Author: Rick Henderson

Re:Verse passage – Mark 6:1-6 (day seven)

And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. vs 5

Mark wanted to make it plainly clear that the unbelief of the Nazarenes was directly correlated to the lack of miracles being performed. When doubt and skepticism are present, then the full potential of the Holy Spirit will not be manifested. Many today feel that many of the gifts of the Spirit have ceased to exist in modern context. Why don’t we see miracles or mighty works of the Spirit like we do in the New Testament church? Is it possible, that it is because of the doubt and skepticism of the Church? It wasn’t the doubt of Jesus that was causing Him to not be able to perform miracles, but it was the skepticism of the people around Him that stifled the Spirit in the moment.

If we want to see the Spirit at work amongst us today, we must first cure our unbelief. Not just your own, but corporately and universally. How can you help those around you today believe in the Power of Jesus? It starts with the people in your classes and pews!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-34 (day seven)

I am reading through the Bible in one year. As I trudge through this season (currently in Numbers) reading laws upon laws, what stands out to me is that God is taking care of His people. Many of the laws that God inspired in ancient Israel, especially concerning medical practices, were to protect the people from spreading sickness and disease amongst the camp. God was teaching Israel how to take care of themselves with a knowledge far beyond scientific understanding of its time!

However, an unfortunate outcome of these laws came to light in the passage this week. By these laws, this woman was outcast from society. By law, she had lost her home, her family, her finances, and even her community. By law, whoever she touched would be unclean… including Jesus…

“But God, being rich in mercy” continues to protect His people using power that supersedes medical practices.The touch that was supposed to make Him unclean is the very touch that Jesus used to restore this woman. Same God and same power, but instead of the power being instituted by law, it is brought into action by grace through faith. By grace this woman was saved through her faith. By grace Jesus can make you clean too. Will you bring His power to action through your faith?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:21-23, 35-43 (day seven)

145- Did you know that we had 145 students in grades 6-12 attend Freedom Weekend?

16- We had 16 families open their homes to host these students. We also had 16 young adults volunteer their weekend to lead these students in Bible Study.

15- We had 15 different service projects completed in the FBCSA Community.

3- We had three worship sets at FBCSA that included congregational singing, scriptural teaching, and personal reflection.

1- One God made it all possible!

This is the same God who tells us all to “Get Up” and walk! Multiple students responded to that call Saturday night! They were once dead in their trespasses, but they have been raised to walk in the newness of life! Thanks be to God!

Would you pray for them now? Pray that they have the boldness to step out and make that decision public to their friends. Pray that they will be bold enough to tell their families, especially those who are from homes where that is not the norm. Would you pray for all our students as they process this weekend and what the Lord is calling each of them to do with the information they have been given? Would you pray that the fire of these teenagers will continue to burn beyond this weekend and begin to catch all over this city?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 5:1-20 (day seven)

And they began to implore Him to leave their region. vs 17

They were fine with a crazy demon possessed man living in their midst. They were okay that he had become something other than a human and could overpower anyone or anything that tried to restrain him, but they were not okay with him being free. They were not okay that there was someone who had the power to control demons beyond their superstitions and beliefs, so they sent Jesus away!

We are so afraid of letting Jesus actually work in our lives that we would rather keep the devil we know around us than take the leap of faith to see what God can do if we would only trust Him. We hold on to our sin. We hold on to our crutches. There are places we do not let Jesus in. Instead, we send Jesus away.

What if we let Jesus in? What if we let Him have ALL of us? The One who can control demons will drive evil away. The One who truly cannot be restrained, not even by death, will give His power to us. We will have power over our enemies. We will overcome our sins. We will find revival!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:35-41 (day seven)

He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you.” Jonah 1:14

Jesus and Jonah both found themselves in a storm. Both of them slept through it. Both were awakened by distraught sailors chastising their sleep and asking for help. Both were able to calm the storm with divine intervention. So is the Mark passage comparing Jesus and Jonah? Yes, but I think the better answer is that Mark was showing us that Jesus is the true Jonah as Jesus foretold about himself in Matthew 12:38-45.

Jonah got in the boat to escape his calling. Jesus got in the boat to fulfill His calling.

Jonah slept to avoid the voice of the Lord. Jesus slept so He could be the voice of the Lord.

Jonah causes the storm. Jesus calms the storm.

Should we keep going?

Jonah was sacrificed because of his disobedience. Jesus was sacrificed because of our disobedience.

Jonah spent three days in a fish. Jesus spent three days in the tomb.

Jonah’s actions redeemed Nineveh. Jesus’ actions redeemed humanity!

Thanks be to God!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:26-32 (day seven)

he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. vs 27

We often try to do too much, take too much credit, and take on way too much work. We think that we have to do big things for God to get His purpose accomplished. Yet, scripture is very clear, if we plant the seed, God will take care of the growth. That is not an excuse for us to be lazy, “Well God’s purpose will be accomplished anyway.” Rather, it is a calling for us to take our job seriously: Plant the seed!

I tell our youth workers that you might not get to see the growth in our students or reap the harvest, but it is your job to plant the seed now. Sometimes the growth will come in a few months, often its a few years, but God will take care of the growth. Whether it is planting a seed in someone else or taking a step in obedience, the Lord is calling us all to be planters today. Be faithful to plant the seed and trust God to take care of the growth.

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:21-25, 33-34 (day seven)

Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. vs 24

You have probably used the phrase “Garbage in. Garbage out.” What you put in is what will come out. You may not even realize it, but the true self is revealed when it is under pressure. A west Texas evangelist named John Randles used to say, “When you get squeezed, what’s really inside of you will come out. Who are you when you get squeezed?”

We will all be squeezed. How you prepare now will determine what is going to come out. It’s not just with the type of media or music we consume, it includes the depth of the doctrine we take in as well as the intention of the listener. Charles Spurgeon said, “The hearer of the gospel will get measure for measure, and the measure shall be his own measure.” If you put in the attention and intention to grow in your walk, what you get in return will be the gift of the Spirit, and He will be what comes out whenever you are squeezed.

Re:Verse passage – Mark 4:1-20 (day seven)

and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary. v 17

This week we had our first freeze in San Antonio. Did you do anything to your plants? I pulled in our potted plants and covered some of my small tropical plants outside. It reminded me of the Snowmageddon of 2021. Can you remember all the plants that were destroyed by that freeze? The most fascinating to me were the palms. These trees can withstand hurricanes, but they were not made to endure a week of sub freezing temperatures. They all began to lose their palms. Every palm tree in the region was bare, but what happened? Some started to grow back. Within a few months on top of these 20 ft trees were some itty bitty palm leaves. Now, they are full again and you would never know they had endured trauma!

How do you respond to spiritual trauma? We all have it. Some show it differently than others, but it is still there. The answer to this question is found in the result. Are you able to continue to produce fruit when the world has taken everything from you? It may look like you have been defeated, but if the roots are deep, the fruit will still come!