Breaking Dysfunction.

Breaking Dysfunction. Mark 6:53-56

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. Mark 6:53 (NKJV)

God heals and that we must always remember for no matter what our sickness or dysfunction, God sees it and can heal. Yet some afflictions are passed down from parents and a complete study about the healing of generations exists in our scriptures; yet to pull it out would take much careful attention and is beyond the scope of this study.

Gennesaret was being visited by Jesus Christ and He came there with those in the land on the His mind. Not only did Jesus know that they had need for healed, He knew the history of the land and that there was much pain past down from generations. Therefore, Jesus makes a specific effort to come to the land and repair the damage.

The district of Gennesaret was an area of the land given to Jacobs sixth son, Naphtali and was commonly referred to as Chinnereth. The Hebrew name Naphtali means "With great wrestling" and Jacob's wife Rachel, who named Naphtali, was quoted as saying "With great wrestling I have wrestled with my sister and prevailed."

Rachel was a very upset woman; she could not bear children for her husband Jacob and that scarred her emotionally. So scared was she that she allowed her sister to sleep with Jacob and he started to have children by her. Then Rachel became upset with that situation and had her hand maid, Bilhah, to sleep with Jacob and through her he fathered Naphtali.

Rachel felt like she one upped her sister and in the whole twisted mess found joy. The sad part is that later in the story God heals the womb of Rachel and she too had children. Therefore, Rachel would have to endure daily encounters with these other women and their children.

Violating God's ordinances cannot yield happiness and this bitter rivalry promoted evil and where evil resides nothing good can come from it. A good speculation is that because of the mixing of blood, as their offspring had families of their own, genetic defects formed and sickness resulted from those defects. Now we find Jesus coming to the land given to Naphtali and ready to heal the sick.

And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Mark 6:54-55 (NKJV)

They recognized Him. What a great joy it is for people to recognize Jesus. Rachel did not consider or recognize the work of the Lord in her life and in her haste she advanced dysfunction into her family. The same has happened to many people who have invited dysfunction into their own life. When we do not look to recognize God's work and respect His desires for us, our inappropriate actions can make great trouble for us and for generations to come.

Every person has an opportunity to know God and live holy before Him, but they get so busy with the cares of this world and the moments pass by unrecognized. Yet this is not the only unrecognizable thing, they miss seeing what will be the outcome of their actions and how it will affect their future generations.

Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. Mark 6:56 (NKJV)

Not only did it bring dysfunction to their family, it brought separation. Instead of one big happy family that would grow into a big city, here we find that they separated into small groups of villages, and small cities. There no doubt existed rivalries to that day.

People think that by holding on to and practicing their sin, it is manageable; this could not be further from the truth. Sin has a deep reach into our lives changing the way we act, react, and love. Because of sin, relationships are strained leaving others with longing for better.

When people should be teaching their children to love, honor, and obey God. The often tell their children "Don't do as I did." Yet children follow the examples of the parent.

So here Jesus comes to the land and I would say it was in respect to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Going through the cities and reaching out to the villages, Jesus healed the wounds of sin; yet where He healed their infirmities, it must be their own choice to change their ways.

So many people ask for forgiveness and return to do the same sins. They always find God patiently waiting for them to repent and He is willing to forgive and heal the effects of the sin; but, they return for more and that is because to break the dysfunction people must make a concentrated effort.

Jesus heals, but we must be willing to turn our lives over to Him and forsake our sinful ways. We are told that if we resist the devil, he will flee and that must be our devotion or we can expect more of the same.

Many people blame their sinful practices on the temptations of sin, but no temptation has come upon us that are not uncommon for people and God always makes a way of escape; we need only look for it, recognize it, and go with it.

Jesus Heals the sick; are you sick?

Alone with God.

Alone with God. Mark 6:45-52.

