"35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions went searching for Him. 37 They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”
38 And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” 39 So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
40 Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees, begged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” 42 Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed. 43 Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere."
Mark 1:35-45
Good Morning Beloved,
I'm so glad you're here.
Thank you for joining us today, may you be blessed for it.
Its no secret, we are living during a strange, unprecedented time. More and more cities are taking drastic steps to contain and eliminate the spread of the Coronavirus. As a ministry, we have also taken some pretty drastic steps as well. Face-to-face ministry, large group meetings, have all been cancelled, at least for the immediate future and our ministry, has been moved to exclusively online.
Why? Because, that’s what it takes to contain a global pandemic like the Coronavirus. However, there is something I would like you to remember, even if every Christian was quarantined to their homes for the next several months in the worst possible scenario, you cannot quarantine the Word of God! The message of the Gospel is going viral, spreading throughout the world. Amen?
The Word of God is an unstoppable contagion that does not hurt, however, it does heal! It does not destroy, however, it transforms. It does not bring death, however, it brings life. God is great and His Word cannot be stopped! Lord knows, Satan has attempted to stop the redeeming work of Christ for centuries, with no avail! The enemy has already been defeated and awaits sentencing! His day is coming soon!
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father, we first pray for those who might be here today who do not know Jesus Christ, who have not yet come to Him in faith and repentance. Lord, we pray that You would do a mighty work in their lives now? Deliver them from the power of Satan and sin. Open their hearts, eyes and ears, to understand the message You have for us today. Then grant them the faith to repent, confess their sins, and embrace Jesus as Lord.
Lord, for those of us who are in Christ, strengthen our faith, increase our wisdom and knowledge of the truths in Your Word,
that we may boldly proclaim the name of Jesus throughout the unbelieving, unregenerate world. All for Your glory and increase in the kingdom.
In Christs' name we pray
Amen
Today's Message: You Can't Quarantine The Word of God
Open your Bibles with me please the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1. Mark opens this incredibly rich chapter, with the history of Jesus' life and ministry. He begins in verse 1 with the declaration of truth, that Jesus, is the Son of God. Mark doesn't just make the statement that Jesus is the Son of God, it is an affirmation, that Mark will prove. An affirmation that has been given time and time again in Scripture, beginning with the Old Testament prophecies through the New Testament, with
The Holy Spirit identifies Him as the Son of God by settling upon Him, The Father, Who identifies, affirms Him as His beloved Son by speaking out of heaven and Jesus Himself then gives us
affirmation with His testimony as to His own authority. Leaving no doubt, Jesus is the Son of God!
The Word of God cannot be quarantined!
The Apostle Paul understood this well. At the end of his life he was stuck in a jail cell, chained to a Roman soldier awaiting his execution. He was in a final and ultimate quarantine of sorts. However, even as this was true, he wrote these words in II Timothy, "Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy:" II Timothy 2:8-11
I absolutely love that phrase at the end of verse 9, "but God’s message is not bound." Beloved, that message was spreading faster than this global pandemic, God's Word was multiplying, even while Paul was in quarantine in a Roman prison on death row!
While, we may be somewhat quarantined, during this time of social distancing, and for some, a house confinement, "but God's message is not bound!"
Beloved, I believe that we are living and witnessing, at a time our lives, where the Gospel could spread faster and farther than ever before! The circumstances alone surrounding this pandemic can actually accelerate the spread of the good news of the Gospel! For the first time since September 11, many people are turning to God, worried about death and concerned about this life and the afterlife.
I’ve been sharing the Gospel for many years and I cannot think of a time, when people are more ready for the spread of the Gospel than right now!
However, we must lovingly and compassionately share this marvelous news, in truth with the world right now. Because this pandemic is a great example of how the Gospel message spreads. It spreads between contacts. It spreads from person to person. And it spreads faster than a wildfire!
In the early church the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Rome in less than 30 years, without airplanes, without cars, without the www.theapostlepaul.com.
In 1995, Hollywood produced a popular movie called Outbreak, starring Renee Russo and Dustin Hoffman. How many of you remember seeing this movie? This, now classic movie, was in the top 10 movies viewed on Netflix in the month of March. It tells the story of how a monkey got a contagious strand of the Ebola virus. This infected monkey scratches a man. The man sneezes in a movie theater. The camera follows the particles coming out of his nose through the theater into the open mouth of an unsuspecting movie watcher and boom…the outbreak begins!
