Sent to Share Good News: A Man Possessed by a Demon Read Luke 8:26–39 Return home and tell how much God has done for you. Luke 8:39 In 1988 Dave Dravecky was at the top of his game. He was a pitcher in the starting rotation for the San Francisco Giants. Later that year, though, Dave learned that he had cancer, and half of the deltoid muscles in his pitching arm had to be removed. Doctors predicted that he would never pitch again, but he was back on the mound a year later. Five days after his comeback, however, Dave’s arm snapped in two while he was pitching. To prevent the recurrence of cancer, the arm was amputated. In the wake of this tragedy, Dravecky, a man of faith, began to travel the country sharing with audiences what he had learned. Another suffering man, saved by Jesus, also shared with audiences how his life had been redeemed by Jesus. Running naked and mad, this man had been cut off from his community and was living among the tombs near his hometown in the region of the Gerasenes. He met Jesus at the shore, while possessed by demons, Jesus delivered him from the demons that tortured him. The first witnesses who ran to tell others were those who had been tending the pigs nearby that became the collateral damage in the man’s redemption! Curious folks from town came to see the spectacle for themselves. Unlike the Samaritans, however, who came to faith after hearing the testimony of the Samaritan woman, these people asked Jesus to leave their region. The healed man begged to join Him and His disciples, but Jesus had a different plan for him: stay put and tell others what happened. With transformation came the responsibility to share good news with others. Telling others about the marvelous works of God in Jesus is the natural overflow of a life that has been redeemed. Can you name what Jesus has done for you? Is it something you’ve shared with others? You don’t need to have a testimony that includes cancer or demon possession in order to be used by God to touch the lives of others. Today, reflect on how your life has been transformed by Jesus and purpose to share this good news with someone.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 07:19:04 +0000