First Bible study of 2018 will be on January 23rd at 7:00 at the church. Our February study will be on Feb. 27th. Join us!
The new year will see us starting our 9th year – hard to believe. Here is a huge Thank You to all who have supported us and blessed us by attending and assisting. The strength of our church is found in our people and the success of our Bible study program is no different. Thank you again to all.
Our passage on the 23rd will be Mark 1:21-28.
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Talk of spirits and demons seems primitive and makes us uncomfortable today. We prefer to speak of poverty and mental illness as the causes of bizarre behavior. We blame bad behavior on environment, society, bad childhoods, and anything else that we see as contributing. We hesitate to use the word evil, which sounds judgmental, and look to medical science and government programs to deliver us from our demons. Medical science has accomplished a great deal in that regard, and promises to achieve even more, and social programs have certainly helped some in dire need. However, medical science and all the programs in the world to “fix” things are unlikely ever to solve the problem of evil, which is a spiritual problem and a present reality. We have only to read a newspaper to confirm the pervasive presence of evil in our world.
The real answers are found in only one place – The Bible. Come join us in reading about the One who cast out demons 2000 years ago and is still doing it today!
Recent Comments