FAITH VS. FAME (LUKE 8:40-56)

Chapter 22

FAITH VS. FAME

(Luke 8:40-56)

As a teenager growing up my dreams were shaped by the American culture with the desire to become famous and be in front of crowds. I first experienced this in sports being a standout football and basketball player. I also joined a lip-sync group where surprisingly I experienced a taste of being a teen heart-throb, signing autographs, even fans stalking me, all just because I got on stage and tried to mimic stars, weird. This life of stardom is what I longed for. My future was all about how I can become great in the eyes of others.

Just because I am a Christian does not mean these thoughts just leave me. The desire for fame is still there. Recently, I was more honored before others than what I ever imagined, it could easily go to my head. Yet I know that God has a way to keep me humble, He uses people like my wife and children who see all my faults, and different circumstances to do just that. I have learned that any honor given me is for the purpose of glorifying God.  So to Him be all the Glory and Praise!

We see in Luke 8:40-56 Jesus constantly being surrounded by crowds yet He didn't lose focus of ministering to individuals.  Crowds can be loud and demanding, making it hard to hear and therefore be sensitive to God's guidance.  

We all know people who are one way in person and another way around other people.  Jesus remained the same.  Many ministers today get more caught up on how to draw and maintain a crowd than truly touching the lives of individuals.  Many of them are untouchable, you can't get close to them unless you are part of their inner circle, there only connection with the majority of the people is when they are on the stage.  I have tried to interact with some so called great leaders out their and they don't even take me on, as if I hardly exist, if I haven't done some great accomplishment yet, they make me feel I am a waste of their time.

Jesus the son of God, the greatest of all human beings who ever lived, loves and cares about each individual in this world, and doesn't ignore any who seek Him for help. 

Here in the midst of the crowd Jesus responded to the needs of Jairus concerning his daughter, and the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.  Jairus was a ruler, the woman with the issue of blood was of no reputation yet Jesus healed for He has no reputation to keep and He seeks no glory of His own.  When it was told that the the daughter of Jairus was now dead, Jesus went to his house with the crowds laughing at Him as He took her by the hand and brought her back to life.

Walking by faith will eventually bring fame, because of the amazing miracles that God does through us.  We must remember that faith is trusting in God to do what only He can do, therefore we can never take any credit, or what fame we have taken from God will end in shame.

Delivered to Deliver

DELIVERED TO DELIVER

(Luke 8:26-39)

Why don't we see demonic manifestations here in America like in other regions of the world? 

Well as we see here in Luke 8:26-39, demons do not want to be recognized, they don't want to be without a home, they want a place to inhabit, they want to remain in the dark. In places where it is unchurched they can be in the out and open, for there is no power available to remove them, but in churched regions like in the US, they seem to be unrecognizable to most. This has caused many to even doubt their existence, but trust me go to places like Haiti and Africa, and they will be seen. These are places where people openly worship the Devil knowingly, so demonic activity is clearly seen. 

Since we don't believe much in the demonic world, we deal with people who need deliverance by natural means, medication, programs, which only keeps the true problem more and more hidden.

We must lose our fear of the demonic world, we see here in this passage that the "demon shrieked and fell down begging Jesus not to torture him." We have all power and authority in Christ Jesus over all darkness.  Christ has already established our victory, we are just called like the police department to enforce it.  

I am dealing with issues in people around me who don't understand why they do what they do, they want to change yet don't have the power to do so.  I seem to give them the right words or actions yet it is still not enough to see dramatic change.  What is needed I am discovering is deliverance.  So how does deliverance take place?

In this case we see Jesus spoke to the demon, how many of us are too scared to do that?  The demons must respond to an authority greater than their own.  So the demon said we are legion for we are many.  When a criminal is apprehended their identity must first be discovered before they can be found guilty, charged and imprisoned.  The same is true with demons, they must first be identified and then the authority is now available to evict them of their current dwelling and put them where they belong in the abyss.

Once this Gerasene was set free Jesus called him to reach his family and the entire region with the good news of what Jesus has done.  Once one is set free from something they gain a deep understanding and have the compassion needed now to help set others free with similar needs.  So many in this world are crying out for help in this hour, yet until we are delivered we cannot deliver and their cries will go unheard.

The Impossible, Possible!

