24

Jump Start # 2396

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2396

Luke 5:5 “And Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your biding I will let down the nets.”

 

Our verse for today is powerful. Often we sit in that boat with Peter and we have to make a decision. Peter and the others were sitting at the edge of the sea. It was the end of a work day. They were washing their nets. It was time to put up the gear and go home. It hadn’t been a good day. These were not guys going fishing on the weekend. Peter was a commercial fisherman. Catching no fish meant no paycheck. It meant tough times, especially if this continued on. It had been a long night and they had nothing to show for it.

 

Jesus comes and tells them to cast back out into the deep and to lower their nets. There are several things concerning about this.

 

First, Jesus was a carpenter and a teacher. He wasn’t a fisherman. That’s Peter’s line of expertise. Peter wasn’t new at this. He understood water, fish boats and nets. Jesus understood wood. He understood how to saw, cut and put things together. Jesus could make a cabinet for you. Jesus would fix a broken chair. But the carpenter was telling the fisherman how to fish. Most odd.

 

Second, it was the wrong time of day to do this. Our verse tells us that they had been fishing all night. Night was over. Now it was daytime. They knew that the best fishing was done at night. Jesus wanted them to go out now. Jesus is showing that He doesn’t know much about fishing.

 

Third, there was no evidence that this would work. They went at the best time and got nothing. Now the carpenter was telling them to go at the wrong time. This could be a huge waste of time. They were tired. They had been at this all night. What did Jesus know?

 

Fourth, Jesus wanted them to cast out into the deep. Peter wasn’t fishing with poles, but with weighted nets. The deep was the wrong place to do that. They knew, but did Jesus?

 

However, our verse shows a great lesson. Peter says, “at your biding I will.” The KJV says, “Nevertheless.” Nevertheless I will. This shows something about Peter. He didn’t argue with Jesus. He didn’t say, “Lord, you stick to the teaching and let me do the fishing.” At the heart of all disagreements is the principle that I think I am right and you are not. If I thought you were right, then there would be no disagreement. I’m right and you’re not. This is at the center of arguments in marriage, with teens, with co-workers, and even among brethren. I think I’m right and I don’t think you are. When we disagree, we tend to dig our heels in. We talk faster and louder. We become frustrated and walk away. But we don’t find that here. Peter said, “Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.” Peter didn’t disagree. He had many reasons to, but he didn’t.

 

And, this is where we find ourselves sitting in the boat with Peter. We disagree with what God’s word says. We just feel that we know better. We feel that time and culture has moved on and those ancient words just don’t matter much anymore. The scientists tell us that rocks, fossils, the solar system, the ocean all point to a system of evolving mechanisms that took millions and millions of years to develop. The Bible says God created everything in six days. What does God know about science? What does God know about rocks? And, there we sit with Peter in the boat. Are we going to argue with God or will we say, Nevertheless, at Thy word, I will believe.

 

When truth doesn’t matter, it’s easy to make a decision. Just do whatever you feel like. Do what makes you happy. When truth is laid aside, no one is ever wrong. Everything is ok, it just a matter of how it makes you feel. Without truth, life is like playing a game with no rules. However, we find that there are rules. There are rules of the road. Ignore them, and you’ll be getting a ticket. There are rules at school. Mess those up and you are expelled. There are rules at work. We sometimes call those the policies of the company. Violate those and you’re out of a job. But when it comes to spiritual things, people want to think what God says really doesn’t matter. What God says about parenting? What God says about worship? What God says about worry? What God says about attitudes? And, here we are in the boat with Peter. We know better than He does. We know what works. God tells us to cast out into the deep and lower our nets. We are thinking, “No, that won’t work.” But Peter said, “Nevertheless, at Thy word, I will…” .

 

And, do you remember what happened when Peter listened to the Lord? They caught so much fish that the nets began to break. Another boat was called to help them. Both boats were filled with so many fish that they nearly sunk. And, for a professional fisherman like Peter, this was the catch of a lifetime. They had never caught this many fish before. Selling all these fish would bank roll them for months. And, what it showed Peter is that indeed Jesus knew more than he did. They caught nothing on their own. With Jesus, it was the catch of a lifetime.