There’s a hair-raising scene in the movie Outbreak where a military epidemiologist talks about the spread of the virus. Standing in front of a large virtual map, he says, "The infection will start here" as he was pointing to a single red dot, then he said "Within 12 hours it will spread this far," the red covers a larger portion of the map. "Within 24 hours it will spread this far," and half the map is red. "And within 72 hours it will infect the whole of the United States," and the map is flooded with red!
When I watched that scene I couldn’t help but think of Acts 1:8, when Jesus told His disciples how the Gospel would infect the world, but in a good way! He said, "you will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, the single red dot, and in Judea and Samaria, the red covers a large portion of the map, and it is true to the ends of the earth, the whole world map is drenched with the red blood of Christ!
So join me, and let's give some praise to the Lord! Amen? The Gospel message is still even more contagious than the Corona virus. The difference is, that the Gospel doesn’t kill you, it doesn’t make you sick, It doesn’t lock you down, it frees you! It makes you well, whole and it transforms you!!
So how do we unleash the spread of this Gospel Outbreak? We pray! We care! We share! We learn from the ultimate carrier of the good news, Jesus Christ himself! Jesus showed how to start a "Gospel Outbreak," in Mark 1:35-42. In this passage, Jesus becomes a carrier and starts a contagious Gospel Outbreak movement that is still spreading! Its like a Holy pandemic, some 2000 years later.
Follow along as I read this passage in Mark chapter 1, verses 35 through 45.
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. Simon and his companions went searching for Him. They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”
And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees, begged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed. Then He sternly warned him and sent him away at once, telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But He was out in deserted places, and they would come to Him from everywhere."
We see in this passage that the ministry of Jesus wasn’t quarantined away in some monastery or out in a desert. It was strategically aligned for exponential growth. And what Jesus did we can do. What Jesus started we can continue.
How? It starts with this….
We pray!
Jesus set the pace for prayer
In Mark 1:35-37 ,the Bible tells us, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. Simon and his companions went searching for Him. They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!"
Jesus was always escaping to pray. You wouldn’t want Jesus as a conference speaker! He’d always be off on in prayer somewhere and nobody would be able to find him. So, in a sense, Jesus was quarantining Himself, so that He could spend time talking to the Father, before He dove into the hard work of spreading the Gospel.
Here Jesus engages in a very specific kind of prayer called, "intercessory prayer."
The Latin word for intercession comes from two words that mean "I go" and "between." In other words an intercessor is a "go between" between the people we are praying for and the potential danger they are facing and God.
When we pray for those who don’t know Jesus, we come between them and the danger with a divine baseball bat. We intercede.
Would you begin to pray daily for the unreached people you have in your world, that so desperately need the contagion of the Gospel Outbreak? Write their names down on a prayer list.
You can also download the free mobile app, Life in 6 Words, from the App Store or Google Play and put their names into what’s called "A Cause Circle." You can setup the app to send you weekly or daily reminders to pray for those people by name. It’s a simple way to remind you to pray and this app will also help you share your faith with those around you. In case you missed it, it’s called Life in 6 Words.
It doesn't matter, however, whether you use the mobile app a prayer journal, or a 3 x 5 card you put up on your mirror, do something else to remind yourself to pray for those who are yet lost. As long as you pray! So long as you're an intercessor. A go-between. Stand between your friends, family, co-workers, classmates and teammates and the danger they are facing, the danger of a life and an eternity without Jesus Christ!
If we want to unleash the Gospel, if we want to cause a Gospel Outbreak, then we must pray. Then,
We care!
Jesus demonstrated to us what this looks like in Mark 1:39-42, "So He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees, begged Him: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed."
How does Jesus show he cares? He cast out demons! There are literal demons and figurative demons that many people are wrestling with today, especially during this global pandemic! People are struggling! But before we talk about figurative demons let me spend a few moments talking about literal demons. We are in a battle with an invisible, a very literal enemy, Satan and his army of demons. They are diligently seeking to deceive, distract, discourage and destroy us right now.
All you need to do, is really take a look at this world you can easily see that the forces of darkness are real and that the Devil is doing everything in his power to stop us from loving Jesus and serving Jesus.
In I Peter 5:8 the Bible says this about Satan, "Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour."