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Mark 6:45-46 (NKJV)

In the accounts we have read there seems to be an uncontrollable pandemonium as the fame of Jesus spread throughout the land. People came from all over to hear Him and the waves of people came like an army marching to battle. Everybody wanted something of Jesus and through it all, it caused me to wonder why God would allow such chaos?

Here in our passage Mark points out to us the control that Jesus actually did have. He was able to handle the people by Himself. Where His disciples frantically tried to keep a controlled response to the onslaught of people, Jesus calmly allowed them to be the hard pressing crowd they were. Yet here Jesus sends His disciples away and then deals with the crowd and like the sea, waves, and wind, He is able to calm them down and send them away. Did you ever consider that when our lives seem to have those out of control moments that God is calmly allowing them?

There have been times in my life that I have felt at peace with the way the events were unfolding and then other times where I have been hard pressed and life seems to be spiraling out of control with little I can do about it. I have found that through these times God builds in me an ability to stand longer each time they occur.

Then I have also found that when others are going through tough times, I can be their support and help them to go through the trial, encouraging them to hold on to their faith in God. This is why James could write, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

In addition to Jesus being in such control, we see that even He had a need to get alone with God to pray. This is the design of God for all His creation; we each are to get alone to experience our own hearts open before God. This is why heavy trials can make you feel so separated from people and you feel isolated. If we will not come to God ourselves, the trials will often drag us to Him.

Now the disciples were in need of such an event. As you can read they knew that He was staying behind to pray and that He would catch up with them later. Yet none of these guys had even a notion that they too needed to get alone to pray. They were just doing business the way it came to them.

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. Mark 6:46-48 (NKJV)

By this time the boat of skilled seamen should have been on the other side, but they rowed facing a stiff wind. If you remember back, the wind and the sea were used to try to stop them from crossing the ocean the first time; at which Jesus rebuked it and now these had not the strength to row through this wind and not the spiritual power to overcome it as they had seen Christ do.

They had done other miracles of healing and casting out demons but they did not see the wind as resistance from the enemy. They tried to beat it with their own strength. This is the lesson Mark felt servants need to know. When we try to row into the wind and accomplish our task by strength, we will find that at times our strength is not strong enough.

And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Mark 6:49-50 (NKJV)

"Don't work, be happy!" What a thing to say to a person in peril and to people who were scarred they were seeing a Ghost. I can almost say that God must smile when he sees us grabbing on trying to keep a balance when He is in such control.

Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. Mark 6:51-52 (NKJV)

Each day there was a new crisis that these guys faced. Each time they encountered something new, it defied their logic. The power in Christ was so fantastic that they did not understand it and such was the case of the mass feeding the just witnessed. The problem was not that there was such great power that they never seen before, but their hearts were not soaking it in because of the hardness of them.

This is the very thing that we spoke of beginning this study. To soften our hearts we must get alone with God and pray. We must take each of our situations and lay them before the Lord and most importantly take the time to remember the great things He has done.

A simple reading of His word as we pray reminds is of His abilities to overcome the toughest circumstances. He is the God that parted the Red Sea, saved the three men cast into the fire, and even the one who raised the dead.

It is there, that we take our problems before Him, He sheds light on His ability to handle our problems. It is there that our hard hearts soften and we cease from trying to make things happen by our own might.

Seeing a miracle, or being there when He does His amazing feats of spiritual strength does not change us. Only that time of getting alone with Him and seeking to hear Him speak to us changes us.

When do you sit alone to think about the events of your life? When do you stop to reflect on the goodness of God to answer your prayers? It is easy to neglect and too late, when you find yourself on the sea trying to row against the wind. It must happen before we ever set out.

Everyone wanted to be with Christ to experience the healing and the miracles. But none of them wanted to be alone with Him to pray. When summoned to enter the boat, none asked to stay; they just did as they were told. Let us not make the same mistake of being to busy to have our alone time with God.

Feeding the Five Thousand.

