Go home!

Mark 5:18-20
For some, church is nothing more than an event that takes place once a week. For others, Sunday never seems to end; it's a part of their life. It's not an event, nor a lifestyle; it's something that lives inside of them. Church is everywhere they go, and everyone they have fellowship with. For them, getting together on Sunday morning is more like a family reunion than anything else. And what's wrong with that? Many people feel at home when they are with those they have things in common with. How many times have you said, "He's just like a brother to me," or, "I love her like a sister"? These people can be co-workers, teammates, school buddies, fellow soldiers, and even other believers. They impact our life, we love them, and we want to be with them. When someone touches us in this way, they become like family, and we look forward to having their fellowship every chance we get. Now that’s the church that Christ built, it was a family; not a business, or a community center, but a gathering of individuals that would strengthen each other, in love, for the glory of God. Even Jesus referred to all those who do the will of the father as His "brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:49)," and Paul referred to Titus as his "true son in our common faith (Titus 1:4)." Though, occasionally, these people impact us so strongly we forget about the ones a little closer to home. This is exactly what happened to the demon-possessed man in the gospel of Mark. Jesus came into his life and impacted him so strongly that all he wanted to do was be with Him. Who could blame him, for the first time in years the man was freed from his oppressions, and in his right mind. Then, when Jesus was leaving the region, Mark records, "Jesus was getting into the boat, and the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, 'Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you (Mark 5:18-20).'" The man was so impacted by Christ that all he wanted to do was be with Him. He was ready to climb into that boat and travel with the Lord where ever He might go; and while some would say that following after the Lord with that much passion is never wrong, God had other plans. He said, go home. "Go home and tell them how much the Lord has done for you." Tell them of the Lord's mercy, tell them of the Lord's love, go. It wasn't wrong to want to be with Christ and to desire His fellowship, Christ just wanted him to first take care of those at home. Now, God has impacted our lives in ways we have yet to fathom. He has called us to Himself and built us into a powerful body, a family of believers. We strengthen one another, and look forward to every chance we have to fellowship. However, we are not a real family, and church was never meant to be an excuse to neglect those under our own roof. God has touched our life, and no matter how much we enjoy each other's fellowship, God is telling us to "Go home." Go home and let your brothers and sisters know what the Lord has done, let them know of His great mercy. God is always near and always ready for us to follow Him; He is always ready for us to tell the world what He has done, but first, we need to go home.  [mp]

Copyright © 2004
Michael D'Urbano
All rights reserved
www.modernpapyrus.org