Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

 

Mark 9:38-50

 

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.”  But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.   For the one who is not against us is for us.   For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

The disciples were like many in our world today, in the sixty’s there was a movement called the Jesus movement, a bunch of hippies became follower​s​ of Christ, but they were not buying into the traditional church, they eventually pioneered an independent Christian commune, and were adding people who wanted to follow Jesus each week.  How did the traditional church handle this movement of God?  Not all that well, many a pastor thought it was of the devil!   Why you ask, and it is my opinion they were different, that few took the time to examine, to have a dialog with them, and those that did were wanting them to change to their way of thinking.  

 

What did Jesus tell us; first, if they are following Jesus and doing mighty works in His name, they are not going to speak evil of our Lord?  

 

Second, it matters not if they are of the traditional church, if they are for Christ, then so are we, never call someone doing things differently wrong for not doing it the way you were taught.

 

Third, we are called to live the Christ-life in us, and in so doing serving others who belong to Christ.

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

 

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

 

Mark 9:30-37

 

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^“ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”   But they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him.

Are you guilty of not asking when a statement is made, and you have little or no understanding of what is being said?  Could the reason be something as simple as we do not want the speaker or those around us to know we have little or no understanding of what is being said?  It is not the first time Jesus has brought this subject up, you recall Peter's encounter with Jesus the last time, and Jesus replies in Mark 8:33.  In Luke's gospel chapter 9:45 may shed some light on the subject, for Luke tells us the understanding was concealed from them at that time.

Who Is the Greatest?

And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”   But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”   And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,  “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

You nor I would ever voice such things not even to friends, but we did as children, and we enjoyed hearing someone we respect tell others we are at the top of their list.  I had a Vice President of my Electrical Markets Division, who when he saw me in the 3M Center in Austin would often say I was his favorite salesperson.  Often, others who I worked with would hear Henry and in private they would give me a hard time, saying you are special or accusing me of sucking up to the boss.  I would be telling you a lie if I did not say I enjoyed hearing I was special to him.

That is of no value compared to what God the Father has done for me and is saying to you and me.  The apostle Peter makes it clear to all that put their faith in Christ, this insight in first Peter 1:3-5, and  2 Peter 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter1:3-5)

 

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4)  How can the empty praises of man come close to what God the Father and Son have done and are doing for you using the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

The Transfiguration

 

 

Mark 9: 1-13

 

 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

What is Jesus referring to?  Is it greater than John’s Revelation?  The simple answer is yes, Jesus allows these three chosen men to see Him from heaven's view.

The Transfiguration

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.  And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.  And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”  And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.   So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.   And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?”  And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And now is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt?   But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

They did not understand what had taken place, till later, maybe you are like me in that for years you have read the account with little understanding of the enormous magnitude of the transfiguration of Christ on that mountain.  As it was taking place they were terrified and Peter at this time before the Holy Spirit entered into him, often had foot and mouth problems.  Taking nothing away from Moses or Elijah for they were special men used greatly by God, but they were created beings, and they were now seeing their Creator standing there in all His glory, and God the Father had to introduce Jesus to them.  “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”   Just maybe God is allowing you to read this and hear His words, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”   My hope is you will act on what Jesus is saying to you, for He loves you and wants to give life in the now and also eternal life, it is your choice.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

  

Mark 8:31-37

 

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.   And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.   But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.   For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.   For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?   For what can a man give in return for his soul?   For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels?”

I have no doubt Peter is not the only one that has tried to change God’s mind on His will.  I believe we all have, and it’s because we are not desiring His will but ours.  Most of us have our grocery list of things we desire, the healing of a friend or family member, the job we have desired, or in my case it may be a router table for the woodshop or a drill press, and the big one is a planer.  Here is the kicker, you cannot heal that sick friend or family member, and I know you ask God to do so, but have you desired His will or your own?  In my case, I could buy those items, but as a manager of what God has entrusted me, I need to seek His approval.  He may desire to provide those items, or He may show me how to live and work without them.

How are you at denying yourself?  Put Jesus before your plans, most do not, my friend Bill Gilman would say often, the Christian life is an impossible life to live, for only one person has done so, and that is Jesus Christ.   He desires to live his life in you, if you ask Him to.