Feeding the Five Thousand. Mark 6:30-44

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. Mark 6:30-33 (NKJV)

Jesus and His disciples were like rock stars; wherever they went crowds would follow and their fame was far reaching. The reason for this is that they had true answers for the problems people faced. This is another measuring stick for a church; are you meeting the needs of people? Are you ministering towards their problems?

They were in such great demand by people, that to have some alone time with Jesus, they had to quickly leave and go where no one would look for them. To do this they could not even take the time of preparing supplies. This is a good thing and for the first time in their life they were more interested in reporting in than in what they were going to eat.

But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. Mark 6:34 (NKJV)

Not only did their ministry draw people, people came from long distances to be there and these ran around the sea; not walked, ran and they beat the disciples to the other side. This is a sign of a very effective ministry.

Many ministries today are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to get people to come to their church. They try all sorts of events ranging from pot lucks and dinners to concerts and carnivals. Yet through all their effort, they attract very few people. The reason is that they are looking to draw people in rather than go out to them. These churches try to meet their entertainments needs which are not needs at all. The true needs, fixing broken lives, are what they should be targeting and to get involved in these you have to go out to the people.

Jesus sent His disciples out to heal, preach, and meet the needs of others. Now here is an idea for struggling churches to try. From in your own congregation, find the person with the neediest acquaintance. It can be a relative, neighbor, or you may have to go out to find someone you have not met.

Then as a church goes out to these people and their families they can do a total ministry to meet their needs. Help them pay their bills; get involved to recondition their home. Go beyond their furthest dreams and do great things for these people. Serve them with your whole heart and never ask for anything back, not even for them to come to your church.

Now as your congregation meets to do their work, take the time to do those things you would normally do. Pray openly, eat together; joke, laugh, but work to meet people's needs. Then when you feel you are almost done, go further and identify something extra special that the person would never expect.

Now if your church focuses on this one person or family, by then time you're done, chances are that you have gained a friend who will want to continue with you and attend your church. Perhaps they will be so grateful that they will want to help you in going to the next home. But the key is to meet their needs completely.

If a church would do this, they could grow in great size; but at the very least, they will be growing one family at a time. If you focused on one family a month, which is twelve new families a year, that is good church growth.

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34 (NKJV)

Now the disciples did just like we are talking about. Jesus had sent them into the community to find those who needed to be ministered to and minister to them. As they did the fame of their actions drew all these other people and by the time they were back with Jesus a multitude of people had gathered and Jesus would now be their shepherd and lead them.

When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" Mark 6:35-37 (NKJV)

"You give them something to eat." What a challenge. Jesus was not being unpractical, but wanting to open their thinking to possibilities of meeting the needs of others even through their resources were limited. This is often the case with churches that are struggling. They do not have much money and try to budget what they have into some sort of ministry. Like the disciples they would send people away rather than not be able to meet their needs.

But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Mark 6:38-44 (NKJV)

Most Christians have heard this story and know that Jesus was able to do this; but they lose track that Jesus is able to do this now. He is able to take a church budget and double it, triple it, and expand it to meet the need.

You see the problem often arises from taking the little tithes the congregation gives and then holding on to it to make it stretch. Each week elders pray for an increase and then plan church events and activities around the budget. But that is not the example we have from Christ.

The amount of resources that we have should never dictate to us the amount of ministry that we are able to accomplish. A church must not look at the funds but look at the needs and set out to meet them.

So from Mark's view point, he writes of this event to let us see that Jesus is able to multiply what we have to meet the needs of people. The thing to notice is that not only did He meet their needs, He more than met their needs and provided a basket for all twelve of the disciples.

A servant of the Lord must get things in proper order. You do not send people away because of fears of not being able to meet their needs. Jesus merely was teaching disciples to start serving the food and He would provide the increase. Notice the increase did not happen before hand, it happened as it was being served. That is living on faith.

Played like a Pawn.

Played like a pawn. Mark 6:14-29.

