Obedience - Mark 5 (Danny Roberts)

Another exciting 'Amongst Ourselves' night was brought to a close by Danny Roberts. Reading from Romans 10:11-17 and from Mark 5:1-19, Danny brought a message on obeying the call of God in our lives. 

In Mark 5, the Lord Jesus passed over the sea of Galilee and healed a man possessed of a legion of demons. This man, so thrilled by the Salvation he received from the Lord, wanted to go with his Saviour. But the Lord tenderly told him not to come, but rather sent him back to his friends and family to speak to them of the great things that Christ had done for him. We then read in Scripture that he did go back, and began to promote the Lord Jesus Christ in Decapolis, a region of ten cities, at the request of Christ.

The Lord graciously reached out and saved only one man on this particular occasion, yet through the salvation of this one man, countless others had the opportunity to learn of their need of a Saviour. Through this man's obedience, God's word spread into other parts of the land which may have remained unreached.

Danny challenged the young people with examples from history, and from today, of believers who simply obeyed the leading of God, and spread the Word of God in the small ways in which they were able. So often, these small efforts in the name of God were blessed in a mighty way. By simple obedience, in the smallest of way, the Word of God spread far wider than they could ever have imagined.

He related the story of Robert Raikes in the 1700s, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who felt the leading of God to help the local street children in some way, to stop them from getting themselves into trouble. Bringing them into a small room  each Sunday morning, in his home town of Gloucester, Raikes began to teach them the Word of God. Suggested by an onlooker that it was like a school on Sundays for the down-and-outs, the first every Sunday School was established. Within 50 years, over 1 million children in the UK were being taught the Scriptures in a Sunday School, and today hundreds of millions of children have passed through local Sunday Schools all across the world.

From one man's obedience, millions of children have heard the Gospel. In Romans chapter 10:13-14 we are reminded that we have a responsibility to share the good news of salvation to those around us.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

We may not be called to leave our countries, our towns or even our homes, but God will give us opportunities to 'preach'. He will give every believer the chance to tell others that Christ Jesus died for their sins. It is what we do with this opportunity that matters. It may seem small, it may seem insignificant, but the little we do for God can be mighty in His hands. 

There are people waiting on the other side of our obedience...

Danny went on to make the point that whether we obey this call or not, even in the simple things, could be the difference of whether or not someone hears the wonderful message of Salvation. Of course God is sovereign, and He will overrule in every circumstance, but these opportunities are not given so that we might somehow feel better about ourselves, or feel proud about what we have achieved, but instead they are given so that others might get saved. Robert Raikes obeyed, and God accomplished something miraculous through Him. Jonah, although firstly inclined to run away, also obeyed, and again God performed a great work of Salvation in Nineveh.

So as believers, let's be obedient to the call of God, not for our own sakes, but for the souls of those around us. Only God knows, but maybe through this one act of obedience, countless men and women, boys and girls will be won for Christ in the future.