A question everyone must answer; For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?   It matters not if you gain wealth and fame but never bow your knee to the Lord and take His free gift of salvation, this short life is very short and in eternity you will have a lot of time to ponder why, and wish you had.   For what can a man give in return for his soul?  Not one cotton-picking thing!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

 

May 31, 2020

 

Mark 8:22-30

 

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

^“And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.  And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”   And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”   Then Jesus^[c] laid his hands on his eyes again, and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.   And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Why did Jesus lead the blind man out of the village, and why did Jesus tell the blind man not to go into the village after he was healed?  As long as we are asking questions why did it require Jesus to touch the man’s eyes twice, and the answer is; we were not told, 

For some reason, God's Holy Spirit did not give us any answer to these questions.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

^“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”   And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”   And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”    And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.”

Those are questions that Jesus is asking of each person still to this day, have you bought into what people are saying about Jesus, or do you have any thoughts on the questions.  
C.S. Lewis had this to say;  'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that ... to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. ... You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God, but ... He did not intend to.”.  On the subject also Lewis, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.”

 

On the day Jesus asks that question, Peter replied, “You are the Christ.”   How did you answer the question being asked? “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” C.S. Lewis quote

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob  Rice

Whose boat are you in?

 

Mark 8:11-21

 

The Pharisees Demand a Sign

“The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.   And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”   And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.”

We are told that this took place on the Western side of the sea of Galilee called Magadan.  Now it is always helpful to me to recall the meaning of a title such as Pharisees.  {A religious sect of Judaism that followed the whole written and oral law.}  It is easy to be a Pharisee and miss out on Jesus, they did it and often we also participate in the letter of the Law and miss out on what Jesus is doing in our world.  Let me leave you with a question; how much did the Pharisees miss by seeking a sign, rather than believing and following Jesus?

The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod

“ Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.   And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”  And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.   And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?   Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”   “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”   And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

It easy to miss what God is up to, what He is telling us when we have our focus on what we have and not on what God is saying.  Or we who go by titles like Jesus followers any different than they were?  Are we watching out for the leaven of our world, of religion, of government, of the marketplace?  I made my living in sales, and I came to the understanding that everyone is in the business of selling you on something, it has never been clearer than in this Pandemic of a virus, that fear is the eases way to control the masses and that many a person cannot handle a full cup when it comes to having power over their area.

 

If you are in the boat with Jesus ask Him to open your eyes and ears, to see the miracles happening all around you.  If you are a Pharisee seek God, not religion, not rules to look good before men, but seek God and be part of the miracles.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Caught up in the miracle and miss Jesus

 

Mark 8:1-10

 

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

“In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,  “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?”   And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”   And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd.   And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them.  And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over; seven baskets full.   And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.   And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.”

Often we get caught up in the miracle of Jesus blessing the seven loaves of bread and the two fish and feeding the four thousand, and miss the why.  Compassion is not something we put on a resume, but it always a blessing when we see someone with that in their lives.  My older brother comes across as a tough guy without compassion, but I watched him over the years, and he is a very giving and compassionate person to someone who is needed.

When I think of my Lord, and that is often, He does not love, He is Love, and it does not come with the condition; that just who He is.  He did not arrange a meeting in this desolate place, they were not invited guests, no they hear where Jesus was, and they came.  Now it time to leave and Jesus understands that many need something to eat, and have no ability to buy food or get food. He also understands that many will not make it back to their homes without having food in that it has been three days.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

 

Mark 7:24-30

 

 

The Syrophoenician Woman's Faith

 ^“And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.   But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.   Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.   And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”   But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.”   And he said to her, “For this statement, you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.”   And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”

Do you recall the Centurion that came to Jesus, the account is listed in Matthew 8:1, 5-13, and in Luke’s Gospel chapter 7:1-10?  This Centurion like the Syrophoenician woman was a Gentile, do you recall what Jesus said about him?  First a little understanding, a Centurion was a Roman Captain over 100 men, and he had a young servant or slave that he cared about that was dying.  He did not go to Jesus but to some Jewish elders to do so.  “They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”  This is Luke’s account of what took place, he tells us Jesus was going to the Centurion’s home when the Centurion sent friends to tell Jesus that he was not worthy to have Him come to his house, but just speak the words and the boy would be healed.  He tells Jesus the reason he did not come to Jesus was that he was not worthy to do so. 