 

And, when we are in that boat with Peter, we might just learn that Jesus does know more than we do. Jesus knows how to walk pure in this world. Jesus knows how to connect with people. Jesus know how to communicate and talk with people. Jesus knows what we need to do to be saved. Jesus knows what pleases God in worship. Jesus knows that forgiveness is always best. Jesus knows.

 

Nevertheless, at Thy word, I will…

 

Can you say that? You need to.

 

Roger

 

23

Jump Start # 2395

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2395

2 Kings 20:1 “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”

There are many fascinating lessons that come from our verse today. One is so obvious, but it is often overlooked. Hezekiah was sick. He was very sick. He was mortally ill, which means he was going to die. When one is that ill, they are most likely in bed and too weak to do anything. I expect he had family or servants giving him sips of water and wiping his forehead. The prophet comes. The prophet has a message from God. We see that. Great lesson. What we sometimes overlook is that God, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit has allowed you and I to be in that bedroom and to hear what was said. Through inspiration we are allowed to eavesdrop. This happens over and over and over in the Bible. Private conversations are revealed, recorded and we are allowed to lean into those conversations and learn so much. Jesus’ temptation by Satan, was a private matter. But we learn what was said. The serpent talking to Eve was a private matter, but we are allowed to be there through inspiration. Philip talking to the Ethiopian, yet another example.

 

Other than the Lord, most of those people had no idea what they said would be written down, studied, quoted, preached and read hundreds and even thousands of years later. Here is what got me thinking about this. I received a hand written letter the other day. It was not written to me, but to someone in Oregon. It was written by a famous Indiana preacher in 1861. The letter not only tells of the hype surrounding the start of the Civil War, but it mentions the town that I now preach in. This letter has been saved for more than 150 years. And, the man who wrote this letter probably had no idea that someone else, that being me, would frame it and put it on his office wall. He probably thought the letter would be read and tossed away.

 

We don’t write many letters any more. Texts aren’t saved and most emails are read then deleted. But all of this got me to thinking, what if the Holy Spirit took some of our conversations and left them for others to know, read and use long after we are gone. I wonder how we’d feel about that. Now, that won’t happen, but it sure makes a person think.

 

There are two great lessons that come out of our verse today.

 

First, sick Hezekiah was told to get his house in order. God said he was going to die. When God says that, there is no one higher that you can appeal to. No one is above God. If a doctor said we were going to die, we could still pray. God is greater than doctors. But when God says you are going to die, that’s it.

 

Getting your house in order—what a great expression. I don’t think the Lord meant, clean house, put away stuff, pick your clothes up off the floor, put away the dishes and toss some of that junk. Those things make a house look neat and tidy, but the house God had in mind was Hezekiah’s heart. No one could do that except Hezekiah. Each of us can only get our own house or hearts in order. What God is saying, is that you are about to die, are you ready? Are you ready to meet Me?

 

You and I don’t have prophets telling us that we are soon to die. Each day could be our last day. So, we need to live with clean hearts and houses that are in order. Have we been putting off forgiving someone? Why? Get your house in order. Is there someone that you intend to talk to about Jesus? What haven’t you? Get your house in order. Have you been hiding in sin and you know there are things that are not right spiritually in you? What are you waiting for? Get your house in order.

 

If you do this, first, you won’t worry about death. Bring it on, because your love and God’s grace will carry you through. Second, you’ll be living the best that you can. Don’t spend another night with pigs like the prodigal did or in the belly of a fish, like Jonah did. Your best is when you are walking with the Lord.

 

Second, as soon as Isaiah left, Hezekiah turned to the wall and prayed. I expect he prayed like he never has before. He didn’t get angry. He didn’t grab the booze. He didn’t point fingers at God. He didn’t run to his family. He turned to the wall and prayed. I expect you and I would be a lot better off if we looked at the wall more in prayer and less at TV or our cell phones.

