Set Free!
"Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."
Mark 5:19 (NKJV)
Each of the four Gospel writers approached the story of Jesus from a unique perspective. Matthew wrote primarily to the Jews tracing Jesus’ lineage back to Abraham to authenticate the Messianic claims of Jesus as the rightful King of the Jews. Luke, the only Gentile author among them, wrote to a broader audience tracing Jesus’ lineage back to Adam. As a Greek physician, he wanted to establish the humanity of Jesus as the Son of Man and Savior of the whole world! John emphasized the Deity of Jesus and the incarnation of God in man! But Mark presented Jesus as an “action figure,” known by what He does as a servant and miracle worker!
One of the great miracles of Jesus that Mark records is found in chapter 5 of his gospel. It stands as a beacon of hope for anyone trapped in addiction or any destructive habit that would disable us from being all God created us to be. Jesus encounters a man possessed by an evil spirit that was controlling his behavior so that he had lost all relationships with family and friends. Mark said he lived in the cemetery among the burial caves, isolated and alone. The chains and shackles that bound him were much stronger on the inside than the ones society tried to contain him with. Mark tells us that “Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.” Mark 5:5 (NLT) UNTIL!
Until what? Until he encountered Jesus! Jesus did what no man could do for this poor soul. He set him FREE! Free from the destructive habits and demons that had controlled him! Imagine his relief! Mark tells us that the man longed to follow Jesus, but Jesus told him something that would change his life and restore his lost relationships connecting him back with his family and friends from whom he had been estranged. In Mark 5:19 (NKJV), Jesus said, “"Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." What a profound impact his life change must have had on everyone who knew him before! Verse 20 (NKJV) says, “So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.”
Every Christ follower has a BC – “Before Christ” life. But when we encounter the Miracle Worker, Jesus Christ, our lives are never the same again! Such was the case for Jonathan Navarro, who was baptized last Super Summer Baptism at our Atascocita campus. I hope you’ll click on the link below to watch and listen to his story of grace that changed his life and set him free from an addiction that would have destroyed his life. It reminds me of why Jesus came. Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 (TLB) Jonathan’s baptism was a celebration of that new life he found in Jesus, life in all its fullness! Just watch the video and consider your own life. Have you experienced new life in Christ? If not, you can trust Him today. Open your heart to Christ and simply ask Him to forgive you and take control. Then join us this weekend and celebrate your new life through baptism at our Super Summer Baptism Celebration! Register now
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.