The Impossible, Possible! (Psalms 18:29, Zechariah 8:6) Joshua & Loraine Kennedy How many times has God allowed a situation to get worse before allowing it to get better? So many times it seems to get to the point of impossibility, and yet God sees us through. Only God can get the glory when something impossible becomes possible. Our faith so easily wavers when we are tested with time. It may seem we have lost everything yet if we are still standing there is hope. God loves to be our way maker, who makes a way out of no way. Through this past seasons tests and trials God has proven to us how He alone is able. We have been made humble and broken and now God can entrust us with our greater call. Much of our battles has been hidden to the eyes of just a few, now God is calling us together to take on His battles, which our over the region, nation, and world. It is time to be joined together to deal with the huge impossible problems that the world has no answers for. Missions and the church need to converge together as one and no longer be separate. The great commission is to be followed by all and not just a chosen few. Church is to be no longer just about being a member of an organization and one's participation in it's services and events, but a daily walk with God, obeying His call to reach our neighbors with His love seen in our words and actions. As we begin united together with this passion, God will impart into us such strength and power, that we will be able to crush an army, and scale any wall we encounter (Psalms 18:29) The Lord of Heaven's Armies will work through this small remnant of God's people's to make the impossible, possible all around as the streets of the cities around us become filled with joy and laughter because of the goodness of God that is manifesting as Heaven converges with Earth.

True Strength

My favorite movies or documentaties are about people who are able to do amazing things at such great odds. Likewise, the people whom America votes for in tv reality shows like X-Factor, American Idol, America's got talent, So You Think You Can Dance, etc. are those who have an amazing story that goes along with their talent. Nearly everyone faces adversity in life at some point, it is these stories we relate with and are inspired by to continue on. Our history proves that humans are more capable than any other creation in handling pain. Those of us who have endured much and yet overcame on what seems our own, can have the hardest time relying on God. Our past successes cause us our current failures. We are so use to making things work on our own. Yet, it probably never seems like enough. We seem to always fall just short. Things just never seem to work out as planned. Many of us have come to the place recently where we have reached our boiling point, the place where we finally give up, where we realize we can not handle what we are facing on our own. God is teaching us how to lean on Him for strength for there is so much more than can be accomplished through Him, than separately. He doesn't just want us to turn to Him when we have no place else to turn, but every moment of every day in everything, He wants to be Lord. The forces behind the circumstances that have brought us to this place of humility cannot be dealt with in our own power. These forces are greater than any natural human power can give. It is like the servant Gehazi when he saw the massive army surrounding him, then his spiritual eyes were opened, and he saw the Angelic host that was so much greater surrounding His enemy. God is opening our spiritual eyes to see true reality the spiritual battle that each of us face, and that we have much more for us than against us. We must now submit our circumstances into His hands so that true strength from above can come. We are truly strong in the Lord when we are no longer moved by man or our situations, but by the hand of God. Then God can in all His mighty power can move through us and His great exploits can be seen throughout the earth.

TAKE THE LEAD! (Luke 8:22-25)

It is one thing to have Jesus with us it is another to have Jesus lead us. We all like help when we need it, but we don't like feeling helpless, where we give control to another. It is so much easier to be a Sunday morning Christian, than a moment by moment, day by day, follower of Christ. Many storms in life could be avoided if Jesus was steering the ship rather than sleeping. Jesus is a gentlemen and He will only lead us to the degree we allow Him. If we just want Him around to help us get out of jams, He will be just that. If we want Jesus to have complete control and He lead us and we follow, He will be that. So our daily experience of God will be determined by who is in control of each situation. Most of us only cry out to Him when our situation brings us to dire need. We need to get free from self-dependence and become God-reliant. Walking in brokeness and humility, acknowledging God in all of our ways, so He directs our path, and therefore though we walk through the valley of death, He keeps us from evil. The show Dancing with the Stars merges Star's with dance experts. If the star is smart and not full of pride they will allow the expert to take lead and make them look good, rather than them making a fool of themselves. What humiliation must we experience before we allow God to take the lead? When God is in command of our lives are words have power and authority and storms can instantly be calmed. We must allow Jesus to be Master and not just our servant if we are going to see the works that He did and even greater works through our lives. Our call is for Jesus to lead us in serving others, not in Him serving us to lead others. "So Jesus take the Wheel."