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets." But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!" Mark 6:14-16 (NKJV)

Jesus was starting to put a structure together for the first church. He organized His disciples and sent them in different directions. Two by two, they were to minister to people and share with them the building of the Kingdom of God. This could not be more threatening to the forces of evil and when pressured, the enemy fights back.

Herod had done the devils dirty work. Manipulated like a pawn, he had John the Baptist jailed and then killed. Now hearing about Jesus, evil again pushed him to think that John had returned from the grave and now he feared retribution.

Evil thinks as evil does. A thief will fear being stolen from and a murder will always be looking behind his back. This is the part of sin that people do not think about before jumping in to it. Sin affects the human conscious and Herod was going to lose sleep over this one.

For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Mark 6:17-20 (NKJV)

As mentioned above, evil uses sin to manipulate circumstances and a person will end up doing things that they do not want to do. Herod respected John for his holiness, but that would not be enough to keep Herod from being pushed to do evil. Evil is a vengeful enemy and seeks to take a person's soul to hell.

Once invited in, evil grows in a person's heart. A good example is spousal abuse. Spousal abuse begins with a heated argument; it gains momentum with debate and strife. The very thing a person thought they never would do was to injure or kill their spouse; yet they find themselves shocked by the damage they have inflicted.

The lure of sin is gradual and enticing; yet its hook has barbs and it deeply embeds into the flesh. As sin grows, hatred grows and if you could open the door to hell you would not find people wanting to escape, you would find people reaching to pull you in.

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom." Mark 6:21-23 (NKJV)

One of the greatest threats of sin is that the pleasure of sin is intoxicating. When allowing it to dominate your senses, it inhibits thoughts of the logical conclusion. Here Herod opens his mouth to find himself trapped by his own words. Sin traps a person and once trapped, defeat is emanate; like a rabbit caught in the trap, you are the devils dinner.

So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!" Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Mark 6:24-26 (NKJV)

What is the worst thing that could happen if you were to not do that thing your mouth committed you to? There is always a chance to back out; but stupid people do stupid things and because they invite sin in people are stupid.

The Bible uses the word foolish and in Proverbs 10:14 Solomon tells us that the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. Why not take your loss and suffer the consequence if continuing on might cost your soul.

This is a call to those who live in sin. You are being pulled in and will suffer great loss at the end of your journey; but today you can confess your sin and stop your decent into the enemies clutches. Say no to the sin, admit your sin and take your losses now before you lose everything when you reach your demise.

Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb. Mark 6:27-29 (NKJV)

Herod had a good instinct to worry about retribution, for God will avenge sin in its entirety. Yet the thoughts of Herod had become so entangled in guilt that he no longer considered God, but made up a false reality that John had came back from the grave. This is the effects of sin as it warps the mind and separates a person from God.

Each new day that a sin is practiced, it changes a person by separating them from God. The further away from God, the further away from reality their mind becomes.

Mark tells us this story as he himself is coping with what it means to be a servant of God. From this we glean that a servant of God faces the danger of losing his life for the sake of the gospel.

A servant of God will be misunderstood because the hearts of people are warped by sin. A servant of God will be the source of information that people will not want to hear. A servant of God will be a thorn in the side of people and they will lash out when given the opportunity.

Lastly a servant of God will have a lasting impression on many and with this information Mark had to make up his mind if he wanted to go out as a servant of God and minister like he felt in his calling. Though evil will battle a servant of God, weather you stay behind or go into the mission field, all Christians will face these things living in the world that we do. Evil will battle us on every front and yet we must be like John and maintain our witness to the end. May God bless His servants with peace.

Measuring Acceptance.

Measuring Acceptance. Mark 6:7-13.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts — but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Mark 6:7-9 (NKJV)

It is a very harsh reality that each day people, cities, and countries are being judged by God on their reaction to His call to repentance and holiness. In this study we will look at missionary trips and reaching out to people.

