“Savior
Enters Nurturing Truth!" (S.E.N.T)
By Ramesh
C.Reddy Pittsburgh Standard
Friday, June 09,
2006
Editors note:
This devotional is taken from the archives of Gospel of Mark, chapter 6.
Quiet
Times (Psalm 9, Proverbs 9, Mark 6:6-7)
“Then Jesus went around
teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent
them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.” (Mark
6:6-7, NIV)
Observation:
I asked
myself what Jesus did.
Jesus had just addressed those
that were offended at Him in His hometown. Now, Jesus does three things:
-
Jesus went around teaching from village to
village.
-
Calling the Twelve to Him, He sent them out
two by two.
-
He gave them authority over evil spirits.
I decided to look at the last
two points today.
Observation:
I asked
myself what role Jesus plays in the lives of the disciples.
-
Jesus
called the Twelve to Him.
-
Jesus
sent them out two by two.
-
Jesus
gave them authority over evil spirits.
Interpretation:
I asked
myself what is the significance of what has happened.
Jesus is the focal point and in
charge of the disciples roles. Jesus is the One who calls, sends, and
gives. The disciples did not choose to go on their own until they were
called. Jesus calls them first. So, the calling began with Jesus. Jesus
initiated the calling of the disciples. Jesus does not stop there though
but goes a step further.
After they were called Jesus
sends them out but not individually as 12 but as six teams. Jesus sent
them out two by two. This is significance because Jesus wanted them to
build each other up if one falls. It was a support group for each other
rather than handling the mission as a lone ranger. Jesus was emphasizing
the importance of holding each other accountable. Most of all Jesus
emphasized that He is the One that sends. Jesus does not stop there
though but goes a step further.
Jesus gave them authority over
evil spirits. The disciples saw Jesus cast out demons. Now, as Jesus
calls them and sends them two by two, Jesus gives them the authority to
cast down evil spirits. This is so significance because when Jesus calls
and sends, He also provided His power in their lives according to what
Jesus felt they needed at the time. It is also significant because of
all the authority Jesus could have given them, Jesus focused on giving
them authority over evil spirits. Jesus was emphasizing to them the
danger of evil spirits and what they do in people’s lives. They would
have known that too because they saw what happened to the
demon-possessed man until Jesus healed him.
I believe the three things Jesus
did for the 12 disciples are based on the 3’E’s.
Jesus EQUIPPED them when He
called them to Him. They were already learning from Jesus as they saw
Jesus in action. They were also being built up already. They saw Jesus
heal demon-possessed people, a leper, a woman bleeding for 12 years,
raising Jairus daughter from the dead, healing a paralytic, healing Peter’s
mother-in-law, healing all the sick that were brought to Him, teach with wisdom,
and even calm the storm. It was not like Jesus called them out of
the blue. They already had experience being with Jesus. Now Jesus gives
them an assignment. Jesus does not stop after equipping them but goes a
step further.
Jesus ENABLES them when He sends
them out two by two. Jesus gives them the capability to accomplish where
He is sending them. Jesus reminds them that they have one another to
help each other out. Jesus does not stop there after enabling them but
goes a step further.
Jesus EMPOWERS them when He
gives them authority over evil spirits. Jesus gives them power they had
not before to accomplish His mission and not their own. This is exciting
to know when Jesus calls, sends, and gives it is because He did the
choosing.
Implications:
I saw important implications in
my own life. When Jesus calls me to something, sends me to accomplish
that mission, He will also give me the authority. I cannot be doing
God’s mission on my own but need to take the help that is provided.
Doing missionary work or any mission the Lord sends us out in is rarely a
lone-ranger job. Whatever Jesus did, He set examples for us. I need to
seek the Lord in prayer and ask Him for His help and the laborers to
help accomplish the mission He has me on. I believe He is the One that
equips, enables, and empowers me. If it is His calling in my life, He
will work out the details and also the obstacles that come in the way!
Thank you Jesus!
I ask you
now dear friend, where are you sent?
Dear friend, as we seek the Lord
in prayer wanting His will for our lives, He will send us to places. For
some it could be to make a difference in academia, for others to make a
difference in their careers, for others to make a difference in
relationships especially between GOD and MAN but also among each other.
Wherever you feel the Lord has sent you, there is a reason for it
friend. Yes, there is. You may be the one the Lord is sending to DEBUNK
THE LIES OF THE DA VINCI CODE. Take that opportunity. You will be
defending the Truth when you EXPOSE ALL THE LIES IN DA VINCI CODE WHICH
DAN BROWN NICELY CLAIMS TO BE FACT AND COATS THEM IN A FICTIONAL NOVEL
MAKING PEOPLE CONFUSED WHAT IS REALLY FICTIONAL AND WHAT IS FACT IN HIS
BOOK AND THE MOVIE.
When the Lord sends you
somewhere, you can be excited about it because He chose you. That alone
is exciting that He has called you for a purpose. Now, He will equip,
enable, and empower you. He will provide the means as you depend on Him.
