Jun 8: Mark 12:38-40
Key Verse: Mark 12:39
and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets.
Devotion:
One of the things I dislike about ‘church institutions’ is all of the red tape which is imposed on the people who want to meet with Christ. I know there has to be safeguards in place to ensure the power given and enjoyed by church leaders does not corrupt them or give them to doing bad things, but for those who want to promote Christ and share the gospel, there should be open forums by which they can do this…
You may say the public spaces are free forums where people can share the gospel, and they are, but are not our churches public places where we should be able to share the truth about Christ? Many churches impose very strict rules and regulation about who can share the gospel in their temples and places of worship which is not what I see when I read about the places where Jesus would meet to share about His Father!
There are countries where the only people allowed to preach are those who have been authorised by the country! To them I say, my authority comes from Christ and I share what I know from what has been shared with me during my life.
God wants us to be able to reach out to those who are in need to not only lessen their burdens but also to guide them in the truth Jesus shared with everyone He met. Jesus warn about those who pray on the needy to gain access to their inheritance or last worldly possession. Jesus does not want us to go after possession, but after souls instead.
Points to Ponder:
When you look for someone to join you at church, what do you look for?
Have you tried to look into people’s heart lately?