Tag: Holy Spirit

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Mark 1:21-28 Recognizing the Authority of Jesus

Mark 1:21-28

1:21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.

1:22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

1:23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,

1:24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

1:25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

1:26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

1:27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

1:28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

In the context of the first chapter, Jesus is affirmed as the beloved Son of God, sent into the wilderness to be tempted, begins preaching, and begins calling his disciples. It all happens quickly in Mark. Mark uses descriptive phrases like “at once” and “immediately” to show the urgency of hearing and recognizing who Jesus is. Many of the verbs are in present tense in Mark for possibly the same effect.

 

As he enters the synagogue and begins teaching, the people hearing him recognize his teaching is different. He is not speculating about the possible meaning of scripture; he speaks with authority. It would be an easily recognized authority. It would be like the difference between hearing someone give a book report and having a question with the author of the book. The one giving the book report is telling you what he thinks the author was doing. The author is telling you exactly what he thinks. The author explains until you understand exactly what he means.

 

You will hear people talking about the authority of Scripture. That is important for us to understand and embrace. We do order our lives according to the Bible. However, there are many interpretations of the Bible. A healthy way to interpret the Bible is through the lens of the Gospels. The whole of scripture is taken together to understand the revelation of God and his will for humanity and the world. That is all focused and understood through the person who is the focal point of history. Jesus taught the scriptures as one having authority because he is the authority. He has been with the Father from before the world began. He has an intimate relationship with the Father. He, with the Father, inspired the people who wrote scripture. If we want to understand the Bible, it must be understood first and foremost through the teaching and example of Christ. An eye for an eye, is trumped by the teaching of Jesus to turn the other cheek.

 

Just a few verses later in our scripture reading a demon possessed man who happens to be in the synagogue cries out. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

 

There are some things to see here. First, demons are not too uncomfortable in religion. The demon possessed man was there in the synagogue, apparently without much notice. However, when Jesus came in and began teaching with authority, things became uncomfortable for the demon. Religion does not keep demons in check, Jesus does. There were demons in the synagogue. If a church is based on empty, dead religion, there could as easily be demons in a church too. To keep the demons out, you need a place where Jesus is exalted, and alive in the members.

 

Second, I want to point out the glowing statement that the demon made about Jesus. He said, “…I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” That sounds almost like praise. Could that demon be a Christian? Obviously, from the description of the man and what happen to the demon… he was cast out… he was not a Christian demon. Be careful not to invest yourselves too fully into people just because they throw around Christian buzz words. There are many influential people who will wear a cross or mention prayer or say something that sounds like what you would hear a Christian say. However, they are no more of a person committed to Christ than the demon was.

 

After Jesus casts out the demon, his authority is even more obvious. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”  The casting out of the demon with ease and authority made it obvious that Jesus was someone special. The people went out and began to tell everyone about him and spread his fame “throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.” Through that genuine encounter with Jesus, they knew he was above the other religious teachers and leaders. He was able to teach scriptures as one who knew them as his own words. He was able to cast out demons because he had the authority and power to do so.

 

From the scriptures we also know of many other encounters with Jesus that proved his authority and power. He walked on water. He commanded nature and the winds and waves obeyed him. Jesus healed many people and cast out other demons. He raised people from the dead. Ultimately, he died for our sins, and he himself was raised from the dead three days later. The Holy Spirit has led us and is leading us to encounters with Jesus that confirm his authority in our own lives.

 

Just as he did with the original disciples in this first chapter of Mark, Jesus calls us to follow. He has the exact same authority in our lives that he did in theirs because of who he is. Jesus is the Holy One of God. He can call us to leave our current vocation to follow him. He can call us to head overseas to become missionaries. He can call us to continue where we are proclaiming his fame to our community. Whatever it is, our only acceptable answer to Jesus is “yes Lord” because he is the authority in our lives.

 

Before we close, we would be amiss if we did not recognize the full scope of the authority of Jesus. Jesus is the authority and as such empowered his first disciples and future disciples to make a difference in this world for his Kingdom by giving them his authority. We are called to do the things that Jesus did, and we are given the power and authority to do them by Jesus himself.

 

”Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.“  John 14:12-14 NRSV

 

Jesus is the authority in the world because he is the Holy One of God. Jesus is the authority in our lives because he is the Holy One of God. Our only correct response to Jesus’ call is “yes Lord.” We have also been given authority and power in Jesus to make a difference in the world, so claim your authority in Christ and “accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

Blessing: Go in peace, submitted to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, as you embrace the authority and power Christ gives you to change the world. In the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the Glory of God our Father. Amen

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October 11 2023 – Hebrews 3 – The Danger of a Hardened Heart

Reading through the Bible, we see many warnings about wandering from the faith. They are in both the Old and New Testaments. In Hebrews 3, we see a warning about wandering from the faith from the Old Testament example of the Israelites that were led through the wilderness for forty years.