Now, I'm sure if you're aware, but a lion can roar at 114 decibels. That's louder than a jackhammer and almost as loud as a jet engine! A roaring lion can be heard from up to 5 miles away.
Satan is roaring his hatred at humanity in visceral ways. Every time you read about another serial killer on the lose, aborted baby or trafficked child, a missing teen, a demon is behind it all and smiling!
And I can guarantee you that Satan and his army of fallen angels want to leverage this pandemic to "steal, kill and destroy!" They want to steal joy, kill relationships and destroy lives.
However, as followers of Jesus, we are here, empowered by Him, to bring healing and transformation to those ravaged by these literal demons. In a sense there are, figurative demons as well.
We’ve all heard the phrase, "boy that guy is really wrestling with some demons." These may be the habits, thoughts or baggage that a person is struggling with, the things that can lead to loneliness, depression, alcoholism, suicide, broken and shattered relationships.
These kinds of demons have been exacerbated during this time of global crisis and pandemic.
Maybe you’ve lost so much money in the stock market you’re really worried about your retirement. Maybe you’ve lost your job due to the massive cuts in business across America and you’re worried about being able to pay the mortgage or even putting enough food on the table to feed your family.
And if you are like most people, you are feeling the stress, the pressure of all this, how much more than is the stress for those who don’t have Jesus as their solid rock foundation? So, beloved, we must reach out to those who are hurting, those who are suffering, with the love of Jesus! We must work under the power of the Holy Spirit, to cast out the "demons" they are wrestling with, both literally and figuratively.
Jesus cast out demons. And, He healed the leper. The Bible had very specific instructions on how to deal with lepers in the Old Testament. They were isolated, of course because leprosy was a highly contagious illness. But, instead of wearing a mask if they were infected, they were required to yell out, "Unclean! Unclean!," when they were around those who were healthy. Can you just imagine the stigma that came with all of that?
But Jesus broke that protocol in Mark 1:41-42, "Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed."
Now, I’m not implying that we should go out and hug someone with the Coronavirus, but I am saying that you need to care for them, care for all of those who are afraid of it, which lets face it, is pretty much everyone.
Christians have set the pace for caring for the hurting throughout Church history. When everyone else rushes out of fear, Christians rush in out of love.
Moses Lee wrote these words for The Gospel Coalition, "In AD 249 to 262, Western civilization was devastated by one of the deadliest pandemics in its history. Though the exact cause of the plague is uncertain, the city of Rome was said to have lost an estimated 5,000 people a day at the height of the outbreak. One eyewitness, Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria…Having noted the difference between Christian and non-Christian responses to the plague, he says of the non-Christians in Alexandria: At the first onset of the disease, they pushed the sufferers away and fled from their dearest, throwing them into the roads before they were dead and treating unburied corpses as dirt, hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease; but do what they might, they found it difficult to escape.
Non-Christian accounts confirm this sentiment. A century later, the emperor Julian attempted to curb the growth of Christianity after the plague by leading a campaign to establish pagan charities that mirrored the work of Christians in his realm. In an AD 362 letter, Julian complained that the Hellenists needed to match the Christians in virtue, blaming the recent growth of Christianity on their "benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the pretended holiness of their lives." Elsewhere he wrote, "For it is a disgrace that . . . the impious Galileans, [Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well."
So if Jesus set the pace for caring by touching and healing a leper, and Christians throughout history have set the pace for by rushing in when everyone else was rushing out, how we can set the pace for caring during the current crisis?
Allow me give you three quick ideas to jot down: Set the pace for hygiene. Now, I know that this doesn’t sound super spiritual but there’s an old civil war saying that used to go, "Trust God and keep your powder dry." Today, in this pandemic, we could put it this way "Trust God, wash your hands and keep your distance."
Proverbs 27:12, reminds us, "A sensible person sees danger and takes cover; the inexperienced keep going and are punished."
Beloved, it is certainly no act of love to infect someone with the Coronavirus or to risk becoming infected. Therefore, we must use the proper protocols for hygiene, take the necessary precautions for safety, if we are really to love those around us.
Set the pace for peace: We are living in a social-media driven culture of fear and fear mongering. Beloved, we must to be the voices of calm and of peace during this difficult time! Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers…." May we be the peacemakers during this time of rumor, anger, hatred and frustration. We must be the voice of Christ in the world, that calms people down rather of stirring them up.
Set the pace for encouragement:
Ephesians 4:29-32, reminds us, "No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ."