 

The Centurion understood authority, something many in the church seem to be closed to.  We find this account in Luke:7: 8, “For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9, When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

 

Now back to the Syrophoenician woman, what faith and insight of this non-Jewish lady and love for her daughter.  It reminded me of a bartender in Texas and his lawsuit against a Baptist Church.

 

A bar called Drummond's, in Mt Vernon, Texas began construction on an expansion of their building, hoping to "grow" their business. In response, the local Southern Baptist Church started a campaign to block the bar from expanding - petitions, prayers, etc. About a week before the bar's grand reopening, a bolt of lightning struck the bar and burned it to the ground! Afterward, the church folks were rather smug - bragging about "the power of prayer". The angry bar owner eventually sued the church on grounds that the church ... "was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, through direct actions or indirect means." Of course, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise.

The judge read carefully through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply. He then opened the hearing by saying: "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but it appears from the paperwork that what we have here is a bar owner who now believes in the power of prayer and the entire church congregation that does not."

 

Now anyway you look at that, the Judge is correct and my thoughts are this if the bartender now believes in prayer, maybe he will ask Jesus to come into his heart and turn his bar into a church that prays for those Baptist that has brought shame on the name of Christ.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

What Defiles a Person

 Mark 7: 14-23

 

^“And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:   There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”  And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.   And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”  (Thus, he declared all foods clean.)   And he said,  “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.   For from \theft, murder, adultery, coveting wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.   All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

 

Maybe we need to explore what insights the Scripture has to share about the heart.  Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  What about Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  This is one to give thought to; Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” This is great instructions in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”  

 

With that information we can understand our hearts are fickle at best, so looking to our understanding is not the best of roads to travel.  Could there be a better way; I believe this counsel from Psalm 51:10, is the only road to travel in this life.  “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  What is our responsibility with this pure heart and steadfast spirit, to obey what you understand from God’s word?  To study in the Scriptures not for information, but with a heart’s desire to obey.  If so we will find Psalm 37:4, coming alive in us.  “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

 

I have a strong desire to finish strong, in that God has not revealed what day is our last on Planet earth, but that day has been established for everyone, I find Psalm 26:2, is a prayer I should be praying each day.  “Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”

 

This morning as I looked for an understanding of the heart, I ran across John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  

 

The world is offering faith in Government, in men, in doctors, in the vaccine, in wealth, and yet as King Solomon, stated so clearly; it is like chasing after the wind.  As a follower of Christ, you have been promised your days are numbered, hiding in your home will not change that day.  You have been promised that absent from the body, you will be present with the Lord.  So, this is the question, do you have the peace of Christ in you, are or you living in fear?  We must live as followers of Christ under authority, but when that authority does not stack-up with Scripture, is it not time to stand at all cost against it?  That is what the founders of this Nation did, and it cost most of them, everything, family, wealth, and even their lives.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditions and Commandments

 

Mark 7: 1-12

 

Traditions and Commandments

“Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.   (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.)   And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This person honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!   For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’  But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Many a family in and outside of the Church, have traditions they do at Christmas and special days like Memorial Day and others, and that can be a good thing.  I did not grow up in such a family, so we have very few special things we do or look forward to on special days.  I do enjoy a family that has such, like on Memorial Day to go to the gravesite of men and women who have given their lives for this Nation, so you and I can enjoy the freedom of speech, to worship, and to go and do as we desire.

 

When it comes to faith, it is easier to be religious and follow a bunch of man-made rules than to study and show yourself a workman that does not need to be ashamed, that correctly handles the Word of God.  In fact,

 it is very easy to be a Pharisee or scribe that is religious, but their religion is of no value to God or man.  Jesus tells us they love to pray a long prayer to be heard by a man in public, but in their private life outside the eyes of man, God sees and knows every thought, much more so our actions in private.  In fact, He tells us that what is done in the dark, will be exposed in the light.