 

He prayed and God heard him. Before Isaiah left the palace, God told him to turn around and go back and see the king. It is amazing how fast all of that took place. Words up to Heaven and a message back to the prophet. God can move fast. Prayers can be answered in an instant. God not only heard the prayers, but the text tells us that he saw the tears of Hezekiah. God knows. God sees. There are tears on our pillows at night. We try to keep them from being seen, but God sees them. There are people who have hurt us. God knows. There are broken hearts because of grief and sorrow. God knows. There are times we are scared. God knows. He sees. He sees the tears and He hears the prayers. Even in the darkest moments, of one who is facing the doorway of death, God is there.

 

Hezekiah was granted more years to live. Some of his choices after this weren’t the best. It seems his house got out of order and he forgot the great God who answered his prayers. We too can be like that. In a crisis, around the hospital bed, in the funeral home, we can pray great prayers. God hears. But after the crisis passes, and we return to life, we can put God on the back burner. What a shame that is.

 

As I was looking at that 150 year old letter today, I wondered if someone would read one of these Jump Starts 150 years later?

 

Roger

 

22

Jump Start # 2394

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2394

Jonah 3:3 “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days walk.”

On Mondays we are writing about Jonah. I’ve been preaching on Jonah in July. The second chapter ends his three day trip inside the belly of the fish. This isn’t something that Jonah would have enjoyed. Jonah is spit out on dry land. We wonder who was happier, the fish to get rid of Jonah or Jonah to be out of that fish. Three days in the darkness, goo, slime, and stench of that fish. It was a prison. It was a tomb. But it was also his boat and salvation from drowning. The fish was God’s answer to his prayers.

 

Now, Jonah gets a second chance. God’s word comes to Jonah again. Same message. Nothing has changed except Jonah. God didn’t find another place for Jonah to travel to. God didn’t find another prophet during those three days he was in the fish. God’s plan was Jonah and God was sticking with that plan.

 

One of the things that strikes me about this chapter is that we are right back where we started in the first chapter. God commissions Jonah to go to Nineveh. Had he obeyed, there wouldn’t have been a great storm upon that sea that put the sailors at risk. They were frightened. They dumped the cargo into the sea. Someone didn’t get what they had paid for. A giant fish wouldn’t have been prepared by God, had Jonah only obeyed. For three days, as Jonah is up and down in that fish, Nineveh is continuing on in her sins. There was so much trouble, pain and heartache simply because one man wouldn’t do what God said. Jonah may have been the shortest book in the Bible, had he only done what God told him to do.

 

Now, we ought to see a couple of lessons from this:

 

First, God has given us certain jobs. We may not want to do them or even like to do them, however they are placed upon us. For instance, God tells dads to bring their children up in the Lord. Todays dads may be busy in their careers. They may not be interested spiritually. They may want to pass this on to the schools, grandparents, or even the church. But, like the running Jonah, the job remains. God doesn’t change things because we are busy, back in school, tired, or simply do not feel like it. Jonah learned after all his running, nothing changed.

 

God calls elders to shepherd his people. They may want to spend their time painting classrooms, making schedules, and paying bills. Yet, the work of getting God’s people ready for Heaven falls upon them. They must get about doing that. They must know the condition of their sheep. They must be watching for trouble and spend time among the sheep. Many elders would rather sit behind closed doors and manage deacons, who carry out their work like mid-level managers. They do all the work and then report back to the elders who make more decisions. This may work in government and business but it fails in the kingdom of God. I was watching a movie about General MacArthur. At the end of World War II, the White House wanted to know if the emperor of Japan was involved in planning the war. Ten days were given to investigate this. What did MacArthur do? He called one of his men and gave him that job. He was to write a report and do all the work. The general wasn’t doing much. This is how some congregations operate. God expects His shepherds to be hands on. Missing sheep are the responsibility of the shepherds. Sheep that are diseased, wounded and not doing well are the responsibility of the shepherds. Many sheep are messy. Their lives are messy. They have problems, issues and troubles. Some elders do not want to deal with those things. It’s not easy work. So, some don’t. They spend their time with copy machines, vacuum cleaners, and buying supplies for the church building. They’d rather shop than go to someone’s home and have a conversation. They are running like Jonah. God didn’t change the message for Jonah and God isn’t about to change the message for shepherds.

