Don’t Tell

Mark 5-8

 

There are many little things I noted as I went through these chapters. But the primary thing that has caught my attention is that there is a theme. Jesus, quite often, at least once per chapter has told people that just received a miracle NOT to say anything. Yet their first inclination is to disobey Him and do it anyway.

One time he finds someone who actually wants to follow Jesus and serve his ministry and THAT man gets told to GO AND TELL…

A few interesting things have come to my attention.

• Jesus NEVER LIED! If he said "DON'T TELL" and the bible actually says "Strictly warned them not to tell!" He MEANT IT!
  
  • It's not like Jesus is saying… don't tell anyone… then winks his eye knowing He really wants them to so that He will get good publicity. Jesus Meant what He said.
    
• Jesus said DO NOT TELL more often than he ever said TO TELL.
  
• Jesus found it impossible to enter a city after someone disobeyed this order and ended up having to preach out of the wilderness, but not by choice.
  
• Jesus was not received in the Gaderenes but once the Man he told TO TELL got through with the people Jesus was able to start a revival on his second trip there.
  

 

Why? Why this over arching theme of DON'T TELL?

Matthew 6:5-7, and 6:16

⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

So there is a principle of not flaunting even the most amazing powers of Healing and Demonstration of God just to get attention.

Yet it is obvious that God has used miracles to gather people attention and to validate his Word.

 

There is also this reference I cannot seem to find, but vaguely remember where Jesus tells the multitude that they are coming to him because he fed them physically but he really wanted them to be seeking the Kingdom of God not just it's provisions.

 

Mark 4

²¹He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? ²²For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

 ²⁴"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

Mark 5

¹⁹Jesus 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." ²⁰So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[d]how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

⁴²Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. ⁴³He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 

Mark 7

 ³⁶Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. ³⁷People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

 

MarK 8

²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"

 ²⁸They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

 ²⁹"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
      Peter answered, "You are the Christ.^[t]"

 ³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

 

 

These are just the main examples I am pondering… it's almost a contradiction… but if I've learned anything about Jesus it is that He NEVER contradicts himself. Only the confused and confused. In time I'll get the answer I'm looking for…

 

I haven't satisfied the question in my heart…

WHY NOT TELL?

There are lot of good answers… but nothing that satisfies my curiosity yet. That's my predominant thought during these chapters so far…

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2011 is coming…

2010 is nearly 2/12^th's over. Are you getting closer and closer to the plans God has placed in your heart this year? Or are you finding that you are already distracted or discouraged. This is a reminder… Man of God… Get on Track!

 

 

 

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Mark 4

2.20.10

02.15-2.19 2010

Mark 4-8

 

Mark 4:

The Word is Planted by others…

The Soil is OUR heart… the soil is OUR responsibility. If we will manage and take charge of our heart soil, the Word will do what it does best… PRODUCE the LIFE of the Kingdom of God in us!

 

Soil Issues:

A Note: Jesus is Addressing Covenant Israel here. Not heathens and people of the World. Spiritually and Prophetically He is addressing the Church. Of course this could apply to the Base Entry Level Message of the Kingdom which is being Born Again. But it also applies at every stage and level of the Life of God. You can rise to any level in God's Word in this Life and become halted by something God is trying to convey to you through his Word for the following reasons. You are never free of the need to maintain you Soil!

• Path Soil
  
  • Hard, compact, only good for walking on.
    
  • Birds come to steal the seed. Why? Because it's hard and cannot be rooted.
    
  • Hardness of the heart is a common theme from day 2 after creation.
    
  • Hardness is sighted throughout the word as being caused by bitterness, unforgiveness, and a lack of reverence to God or his Word.
    
  • It's also been caused by a lack of obedience. One starts soft to the things of God, but after turning aside from something He commands of you several times it doesn't bother you as much. Certain scriptures call it a seared conscience.
    
  • Solutions:
    
    • Turn on Praise Music that stirs you or used to. Music has a way of penetrating the heart, which is why you will never see a movie without it. Don't JUST listen to it. Participate in it. The more you don't feel like it… the more you need to.
      
    • Meditate on the Love of God! How much does He Love you? How much does He Love them? How much should you Love Him and them? Are you bitter, or living in unforgiveness? Remember this litmus test: Forgiveness IS forgetting! You cannot "Forgive but not forget" as people say. It's impossible. You forgive and as an act of choice you forget! That means you don't bring it up anymore EVER! You don't remind them of what they did five minutes ago or five years ago! You choose to wipe it out, as a judge wipes it from the record! If the thought it comes you say: I choose to NOT remember that… I call them Lovely and Loved of God!
      
• Stony Soil
  
  • Soil with stones and rocks throughout blocking any real fertilization or rooting.
    
  • This is more common among believers. Most aren't ENTIRELY hard to the things God is wanting to do in them. They don't harden themselves so far that the seed doesn't even get received. Many are soft in part to God but there are areas of their life and circumstances have caused hard spots in them. Rocks of unforgiveness and bitterness. Areas of Hurt that they defend. Instead of seeking healing for them, however, they protect them saying: "Yeah… BUT… You don't understand what happened. To me…" They don't realize they could be free of it.
    
  • Since no deep root is established here, the seed takes a little root and rises up, but it lasts on for a little while. When persecution or trouble comes for the Words sake the seed dies. This doesn't just mean that people give you a hassle for being a Christian.
    
