SUNDAY WAKE-UP CALL🗣🎤
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 / 1 Cor 7:32-35 / Mark 1:21-28
One popular character in the gospel today was was a man with an ‘evil spirit.’👹 What exactly does that mean❓Have you ever encountered a person with an ‘evil spirit’❓Have you ever met a so-called ‘possessed’ person❓The evil spirit today, as all other in the gospel, recognizes Jesus as the ”Holy One of God”. After Jesus cast out the evil spirit, the people were amazed at the power and authority that He pos
Let is note 📝 in particular the style of speech used by Jesus. He did NOT say ”The Lord’s words for you are…” Nor did he say: ”The God who sent me says this…” No. Jesus spoke in His own name, on His own authority. There is, you see, a big difference in Jesus speech here. He is telling everyone what He, the Christ is declaring to them. He is not speaking on behalf of God — He is speaking as God❗
So authority, as expressed by Jesus in the gospel, is the key🔑. How about recorded TV 📺 and people’s “attention seekers” who calls themselves men of God❓I read somewhere that the word authority comes from a Latin verb “augere”, which means to make something increase. Its root can be found in words like ‘authority,’ ‘author.’ Its root is also found in the English verb ‘to wax’.
So real authority is not just, as we often interpret it, having power over people so that we can make them do what we want them to do. Genuine authority is the ability to en-able people, to em-power them💪🏼. To enable them to transcend themselves, to grow as persons, to be more effective in the development and use of their innate gifts.👍
Have you ever heard it stated
that it really doesn’t matter what religion you have since they’re all taking us to God❓You see that thinking 🤔💭 is rubbish from what we heard in the gospel today. Religions are not the same. So why and how do religious people refuse to acknowledge who Jesus really is❓His authority❓It wasn’t the devils that gave Jesus a bad time. They simply vacated; they simply departed from His presence and went ➡elsewhere to do their dirty work.
*We are the ones, like Pharisees and scribes of that time who is giving Jesus a bad name. Re-translating His authority and exploiting people with it. The evil spirit will always obey👉 the genuine authority of Jesus.
Now there are many ways to get rid of Christ. You can try to kill Him, bury Him in a tomb and then post soldiers to guard that tomb. We know, however, how useless that was. Another way is to simply ignore Him😛. Many have done that, are doing it now, and will do it in the future. The danger about ignoring him is equivalent to the danger of ignoring speed limit 🚗, warning signs, directions on how to ride okada, or instructions on drug prescriptions💊.
That there are evil forces in our world today is difficult to deny. Some of the appalling sufferings that people are made to endure by the inhuman behaviour of leaders, individuals and groups are hard to explain otherwise😯. And, while we often look on helpless, somehow we are part of it ourselves.🤷♀
We have all heard👂 a lot of talk about evangelizing. The people did that today in the gospel after experiencing the authority of Christ. Evangelizing doesn’t mean that we have to go around town knocking✊ on doors🚪 and preaching at others about our religion🗣. It can be something far less difficult and far less offensive than that. Evangelizing can be as easy as simply and clearly stating the truth about Jesus and telling🗣 friends _“We have never heard anyone else speak with such authority.”👌🏼