Wineskin

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Mark 2

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”[c]

This statement was made in regards to fasting. The disciples were being questioned by the religious people because they were not fasting. Jesus said to the people questioning, “Why do they need to fast, I am here.” But a time is coming when Jesus will ascend on high. That is the time they will have to fast.

Same with our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The anointing of God requires that we get a daily fresh dose. Some people love to glory in the past. They take pride in what they have done for God in their younger days and they stay there.

The Holy Spirit wants to fill us afresh. That our stories would not be old. When we commune with God, there will always be something supernaturally new.

Pray for new oil and new wineskins. Expect God to use you in a new and mighty way.

Friend of Sinners

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MARK 2

16 And the scribes of[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[b] with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

When Jesus came down to earth the mission was clear. Save the world. Be a friend of sinners and to call them to righteousness. When Jesus faced criticism from the self righteous people, He never felt guilty. he knew why He was on earth.

Jesus made a call for the church to do the same. The church is called to be a light in the dark world. It means that we are callled to go where nobody wants to go. It means we are called to make disciples not bible studies. I love Bible studies and I have my regular study of the Word but I also know that as a Christian – I am called to preach the gospel, make disciples.

In church we call it the 4E’s of discipleship.

Engage the community.

Establish in Biblical Foundation.

Equip them to minister.

Empower them to make disciples.

Question we need to ask is this: Do we still engage the lost? Do we still have friends who are not from church. We are called to be friends with them so that we can share the love of Christ to them.

 

Healing and Forgiveness

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Mark 2

6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus made a peculiar statement here. When he was asked to heal the paralytic man he declared that the sins of the sick man was forgiven. He didn’t say he was healed.

It got me thinking about healing ministry. So many times we focus so much on physical healing that we forget about the gospel. Healing might change a person but only a presentation of the gospel can transform him inside and out.

You can pray for healing for a hundred times and the person gets well but without sharing the good news of the gospel, that person will still go to eternity without Christ.

Let us do both. Heal in the name of Jesus and proclaim the news that Jesus died for their sin.

How to Preach with Authority

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Mark 1

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

When you teach the LAW and law alone, people get tired. Not bored but tired. Tired because they know they cannot measure up. When you teach PURE LAW, you lose your credibility because you yourself can never measure up to perfection. When Jesus began teaching, He did so in the premise that the law is good but the only way to achieve transformation was through Him not by our own good works.

In Christ, you have power over sin and Satan. When Jesus casted out a demon, He was demonstrating the power we can have in Christ. Every thing rested on Christ’s power and not ours.

The law cannot empower us. It can only make us aware of our sin. Only Jesus sets us free. Now that is the good news worth spreading.

Prayer Power

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Mark 1

9 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

40 A man with leprosy[h] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant.[i] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Somewhere in the busyness of ministry we have to stop and pray. Stop and think about where do I get my strength. Is it in the good reports of ministry or is it in Christ. The problem with getting your strength in ministry is that in ministry it is not always good reports. There are days of bad reports.

Jesus knew where to get His strength to go out and minister. Very early in the morning, he goes to prayer. His prayer sustained him.

 

Glorious Ruin

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glorious ruinWhen I first encountered Pastor Tullian Tchividjian’s first book Jesus + Nothing = Everything I never thought it would ignite a new passion for me to live out the gospel. Some people call it GOSPEL AWAKENING but I call it being BORN AGAIN AGAIN.

So when I heard of Pastor Tullian’s 2nd book Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free, I am all the more excited to receive an impartation of the gospel especially in the area of suffering – something we as pastors have a hard time preaching about.

Since my son’s bout with a rare disease called PYLORIC STENOSIS, I have been is some ways see suffering in a different light. The question Thammie and I would ask is HOW WILL THE GOSPEL PLAY A ROLE IN WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH AS A FAMILY.

I hope that as I read this book, I’ll be more equipped to present the gospel in light of our suffering. Click below to buy the book. It is on sale now.

When the Kingdom of God is at Hand

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Mark 1

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

When the Kingdom of God is at hand there are only two things we can do to respond. Repent and believe in the gospel. You can choose to not repent but you will miss out in what the Kingdom of God has to offer.

The gospel declares that everything we need is found in Christ. To not live in the gospel means I am holding on to something else that is not Christ and the problem with that is that it won’t fulfill and it won’t give life.

So you have to make the decision to repent of holding onto something that is not Christ and believe that everything I need is found in Christ alone.

Temptation Island

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Mark 1

12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. 

Not because Jesus is the Son of God means that He is excused from the temptations of this world. If there was a man who got the most attention from the minions of hell that Satan had to personally come and tempt him – it’s Jesus.

When Jesus went to the wilderness to fast and pray, Satan came and tempted Him. Imagine, you are doing a holy thing but even in the midst of doing something holy, Satan can come and tempt us.

Be on your guard. Even in what we perceived as a holy activity is not free from the schemes of the enemy.

The Foundation of our Relationship

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Mark 1

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[d] with you I am well pleased.”

When Jesus was introduced by God in the earth he wasn’t introduced as the MAIN EVENT though He was the MAIN EVENT. He wasn’t introduced as the SAVIOR, though He is the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

Interestingly, he was introduced as MY BELOVED SON, with you I am well pleased.

How fitting to describe what Christianity is all about. It is about a relationship with Christ and not a job description that I need to fulfill.

Today we got it messed up. As Christians we tend to do thing for God so that He will be pleased. Christians need to understand that there is nothing we can do to please God. When the exchange at the cross happened, and our sins were forgiven, it was not because of our good works but of Christ’s work at the cross.

We are called beloved by God because He first loved us not because of our love for Him. How liberating it is that the foundation of my relationship with God is not based on what I do for Him but on what He did for me.