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’; As I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Hebrews3:7–11NASB1995

I have said on many occasions that allowing sin to remain in our lives is dangerous. The Holy Spirit continually shows us the sin in our lives that is separating us from God. We either deal with the sin and continue in right relation with God or we choose to keep the sin and ignore the Holy Spirit. That is how we harden our hearts against God.

It is a slippery slope when we choose not to deal with sin because it allows other sins to take root in our lives. Once this begins to happen, we accelerate the hardening of our heart against God. It becomes more and more difficult to hear God speaking to us. This puts us in a dangerous condition where we can actually deny our faith in God.

The author of Hebrews gives us clear warning and we would do well to, not only listen but examine our lives to see if we are cherishing sin over God.

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end…” Hebrews3:12–14NASB1995

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the incredible sacrifice you made to make me right with God! Help me to listen to your Spirit and continually confess and turn from sins that harden my heart against you. Amen.

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October 10 2023 – Hebrews 2 – Christ Became Like Us, for Us

It is easier for us to identify with people like us. When we are around other people, we gravitate to those like us. We look, consciously or subconsciously, for those who look like us. We try to identify people we have something in common with.

I went to a meeting once with people from across the state. One of the first people I spoke to was a guy with a motorcycle helmet. I like riding motorcycles and was curious about his bike I passed in the parking lot.

The author of Hebrews chapter two points out how Jesus identified with us. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same…” Hebrews 2:14 NASB1995

Reading that line made me think of Joan Osborne’s song, (What If God Was) One of Us. The lyric in the song that stands out in my mind is…“What if God was one of us. Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus. Trying to make His way home.”

Jesus became one of us. He looked like us. He ate and drank like we do. He laughed and cried. He taught us how to understand the Father.

Hebrews 2:14 also tells us that he died like we do. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” Not only did he identify with us by dying for us, but he also took the power of death away from the devil.

“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews2:17NASB1995 We are attracted to Christ because the Holy Spirit draws us to him. We are also attracted to him because in every way, he became like us.

The chapter concludes, “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” Hebrews2:18NASB1995 He even allowed himself to be tempted like us.

A few chapters over we read that Jesus sympathizes with our weakness because he himself was tempted in all things. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews4:15NASB1995

Jesus made it easy for us to identify with him. In every way he was one of us. He was also tempted like we are so that he sympathizes with us and helps us when we are tempted!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being so much like me, yet without sin. Lord help me to identify with you so much that I become just like you. Amen

February 3 2023 – Hebrews 12 – What is Faith?

Jesus tells those who follow him to have faith and if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. What exactly did he mean by that? What is faith and how do you have it and how do you grow it?

Throughout the Bible we see many examples of people of faith. In Hebrews 12, sometimes called the faith hall of fame, we see many real life examples of what faith is. The author of Hebrews defines faith and gives many examples to verify what he means.

According to the author, “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”Hebrews11:1NASB1995  Therefore we understand that faith is what we have been led to hope for through the Holy Spirit and the conviction, again, through the Holy Spirit, that what we hope for is and will be a reality. He gives several examples of people who were led to hope for something. They believed God and stepped out in faith to respond to that hope. God rewarded their faith by fulfilling what he led them to hope for.

Just for further clarification no amount of believing will obligate God to reward us with what he has not led us to hope for. I may hope to win the lottery, but if God did not lead me to hope for that, then it is just hope born out of my desire to be rich. I may completely believe that I can and will win the lottery. However, if I did win, it wouldn’t be a reward for my faith, because God did not lead me to hope for it. Rather, it would just be a fortunate coincidence.

The author of Hebrews also says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews11:6NASB1995  We actually please God, we make him happy when we come to him with our petitions, our wants, and desires.

In the back and forth of prayer, and it is a back and forth… you talk to God, and in your spirit, the Spirit of God talks to you, God sifts through the things you ask for and leads you to hope for the things that are in accordance with his will. Don’t worry about asking for something that is too big or too small. You will begin to realize in your spirit what God is leading you to hope for. You will be certain about the things God is leading you to hope for, just as certain that Abraham and Sarah were that God planned to give them a child. They weren’t sure when or how, but they were sure God planned to do it. God will give you that assurance too and lead you to step out in faith to respond to that hope.

