Bible Study 12-30-13

I was reading through Mark chapter 10 this morning and I came upon the story of when blind Bartimaeus is healed.  It's in verses 46-52.  

He's crying out to Jesus to have mercy on him, the multitude is telling him to be quiet, but he cried out even louder.  So Jesus stops, calls him over, and asks what he needs.  He tells Him he wants his sight.  Here is what happens in verse 52:

"Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road." (Mark 10:52, NKJV).

There are two things that need to be recognized here.  The first is how the blind man is healed.  Jesus didn't make a mud mixture or touch his eyes as done previously.  What was going to heal this guy was faith alone to which he had because he received his sight immediately.  That begs the question, when we bring things before The Lord do we have the faith that He can fulfill our requests before we ask Him or do we just ask and wait and see what happens?

The second thing that needs to be recognized is what the blind man does next.  Jesus tells him to, "go your way", so after the blind man was healed he followed Jesus.  The blind man had an encounter with Christ.  The only way he had to go now was wherever Christ was leading.  Isn't that truth?  When we are saved, when we have that encounter with Christ and recognize that He is the only one that offers salvation the only way to go is wherever He is leading.  

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Bible Study 12-21-13

I was reading in Mark chapter 5 verses 1-20 this morning and was amazed by some things. If you're not familiar with the story, it's where Jesus casts the demon into swine.

The first thing that caught my attention was the actions of Legion, we find out that's his name in verse 9 because he is not occupied by one demon but many (the number my be around 2000 according to verse 13).

It says in verse 3-5, he "3had his dwelling in the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones." (NKJV). 

What happens next is what blew my mind and caught my attention the most.  Verse 6 of Mark says this, "But when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him." (NKJV).  

This guy, Legion, has all this chaos going on inside of him and around him.  The one thing that brings a peace to him is the sight of Jesus to which he responds in worship.  What an application!  It says in Philippians 4:7, "and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (NKJV).  Our peace comes through Christ.  Next time your world seems like it is chaotic, distorted, unconquerable remember the One who brings peace, Jesus.

Bible Study - 12-1-13

It's important how we treat and serve others.  I’ve been reading through Matthew and seeing just how much of a servant Jesus actually was.  Nothing would prevent Him from serving someone (in terms of their need, not necessary their wants) even if He had to go out of His way to do it.  I was blown away in Matthew 19 and 20 by how important it is for us to follow that example.  

In Matthew 19 Jesus comes across a rich young ruler.  The ruler asks Christ how to inherit eternal life.  Jesus responds in Matthew 19:17, "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." (NKJV).  The young ruler then replies, "which ones?" Here is where I was blown away by the importance of serving others.  Jesus gives him this response in Matthew 19:18-19.  "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, 19Honor your father and your mother, and You shall love your neighbor as yourself".  That right there is 6 out of the 10 commandments.  

The 10 commandments are broken up into two parts.  The first four tell us how to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength.  The last six tell is how to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Christ stresses the importance of serving others by telling the rich young ruler that if he wants eternal life, Christ is going to look at how he treated and served others while here on Earth.  

Obviously our decision to accept Christ as our Lord and Savior ultimately decides where our eternity is spent, but in that decision to follow Him there should be a shift in thinking and actions that drives us to serve others as He Himself served others.  If it hasn,t then take it to the Lord in prayer and seek out why.

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