Something Greater

Jesus: All Authority And All Power Mark 1:21-34 What has gone before... Mark 1:14-20 - Jesus began his preaching ministry, urging people to repent and believe in the gospel, the good news of God's kingdom. He called four fishermen as his disciples: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Moving on... "And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. "And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are...the Holy One of God. "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him! "And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What...

The Miracle of Joy In the violent turmoil caused by by Saul in Jerusalem, the apostle Philip saw opportunity for reaching out to an often-ignored people : Samaritans. "Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city." Acts 8:4-8 (ESV) Sudden, miraculous cleansing from demons and disease is a powerful confirmation of words of preachers and prophets. Jesus healed a man of blindness, describing it as a display of the works of God (John 9:1). Jewish Pharisees acknowledged His power, but called it satanic. Jesus revealed their blind, broken logic: How could Satan's kingdom stand if Satan...

Safe! I sometimes have a hard day at work. No big surprise in that, right? We all have hard days at work, at home, at church. When I have a hard day at work, and I can't let go of the stress when I return home, despite the encouragement and care of my wife, I often will crawl into bed and have only one word of prayer that I can offer up to God: "Safe!" The warmth of the bed, the protection of my blanket, the quietness of the darkness, the security of my home create an image in my mind of safety. With one word, safe, I thank God for His oversight of my life, His guidance and direction and providence , despite the difficulty I've experienced in getting through the day. But my bed and blanket are only an image. Little force is required to violate the security and quiet of my home. My blanket provides small protection from the storms and raging violence of this world . It fails to protect me from even the smallest irritations and upsets. We are surprised...

My Box I'm a little boy, holding a little box. On the box is a scrap of paper with a childish scrawl: My Life . I hold that box so tightly, hiding it from others, allowing only a few to peek inside and share my treasures. There are times that I am forced to open my box and share. Many days I take my box to Work and carefully open the lid to my box only a crack, sharing a bit of my strength and skill in trade for food and shelter and perhaps a bit more that I can call my Wealth. With my closest friends, or those that I wish were my closest friends, I open my box sporadically, quickly, picking out a few treasures that I think might please them. But I'm quick to guard against injury to my box. Even a critical word, or a stony glance or a surprised question will cause me to slam my box shut and I run to the nearest corner to pout or castigate myself. With my dearest partner, my lover and wife, I share much more of my box . I confront some of my fears and prides and let her...

A Simple Statement of Faith "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the...