As my church goes through the gospel of Mark I'm constantly reminded how inexhaustible the Word of God truly is. The stories that are often "familiar" to me have been met with new insight, deeper conviction, and greater appreciation for men who rightly divide the Word. Here are a couple of quotes I found encouraging:
Regarding Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the gospel:
The sending of reluctant and timorous disciples into mission is, on the face of it, completely mistaken. Uncomprehending and ill-prepared disciples nevertheless typify believers in every age and place who are sent out by the Lord of the harvest. No matter how much exegesis, theology, and counseling one has studied, one is never "prepared for ministry." A genuine call to ministry always calls us to that for which we are not adequately prepared. It is only in awareness of such that the Christian experiences the presence and promise of Jesus Christ, and learns to depend not on human capabilities but on the one who calls and in the power of the proclamation to authenticate itself. - James Edwards
"This brief description," writes Eduard Schweizer, "shows how important the genuineness of the proclamation is. Everything, even the poverty and simplicity of the messenger, indeed even the courage to be rejected, must conform to the Word that affirms that God is infinitely more important than all else."
As a Christian, I find this encouraging. I mean, how could I not? Throughout the gospel of Mark the disciples struggled with trust and disbelief in Christ. I know I do in certain areas of my life. But I'm grateful for the grace that God gives us in that we don't have to have all together in order for Him to bless us or use us for His kingdom work. The proper response to that grace, however, is not acceptance of our short-comings and flaws but a desire to reflect God's character all the more. It should drive us to faithfulness for it's "His kindness that leads us to repentance."
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