The Powerful King

  Mark 5:21-43

Our God has power to bless. But sometimes, it appears his blessings get delayed or even repurposed. For example, as Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of Jairus, he got detoured with the healing of the woman with the flow of blood.

While living in Cameroon, we saw God work powerfully. There was the time when there was a contagious cattle blight, with whole herds wiped out. One nomadic herdsman came to a Christian church asking for prayer for his cattle because his brother’s cattle, with which his had mingled, had begun to show disease symptoms. The Christians obliged, fervently praying for protection. Two weeks later, the Fulani herdsman returned rejoicing that he had discovered the true God. Even though his brother’s cattle continued to diminish in numbers, his were not affected at all.

A short time later, my visiting father collapsed with an apparent heart attack. We did CPR and prayed. The response of our loving Father was not to heal him miraculously as with the Muslim’s herd. What we discovered in our grief was that God used my dad’s death to speak to the Cameroonians in ways that we had not anticipated and could not have orchestrated otherwise.

The lesson? Because we are confident that our God is powerful and loving, we pray fervently for his blessing. His response may be different from what we hope for, but it will always be for our good and his glory.

                                                                               Pastor David Mann

Mark 5: 17-20

 Go to People Like Yourself

I am not able to identify with brain surgeons or international diplomats. How about you? It would be most uncomfortable to be forced into a situation where it was essential to rub elbows with the very rich and famous, as I would have nothing in common with them. Having to mingle with a world class physicists or mathematician would be awkward at best.

Put me in a room with psychologists or teachers on the other hand, and I would be in heaven, so to speak. There would be endless topics of discussion and subjects for me to pick their brains about, and then sit back and ponder as I formulated my next inquiry.

We all have a sense of comfort when with those we have things in common with. Why then do some Christians feel the need to push their beliefs on those who do not have an ear for what they proclaim? Perhaps it is all in the approach, not empathizing with the other person considering their background or paradigm (set of ideas used for understanding something) can bring out negative feelings. No one wants to be preached to about a subject they feel uncomfortable with. It is unlikely we are going to change the lifestyle of another through proclamation. Most humans thrive on relationships. We do not hear what others have to say until we first know they care.

If any of us are going to make a difference in the life of another, we must meet them where they are as Jesus did. He humbled himself. He dwelled among sinners and lepers. He broke bread with the undesirable and spoke to those shunned by their communities. Jesus lived the life of a poor man, and dwelled amidst those like him.

Jesus modeled the perfect, sinless life. We cannot even think about comparing to him, but we can grow where we are planted, spreading the seeds of love and compassion, as we reach out to those near to us. We need not travel the world to make a difference. Often we can simply "Just Walk Across The Room."

Read/Listen to Mark 5: 17-20

Review the Book “Just Walk Across the Room” by: Bill Hybels