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WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE ROOM

Mark 5:41,42 – Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise”. Immediately the girl arose and walked…

Everything changes when Jesus visits your house. If you don’t believe me just ask Jairus. It would be impossible for Jairus to forget the day Jesus came into his home. No one living in that region would ever forget it either. What had started out as a day of mourning for the death of Jairus’s daughter turned into the greatest celebration these parts had ever seen. Jesus took the little girl by the hand and the rest is history. Resurrection power flowed from Him into her and she was suddenly back in the land of the living. No wonder people talked about that day for years, as a matter of fact I am talking about it two thousand years later. The good news is this, Jesus is still walking into rooms. Maybe today He will walk into yours. Here is a song about this by Bryan and Katie Torwalt, pay close attention to the power in these words.

WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE ROOM

When You walk into the room

Everything changes

Darkness starts to tremble

At the light that You bring

And when You walk into the room

Every heart starts burning

And nothing matters more

Than just to sit here at Your feet

And worship You

We worship You

We love You

We’ll never stop

We can’t live without You, Jesus

We love You

And we can’t get enough

All this is for You, Jesus

When You walk into the room

Sickness starts to vanish

Every hopeless situation ceases to exist

And when You walk into the room,

The dead begin to rise

‘Cause there is resurrection life

In all You do

We love You

We’ll never stop

We can’t live without You, Jesus

We love You

And we can’t get enough

All this is for You, Jesus

Come and consume, God

All we are

We give You permission

Our hearts are Yours

We want You

We want You

We love You

Maybe stuff has died in your life. Maybe it feels like your marriage has died or your business, or maybe you just feel like you are just a zombie walking around dead. It makes no difference how dark your circumstances seem, Jesus is knocking on your door and resurrection power is about to make your dead stuff come alive.

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FINALLY DONE

Mk.5:25,26 – A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.

Are you done yet? Not sure what I mean? What I am saying is have you finally figured out that our human limitations can only go so far. Many times, like the poor woman with the twelve year hemorrhage, our problems are beyond our ability to fix. This is a great picture of humans trying to fix their basic sin problem. There is nothing we can do to fix ourselves, we are spiritually bankrupt until that moment of divine intervention. We may have struggled for years, maybe even twelve years. We may have depleted all our resources trying to fix what is broken. Only when we are finally done and begin to look to Christ are we on our way to recovery. Here is how J. C. Ryle describes this woman’s plight.

“Many a man has spent sorrowful years in search of peace with God, and failed to find it. He has gone to earthly remedies and obtained no relief. He has wearied himself in going from place to place, and church to church, and has felt after all “nothing bettered, but rather worse.” But at last he has found rest. And where has he found it? He has found it, where this woman found hers, in Jesus Christ. He has ceased from his own works. He has stopped looking to his own endeavors and doings for relief. He has come to Christ Himself, as a humble sinner, and committed himself to His mercy. At once the burden has fallen from off his shoulders. Heaviness is turned to joy, and anxiety to peace. One touch of real faith can do more for the soul than a hundred self-imposed austerities. One look at Jesus is more efficacious than years of sack-cloth and ashes. May we never forget this to our dying day!”

It’s funny, the moment we come to that conclusion of our utter helplessness, then and then only are we ready for a miracle. In that moment we look away from ourselves and other human remedies and look to the Lord. That’s when we are ready for the touch that changes everything.

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THE SHOCKING WORK OF GOD

Mk.5:15 – They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened.

I have been attracted to the Great Awakening for many years now. This awakening was closely connected to the birth of our nation in 1776, maybe it will be connected to this season we are currently in. We need another national awakening desperately. Jonathan Edwards and his congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts were closely connected to the birth of the Great Awakening. His account of its beginning told of some shocking conversions. Here is one of those accounts.

“And then it was in the latter part of December that the Spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work among us; so that there were, very suddenly, one after another, five or six persons that were to all appearance savingly converted; and some of them wrought upon in a remarkable manner. Among these, I was surprised with the relation of a young woman that had been one of the greatest company-keepers in the whole town, in whom there appeared evident a glorious work of God’s infinite power and sovereign grace; a new and truly broken, sanctified heart. Yet I was filled with concern about the effect it might have on others, and was ready to conclude (though too rashly) that some would be hardened by it in carelessness and looseness of life, and would take occasion to reproach religion; but the event was the reverse to a wonderful degree. God made it, I suppose, the greatest occasion of awakening others, of anything that ever came to pass in the town. I have had abundant opportunity to know the effect it had, by my private conversation with many. The news of it seemed as a flash of lightning upon the hearts, both of young people and others… The noise among the dry bones waxed louder and louder. All other talk but about spiritual and eternal things was thrown by. All the conversation in all companies, and upon all occasions, was upon these things only; except so much as was necessary for people’s carrying on their ordinary secular business.”

