There Has To Be More!

As we come to the close of the Gospel of Mark I am reminded of my own conversion and subsequent journey years ago. With no church background, our entire family found the Lord through a Baptist church in my home town of Concord, California. There is no question that at that time our family began to change for the better and I would say to some degree there was a visible transformation in all of us.

I can remember well remember going to the front of the church and getting on my knees where an elderly man led me through the "sinners prayer." Not long after that prayer I was baptized along with my future brother-in-law, who later wiped out big time. Our family became totally immersed in church activities, so much so that my dad sold our cabin up at Donner Lake because we no longer had time to go there on the weekends.

Most of our activity at church revolved around the Bible in some way or another. Even at the beginning of my newfound faith I was attracted to the Gospels, especially Mark and Luke. Those two Gospels were so filled with life, action, and the supernatural work of Jesus. I was taught from the beginning that even though Jesus did amazing things as recorded in the Gospels, that period of time was over and those things did not happen any more - it was a new dispensation. I felt sort of ripped off because I wanted to see my big God do the miraculous, and I was told that He did not even heal people any more.

Going off to college and seminary was not much different from my experience in the church where I came to the Lord. Most of the time, a person is directed by their pastor to colleges that believe and teach the very same things that he or she was taught. This cycle can go on for years as I have mentioned before in my writings. So, as I entered the ministry full time I taught what I had been taught through the years - I parroted what I had heard and what I had experienced.

In the sixteenth chapter of Mark in your Bible, you probably have a line and an explanation just before the ninth verse. It tells you that the more ancient manuscripts do not have verses nine through twenty found in them. My professors used that knowledge to discount the most amazing verses, that being seventeen and eighteen. Let's look at them.

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up with their hands; and they will drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Even though I tried to accept that these ministries were of another time, in my heart I longed to not only see them, but also experience them. In my early thirties, I began to work across denominational lines and had the opportunity to meet people that actually believed that these things were still taking place today - in fact, they were the norm. I confess that for a few years I also discounted these people as being highly emotional or uneducated, yet to some degree I was envious. They spoke of God's power in ways that sounded like the New Testament.

There came a time when I was flying in and out of Michigan to help set up a Luis Palau Crusade and there I met a Baptist pastor. He was part of our committee and I found him to have a burning desire to know God. One day he told all of us that his wife had cancer and that she was going in for a double mastectomy. It was a very difficult time for this family and you could easily see the pain on his face. Since our committee was made up of many different denominations, we had those who believed that God was still in the healing ministry. Several of the pastors wanted to know if they could lay hands on his wife and pray for her. I was not a part of that ministry time since I had to fly back home to Portland.

Upon my return to Michigan a few weeks later, I went to a meeting and this concerned Baptist pastor was there. However, this time his face was bright and alive with joy oozing from his very soul. When I asked him how his wife was doing since the surgery his eyes began to fill up with tears. He then told me that as she sat on the side of her bed in the hospital as they were making preparations for her surgery, she began to check her breasts one last time to see if maybe something had changed. Startled by what she felt she called the nurses in and said, "The lumps are gone!" The nurses thought she was just projecting what she wanted to find, but they checked her out. They also were startled and called for new x-rays to be taken and the doctor to be called in. Yes, it was true; this Baptist pastor's wife had been healed!! She went home that day, without the operation.

As I stood there something in me began to shout "yes yes, this is the power of God I knew was out there!" So began my quest for God and His power to do the amazing. It has been such a hard quest because I have had to unlearn so many things. I do not put myself in the camp that believes God heals everyone all the time, but I do believe that my education limited God. Now years later, I have seen God cast out demons, heal the sick, and save my life when I ate things that should have killed me or at least made me sick. No, I don't play with snakes; but I do go to places that are not always safe because I know God is still a supernatural being who sends His angels to watch over me and my family.

I no longer argue or debate with others about the works found in this last portion of Mark. To be honest, it is just not worth the time and effort because no one can be convinced by arguments or debate. I know what I have seen and I know what I have experienced through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. I would rather spend my time with those who say, "I knew there had to be more!"

A car, a house, some new clothes, a hobby, a fine job, a good reputation, a nice vacation, accolades from your friends and co-workers, marriage, children, retirement, death - there is more to life than that! Mark's Gospel tells us that life with Jesus is a life of action, a life of supernatural occasions, and a life that has bearing on our next. Crank up your journey with God your Father and tell Him you are ready to learn some new things!!

God Bless You,

Dan

P.S. As we come to the end of Mark, I am going to take a little break for the month of August. I will be gone a great deal during the next month or so to Peru, Uganda and Rwanda so this is a good time for me to evaluate where to go next with these musings. Our office has prepared a survey for you to help us make some decisions regarding this area of our ministry. Please take the time to communicate with us by taking our online survey.

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