MORE GREAT MULTITUDES
OR
OPEN AIR MINISTRY
SUNDAY APRIL 14, 2019
Scripture To Consider:
“But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.”
“So, Jesus told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out saying, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.” Mark 3.7-12
Something To Consider:
The fame of Jesus was spreading like windswept wildfire through a summer sun scorched field of wheat. The number of those following Jesus had grown to the point of cautious concern for the potential well-being of Jesus, in the midst of the hurting and hungry for healing great multitude. Word of both His miraculous healing power and the acknowledgment of His authority by unclean spirits had reached as far north as Tyre and Sidon, and as far south as Idumea.
Good news always travels far and fast. What message of good news are we sending forth by our words, actions, and lifestyles? Is the message our lives are broadcasting a message of good news, hope, truth, and a message pointing to Jesus Christ? Or is the message of Jesus disqualified due to our worldly look alike lifestyle that actually detracts from the message of the good news of Jesus?
If we are listening to false prophets teaching compromise rather than the truth of the Word of God, we may not be aware of the fact that the Word of God is calling us to a life of holiness and godly living! If we are following false teachers and their false messages of, you’re OK, I’m OK, we’re all OK, then the messages our lives are sending out will only deceive others while we too are being deceived.
Something Else To Consider:
Because more and more multitudes of people were following Jesus, He changed His method of teaching and preaching in the synagogues to the teaching and preaching in an open-air atmosphere. On this occasion Jesus chose the seashore while the crowds of afflicted and yet hopeful followers pressed upon Him to the point of well-meaning concern on the part of Jesus.
Jesus, not willing to altogether remove Himself from the endangering situation, simply made a plan of escape from the potential crushing crowds, therefore not escaping what it was He had been sent to accomplish. The old saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way,” is still good sound advice for leaders in training. What good advice can we glean from this biblical lesson of a lifetime from the life and ministry of Jesus?
Are we neglecting a divine call of God in Christ upon our lives for whatever reason? Has God’s Holy Spirit granted us, you and I a special gift, talent, or ability that we may have buried in the sands of our past life for fear or lack of courage? If we are honest with ourselves, we would realize that fear and or the lack of courage is something that plagues us all. And yet these negative aspects of our lives can be overcome in and through the study of the Word of God!
The apostle Paul spoke into the life of young Timothy in 2 Timothy 1.7, these words of encouragement; “For God has not given us [you and I] a spirit of fear, but [a spirit] of power and [a spirit] of love and a [spirit] of a sound [clear thinking] mind.” God wants to deal with the spirit of fear that He has not placed upon His people. The question remains, will we allow His Word to deliver us from a spirit of fear so as to infill us and overflow us with that which only the Spirit of God can? Will we receive what it is God has graciously offered to us all?
Something More To Consider:
As a precautionary measure, His disciples made ready a small boat in case the need to retreat was forced upon them. It must have been a frightening and yet at the same time a somewhat astonishing sound, hearing the unclean spirits cry out the everlasting truth, “You [Jesus] are the Son of God.” But Jesus refused to receive any advertising acclaim whatsoever from these demonic spirits. And so, rather than allow them to publish abroad His true identity, He therefore silenced them. He did not need nor want their acknowledgment as to His being the Son of God!
The same should hold true for every child of God serving Him and His kingdom principles and precepts in whatever capacity. Promotion as well as publicity best comes when it comes from the Lord. Our job as ambassadors of His kingdom is to so let our spiritual lights shine in such a way that our good works bring glory to God and never to ourselves. Humility must come before exaltation, always! We are instructed in James 4.10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
With fear removed from our lives, God gives us a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and a spirit of a clear and sound thinking mind, we are free to be used by God in whatever capacity He chooses. Therefore, the need and requirement to study to show ourselves approved unto God, and to become workers who need not to be ashamed and able to rightly discern the truth of the Word of God from demonic deception or man-made tradition or religious but unbiblical itching ear fables, becomes extremely important!
A Few Final Words:
Are our lives crying out the greatness and goodness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ? Are others witnessing the sovereign work of Christ in our lives as we attempt to walk in the Spirit of God on a daily basis? Or are we finding it difficult to walk in the Spirit of God? The apostle Paul admonished all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus in Galatians 5.16, by instructing, “I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
Paul continued in verse 17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary [opposed] to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” The apostle also wrote in Romans 6.12, “Therefore do not let sin reign [be in control] in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” Our allowing sin to rule and reign in our lives in any form is in opposition to the warnings of Scripture. We cannot be found compromising the biblical commands to be holy and to resist the enemy of sin as we walk in the Spirit of God.
As possible future spiritual leaders in training our lives and our labor of love should cry out of the goodness and greatness of our God every day of our lives here on planet earth. And if not us, then who? If we claim of ourselves to be God’s children, to be His servants in His kingdom, then we must submit ourselves to God, humble ourselves before Him, resist the devil, resist our flesh, resist all that is ungodly, and the enemy of our souls will flee according to James 4.7.
If we in humility draw near to God, He in turn will draw near to us. If we cleanse our hands from sin and purify our hearts through the continual washing of the water of God’s Word our sinful inclinations will be defeated by the blood of Jesus and our testimony will cry out the greatness and goodness of our God. Deliverance from whatever is a matter of obedience to the Word of God. It is that simple and yet remains extremely difficult if we are constantly flirting and compromising with sin.
According to the Word of God and our Scripture to consider, “And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him [Jesus], fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ‘You [Jesus] are the Son of God.’” If we are daily in His Word, we are daily in His, Jesus’ presence. In the presence of the Lord every demonic spirit is subject to Jesus Christ and cannot but be subject to His God given authority. Are we subject to Christ’s God given authority? That is the question to be answered if we truly want victory over the enemy and over our flesh!
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, as believers may our lives bring glory to You and never require our need of being silenced or ashamed. Help us to abide in Christ. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 