Mark 3:9-12 KJV
And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
The crowd pressed upon Jesus to the point that He requested a boat for a little space and then charged that those pressing Him should not make Him known.
It seems contrary to everything else we know in the Bible that Christ would not want someone to make His name known. But the issue has to do with purpose. This was a crowd who only wanted from Christ.
• They had no discernment of the spiritual.
• All they cared for was the personal benefit of touching Christ.
The Lord has no interest in that sort of crowd and it is that sort that makes up the majority of the congregation in many if not most churches. It is the error of much of Christianity today that the goal is a large number of people. We promote men who have succeeded in it. We attend classes and read books on how to do it. It is the obsession of the average congregation to be bigger.
Jesus wanted the opposite. He was more interested in the faith of those following rather than the number. We should go make Jesus known; but we should not be telling the world all that Jesus will do for them.
• We should be telling them that God is holy and just
• We should be telling them that sin has offended God
• We should be telling them that despite all of that God loves them
• We should be telling them that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.
• We should be telling them that He suffered in the flesh for their sin
• We should be telling them that His promise is for forgiveness of sins and eternal life if they will trust Him
• It is not true that Jesus came to heal every disease; He removed Himself from them to prevent that from happening
• It is not true that He came to provide for them wealth and prosperity; many saints have lived meagerly
• It is not true that He came to make them completely happy n this planet. Countless believers have been captured and killed in the most horrible ways
But it is true that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
The crowd pressed upon Jesus to the point that He requested a boat for a little space and then charged that those pressing Him should not make Him known.
It seems contrary to everything else we know in the Bible that Christ would not want someone to make His name known. But the issue has to do with purpose. This was a crowd who only wanted from Christ.
• They had no discernment of the spiritual.
• All they cared for was the personal benefit of touching Christ.
The Lord has no interest in that sort of crowd and it is that sort that makes up the majority of the congregation in many if not most churches. It is the error of much of Christianity today that the goal is a large number of people. We promote men who have succeeded in it. We attend classes and read books on how to do it. It is the obsession of the average congregation to be bigger.
Jesus wanted the opposite. He was more interested in the faith of those following rather than the number. We should go make Jesus known; but we should not be telling the world all that Jesus will do for them.
• We should be telling them that God is holy and just
• We should be telling them that sin has offended God
• We should be telling them that despite all of that God loves them
• We should be telling them that Jesus Christ is God in flesh.
• We should be telling them that He suffered in the flesh for their sin
• We should be telling them that His promise is for forgiveness of sins and eternal life if they will trust Him
• It is not true that Jesus came to heal every disease; He removed Himself from them to prevent that from happening
• It is not true that He came to provide for them wealth and prosperity; many saints have lived meagerly
• It is not true that He came to make them completely happy n this planet. Countless believers have been captured and killed in the most horrible ways
But it is true that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
It seems that we as Christians are more inclined to want to be entertained than informed. Thanks for the post
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