 

One must never forget only God is good, and all men are liars, so follow God, and examine your thoughts and life often, as instructed in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”  Have you taken the test, I have, and I’ve often found myself needing to seek fellowship with God, and ask forgiveness for seeking my desires over His?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

What is the Problem?

 March 6: 53-56

 

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

^“ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.   And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.   And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”

 

Gennesaret was on the western side of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Tiberius.  What a difference from Jesus's experience in Nazareth  His hometown, where He grew up.  The people of Gennesaret not only believed that Jesus had the power to heal; they acted on that power and brought the sick to Him.  Many of us believe Jesus has the power to heal, to change lives, so if it’s not unbelief, could it be our lack of action?

Jesus has told us in John 14:12-14, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.   And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

 

Let me be very honest, that bothers me, I know Jesus can’t lie, I know it is true, yet what is my problem, is it unbelief, or lack of actions.  At the age of 27 years when I entered into Christ and He into me, I had a very hard time believing God could love someone with such weak faith as I had.  He used a man named Jack Archer to teach me how much God loves me.  I now know I’m loved, and I now know how to love others.  I’m a slow Learner and have hope that at some point my faith increases and I live out this Scripture.

 

Maybe it’s that we do not understand who is praying for us, read John 17:9, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”  Are you aware that your redeemer is praying for you?  He knows all about you and He loves you, for you are His.  Or is it that we are full of pride and will not admit our weakness, hindering the Holy Spirit in praying for us in these areas?  Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Or could it be that we just do not want to confess our sins to one another, and pride is keeping us from having the power of Christ in our lives?  James 5:6, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  

 

I have no understanding of the why, but my prayer for you and me is that soon, very soon the Holy Spirit will open our eyes and ears to see and know, could it be it is all of these?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Jesus Promise to His Followers

 Mark 6: 30-44

 

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.  And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.   And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.  Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.   When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.   And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late.   Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”   But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii^[f] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”   And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”   Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.   So, they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties.  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all.   And they all ate and were satisfied.   And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.   And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.”

 

The twelve have returned to Jesus and they want to share all the things that God has done through them.  There are too many people wanting to see, and be part of what Jesus and the twelve are up too.  Many pastors and staff could learn to take a few days off together to share and pray, but often it is the urgent that rules, and not the Holy Spirit.  

 

Their retreat did not go well from the point of just eating and sharing, for the people must have had a tracking device on Jesus, in that they met Him and his disciples when they came to the place, they hoped to relax only to find about 5000 men and their families waiting on them.

 

I am so glad that our Lord is compassionate and loving, for Jesus understood they had no way to get food and he took what they had five loaves and two fish, and when God is your source, that is more than enough.  In fact, they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces of bread and fish.

 

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

A Seeker of Truth

 Truth-Seeker

 

 This thought came into my mind, what if we the Church of the Living Christ, became seekers of truth?   And I do mean me and you, beginning today. Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  We as a people have become more like the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate when he replied to Jesus with this question; What is Truth?

 

Would you be willing to say truth does not change, what is a fact today is also tomorrow as well?  That it is exactness and precision, and as a seeker of truth, you will want to always seek to have accuracy in what you send on the internet, and in your speech.

 

It all begins with you, not with a political party, not with your boss, or even someone you look up to, it must begin with you.  Do you want deception, then listen to the talking heads on T.V. or the media, or many people in a public office.  As a truth-seeker, your role is to not believe without verifying, always believing that all men are liars and only God is truth.

 

Let me tell you if you desire to be a seeker of truth, where to begin, by checking out these words of Jesus.  Jesus said in John 14:6-7, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

 

I have found out that a follower of Christ has been given a promise of a Helper, you will find that in John 14:15-17. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

 

Remember, we serve a God of the second chance, He loves you and will forgive, so confess the need to be a seeker of Truth, for in doing so you will find Jesus!

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Telling the Truth cost John his life

 

 

Mark 6:14-29

 

The Death of John the Baptist

King Herod the son of Herod the Great ruled over Galilee and Peres from 4  BC to 39 AD.  Jesus' name had become well known and after sending out the twelve disciples to preach repentance throughout Galilee, here is Mark’s account of what took place.  

