southern point of the Sea, 14 miles away.  The harrowing trip on the open sea had deep spiritual implications, as we learned previously.  (Jesus Takes a Mission Trip)  In chapter five Mark reports yet another incredible spiritual event which occurred at the very moment the team made landfall.

(3/3) In the fifth chapter of Mark’s gospel, we read his report of a fascinating interaction between Jesus and a horde of demons. The Lord has just cast these evil spirits out of a severely tormented man.  That alone would be a remarkable story of the Lord’s spiritual power.  Just imagine these demons provoking 2,000 swine to run down a hill violently, only to drown in the sea. 

During His ministry, many witnesses attested to Christ’s compassionate works and selfless motives. Despite several attempts to build a fictitious case against Him, the religious authorities could not succeed. Being guiltless, Jesus never displayed a defensive attitude nor evidence of His innocence. Only when asked a direct question did He provide evidence of His true identity as the Son of God. Read the trial transcript carefully to see how the false testimony falls apart and the truth is manipulated to create charges against Jesus. This is an excellent example of the totalitarian’s claim: “show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.”

The Lord is eager to see His Kingdom permeate every corner of civil society on Earth. To do so, Jesus gave a grand assignment to all of us just before He ascended to Heaven. ….“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)

After leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the Lord miraculously parted the Red Sea. Shortly afterward, He provided detailed plans to Moses regarding the structure of a remarkable, new theocratic government. The Lord Himself would serve as the King over His chosen people.  The Lord later appointed prophets and judges to speak on His behalf to the Israelites. For example, the mighty prophet Samuel delivered the Lord’s guidance to the citizens for many years. However, the Israelites became rightfully concerned that the sons of Samuel: “did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.” I Samuel 8:3

Remember — Lucifer’s goal is to interfere with our Kingdom influence because it will accelerate his ultimate condemnation. Believe it or not, every Christian has a vital purpose in the Lord’s strategic plans. He is eager to see His kingdom grow and His influence reach into new territories. Lucifer is determined to stop those plans, but it’s a lost cause. The death and resurrection of Jesus makes it inevitable. So, the enemy has two remaining strategies to derail us: he can tempt us to sin and he can accuse us in our conscience.

Judicial standing is the legal right of one party to accuse another of potential (or actual) harm. To have “standing” in a court of law, one party must demonstrate a personal stake in the issue at hand. Before Jesus’ death, Satan had legal access to stand before the Lord in the courts of heaven to accuse mankind of all sorts of treachery. Why?

In ancient mythology, Ulysses needed to navigate the passageway between Italy and Sicily, the strait guarded by two deadly, intimidating threats — Scylla and Charybdis.  On the one side lay rocky shoals — certain to rip the hull out of one’s ship.  These rocks were guarded by a terrible, six-headed dragon determined to eat anyone alive who wandered within its reach.  On the other side lay a vicious whirlpool from which a ship would never escape.  You can sense the immense risk of danger to the ship in this picture.  

A dime has two sides: heads and tails. Regardless of which side faces up, you can tell you are holding a dime. The coin is inherently worth 10 cents even if you can’t see the side that is facing down. Simply by looking at one side you can describe the other.

Humility, the great quality of Jesus so richly described and often mentioned in Scripture, also has two sides. There is the outward side, which is behavioral and easily observed by others. Some people have a “low look”, they are obviously unaggressive and exhibit virtually no pride. Jesus said about Himself “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mat 11:29)

In the early church, a great disagreement arose whether one could consume meat that had been offered to pagan idols. Believers of all faiths offered sacrifices through their priests. Often the best cuts of beef and lamb were brought to the temples for this purpose. Once the offering had been prayed over, the priests immediately took the fresh product to the market to be sold. The priests earned money through this practice. However, some early Christians severely objected to the purchase of meat that had been offered to pagan gods. This became a contentious debate among believers – is it permissible or not?