The Belief Business

11.4.2010

Mark 16:20 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. ESV

This is a fitting summary to Mark’s gospel – while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. It is no different today; the Lord works with us and the accompanying sign is that people believe the message that He lives.

The New Testament is full of accounts of miraculous events; one after another. Sometimes it seems that we don’t see many events like that in our day and we’re left to wonder if God has gotten out of the miracle business. Personally, I don’t think He ever was in the miracle business – I think He’s always been in the Belief Business. The fact that the disciples became preachers and went out and preached everywhere is a sign in and of itself that something dramatic had changed in their lives – their belief was living proof of God’s presence in them and with them.

The religious rulers demanded that Jesus take Himself down from the cross (Mark 15.31,32). Their demand was, perform Jesus and we will believe! I think there are a lot of people with the same mentality: Do something special for me God and I will believe! I’m not sure God kowtows to demands.

On the other hand, what would our neighbors, family, friends and co-workers (or fellow students) think if we went out and preached [the Kingdom of God] everywhere? Would they think we’d lost our minds or that the Lord was working with us?

Today my sole focus must be upon Jesus as His disciple and I must work with Him as He works with me that the message may be proclaimed and somehow some will come to faith as a result – that’s a miracle!

Lord Jesus,
My day is Your day; my time is Your time. Use me today, Lord and work with me to proclaim the greatest miracle of all – that You love sinners and desire to save them from the destruction of their sins and befriend them for all eternity – amen.