Jesus said,
"The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God is at hand!
Repent, and
believe in the Good News."
Mark 1:15 HNV
For the third day in row, we're focusing on Mark 1:15.
Notice who acts to accomplish phrases one and two: God!
- All time belongs to God. Therefore, when God's prophecy is fulfilled, it is God who is bringing his owns plan to completion.
- Secondly, when Jesus says, "the kingdom of God is at hand," he's saying that God is making himself available to us.
Now look at phrases three and four. Who is called upon to act now? Us
- Jesus calls us to repent.
- He invites us to believe.
Today we're going to focus on the fourth phrase -- "believe." Jesus is inviting us to believe that 1) the time is indeed fulfilled, and that 2) God presence and power really are at hand.
But it's more than that. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is inviting the world to believe everything that will be revealed through his ministry ...
- He wants us to believe in his power -- he healed the sick and raised the dead.
- He wants us to follow his wisdom, taking all of his teachings to heart.
- He wants us quit being legalistic like the Pharisees and show compassion to the poor and outcast and sinners.
- The King who knelt down to wash dirty human feet, wants us to serve rather than be served.
- He wants us to confess our sins, as we contemplate sin's real horror as it led to the blood-stained cross.
- He wants us to believe in the freedom that comes from his resurrection.
God's action is love. In mercy and grace, our Lord stepped off the throne, came humbly to earth, died for your sins, and rises in victory. Our action is simply to accept his love, grace, and sacrifice.
That's what belief is. It's more than believing that he did certain wonderful things; it's forging a relationship and trusting that he still acts in power and grace.
In Christ's Love,
a guy who sings old Monkees songs
(get it? I'm not singing "Last Train to Clarksville,
but "I'm a Believer.")
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