The woman who was a “company keeper” was probably the least likely candidate in Northampton to be a catalyst for revival. Her life was scandalous but the grace of God apparently made her conversion a sign and a wonder to her town. Who knows, maybe you too can become a sign and wonder to upend your community. What does it take? A life touched by God is where it all starts. From there, it seems to spread like a fire in a dry land. Before long, your whole community can become a raging fire.

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WHO TOUCHED ME ?

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Mark 5:30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?”

Miracles seemed to be in the air when Jesus came to town. Many times the people would line the streets with the injured and diseased when Jesus came through their town or village. Many would just touch the edge of His robe and experience the miracle power of the Lord. The blind, the deaf and mute, the paralyzed, and the lepers were healed by coming into contact with Jesus. Today, the same power is available through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The anointing that was on Jesus in His earthly ministry is now on His followers. Staying filled with the Spirit is critical if we want to see God’s miracle power heal the hurting in our world today. Here are some thoughts from the Fire Bible on the availability of the power of God.

“The Gospels often speak of the sick touching Jesus or of Jesus touching the sick. It was the contact and presence of Jesus that mattered. Because of his intimate relationship with God his Father and his complete dependence on the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ entire being was saturated with God’s miraculous power. This power is available to heal us because Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses and is our source of life and grace. Our responsibility in receiving healing is simply to stay in a close relationship with Christ, to ask him to meet our needs and to rely on him to do what is best for us. The same power that Jesus showed is also available to work miracles through his followers. As long as we remain in a deep personal relationship with God and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, we too can be used by God to bring physical healing to suffering individuals.”

I love this story and especially love what Jesus said to the woman after she was healed. He told her that more than physical healing had happened that day. The impartation she received when she touched Jesus had made her whole. Not only can we be healed by the power of God but we can receive spiritual wholeness by just one touch. Go ahead and reach out to him, just one touch of His glory and you will never be the same.

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LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE

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Mark 5:18-20 – the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Jesus changes lives, that’s what He does. From the paralytic who danced for joy to the woman who washed His feet with her tears; the touch of God changes lives. The beautiful thing about redemption is the continued effect that it has on the world. Can you imagine the people in Decapolis (ten cities) that heard this ex-demonized man telling his story. His testimony was irrefutable, everyone knew about the wild, crazy guy chained up in the cemetery. Now he was a preacher, his story effected a whole region. That’s exactly how it is today. Take the Mary’s Song Ministry for example. Young women whose lives were miserably destroyed by bad choices now have smiles bright enough to light up the room. Their families (many who had given up on them) are amazed and bewildered at their changed lives. Again, redemption doesn’t stop with the first recipient, its effects echo throughout their world. Here are some thoughts from John Gill on today’s passage.

“And all men did marvel; at the power of Jesus, at the miracle wrought by him, and the benefit the man had received, who they all knew had been in so deplorable a condition. It is not only marvelous to the persons themselves, for whom great things are done by the Lord; but it is amazing to others, to angels and men, when it is considered who they are, on whose account they are wrought; great sinners, very unworthy of such high favors, yea, deserving of the wrath of God, and of eternal damnation; and likewise, who it is that has done these things for them, the Lord of heaven and earth; he against whom they have sinned, and is able both to save, and to destroy; he who is the great God, is their Savior; to which may be added, the consequence of these things, they issue in everlasting glory and happiness.”

Have you experienced the redeeming touch of the Lord in your life? If so, let your light shine in your world. Your story is meant to change your world.

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Talitha-cumi! When Christ walks into the Room!

MERRY MONDAY BY PARRIS-

“After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old).” Mark 5:41
It’s nice when the atmosphere changes in the room. One can be right smack in the middle of a disagreement when the phone rings and when you go to answer it, your voice changes into pleasantness. By the time you get off the phone, you wondered what made you so unhappy. Christ has a way of changing things. In this scripture, a little girl was brought back to life. Some commentaries even hint that Jesus was speaking in a spiritual sense to women of all ages, when he took her by the hand from being dead. ‘Little girl, ARISE!”

Did you notice how he got all the “junk out of the room”. He swept away all the negativity and disposed of it. Yes, do you feel His presence even now? When Christ comes, everything always changes.