 

Second, when we do not do what God says, things get sticky, messy and most times, others are hurt by our actions. A dad decides that he is not coming to services any more. His choice now hurts the home. He doesn’t think about that. I doubt Jonah thought about hurting the sailors on the boat that he was fleeing from God on. Kids grow up with mixed messages. Mom goes to worship, but Dad doesn’t. Some will think, “I can’t wait until I’m old enough and I get to stay home, too.” We disobey God and all kinds of trouble happens. For some, police are involved and now there is a court date. For others, it means finding counselors, and programs to help deal with unfaithfulness in a marriage, or an addiction of some kind. There are costs that come with these things. Schedules have to be adjusted. There is just a lot of headache, heartache, and trouble. If one had only done what God said, none of this would be necessary. We can certainly make things difficult when we disobey God. Rather than forgiving, we hold grudges. We tell others. Our problem now becomes a church problem. People get upset. Some leave. There is the threat of division. The elders get involved. If we had only forgiven the person like God said, none of this would have happened.

 

There will never be a better way than God’s way. The religious community doesn’t get this. There are ads and books about how to grow a church, increase contributions, reach the lost, but most of these ideas are nothing more than running a different direction than what God is going. The ideas ignore the pattern and authority of God. They think they have found better ways to do things than what God’s word teaches. And, some are gullible enough to believe in these modern inventors of truth. They’d rather follow slick marketing plans than the plain Word of God.

 

I wonder if Jonah thought about all that mess he caused. I wonder if he looked back and thought, “What a crazy month this has been.” I wonder if he realized disobeying God didn’t get him where he thought he’d be.

 

Do we ever see Jonah in our own lives and choices? Do we try to fight God, out think God, and plan things better than God? Are we running from our responsibilities? Jonah chapter three is a good place to spend some time. He was right back doing what God had told him all along. Maybe we ought to just do what God says…

 

Roger

 

19

Jump Start # 2393

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2393

Ephesians 4:3 “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”

Our verse today brings two wonderful words that are like beautiful strands of music to those who love God. The words are unity and peace. Both of those words imply interaction and relationship with others. Paul was longing for the Ephesian church to have both unity and peace.

 

It might seem odd to have both words, unity and peace together. At first, one may think that one of these words is enough. To have one is to have the other. But that isn’t a necessary assumption. Is it possible to have unity without peace? Sure. One can be pressured or forced to get along but they don’t want to. Maybe one has been strong-armed into something that they would rather not be involved with, but there was no other way out. There is unity, because they are going along, but there isn’t peace, because they are unhappy and felt pressured into this deal.

 

Paul’s words are not about buying a car, countries signing treaties, or negotiating in real estate. He is not even talking about differing faiths coming together. Such didn’t exist in the first century, other than pagan and Christianity. He is not talking about a couple of congregations getting along with each other. His words are directed towards one congregation, the Ephesians. His thoughts are about what takes place within a congregation. Unity and peace bring times of encouragement, growth and joyous worship. When these two words are missing, tension, suspicion, and doubt fill the air. The opposite of unity is division. The opposite of peace is war. And when that is the spirit among some, troublesome times are ahead of them. Gossip flies. Thinking the worst becomes common. Whispers, finger pointing, judgmental spirits and grabbing for power are common when unity and peace are missing.

 

Paul reminds us of several things here:

 

First, this is something that we are to be diligent about. Diligent simply means get at it. Make it a priority. Work at it. Unity doesn’t just happen. It’s hard in a marriage and it’s hard in a congregation. What makes it so hard is each of us. We all have an opinion and we love ours the best. And when we think things ought to be a certain way and it’s not, then we begin to get bothered, bossy and complaining.

 

Satan would love to splinter a church. Get each other mad at one another and we take our attention off of Christ and the work we ought to be doing. So, we have to be about preserving that unity. We have to work hard at that. Here are a few thoughts:

 

  • Don’t be so sensitive when it comes to yourself. Someone says something the wrong way and some of us are ready to arm the missiles and declare war. Don’t be that way. So you don’t get invited to something. You can use that to help Satan make things messy and ugly or you can be a big person and don’t let it eat at you. Someone walks by you and they don’t stop and speak or shake your hand. You can leave in a huff, jump on Facebook and declare that the church is unfriendly and not like Jesus. Or, you can give the guy a benefit of the doubt that maybe he was focused on something else and just didn’t see you.

