Pardon my Southerness (is that really a word?) but I want to share a scripture that should make you more excited and happier than a tick on an old hound dog. Ready? Here it is.
“And they went forth, and preached every where,
the Lord working with them, and confirming
the word with signs following. Amen.”
Mark 16:20
Take an additional 60 seconds and read the same verse from these two translations.
“They went out preaching in all directions.
The Lord worked with them. He gave proof to the word
by the signs that went with them.”
Mark 16:20 (The New Testament in Everyday English)
“And the apostles went out announcing the
good news everywhere, as the Lord himself
consistently worked with them, validating the
message they preached with miracle-signs
that accompanied them!”
Mark 16:20 (The Passion Translation)
Here is where the “more excited and happier than a tick on an old hound dog” kicks in. It’s found in the “They did – He did” portion in the scripture. As they preached the Word, the Lord put His “uh-huh, this is for real” on the preaching by moving powerfully with signs, wonders, and miracles amongst the people. And wait, there’s more. Be sure to know that this wasn’t a one-time, one-place occurrence for they saw the same results “in all directions”.
The Jesus who did this in the days of the Early Church is the very same Jesus who wants to do the very same thing in and through today’s Church. Listen, if Jesus has changed since those days, we need to purge the Bible of the Hebrews 13:8 scripture that tells us “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever”. (To add special emphasis, I will type with all capital letters) HE IS STILL THE SAME JESUS! So, to my “They Did – He Did” I must add these four words “We Do – He Does”. If WE will boldly preach the good news, we can expect the same results from HIM today. Nothing more needs to be added.
