Go Home & Act

Mark 5:18-19 And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. But he refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 


I remember my decisive encounter with Jesus. It was the moment when I came to really accept the love of Christ and my own worth in His eyes. I went home from that retreat a changed man. I wouldn't say I was a demoniac like the man in the gospel account, but I was bound and not free. I was bound with pain at my own wrong doing, and my own feelings of inadequacy. I went home free of many of my burdens and with a peace and joy I had never known before. I went home to the same wife and family, the same friends and neighbors, and the same job, but I was definitely different. God was not finished with me and is still not finished with me, but I was definitely different and better.

I'll admit I couldn't have gotten in the boat if I wanted to, but I did want to stay in that environment and avoid the world that had been so hard. I did go home, and back to my work, and all the other normal parts of my life. I too was to tell others about God's mercy on me. Part of the sermon this morning was about silent believers who kind of hide in the world without sharing their life in Christ.

I think that is the Christian story. When we meet Jesus in that personal encounter we are sent to return to our natural environment and share what God has done. We are not meant to be part of the disappearing act. The early church stood out in the midst of their world. It was not easy, in fact it meant persecution. They kept showing the world what Jesus had done for them and it changed the whole world. Did you go home and tell people about God's mercy, or are you part of the disappearing act?