ETC 4420 Day 2 (7pm)
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wikicommonsThe man from the tombs
Mark 5.15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Discussion
What does the story reveal about Jesus?
What does the story reveal about God’s enemies?
What does the story reveal about following Jesus?
What sort of leader is Jesus?
Issue - Satan, demons, curses
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ChatGPTReading the Biblical map
Reading the world in which we live
Using the map to guide us
What are we to think?
What are the questions to ask the Bible?
Where can we go for help?
e.g. A Gospel Coalition essay - certainly, but…
Discussion - Goldfish bowl
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wikicommonsLook at the pictures below and notice the differences between them.
Picture one: A bit sketchy maybe.
Picture two: The way ahead, mountains in the distance, the tree as a major feature up ahead.
Picture three: We can see mountains, but not the path as we focus on the tree
As Christian leaders, how can we help a new Christian who is asking questions about Satan to understand the landscape of the spiritual world?
Where does it come from?
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ChatGPTHow is our map of the spiritual world different from the maps that other people use, from other religious backgrounds, as they travel through the world? How is a Christian understanding of demons different from an Islamic understanding?
What questions does our spiritual map need to consider to match the detail that the Bible provides, without missing anything the Bible insists is important, and without going into greater detail in any one area than the Bible allows?
Questions for a spiritual map to consider
Reflection
What do you notice about Jesus from the story?
What do you love about what you see?
What do you notice about the man?
What do you notice about God’s enemies?
Homework
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wikicommonsPractise your servant leadership for the man by writing a prayer that you are praying for him and send it to me by email before 5pm tomorrow.
My email for this course is: [email protected]
Imagine it is now two or three years after our story took place. The man who was released from the demons has been preaching the gospel through the Ten Cities, and he has shared the gospel with his family. He has shared the story of what Jesus has done for him wherever he can. He is a committed Christian, and he is a faithful member of his local church. You are one of his friends. He thinks of you as one of his Christian leaders.
He is uncertain and he is anxious about Satan, and the other spiritual enemies of God in the world. He would like some kind of ‘map’ to make sense of the spiritual world in which he is now living. He is not asking you to draw a map for him at the moment. He knows there are people who live in the same town who reject Jesus, and who follow other religious traditions, with their own leaders, and their own religious practices, who use their own ‘map’ of the spiritual world. He knows that his map of the spiritual world needs to be created from the Bible.
He knows that Jesus has died and risen, and returned to the right hand of the Father, to the throne of God, from where he is delivering God’s good purpose for his world. He knows that the Spirit of God came at Pentecost. He has received Christ and he has received the Spirit into his heart. But he would like you to pray for him. He is not sure how to think about God’s enemies and Christ’s victory and his own Christian life. He is asking you to lead him spiritually and to guide him.
Write a brief letter to the man:
“Dear Friend, This is what I am praying for you … (tell him what you are praying for him and you could say why you are praying in this way)”
Look back to his original encounter with Jesus in your prayer. Address the anxiety and uncertainty that your Christian brother is feeling. You could look to see how Paul tells the believers what he is praying for them as he begins one of his letters. You could follow Paul’s example.
You are a servant leader for this man as you pray for him. You are going to avoid standing over him (the way that other kinds of rulers sometimes do). You are trying to serve him with humility, following the example of Jesus.
You are writing a prayer that you will be praying for him, and a prayer you are going to tell him that you are praying for him, to encourage him, and so that he can see what you asking God to do for him.
Please email your response to [email protected] by 5pm before we meet at 530pm