In our conversations with God we are given hope. We are called to step out in faith. God is pleased when we ask, and when we respond by stepping out in faith. He rewards those who seek him and who respond to the hope he inspires by faith.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for communing with me in my spirit. Help me to hear and understand the hope you are calling me to. Help me to embrace it as real as the world I see around me. Help me to overcome any hesitations I may have and step out in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. I had originally intended to get these out each day at 4:30 AM, however that has not been the case. My apologies to those who are frustrated with the midday devotion this has turned out to be. Also, these devotions are posted on my website, https://beingachildofgod.com/. If you want to revisit any of them you can find them all there. Thank you for reading and for your encouragement!

January 31 2023 – Mark 4 – Kingdom Growth

If you have ever tried to grow a garden, you realize there is a mystery to it. It is possible to do everything right, as far as you know, and still not produce much of a crop. It is also possible to put the seed in the ground and not do much more than that and have a bountiful harvest. We partner with God when we plant and garden. You can’t go wrong in asking God to bless your efforts.

In Mark 4, Jesus is explaining the Kingdom of God to his disciples. And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark4:26–29NASB1995

In this parable, Jesus teaches us an important truth. It is God that gives growth to the Kingdom. We certainly have a part in it. We are called to be in faithful relationship with our Heavenly Father. That means as an expression of our love for the Father, we join him in what he leads us to do. However, we must remember that Kingdom growth comes as a result of God’s mysterious and miraculous power at work in us and through us. God calls us to step out in faith and join him where he leads. We step out in faith in some tangible way. God blesses that miraculously with spiritual growth in our lives and in the life of our church family.

We must be careful not to ever think that it is our work alone, our efforts alone, that bring the growth. We must never think our efforts are the bigger part of what is happening in the Kingdom of God. Our faith, our efforts, are tiny mustard seeds that when sown, God gives phenomenal growth. Reading the Bible apart from God is confusing. Loving your neighbor apart from God is tedious and can become a way to satisfy a prideful desire for recognition. Apart from God, sharing the Gospel can become a way to satisfy a prideful desire for recognition for a church or denomination… “look at all the people we got saved.”

As an expression of our love for the Heavenly Father, we go and do what we are called to step out in faith to do. We are filled with wonder and awe when we see the Kingdom growth that God mysteriously and miraculously produces in our own lives and in our churches. By joining our Heavenly Father in what he is doing in and through us, we come to love him more and more.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to your love through your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the mysterious and miraculous Holy Spirit at work in my life. Help me to step out in faith to experience more of your love and power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

January 28 2023 – Mark 1 – Translations

The Bible is the most widely available book in the world. To date, it has been translated into over 700 different languages. That is impressive! For years when we mentioned the Bible, English speakers understood that to mean the translation that was most common to all of us, the Authorized King James Version. We basically all had the same translation. With modernity came new translations to put the Bible in the language of the people. Today, there are approximately 900 English translations of the Bible.

I wholeheartedly endorse reading different translations. I believe having the scriptures in contemporary language makes the text more accessible. Personally I carried King James Bibles for years but never attempted to read them outside of the brief reading you may do on Sunday mornings. Later, I came across a Living Translation of the Bible, which was really a paraphrase of the King James Version. It was so refreshing to encounter the Scriptures in this format that I read it through from Genesis to Revelation.

Having said all of that, I do want to point out the need to compare translations, especially when what you read strikes you as odd or off somehow. In Mark 1, Jesus is approached by a leper. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Mark1:40NIV  If you are reading the New International Version (NIV) you get the impression that Jesus got mad about the request. It says, Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Mark1:41NIV

That struck me as odd. I don’t remember Jesus getting mad at people for asking to be healed. He was, frustrated at times at people’s lack of faith. There may have been a time I don’t remember, so if you know of one, put it in the comments. Because it struck me as odd, I cross referenced it with the King James Version (KJV), the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. Mark1:40–41KJV

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Mark1:40–41NRSV

And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark1:40–41NASB1995

You can see by cross referencing, the NIV seems to be the outlier of the four. It does seem more consistent with the presentation of Jesus in the gospels that he would be moved to pity or moved to compassion rather than being indignant at the request.

Translations are made by looking at the original language, often Greek or Hebrew and trying to put it in as close as possible approximation in English. There are also different principles of translation. The NIV intended to be a dynamic translation, communicating phrases, concepts, and ideas rather than being a word for word, literal translation. The NASB wanted to be as close to a word for word translation as possible. There is also the theology of the translators that comes to play in making a translation. Who you believe Jesus was and is sometimes influences the way you translate an difficult passage.

Translations are good. They give us a richer understanding of the Holy Scriptures. It is also good to compare them for even clearer understanding.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for your compassion and pity when you see our needs. Thank you for the men and women you have inspired to translate the Bible. Please bless my efforts to know you through the Holy Scriptures. Amen.