How Much the Lord Has Done for Us

Mark tells the story of a man whose life is under destruction—a poor soul, out of his mind, frantic, hopeless.  But Jesus intervenes and sets him free from demonic oppression.  The newly liberated man then begs Jesus to let him join the band of disciples, but he’s denied:  “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (5:19).

There’s a time to get face to face with Jesus—whether back in the day when he walked the hills of Galilee, or even now through daily prayer and Bible reading, and by gathering as the body of Christ for worship.  Absolutely!  We need to spend time in Jesus’ company.

But we also need to go away—go out into his world, and also back to all those familiar faces at work and school and even at home.  Jesus’ mission involves making disciples among all people groups every­where (Matthew 28:18-20), but the disciple-making we do abroad is the same disciple-making we practice at home.  And Jesus doesn’t send us out to do far away what we’re not doing at home.

If Jesus commanded you to go home and tell your friends and family what the Lord has done for you, what would you say?  Are you ready to give an account for the hope you have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15)?

Transformation texts come to mind:  I was blind but now I see (John 9:25)—the Lord opened the eyes of my heart (Ephesians 1:18).  We were “dead,” yet through the Father’s love we’re now alive; we were lost, but now we’ve been found (Luke 15:24).  I was separated from Christ and cut off from his people, but now I’ve been reconciled to God and to his family (Ephesians 2:12, 16).  Although we’ve all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we’ve been justified by God’s grace as a gift that’s received by faith (Romans 3:23-24).  Even though I was God’s enemy, in the substitutionary death of his Son his love embraced me—and all sinners who trust in Jesus (Romans 5:8).  Although we were spiritual orphans, by his grace through faith he enables us to become his children (John 1:12):  adoption!

Just think of ALL that the Lord has done for you!  This is good news that needs to be shared—at home and everywhere else!