It does not matter where you are or where you have been. You will be
sent.
The
question is will you be sent by the Lord to do His work or will you be
sent by the devil to accomplish his evil deeds.
AS THE MOVIE, THE OMEN 666 SHOWS, THE DEVIL CAN USE PEOPLE AND SEND
THEM TO DO HIS DIRTY WORK CREATING HAVOC, PAIN, AND SUFFERING. Don't
allow yourself to be a pawn of the devil but seek the Lord Jesus Christ
in your life and allow His Holy Spirit to work in you. For our Lord
promises in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, "But the Lord is
faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from satanic attacks of
every kind."
The Good News is as you seek the
Lord in prayer daily, meditating on His Word, and taking the help the
Lord provides from the community of believers, Jesus will be the One that
will be doing the sending. Once we lose our focus away from Jesus and
Jesus is not the focal point of our lives anymore, we endanger
ourselves.
Yes, we do! Our flesh can send
us to places and make us do things that are not of the Lord. It can be
with our actions or words. I do not want that. You should not want it
too! I want to be used of the Lord and know I have been sent by the Lord
to the places He has me in. If not, I want to leave that place and seek
where He wants me to be at. We all should aim for that as we seek Him.
What if we
are not sure if it is the Lord that is sending us or if it is being done
on our own?
Whatever you are called to and
feel sent to, test it with Scripture. The Word of God will reveal to you
what you should be doing as you seek the Lord in prayer. There will be
times we have to go out in faith, checking our motives and deeds with
the Lord. We can justify our every deed but God looks at our motives.
When we go out in faith and want to please Him, He will take care of the
rest.
May you know where you are sent
because only the Savior enters nurturing Truth! Amen!
“Savior
Enters Nurturing Truth!” (S.E.N.T)/”Where
are you sent?”
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for calling the disciples to you, sending
them two by two, and giving them authority over evil spirits. This means
a lot Jesus. You are the One that equips us, enables us, and empowers us
to do what you have called us for. So, please help us Lord whatever area
you have called us into. We need your help and thank you Lord for
emphasizing the importance of Christian community and not being a
lone-ranger in what is done. Jesus you could have done all the teaching
and healing but you set an example by equipping, enabling, and
empowering the disciples to do what you have started. Help us not to do
things just on our own but receive the help you give us and look for
others to help us. We want to be sent where you want us to go and be at.
Our flesh will have its own ideas but we desire to do your will Oh Lord
because we love you and know where you send us is where we should be
because you are the Author of our Life. We also know there will be
obstacles but when we fall, you will have someone to lift us up. We
thank you Jesus. Forgive us when we do things on our own. Help us to
seek you always. Help us to know what you want for our lives whether it
is in careers, academia, or relationships. We turn all situations over
to you and depend on you for help. We trust in you Lord and in the power
of your might. Help us Jesus please. Thank you for helping us. Thank you
Jesus for dying for our sin to forgive us and coming back to life to
save us! We acknowledge you as our Lord and Personal Savior. Please be
our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus! We thank you Jesus, you
have heard our prayers and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
If
you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I am a sinner Lord. I am so sorry for
my sins. I confess my sins to you. I confess the wrong things I have
done and messed up my own life. I need you Lord right now and in the
years to come. I have gone my own way and have not found what only you
can give me. You alone have the words of Eternal Life. You alone love me
unconditionally for who I am. I thank you Jesus. I accept you Jesus into
my heart. Thanks Jesus for coming into my heart. Thanks for forgiving me
of all my sins. Thanks for giving me a new identity in you. I
acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior as I believe in my heart
that you died and came back to life to save me now and forever. I give
myself to you and ask you to be in control of my life. Thank you Jesus
through the days, we can do things together. Thanks for being my
Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and
answered me. Thanks Jesus for changing me and helping me through life's
storms and winds. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Friend you may feel something
or may not feeling anything but do not go by your feelings. When you ask
Jesus to come into your life, He will and does. He will take over from
here as you depend on the Lord and let Him work in you and through you!
This is exciting friend! May each one that came to know Jesus be filled
with His Holy Spirit forever more and those that know Jesus come to know
Him more and more! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study,
fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved
to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be
supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and
meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!
As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the
theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly
degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to
speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you
plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your
faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579
so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact
even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the
Lord bless you and guide you!
If you need anyone to talk to, pray
with, or study the Bible with this Spring or Summer of 2006, you can email
me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies
can be so powerful to because the Holy Spirit is still in the
midst.
"This is my work and I can do it
only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians
1:29, TLB)
Express Your
View
|
SEPTEMBER 2005
MARK: CHAPTER
1
How
seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y to prophecy? (Sept 01, 05)
Who do you P.O.I.N.T to?
