Go Home

“GO HOME” Mark 7: 4

When we see disasters, on the news, we most often remember the masses of people running FROM the disaster. But we also notice those who are running toward the trouble. We see the first res-ponders who rush in or people rushing home to do what they can to save their loved ones from some terrible disaster?

Today, our world is facing a terrible disaster and too many Christians are running in the wrong direction.

I believe that it is time to get out of our comfort zone and start running toward the disaster.

EBC, we need to be about the business of sharing the message of grace, the good news of Jesus Christ, with people, whose world may be crumbling around them; no matter who they are, what they look like or even how they act towards us.

I want ask you something.

Have you experienced the joy of sharing Jesus with someone and seeing them change?

It is an amazing experience that God wants you and me to know that joy as we share saving grace with everyone we can.

That’s why we gave away close to 80 tickets for our April movie. That’s why many of you were on social media inviting your friends and family. We don’t do it so we can give away free hot dogs and chips. It’s a way for you to say, “Hey, would you come to church with me and meet Jesus?” And when they ask you why you’re doing this, you can say “Because Jesus loves you and wants to get to know you in a real and personal way.”

I simply don’t know how someone who has been forgiven can sit back and refuse to share the good news of God’s saving grace.

Are you allowing the enemy convince you it is just too hard so don’t even try?

You and I DO NOT have the authority to write people off, just because we may think their hearts are too cold or they’re too lost.

Never underestimate the power of God’s saving grace.

I want to split the stage in half and if you can imagine this rail is the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This area over here is called Israel, which was founded by the twelve tribes of Israel. This side is the religious side, where the disciples grew up and, up to this point, the disciples had only operated in this region. They shared, they taught, they preached right here.

This was their comfort zone…

Then Jesus does the unheard of and says, “We’re going to go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.”

NOW this side over here, known as “the other side.” In order to get there they had to cross the Sea of Galilee. The other side is called the “Decapolis.” Deca means “ten”; polis is the Greek word for “city.” It was referred to as the place of ten cities.

The Jewish people did not talk to people over there. Over here, on the Israel side, the people thought EVERYBODY was religious because their nation was founded by the twelve tribes of Israel. They thought they were the only people worthy of God’s grace.

But over there on the other side, this was a place of pagans, a very dark place.

The disciples thought this side was an unclean and a spiritually dirty place.

Jesus, You can’t be serious! Those people are unclean. They kill their children. They sacrifice to Baal. They do some crazy stuff…over there.”

They think pigs are cool and give their swine value. Now Lord we know that’s unclean.

We just don’t go there Lord. Why we’ve never gone there!”

These people, in the minds of these people, were too lost and too hopeless.

Why their prized animal was a pig and to the religious Jew, that’s not only unclean, that’s downright nasty!

We need to understand the same lesson the disciples had to learn and that is;

The VERY SAME power that brought Jesus from the grave lives within each of us!

That power is the SAME power that can provide you with the courage and boldness you need to share with those who may be different from you.

Can I tell you something? The disciples had the same fears we do, but Jesus didn’t say we might go to the other side. He said we ARE going…Because we’ve got people to reach.

Look at Mark 7:31- 37 where Jesus is met by a multitude:

People were flocking to Jesus, wanting to hear about this grace, and the disciples are just amazed as they witness the transforming power of God.

I wonder if the disciples were thinking; “WOW we’ve come to a place I would not have gone if Jesus hadn’t made me get out of my comfort zone and look what’s happening.”