The Good News!
I can’t help but recall a true story from my ministry days with a former organization. I was the director, the one who had to pull off an event for around a thousand people from all kinds of ministry departments. To make the event run smoother and for the youth to get more focused on the mission, a few well thought out changes were made. As soon as the vote was taken to make this move, gossip spread, the mission poorly expressed, the disjointed, self-promoting bad communication of the change hampered the original motive to help not hurt the mission.
Phone calls by “the church” called me “of the devil” and that I “must hate kids” to make this change. Wow! Have you ever experienced that in your ministry efforts? Well, Jesus did. And this is how He explains what happens when the family of God squabbles with slanderous talk instead of coming together in love and unity.
Mark 3, The Message
Satan Fighting Satan?
20-21 Jesus came home and, as usual, a crowd gathered—so many making demands on him that there wasn’t even time to eat. His friends heard what was going on and went to rescue him, by force if necessary. They suspected he was getting carried away with himself.
22-27 The religion scholars from Jerusalem came down spreading rumors that he was working black magic, using devil tricks to impress them with spiritual power. Jesus confronted their slander with a story: “Does it make sense to send a devil to catch a devil, to use Satan to get rid of Satan? A constantly squabbling family disintegrates. If Satan were fighting Satan, there soon wouldn’t be any Satan left. Do you think it’s possible in broad daylight to enter the house of an awake, able-bodied man, and walk off with his possessions unless you tie him up first? Tie him up, though, and you can clean him out.
28-30 “Listen to this carefully. I’m warning you. There’s nothing done or said that can’t be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God’s Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you’re sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.” He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil.
Dear Heavenly Father, Jesus was sent to save with a transforming new lifestyle. The “church” at that time would not accept and did not want to believe this could be from You and tried to prove otherwise. They were too set in their ways. They were comfortable with the false power they thought they had. Don’t allow us to fall for that way of life. Ever. For that is exactly where satan wants us to remain. So, we choose this day to remain in You, grafted into The Vine, to forever be nourished by You. Thank you, Lord for saving us. In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 