Jesus had just gone back to His own city and as he healed, taught, and preached He received much criticism and rejection. He referred to Himself as a prophet and said that a prophet in His own country will not receive much honor. This became the classroom for the disciples, who He would send out as missionaries, teaching them how to react to rejection. The truth to the matter is that when you take the gospel to the masses, you will not be a popular person and at times, meet strong rejection.

One thing that Jesus insisted on was to teach His disciples when they are being received or when they are being rejected. His instructions were to take one coat, wear sandals, going out with no money or food. The idea being, that if they were being received, those receiving them will meet their needs. This is identification that people have accepted you.

There is benefit to knowing when you are accepted and today too many people just stay around others because they want to be accepted. People want acceptance so bad that at times they will endure harsh treatment in hopes that they will fit in. That is not what Christ was teaching His disciples. This needy approach to friendship should be stricken from our lifestyles; for a true friend will accept you and care for you.

In addition to this, many people have lost what it is to show people true acceptance. It is like a disease that has gripped our societies and common courtesy is overlooked too often.

Many of today's pastors struggle with common courtesy even in the wake of the words Paul wrote to Timothy saying that a pastor must be hospitable to qualify for his position.

To accept a person is not to just allow them to be around you or listen to them; it means to show your acceptance by looking to fulfill their needs. So let us break down what Christ wanted them to see from people who were truly accepting of them.

They were to take nothing with them; that means when they show up in a city, the person who accepted them would start to provide for them. The only thing Jesus did tell them to take was a walking staff, for they were going on a long journey. Sometimes we must travel a long distance to find those who will accept Christ.

They had power over unclean spirits which was necessary for much of the oppression that people are under is demonic. This important point should not be overlooked when sending people out to serve the Lord. The sending church should gather those going out and pray that God would grant them power over evils oppression so that it's hold can be broken. Never forget to have spiritual warfare prayer sessions before missionaries go out.

They were to take no bag, which meant that accepting gifts was out of the question; for giving a gift as a sign of gratitude takes no investment of one's own self. Expressing gratitude by giving a gift is a quick and easy way that people try to show their acceptance. After this, the rest of Christ's instructions would be their measuring tool in being accepted.

They were to take no food. If a person truly accepts you they will be looking to see if you have need for nourishment. They will be generally concern for you and that you will be able to continue on your way. An accepting person will go out of their way to feed you and is one of the easiest forms of service.

They were to take no money. First we can attribute this to Jesus not wanting them to stop and buy their meals; He wanted others to care for their need. Yet money can be a true measurement of where your heart is.

When you open your home to people and you look past their situation to see if they have enough money to continue, that is a true belief in the person they invited in. When a person is open to give of their own finances, this shows they truly are behind a person. Much like the church tithe, being willing to give money to a visiting missionary is a good measurement of sincerity.

The last two things are very odd, but make much sense. Traveling on the dirt roads was enough to turn a person's feet and clothes into a dirty mess. If traveling far distances, these men showing up in a city would be a spectacle at best and not too desirable to look at. In addition, they might have much body odder. Without a change of clothes, these guys would have only one thing that people could accept them for and that was their message.

Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" Mark 6:10-11 (NKJV)

Do you realize that God is judging how you accept the words spoken to you? Too many people know they need to go to church, but do not. Others may go to church, but do nothing with the message they hear. All of this is being evaluated as acceptance.

When a message is accepted several things change. The messengers are accepted into a home, cleaned up, fed, given a change of clothes and made ready to preach. Otherwise, the needs of the preacher are met and that translates into the congregations creating an environment for the preacher to preach. He holds the gift of preaching and in acceptance of his message it should be an honor to serve him.

So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Mark 6:12-13 (NKJV)

We must follow this line of thinking, that to bring salvation, someone must preach. Therefore, those who are called by God to preach must be made ready by those who have accepted the building of the kingdom of God.