Maybe this means for you to send an encouraging email or text, note, make a phone call to one person you know who doesn’t yet know Jesus. You could include a couple of verses of encouragement in your message to them. Wouldn't this be a great way to open the door to a future conversation about the Gospel? Once you've planted the seed. Pray, ask God to cultivate and grow the seed you've planted, all for His glory!
You may remember, Jesus prayed for those who were hurting. He cared for the hurting by casting out their demons and healing their sick. We too must pray. We must care and, finally…We share!
When Jesus was away praying, His disciples sought desperately to find him. Here’s how Mark records their search and his response, in verses 36-38. "Simon and his companions went searching for Him. They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”
And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come."
Jesus had a greater purpose. His purpose was to share the good news of the Gospel with as many as possible. But how do we do that during a pandemic? We have an unprecedented opportunity to unleash the Word of God, cause a Gospel Outbreak, both verbally and virally!
Here’s the great thing about sharing Jesus during a pandemic, people are open to hearing about it! If you think about it, in the midst of this pandemic, what an amazing opportunity we've been blessed with! Amen? You could start with a question like this, "Wow, these are some really crazy times huh?" And people just start talking! You can then make a simple segue like this, "All this stuff its pretty scary, I'm glad my hope is built on a foundation that is strong, not religion, but a relationship with God. Where do you find hope during this time?"
Whether you use those exact words or something like that, just bring it up. Another way you can bring it up is by asking someone how you can pray for them during this time.
Now, once you’re in a spiritual conversation, it’s pretty simple to share with them the Gospel message. As I mentioned before, Dare 2 Share Ministries, Inc. has been training teenagers for almost 30 years on how to share the Gospel with their peers and we have an acrostic that has been shared millions upon millions of times with people around the world.
This acrostic spells out GOSPEL, which tells the whole story of the Good News of Jesus from Genesis 1-Revelation 22, from the first chapter of the Bible to the last.
God created us to be with him. Genesis 1-2
Our sins separate us from God. Genesis 3
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. Genesis 4-Malachi 4
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. Matthew-Luke
Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. John
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. Acts-Revelation.
I’d like to encourage each of us to memorize this acrostic word for word like millions of teenagers have and be ready to share our faith by explaining it. Think of each sentence like musical chords. The more chords you get down and then you can make music. Sure, its difficult at first, but the more you practice, the easier it becomes. And when you've mastered it, it sounds beautiful. Memorize these sentences and then make some beautiful music with the Gospel as you make it your own.
This acrostic was made famous by a viral video that came out several years ago called Life in 6 Words that was viewed by millions online, optional: show the 5 minute video.
And as we discussed before, another way in which you can share the Gospel is by using Dare 2 Share’s Life in 6 Words app. It is a simple way to share the message of Jesus whether or not you memorize the GOSPEL acrostic. Basically, if you can read and swipe, then you can share the Gospel using the Life in 6 Words app. I encourage you to go to the app store now, while you're thinking about it and download this free app. And, as I've previously mentioned, if you are technologically challenged, just hand your phone to the youngest person around you and ask them to download it for you.
The mobile app will have a new feature that will enable you to share the Gospel virtually. So, even if you are quarantined at home, you can use this app to start Gospel conversations with anyone via social media or phone-to-phone. Remember you can’t quarantine the Word of God!
Jesus prayed, cared and shared. That’s how he dealt with a people infected with a deadly pandemic called sin, which is still affecting the world today! And, He healed lepers along the way.
Jesus, not only took the leprosy of our sin upon Himself, but He gave us His righteousness, His perfection. So, not only are we healed through faith in Christ, we are forever transformed into sons and daughters of God. That's pretty amazing isn't it? Through Christ, we're actually royalty!
If you haven't placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, I'd like to encourage you to trust in Him today, right now. Don't put it off any longer.
Believe He died for you and He was resurrected on the third day from the dead and then place your full trust in Him, to forgive you for your sins and give you eternal life.
And, if you already have put your faith in Jesus, let’s follow Christ's pattern of praying for the lost, caring for them and sharing the message of the Gospel with them. Ask God to reveal to you those persons you are going to pray for, care for and, yes, share the Gospel with this week.
Yes, its true that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and many people are still being quarantined around the world but remember, you can’t quarantine the Word of God!
Won't you join me, in making a commitment, not to spread the Corona Virus, instead, let's spread the Word of God!
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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