Good morning Jesus, tune my mind and my heart to you so I can play your melody throughout my day.

“And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.” (Mark 5:19-20)

In my reading again through the story of the demoniac in Mark 5 this morning, the same 2 verses I blogged about yesterday again stood out to me.  In this story we have a man who was broken, insane and in evil bondage and Jesus sets him free. Jesus immediately sends him back to his home and to the cities around him to tell them what Jesus has done for him.  He goes from a demon processed lunatic to a traveling preacher.  And he was doing an amazing job as the story says the people “marveled” at him. I suppose he could have stood before the people and pointed to the scars all over his body he made and said, “Do you see what kind of deranged creature I was?" Look at me now!”

 I want to say that is the heart of Christian witness.  The heart of Christian witness is not, "Let me argue with you and try to persuade you in the logic of why God exists." It is not, “Let me persuade you how bad society is now.”  It is not, "If you die today do you know where you will go?" And it is not explaining to them, "Why you should go to church."  None of these are at the heart of Christian witness.  The heart of Christian witness is like the response of the man in John 9:25, “I was blind, but now I see.”   Here you have a person saying, “I was once insane! I was cutting myself in a cemetery!  Look at me now!”

There really can not be real Christian witness until there is real Christian experience.  Not until we have met Jesus.  Not until we know what it is like to be rescued. Not until we have lived through being one thing and becoming another.   It is kind of hard being a witness to Christ when we do not know what that is.  And I would say maybe for some of us reading this blog, we need to sign up again from the very beginning and say, “I am not a new person. I have been acculturated to church, I go to church,  I give my money, I help out, I am a good soldier in the church “machinery” and programs, but to be honest with it, I never have ever been actually rescued by Jesus.”  That would be a great place to start or restart the journey.  To start the journey at the beginning by being rescued by Jesus. 

My family, this story in Mark is a story of the beauty of deliverance, the beauty of witness, and the beauty of peace being drawn right out of the midst of death and chaos.   I earnestly pray with tears in my eyes that this will become your story today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  Please pray the same for me.  God bless you my friends!  I have never ended with this before however the Spirit is leading me to day to say if God is working with you in this area now and you are wrstling with this at all please contact me!  garyl@onedirection.community.  Or please contact another solid person you know in Christ.

Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.

 

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

 

Please support and partner with my self and my family as we serve as local missionaries to those in our community with your one-time or monthly financial gift by clicking link below.  Donations can also be mailed to One Direction Community, PO Box 1293, Madison, Al 35758

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