The most powerful evidence we have to Share

Read Mark 5.

One of most graphic encounters of Jesus' ministry is found in this chapter.  The man was dangerous and uncontrollable.  People feared for their lives around him.  They tried restraining him in chains, but that did not work.  With superhuman strength he broke the chains.  He became an outcast, living in a place where no one would bother him-the cemetery.  Perhaps, the only future he could foresee for himself was there among the dead.  Then, Jesus came.

Knowing all things, Jesus looked beyond the man's behavior to the root of his problem.  At some point in his life, either through practicing some false religion or engaging in some evil activity, he had allowed demons to take over his life.  The inward pain and oppression of evil became unimaginable.  So much so that he began hurting himself in response.  He, obviously, did not do anything to end his life but felt he needed to something to counter the inward pain.  He cried out for help, but no one could help him.  Then, Jesus came.

The demons knew and announced Jesus' real identity.  As God in the flesh, Jesus has power over the Satanic representatives.  At His command they were removed from the suffering man's life.  How Jesus changed this man's life in an instant.  No longer running around in a panic but peacefully "sitting there."   No longer naked but "clothed."  No longer insane but "in his right mind."

One would have thought that the townsfolk would come rejoicing that their nightmare was over, that this man had been miraculously changed, and worshiped Jesus.  But instead they became even more afraid and rejected Jesus.  Why they were afraid is a matter of some speculation.  Most likely, they were more concerned about the loss of the pigs than they were of the deliverance of the man.

Jesus could no longer minister the good news in that region, but this changed man could.  There is no greater witness of the power of God than a transformed life.  "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you."  Sharing that simple message is something every true follower of Christ can do today.

The Apostle Paul had been a persecutor of the believers, even overseeing the murder of Deacon Stephen.  In his testimony he wrote, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, thought it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10)

John Newton famously stated concerning his own changed life in Christ,

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”