 |
|
| Volume 24 Number 11 November 2022 |
Page 8 |
|
|
| Volume 24 Number 11 November 2022 |
Page 8 |
Mark McWhorter
We are told in Mark 1:40-45 about a man with leprosy who came to Jesus, desiring to be healed. The man kneeled before Jesus and said he knew Jesus could heal him if He desired to do so. Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the man. Then, Jesus told the man not to tell anyone Jesus had healed him. He was only to go to the priest, demonstrate his cleansing and give the appropriate sacrifice. However, the man went and told everyone he could what Jesus had done.
We read the account and wonder why if the man had faith in Jesus that he did not obey Him. Jesus told him not to tell, and yet, the leper told everyone as he went. We can understand his excitement about being healed, but he should have obeyed Jesus. There are many who read the account and say they would have obeyed Jesus. They say they would have kept the secret, just as Jesus desired.
Yet, there are many who are just as guilty as the leper. Many have been told to teach and to tell people about Jesus. Our Lord wants us to go into all the world and convert as many as we can (Mark 16:15-16). We have been told to tell, and yet, very few do tell. Many claim they have faith in Jesus, but few demonstrate it by obeying Him. They are just as guilty as the leper who was told not to tell.
Read your Bible. Study it. Learn what God wants you to do, and then, do it. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
Why World Evangelism Matters
Chad Ezelle
We live in America, and so, naturally, that’s where most of our focus lies. We read news about our country, know about the leaders of our country and are concerned about the issues of it. Yet, if we’re serious about the Gospel – Jesus’ call to go into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20) – shouldn’t we be concerned about the morality of other places on the globe as well as morality in our own country?
Specifically, shouldn’t we be concerned about the fact that 336,000,000 babies have been aborted over the last 42 years (as of 2013)? That’s 336 million. The 50 million or so babies aborted in the US during the same time frame disgusts us, and so, what should our reaction be to the multiplied problem in other countries?
To put that huge 336 million figure in perspective, the number of abortions in China over the last 42 years is more than:
Pretty scary, isn’t it? Now, no one is counting on government to overcome the great evil happening in that country (and the same is true for ours). The only thing that will halt the murder of innocent babies is the Gospel, and the responsibility for getting the Gospel to people who don’t have it lies heavily on the shoulders of the ones who do have the Gospel. That’s us! It’s our job to reach people around the world with God’s message of hope and truth. Only then might we see the staggering numbers from China decrease. They need the Gospel. Today, I hope you’ll take a moment to thank God for missionaries who give their lives to take the Gospel to distant places.