    • If God calls you to live a life of Love, Satan sends people to give you a hard time.
      
    • If God calls you to believe for debt free living bills, collectors, or other pressures try to come.
      
    • Since there is no root inside of you for that calling the seed dies.
      
  • The solution is the same as above:
    
    • Meditate on the Love of God and Praise your way to healing.
      
• Thorny Soil
  
  • Deep and nutrient rich, but filled with other plants that drain nutrient from the plant and cause it to look alive, but produce no fruit.
    
  • There are no hard places in this soil. But there are weeds with thorns.
    
  • Thorny Weeds can be things like:
    
    • Cares-of life (Bills, Gas in the Car, Getting to work, day to dayness… etc)
      
    • Lies of Wealth- Money is to be your servant but never your God. Wealth is by no means evil, but believing that any amount of money will "Solve your problems" is a lie and it will choke the Word. It will cause you take action contrary to the ones God is asking of you.
      
    • Desires- For other things, maybe good things, may try to take your time and energy and attention. Maybe you have a new business idea, maybe a good one. But if God hasn't called you to it than it has become a distraction from what He HAS called you to. It is stealing your time, talent, and energy from the God ordained things and it is making HIS seed unfruitful/unproductive in your life.
      
• GOOD Soil!
  
  • Produces 30,60, and 100 fold return.
    
    • Let me here explain "FOLD" it is confusing to many. I got an understanding of it playing "Farmville" on face book, which eventually became a distraction on my time and I had to stop playing.
      
      • Plant an acre of Flowers and you pay $75 in seed and time.
        
      • Wait…and wait… and wait…
        
      • Wait a little more…
        
      • Harvest that crop and sell it for $275. Take that and buy more seed and replant.
        
      • That is how you start with what your given and build up your crops and farm.
        
      • Let's say for example:
        
        • One kernel of Corn produces a stock with five heads and 150 kernels per head, thus 750 Kernels.
          
        • Replanting those seeds to create a new larger harvest would be the FIRST FOLD…
          
      • You become productive in the Word of God and Kingdom of God by taking what He's put in you and producing more and more with it.
        

I choose to take charge of my soil… it is up to ME what kind of Soil I will have at any point in life, and therefore what kind of productivity I will have in Him!

Darrell G. Wolfe

 

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Under Development

02.20.10

 

Some of noticed that I haven't written much the last two weeks. So I will admit that I have been lazy. I've read my bible most of the days, but haven't gotten on the web. I also allowed myself to get distracted with games that I have since erased from my computer, not because they were "bad" but because they were causing a distraction from more important and lasting matters. One of those matters is this blog, which was a commitment I made to myself more than to any reader. So I will still be working on the blog, but I haven't decided if I am able to commit to doing it daily. I may be changing to a weekly review. We'll see. If any reader finds that the postings ebb and flow to more and less frequent, you'll know why.

 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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02.12.10

Mark 2 & 3

Mark 2

 ¹ And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. ² Immediately^[a] many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. ³ Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

 

    Jesus went back to Capernaum, which we read earlier in Matthew was HIS HOME… We're not just talking about A house, or SOME GUYS house… This was Jesus' House… could you imagine being a preacher and using your own house to hold ministry services, which people do all around this country, and it gets SO crowded that the people can't get in, so people start tearing up your roof so that they can get a sick guy in??

 

    Today, the preacher would probably sue for damages! Jesus didn't see reckless people with no respect for private property, Jesus saw FAITH… What are you seeing on a daily basis that may not be what YOU think you see??

 

 

Mark 3

 

²⁰ Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. ²¹ But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."
²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."
²³ So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. ²⁷ No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin

   
²⁸ "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; ²⁹ but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"— ³⁰ because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Jesus' Mother and Brothers Send for Him

   
³¹ Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. ³² And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers^[e] are outside seeking You."
³³ But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?" ³⁴ And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

Jesus says later that anyone who doesn't hate his family, meaning love HIM more then them, isn't fit for the Kingdom… But Jesus actually demonstrates that FIRST before he says it. Here He is… turning from his biological family, to say that anyone that does the will of God is His family… which means you and I are also his family!! GLORY!! We're His family, You have a big brother, His name is Jesus… He's got your back!!

 

 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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SHHH… No Talking

Mark 1

²³ Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ²⁴ saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"

²⁵ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"
²⁶ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

²⁸ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

³⁴ Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

 

⁴⁰ Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."
⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. ⁴³ And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
⁴⁵
However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

    Many times it's better that your business is not published everywhere, especially at the onset. If you are doing something and too many find out about they may abort what you were trying to do. This actually happened to Jesus in VS 40-45. Why did Jesus STRICTLY WARN the man not to say anything?! Because of what happened next when the man didn't obey… Jesus couldn't enter the town and things he wanted to do there were delayed or canceled. Maybe someone in that town needed him and wouldn't be meeting him out in the deserted places!

 

    Maybe you are thinking about a move, a new car, a promotion, a business plan, a spouse… Whatever project the Holy Spirit has you work on, you may be best to gather what information you need from those who know something about your subject… but not tell even them what you are thinking or the depth of what you are planning. Not only could this bring bad publicity, it could open a door for fear or doubt or unbelief to work their way into your faith life and abort your plans altogether.

 

    Keep your plans between you and God and follow Jesus example:

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

 

Darrell G. Wolfe

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