The way each of us participates in the building of the Kingdom of God has a measurement and our reactions have effectiveness if done with sincerity. By this people are judged by God.

Lastly, when not accepted, it is time to find others who will accept you. No need to stand still, there is a whole world able to accept Christ; we need only go there.

He went, and when, and many.

He went, and when, and many. Mark 6:1-6

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. Mark 6:1-3 (NKJV)

Not every time you attempt a work of God is it going to come to fruition. Mark points this out to us in that Jesus was not accepted by those of his own community. There are many situations just like this where Christian men and women have a calling on their life, but they are not accepted for their calling in their place of business, their home, by their family, and even in their own church. What is a person to do?

To make sense of this, we must break the actions of Christ down so that we might gain a perspective of what to do with the calling on our own life; for there are many Christian called, but after trying to exercise their gift become defeated by the opinions and questions of their own people.

First Mark points out that Jesus came to His own country. It is a wonderful thing when a community of people accepts the accomplishments of their own by allowing them to exercise their gifts and have respect for their calling. Yet it will not always be that way.

Many times children are looked down on by their elders and not wanting to change, they ridicule the person until they stop. Knowing this we can brace ourselves for this type of reaction and determine in our heart to not let it stop us. If they are not accepting, it is time to go elsewhere; but this attempt is most important.

How can a church, community, place of business, or family survive without allowing the new blood to have important rolls and be infused into the mechanics that make the family work? Once I was approached by an elder of my church and he asked about my enthusiasm to serve the Lord. As I began to delight in his support, I quickly realized that he was not offering support, but was trying to discourage me form service. He and the other elders were not going to accept me for the calling God placed on my life. I was dumfounded.

Second, Mark says, "And when." This tells us that Jesus had reserved a time to make known His ministry and He prepared something to say before presenting His ministry to the people. This is key in getting your 15 minutes of fame. No matter how they accept you, being able to present it properly is important. If you only tell people what you feel you are to do, they can easily make a decision without a care; then you are left with what remains.

As Jesus taught, the people were astonished at his words and His works. He was prepared and exercising His gifts, they had more than a mere description of his intent; they were able to see it firsthand.

Thirdly Mark says, "And many." Not just a few people saw this, Jesus made sure that He had many people who represented the community that He was trying to influence. Setting the stage for you to show your gifts is only good if you are seen; getting everyone to come is another thing. However you do this, do not miss this important step.

Yet even after you have done all of this, success is not always the case. A servant must be ready to accept rejection and that does not mean that you stop exercising your gifts, it only means that it may be time to go elsewhere.

Now I want to caution readers that this advice is intended for those who know their calling and are truly gifted to serve. Just because you have knowledge about a subject does not mean that you care called by God to do it. A servant must first seek the Lord in prayer and let God confirm His work in them.

Then even after conformation, preparation takes time and service is not to be rushed. God had Moses lead sheep for forty years before He was ready and a good work of God will only come when we wait for His acknowledgment to go.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. Mark 6:4-6 (NKJV)

I cannot tell you how many people that I have met who found their calling by answering a call to missions. They went on the trip to see what missions are about and they fell in love with an area of service that becomes their calling. Missions are a great way to understand God's will for you.

Teachers go and find that those they minister to accept them as brought by God. The respect they receive is astonishing. At home they are just average church people, but in the mission field they are recognizable professionals called by God.

I knew of two mild manor people who I spoke to at church frequently. They were very good friends, but I could see that they were unfulfilled in their lives. They were sociable and trying very hard to be a part of the church, but it was like they did not know what to do.

After their fist missionary trip, the impact they had on people had so much meaning, they knew that they found their calling. Trip after trip I watched them change and where they once were trying to be accepted by others they had become satisfied and had their eyes set on the next opportunity to serve.

As they went, each time they grew, and when they were away they had great impact. And many came to know the Lord through their ministry.