 

I have folks tell me, much too often, that they see me out and about driving and they will wave but I didn’t wave back. Often my mind is in a sermon somewhere and I just didn’t see them. Don’t where your feelings on your sleeve.

 

  • Don’t always talk about yourself. That gets a bit tiring to others. Let others talk. I’ve been watching this lately. Sometimes I’ll go to lunch by myself. Often there will be a table of four seated near me. They are all co-workers. Sometimes it’s women and sometimes it men. But every time, I notice that one person at the table does most of the talking. They are loud and they control the conversation. They don’t let others hardly say anything. I’m just sitting nearby and it wears me out. Unity is about others, not just you. To be united, you have to connect with others.

 

  • Sometimes things have strained the unity. Hurt feelings. Someone feeling left out. Someone feeling neglected. Preserve it. Be diligent to preserve it. Be the first to connect. Be the first to apologize. Accept, appreciate and love one another. It’s a lot easier to strain and break unity than it is to preserve it. Sometimes we have to swallow our pride.

 

  • There is a difference between union and unity. I heard someone explain it this way once. Union is tying the tails of two cats together. They are together, but they don’t want to be. Unity is when we want to be together. We enjoy each other’s company and fellowship. We express it. We pray for it. We help each other.

 

Satan would love to bust us up. He loves division. He loves brethren who can’t stand each other. And, he’s done a good job with that through the years. The number of congregations that have broken off of others simply because folks couldn’t get along is off the charts. We’d rather worship in our front room with five people than buckle down and do what God wants us to do to get along with others in the congregation. We can fuss and fight about everything.

 

I’ve learned something recently that has really helped me. There is the battle and then there is the war. The war is getting to Heaven. Nothing should stop us from that and we must win at all costs. Some battles are not worth fighting. So, here is what has helped. We see people doing things. It may bother me, irritate me and I may never ever do that, but can they go to Heaven? If what they are doing will not keep them from Heaven, then I keep quiet about it. Now, if it is something that is going to impact their soul, then I’ll jump in and say something. A person can be odd as a duck and still go to Heaven. They can be weirder than a three-dollar bill, but they can still go to Heaven. When they are doing something that will keep them from Jesus, then I will and I must say something.

 

I was with a guy a while back and he was talking about painting all the walls of his house black. He wanted to get a black toilet, frig, sink and stove. He wanted everything black. Boy, that sounded dumb to me. It would be like living in a cave. I was about to say something, but then I realized you can go to Heaven with black walls and all black appliances. So, I didn’t say anything. I just smiled.

 

I know a guy who saved his gall stones after surgery. They were in a jar. He kept them on a shelf. He wanted to know if I wanted to see them. Of course the answer was no. It seemed rather creepy to me. I was about to say something and then I realized, you can have your gall stones in a jar and still go to Heaven. I just smiled and hoped he wouldn’t show them to me.

 

I’ve seen people clip their finger nails during worship and they just let them lay on the floor. That really bugs me. I don’t feel like saying something, I really feel like screaming at them. But, you can go to Heaven with finger nails on the floor of the church building. It’s a matter of battles and the war.

 

I think if we backed off trying to run everyone else’s life and put more attention into how we are doing, unity would be a lot easier. There are things that matter. There are a lot of things that do not matter. When you see that, it helps you with getting long with others.

 

Roger

 

18

Jump Start # 2392

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2392

Acts 8:35 “And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.”

I did something the other day that I was surprised how difficult it was. I was writing some Bible class material for our next quarter of adult classes. I do this all the time. But this one lesson was to be on Jesus Christ. I found that to be a great challenge. I have preached and taught about Jesus for decades. I have a work book entitled, “The Life of Christ.” My office is lined with books about Jesus. I have tons of sermons about Jesus. I have lessons about his birth, life, death and resurrection. I have a lesson on what Jesus is doing now. I have many lessons on the coming of Jesus, the judgment and Heaven. I have a series of lesson on the sermon on the mount. The prayers of Jesus was another class I taught. It’s not hard finding material about Jesus.

