TAKING THE CHURCH TO THE STREETS
Mark 5:1-15
When you leave the Church, what does the world see? Do they see you
hurriedly on you way to get home or to some other destination or do they see
a church full of love and compassion?
V:1-3. \”They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.
When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him,
and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; \”
- Jesus took the Church to the streets.
2. We are not much of a church unless the world knows we have a relationship with Jesus.
When you get into the street, you will meet someone who needs your help.
v.4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
1. A Devilish person is powerful.
- You cannot keep the devil out of your community
- No amount od security systems or burgeler bars will keep the devil out.
V:5. Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.
- The cummunity had given up on the man.
2. He was just a trouble maker
3. He was an out cast to the community
V:6. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him;
- There is some good in the worst of Us.
- There is some bad in the beat of us.
- The world knows the church when it see it.
- Do people see you as cold and uncaring?
- Or do they see compassion and love.
- Notice that there was a community around the man.
- There was no prayer meeting going on.
- No one was trying to get the man off the street.
- The community was trying to bind the man to the street.
V.7 -8. \”and shouting with a loud voice, he said, \”What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!\” For He had been saying to him, \”Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!\”
- We don\’t have power over the Devil. but the Jesus we serve has power.
- The devil has to get permission from Jesus to enter into a person.
- The key is to have relationship with Jesus so Devil cant get close to you.
V:9-10. \” And He was asking him, \”What is your name?\” And he said to Him, \”My name is Legion; for we are many.\”
And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country.\”
- When you meet up with a devilish person you may be dealing with many devils.
- The person is messed up because he is hearing many evil voices.
- But can be controlled by the power of God.
V:11-13. \” Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain.
The demons implored Him, saying, \”Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.\”
Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. \”
Why do you think Jesus gave the devil permission to go into the pigs?
They were unclean animals. Jews were to have no dealing with pigs
While the Jews didn\’t eat pork, they took the liberty to buy and sale.
Sometime God has to remove from our lives what is not good for us.
V:14-15 \” Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the \”legion\”; and they became frightened. \”
Notice the attitude of the community. They were no concerned about the well
being of their neighbor. They were concerned about the lost of their pigs.
The key to the Lesson
Mark 5:18-20
18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him.
19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, \”Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.\”
Go tell someone about the good ness of the Lord.
Let summarize the text.
- When you come out of Church, you should come out with a mission.
- The great commission , take the Gospel to the end of the earth
- See your environment as the place where you can help.
- You will run across someone who will need a Word from the
Lord from You.
6. See the good in other people even if no good is oblivious.
Remember, there is some good in the worst of us and some bad in
the best of us.
7. See others as children of God.
Don\’t just see a criminal, a homeless person, a drug dealer.
See a person lost is a sea of sin who needs help
8. See yourself as the responsible party.
God has blessed us with a relationship with Jesus.
That relationship comes with responsibility.
YOUR TESTIMONY IS IMPORTANT
V:-18-19. \” As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, \”Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.\”
The reason for your troubles is so you can have a testimony.
The city was without an active church
The needed to see the power of Jesus over demons
They needed a constant reminder of what Jesus could do in their lives.