This can be you too. If you pray for direction, He will bring it. And when He does, you must go; and then you will understand more of what He wants for you and your impact will begin. Your life will bring much fruit. Yet remember, there will be those of your own people who may not accept you for what God wants you to be.

The Tale of Two Daughters.

The Tale of Two Daughters. Mark 5:21-42

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. Mark 5:21-24 (NKJV)

In this passage, Mark is eager to bring to our attention to the truth that faith needs to become active for healing to happen. Many people want healing, but Mark sought best to point out the stories of two daughters and the struggles they went through before they were healed.

The first daughter laid home in bed. Stricken by sickness, to move her would have been too much; so her father, in faith, comes to Jesus in her behalf. The interesting thing is that Jesus could have spoken the word and she would have been healed; yet He goes with them and to us that means that sometimes, the events that surround the healing of a sickness will lead to other events.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." Mark 5:25-28 (NKJV)

The second daughter was not a child, but now a woman; yet her suffering began as a child. The Mosaic Law has listed ways to deal with disease and for women who suffer from hemorrhaging, they would have to be treated as unclean. Any bed or chair they sat in would be considered unclean. Even those who touched them would be considered unclean.

This daughter was no doubt removed from her home and sent to a place to be with people like her. Weekly she would have to bring a sacrifice of two turtle doves; one for her sin and one for a burnt offering; yet the weekly ritual did not stop the flow. She would grow up apart from her family, scarred by thoughts of being punished for sin, and longing to be healed. Her suffering had lasted twelve years with no healing; even in her obedience to God's word to sacrifice.

Desperate situations need desperate actions and in faith she knew if she could only touch His garment that she would be healed. Yet she was taking a chance that she would make Him unclean. Yet the pain of the separation was too much and here she exercises her faith. She did not want to make things worse, but was convinced that it would all turn out alright.

Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." Mark 5:29-35 (NKJV)

There is power in Christ and this is why the sick must draw near to Him to be healed from their sicknesses. Yet too many people lay in their sickbeds, hopes dashed by the fraudulent healing ministries that put on side shows for dollars. For these, their faith in Christ has been destroyed, but the truth is that healings do happen.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe." And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping." Mark 5:36-39 (NKJV)

God wants us to have faith in Jesus and God wants our faith to make us whole. Some go to church for prayer, but then they say it did not work and they stop. Yet, here Mark is saying, as a servant, to not give up your faith; do not stop.

What Mark is doing the church needs to practice. We should never give up and always seek the Lord even when death is inevitable. Like Mark we should tell the stories of healings and never leave out the details that not all healings are instant. Sometimes they take much time and anticipation before they occur; therefore, the sick should continue to go for prayer and seek the Lord in prayer.

And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat. Mark 5:40-42 (NKJV)

The Lord and healing are much ridiculed to this date; yet that does not stop God. As faithful men and women we must look past the ridicule and continue towards the healing.

This twelve year old girl was born as the other girl was taken from her father. The pain of both Fathers God was concern for. One took twelve years to heal; the other took a very long walk. Both were facing insurmountable odds for being healed, yet their faith is what made them whole.

God would have us to have faith that He can heal and that should not be confused with positive speaking. Because we say we are healed does not mean we are healed. Only when He says we are healed, are we healed. Until then we must walk on with the Lord until it is time for the miracle.

One other thing to point out, there was only one dead girl raised, Jesus did not go out to raise all the dead; some are supposed to die. The same with the sick; there were many sick, but not all were healed. Yet Mark saw it important to include these stories so they can be told to people to encourage them to seek healing.

Now let us measure our faith. Are we taking the sick to the Lord? Are we speaking to them about the miracles as if God could do a miracle for them? Healing comes first through great faith. Second healing comes through great perseverance. Third healing comes through love; for God loves us all and feels the pain and suffering of the separation brought by sickness.

Lastly, God wants parents united with their children. No matter the physical, emotional, or mental sickness, that people experience, God wants to heal that family and bring them together again.