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”  But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”   But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

You can read the account in Mark’s gospel of Herod putting John in prison because he told Herod that marrying his brother's wife was not lawful and the wife of Philip hated John for saying this and wanted to kill him.  She did not have the authority to do so but the King did, yet he feared John in that he was a righteous and holy man.  

I ran across this quote from Plato, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”  These words rang true in Herod’s life and they are ringing lower than I can recall during this Pandemic of Fear, we are seeing mayors and governors show their moral character.  King Herod was like many who have a title but do not have moral character.

 

On Herod's birthday, he gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.  Now there is no doubt that Herod and his brother’s wife Herodias’s who he took as a wife, just because he could, were under the control of the devil.  We do not know all that was done behind the scenes, but Herodias' daughter must have been around 12 years of age, it is the same word Jesus had used for Jairus little girl.  It seems she stole the show and the king wanted to show his appreciation, we see that in verses 22 and 23, For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”   And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 

 

Have you ever wondered what hate will do to a person's decision ability, then let’s pick up the story in verse 24, And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”  She was willing to trade half the Kingdom for the death of the man she hated because he told her the truth.

Now Herod is in a pickle so to say, he may have had a few too many adult beverages, but all the men of influence are there, and he knows John is a holy man, and righteous, but pride is a powerful thing, and so John’s head is delivered to the little girl.  Those are some very evil people to want a man’s head delivered to you.

Is there a message in this for you and me, yes people will often hate the one that tells them the truth, and hate makes people do things that are very evil?  Who was the big winner in this?  John was absent from his earth suit but present with the Lord.  We understand that hate leads one to places they never planned on going, a really bad place.  I’ve witnessed its effect on a woman who hated her ex-husband and went from 120 pounds to over 300 pounds, hate will destroy you.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Two things stand in our way, Noise, & Unbelief

 Mark 6:1 – 13

 

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

“He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.   And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?   Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.   And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”   And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.   And he marveled because of their unbelief.  And he went about among the villages teaching.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

^“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.   He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.   And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there.   And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”   So, they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.   And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”

One of the most powerful messages I’ve ever heard was in College Station, Texas and it was titled “The Biggest Enemy of the Christian is Noise,”  the preacher told us how each of us did not like the quiet and would turn on music, the radio or T.V. when entering a room or getting in our car.  Noise makes it hard to hear the voice of God.  Back in the sixteenth century, a man named Blaise Pascal said about the same thing; “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”  It has always been a problem, way before radio, T.V., or any of our technology.  As I am reading the Gospel of Mark, I do not believe the noise is the biggest problem, it is unbelief, not of the unchurched, but of those who claim to be Christians.

Do you recall in Mark 5 where Jairus came to Jesus and ask that He come to his home and heal his little girl?  Do you recall the Lady with the issue of blood and how she just touched the garment of Jesus and was healed, and do you recall when Jesus got to Jairus home the people were weeping and Jesus told them, she is not dead but sleeping and they laughed at Him?  He put them all outside, why did Jesus do that?  It is impossible for faith to have power when there is unbelief.  After doing so, He talked to the little girl; “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

That brings us to Mark 6:1-13, and first, we have Jesus returning to His hometown, Nazareth, and going to the synagogue on the Sabbath and begin to teach.  You can read above how the people who had known him as the carpenter the son of Mary, were astonished but did not place faith in Him, and Scripture records that Jesus was not able to do any miracles there.  Do you recall Jesus was amazed at their unbelief; have you wondered if He also is amazed at yours and mine?

When Jesus sent out the twelve He gave them authority over sickness and demons, and a message of repentance.  If they were received then they stayed in one place but if not they were instructed by the LORD to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them.  I’m fearful we are better at shaking than obeying, and doing what God has commanded.  Do you recall this from John 14:12-14, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.   And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  

 

Both the pastor in College Station and Blaise understood something much deeper than just being quiet, it is a requirement to hearing from God, but then it requires us to believe and obey all that He is instructing us to do.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice