Mark – God is On Our Side!
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was responsible for recruiting a team of people to work together to provide an event for mostly born again church people for a denomination. We provided daily, separate “events” for infants, children, youth, women, men and pastors. This took a ton of coordinating planning and constant care and attention to details. Contracts for keynote speakers and bands were gone over with a fine tooth comb, making sure we didn’t miss what was required from us for them to speak or provide music.
For me, it began on my knees seeking what God wanted to accomplish in the attenders. Who and what will help them see Him and grow in their faith? That was always in the forefront of my mind. With that focus we trained volunteers with the same purpose in mind no matter what their particular task was…it must help others find and follow Jesus. We must provide an environment where you can’t help but see Jesus!
So, when an evaluation, (only purely negative one), came back with angry (all caps) words about a missed detail came across my desk, I was flabbergasted. What “sinful” thing did we do? We did not provide hot tea or ways to make tea at the coffee and cookies tables provided for breaks for the adults. This person wrote paragraph after paragraph of how we “discriminated” against those who do not drink coffee. She reprimanded “those in charge” with how could you do this? It is time you thought about the needs of “tea drinkers” along with the coffee drinkers.
I wept. That particular year, (as in others years) God moved in the lives of His people. Many young students received Christ as their Savior for the first time. The Holy Spirit moved in ways beyond our wildest imaginations! My first thought after reading this tirade was, “How did you miss Jesus?” He was here! He moved among the hearts of many. He worked through speakers and musicians in ways that led attenders of all ages to pure worship of God alone, salvation through Jesus, re-dedications, and strong commitments to follow Him!
How did you miss Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit moving in the lives of His people? Then I prayed for her.
Jesus dealt with many who missed the point. Listen to what Jesus said to the religious elite who grossly missed the point of helping others return to God. Not only did they forget their work, they side stepped God altogether.
Mark 7, NLT
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity
7 One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. 2 They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. 3 (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. 4 Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
17 Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18 “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19 Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
REFLECTION…
Do we, as church people, have agendas and unwritten laws of doing things that do not pertain to helping others find and follow Jesus? Is it time to evaluate and cast aside what is unnecessary and might even hinder those from seeking, finding and following God?Where are our hearts this day at this hour? Do we help or hinder God’s work in and through us?
What spews from our hearts in difficult situations or circumstances when we lose control? Envy, Jealousy, Hate that leads to hurtful words? Is it time for a “Power wash”?
What can we do to get clean from the inside out? Ask for the Holy Spirit to address your sin so you can confess your sin. I did. The blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross is the Power Wash for our sin!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, NIV
Get a “power wash” from Jesus today by asking Him to cleanse you from the inside out and make you whole once more. He is standing nearby, waiting for you to ask Him in. Truly IN. Don’t miss the point of real life in Him! Get a power wash now! It feels good to be clean and shiny again for Christ!
Dear Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior,
Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for continually teaching me and power washing my heart daily. Thank you for Truth, Way and Life found in You alone! Thank you for helping me help others find and follow you, too just by pointing the way to YOU. I love you, Lord, with all my heart, mind and soul.
In Jesus Name, Amen
And I’m singing…POWER IN THE BLOOD
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood
There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the blood of the Lamb
There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb
Would you be free from your passion and pride
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide
There’s wonderful power in the blood
There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the blood of the Lamb
There is power, power, wonder-working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb…