 

What made this task so difficult was I wanted to teach Jesus in one lesson. I wanted to list some key facts that everyone ought to know about Jesus. There is so much. How do you squeeze it all into one lesson? Prophecies. Parables. Miracles. Example. Compassion. Lives He changed. His relation to the Father. His goodness. His heart.

 

I spoke at a memorial service the other day for one of our members who passed away. He was an amazing person. A Colonel in the National Guard. A dentist. A world traveler. A Christian. A Bible class teacher. He belonged to so many organizations and had done so much good. How can you sum up someone’s life in a few words? Husband. Father. Grandfather. Brother in Christ. Community leader. Volumes of things could be said. What was most important? I chose to talk about honor and service. Those words defined his life and they described His walk with the Lord.

 

What is incredible about the task of writing about Jesus in one sheet of paper, is that you and I need to be able to do that. Yes, there is so much. Yes, He has changed our lives for the better. Yes, Heaven bows to who He is. But for so many in the world today, they do not know Jesus. They have a concept of Jesus that is all love and no law. They want a Jesus that winks at sin, and looks the other way at disobedience. The world wants to turn Jesus into their buddy rather than their Lord.

 

Our verse today tells us that Philip opened his mouth and told the Ethiopian about Jesus. This seemed to be one setting. One lesson. He didn’t have 13 weeks to teach Jesus. One shot. Right now. What would you have told him? You can overwhelm someone with so much information that their head gets dizzy. Knowing Jesus is a life long pursuit. But for someone who doesn’t know, what do you tell them about Jesus?

 

Here are seven bullet points I wrote. I called these, “Jesus Facts You Need to Know.”

 

  1. Jesus is God (John 1:1; Philippans 2:6)
  2. Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18; Colossians 3:17)
  3. Jesus ‘put on flesh’ to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 2:2)
  4. Jesus was resurrected from the grave (Acts 2:29-32)
  5. Jesus became our high priest, mediator and example (1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Peter 2:21)
  6. Jesus is coming again to judge the world (Mt 25:10-13; John 12:48)
  7. Jesus loves you (John 3:16; Acts 4:12)

 

Is this it? Certainly not. Consider His names: Lord; Christ; Immanuel; Son of David; Son of Man; Son of God. Each of those expressions has many thoughts, lessons layered among them. But a great concern in all of this is that we can learn “facts” about Jesus, without really knowing the Lord.

 

Do you know that the Lord is concerned about you? Do you realize that the Lord wants you to be close to Him? Do you understand that the Lord does not want you to be lost?

 

Who is Jesus? He is God. He is your friend. He is your Savior. He is your help. He’s not out to get you, nor delights when you are in trouble. He wants you to put Him in the center of your heart. He wants you to think about Him. He wants you to shape your choices around Him. He wants you to see things as He sees them. He wants you to have His perspective about life. He wants you to become His hands, feet and eyes. He wants you to have a heart of compassion and the hands of a servant, as He did. He wants you to follow Him, step by step throughout life. He wants you to love Him with all that you are.

 

Some can’t see Jesus for the church. And, when they see the church, they see inconsistencies, prejudice and judgmental attitudes. It’s not the church that saves, but Jesus. The church is not perfect, but Jesus is. The church is a work in progress, Jesus is the real deal. The church may let you down, but Jesus never will.

 

Jesus knows that we have sinned. He is the one that revealed that. Jesus hasn’t walked away from us. He hasn’t given up on us. Some of us slip and slide so much that we wonder if Jesus has simply grown tired of us. He hasn’t. He never will.

 

Jesus wants us to be serious about our faith. He wants us to follow His word. He wants us to trust Him. He will forgive you. He will lead you. He will help you. He will change you. But you must believe. You must follow. You must obey. You must allow Jesus to be the Lord, and not yourself.

 

The demon possessed man, in Mark five, was told to go tell your people what great things the Lord has done for you. We ought to be able to do the same.

 

Do you know my Jesus? Can I tell you about Him?

 

Roger