Ryan commentary says, “Let us think for a moment how wonderful was the change which took place in that house. From weeping to rejoicing–from mourning to congratulation–from death to life–how great and marvelous must have been the transition! They only can tell that, who have seen death face to face, and had the light of their households quenched, and felt the iron entering into their own souls. They, and they only, can conceive what the family of Jairus must have felt, when they saw their beloved one given back once more into their bosom by the power of Christ.”
I love this song by the Torwaits,
“When you walk into the room

Everything changes

Darkness starts to tremble

At the light that you bring

And when you walk into the room

Every heart starts burning

And nothing matters more

Than just to sit here at your feet

And worship you”
A good place to start this Merry Monday is in worshipping! He is there with you! Don’t under estimate Christ’s work of redemption. He speaks to all of us to arise from those dead paces!

Talitha-cumi! When Christ walks into the Room!

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Rumors of My Death

RUMORS OF MY DEATH

Mark 5:35 ¶ While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

There are various versions of Mark Twain’s most famous quote but the one I remember is this, “The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated”. When I hear this quote, my childhood memories of Tom Sawyer are resurrected. Tom was thought to be dead and actually snuck in and attended his own funeral, talk about rumors of a death being exaggerated.
All of us go through various sorts of death experiences throughout our lives. In 1994 there were all sorts of death rumors about our ministry. That’s when Jesus walked into our church and everything changed. Out of our supposed death came a resurrection of life and ministry. Our church is still feeling the ramifications of that time of visitation.
In today’s verse, Jairus had just lost his daughter. She had died before The Lord was able to make it to their house. By the time The Lord arrived, the funeral mourning had begun. His announcement upon His arrival was quite shocking, “She’s not dead, she’s only sleeping”. Charles Spurgeon spoke powerfully about this situation.

“The funeral had already begun: ‘the minstrels’ had commenced their hideous discords. Mistrustful friends are eager to bury us before the due time; and we are ourselves too apt to fall into the same error about others. Unbelief in the undertakers and the hired mourners to bury those who will yet live for years. We give over to hopelessness those whom Jesus will save; or we begin ‘making a noise’ where a gracious, silent work would be far better. Jesus will have the death-music quieted; for it is premature, and even false in its significance. He says to the minstrels, ‘Give place’ Many things have to give place when Jesus comes on the scene; and he takes care that they shall give place; for he puts them out of the room. To him the maid is asleep rather than dead; for he is about to call her back to life. He sees the future as well as the present; and to him that in that light ‘the maid is not dead, but sleepeth’. The Lord Jesus wants not pipers, flute-players, and wailers; his own still voice is more fit for work in the death-chamber with a young girl. Jesus is going to do wonders, and the hired performances of those who mimic woe are not in tune therewith.”

Are you facing a crisis today. You really have two options, you can join in with the mourners and attend your own funeral, or you can step into God’s faith. When that happens you will see the glory of The Lord. Your friends and family may not give you any hope, they’ve already started the songs of mourning. So if you hear the people beginning to sing over your dead body, get ready, your greatest day is about to begin.

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DAUGHTER GO INTO PEACE

DAUGHTER GO INTO PEACE

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

This poor woman hadn’t had a minutes peace in years. You see, her sickness made her ceremonially unclean. If anyone came into contact with her they became unclean. She was totally isolated. Cut off from fellowship with family and friends, she was also cut off from the synagogue or temple, she was living a lonely life. For the last twelve years every waking moment in her life was fixated on getting well. She had depleted all of her resources on medical treatment and still her sickness lingered. She had not had experienced the peace and joy that all of us live for for a long, long time. Let’s just say she was stressed. Have you ever been stressed? Maybe you are stressed today. Maybe you can relate to this poor woman, have you depleted all of your sources in search of peace and satisfaction in life? If so, listen to what happened next. After hearing about Jesus she made her way to find Him with a new hope beginning to flicker in her heart. When she found Him, she pressed through the crowd and was healed with just one touch. She got more than healing that day, she also stepped into that peace she had been longing for. Here is how J. Campbell Morgan explained it.

“Then the woman who had touched Him, must come and tell. She must confess, not for her own sake, nor for His sake only; principally for the sake of Jairus. So as a result of His question, she came and told Him all the truth. Then, looking into her eyes, He said, “Daughter.” This is the only occasion on record when He used this particular kind of endearing epithet, to a woman. “Daughter…go into peace”: not “in peace,” but “into”. All the land behind for twelve years had been a wilderness, a land of darkness and desolation. Now He said: Daughter go into peace. Thou hast been divorced from home. Come into My home. Thou hast been ostracized from society. Come into closer kinship with Me. Thou hast been excommunicated from the rites of religion. Come into fellowship with the One Who brings thee to God. “Daughter, go into peace.”