(Sept
02.05)
"Will
you take a S.T.A.N.D?" (Sept 03.05)
How
is your loving P.R.A.I.S.E? (Sept
06.05)
"How
do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?" (Sept
07.05)
"Who
controls your T.I.M.E?" (Sept 08, 05)
"What
kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (Sept 09,
05)
"Whose
T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you listen to?" (Sept 12,
05)
"What
C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?" (Sept 15,
05)
"Where
do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?" (Sept 19,
05)
"Where
do you need an A.N.S.W.E.R?" (Sept 20,
05)
"Where
do you find S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time with the
Lord?"
(Sept 21,
05)
"Where
do you want to be C.L.E.A.N?" (Sept 22, 05)
"What do you actions C.A.U.S.E?" (Sept 24,05)
MARK: CHAPTER 2
"What
kind of F.R.I.E.N.D are you?" (Sept 26,
05)
"Where
does P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S take hold of you?" (Sept 28,
05)
"What
are you thinking in your M.I.N.D?" (Sept 29,
05)
"What
do you represent by your A.C.T.I.O.N.S?" (Sept 30, 05)
OCTOBER 2005
"Where
do you look for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?" (Oct 04, 05)
"Who Do You I.N.V.I.T.E?" (Oct 05,05)
When do you F.A.S.T?
(Oct 24, 05)
How do you see your L.I.F.E?
(Oct 25,05)
"What kind of L.E.A.D.E.R are you?" (Oct
26,05)
"What does the S.A.B.B.A.T.H mean to you?" (Oct
27,05)
MARK: CHAPTER 3
What
are your N.E.E.D.S? (Oct 28, 05)
NOVEMBER 2005
What is your I.M.P.A.C.T? (Nov
01,05)
What
S.P.A.C.E do you give yourself?
(Nov 07,
05)
"What
has E.V.I.L done to you?" (Nov 08, 05)
"How
is your R.E.L.A.T.I.O.N.S.H.I.P with Jesus?"
(Nov
14,05)
"Who
will give God T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G because of you?" (Nov 25, 05) (Taken from Gospel of Luke)
"Where
is your A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T in?" (Nov 29, 05)
DECEMBER 2005
"Where do you G.A.T.H.E.R?" (Dec 01, 05)
"How are your actions seen by your
F.A.M.I.L.Y?" (Dec
02, 05)
"How
do you handle S.L.A.N.D.E.R?"
(Dec 03.05)
"What is your V.I.E.W of Jesus?"
(Dec 28,
05)
"What are you doing with G.O.D.'S W.I L.L?" (Dec
31,05)
JANUARY 2006
MARK: CHAPTER
4
"What do the P.A.R.A.B.L.E.S mean to you?" (Jan 04, 06)
"What kind of F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L receiver will you be for
Jesus?" (Jan 05, 06)
"How is your W.A.L.K with God?" (Jan 17,
06)
"What kind of L.A.M.P are you?" (Jan 18, 06)
"What do you C.O.N.C.E.A.L?"
(Jan 25, 06)
"What do you do with what you H.E.A.R?" (Jan 26, 06)
"What do you do with the W.O.R.D of God?"(Jan 30, 06)
"What
will you do with the S.E.E.D?"
(Jan 31,06)
FEBRUARY 2006
"What kind of F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L receiver will you be for
Jesus?" (Feb 05, 06)
MARCH 2006
"What kind of S.T.O.R.M.S are you facing?" (March 11, 06)
APRIL 2006
"What does P.A.S.S.O.V.E.R C.R.O.S.S mean to
you?"
(April 13,
06)
MAY
2006
"What
kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (May 01,
06)
MARK: CHAPTER 5
"Where
is your T.O.R.M.E.N.T coming from?" (May 15,
06)
"Where
do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?" (May 16,
06)
"What
do people R.E.P.O.R.T about you?" (May 17,
06)
"Are you A.F.R.A.I.D of Jesus too?"
(May 18, 06)
"Will you T.E.L.L about Jesus?"
(May 19, 06)
"What do you do with your T.E.S.T.I.M.O.N.Y?"
(May 20, 06)
"Will you G.A.T.H.E.R before Jesus?"
(May 22, 06)
"What place do you give P.R.A.Y.E.R
in your life? " (May 23, 06)
"Where do you feel U.N.C.L.E.A.N?"
(May 24, 06)
"Where do you need F.R.E.E.D.O.M?"
(May 25, 06)
"Who's T.I.M.I.N.G are you following?"
(May 27, 06)
MARK: CHAPTER 6
"Where do you seek W.I.S.D.O.M, in Jesus of the Bible or Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code?"
(May 29,
06)
"What
is your C.A.L.L.I.N.G?"
(May 30, 06)
"Where is your I.D.E.N.T.I.T.Y?"
(May 31, 06)
JUNE 2006
"Do you feel A.C.C.E.P.T.E.D?"
(June 01, 06)
"How is your F.A.I.T.H?"
(June 03, 06)
"What do you T.E.A.C.H?" (June 05, 06)
|