Morgan said that all of her past was like a wilderness, there was nothing to go back to. Why would she want the life she just left? That was no life at all. Can you see that about your past? Instead of looking back with regret to your past, step into peace, step into life itself. Not only was this lady, healed she was made whole. She was given a life. She could go back to worship at the house of God, she could enjoy her family, or maybe start a family. That’s how’ve it is with all of us when we walk into this life of peace. Where does it start? For her, it was touching just the fringe of His robe. Reach out and touch Him for yourself, when you do, you will step into peace.

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THE TOUCH OF FAITH

THE TOUCH OF FAITH

Mark 5:34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

The healing of the woman with “the issue of blood” is one of the classic healing miracles seen in the life and ministry of Jesus. Mark tells us that this woman had suffered for twelve years with an embarrassing female problem and had depleted all of her resources on medical treatment to no avail. She had come to her end when she heard about Jesus. She pressed through the crowd and touched Jesus secretly, as she did, the anointing went into her body and she was instantly healed. The anointing of the Spirit is powerful and will go right to the source of our problem. This woman’s secret was not a secret at all, one touch and she was made whole. Here is something Bishop Ellicott said about the effective nature and precision of the “virtue” of The Lord.

“The word virtue is used in the old medical sense, the power or force which brings about a certain definite result. So men spoke of the soporific virtue of this or that drug. And the term is used here, not less than in Luke 5:17, with a like technical precision, for the supernatural power that, as it were, flowed out at the touch of the hand.”

One of the incredible characteristics of the anointing on Jesus is that regardless of how many people are effected, His power is not depleted in the least. Jesus discovered the woman because He felt the “virtue” flow out of Him when she touched Him. Thousands can be healed and there is still a bottomless ocean in reserve for the broken lives in our world. Here is something John Trappe said about the infinite nature of the anointing.

“As heat goes out of the sun into the air, water, earth, earthly bodies, and yet remains in the sun; so here. A fountain is not drawn dry but cleared; so skill is not lost by communicating it to others, but increased.”

One of the interesting things in this story is how hundreds of people were touching Jesus but there was something different about the touch of this hurting woman. What was the difference? She touched The Lord with a touch of faith. The power of God responds to the touch of faith, here is how Adam Clarke describes it.

“Thou seest the multitude thronging thee. Many touch Jesus who are not healed by him: the reason is, they do it not by faith, through a sense of their wants, and a conviction of his ability and willingness to save them. Faith conveys the virtue of Christ into the soul, and spiritual health is the immediate consequence of this received virtue.”

I love Clarke’s statement, “Faith conveys the virtue of Christ into the soul, and spiritual health is the immediate consequence of this received virtue”. Maybe you are struggling today; it may be a sickness or some other struggle. Learn from the woman with the issue of blood, the touch of faith can change everything.

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TOUCH OR TOUCHED

The Difference between a touch and a touch-
Merry Monday by Parris Bailey

“And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:25-34

There is a difference between a touch and a touch. The disciples got a bit annoyed with Jesus that day, when He asked who had touched him. They answered back, “The multitude is thronging Thee.” The verb used is sunthlibō which means “to press hard.” It is used of the pressing of grapes in the making of wine by crushing them. The Bible also implies that the crowd was suffocating them. They wanted to just get through the crowd and were hoping that Jesus could just leave well enough alone. But He perceived that virtue or power had gone out of Him so much that it overcame a present existence to effect a change. He began to look about Him, “Who was the one that touched Me on My clothes?”
The women felt something different start to take place in her body. The word used for her bleeding, was fountain. Can you imagine walking around with a flowing fountain for twelve years? No wonder she had spent all she had looking for a remedy. When she touched Him she felt by experience that the fountain had finally dried up.
The women finally came forward. I love the words, “Daughter, they faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of they plague.” He gave her the promise. He was telling her to go in peace, that she would no longer be tormented of this plague (which also means to whip, scourge or misfortune). She was healed in her spirit, soul and body and that continually. When Christ power touches our lives, we are healed not only physically but in our soul and spirit. This woman faced much more than just phyiscal sickeness. She needed to be made whole-totally and continually.
I believe it is the same today. While the world crushes in, who is actually touching Jesus? What a difference a touch can be! He can dry up your fountain of depression, disease and despair. It’s time to get out of the things that suffocate you and press into the only one that can set you free. This woman was at the end of her rope and we should all thank God that she got to the place of desperation. She pushed through the ordinary touch into the extraordinary. Others had been touching Him or should I say crushing Him all along. How has your touch been lately? Reach out to Hiim today, He has everything that you have need of. Touch Him and you will never be the same! The whippings, the scourgings and the misfortune can come to an end. All it takes is just one touch!