Grace Community Church of Caroline

I’ve struggled for years with my defense against being stretched in my faith.  I tend to have automatic defenses that go into full swing when I witness something that is outside of what “I” perceive as the “orderly” God that “I” serve.

The funny thing is that someone like me killed Christ.  No, I mean it.  The group of people who conspired against, and eventually killed Christ, did so because they were offended by Him.  They were stretched and addressed outside of the theater of the their mind.  They had predetermined God and were only open to receive Him on their plane.

Mark 6:1-3  

1 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

We read the act opening with Christ, sitting on the steps of the temple, with men sitting around intently listening and the leaders of the Synagogue standing in the back of the room, in a posture they were not accustomed to.  They were not the center point of attention.  I can only imagine that Christ had completely captivated the men, in a way that no church leader could ever comprehend.

As he spoke, the leaders of the day began whispering and looking in disgust at this…local boy, who they had seen as a child, not so many years ago and now was captivating those around Him.

Mark 6:4

4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

The Church leaders at that time, were so enthralled in “religion” in and of itself that they spent much time asking the wrong questions.  They weren’t concentrating on the love of God, as much as the religion of church.  They were so concerned about where Christ had come from and His history, that they missed God Himself sitting among them and sharing.  They were so wrapped up in what He was doing and if He should be doing it, that they failed to miss the “I am” being in their presence.

Mark 6:5

“And He could do no work of power there, except that he laid His hands on a few sick ones and healed them.”

As a result of the ‘religious leaders” failure to accept God in the form He chose to take; He was limited in pouring out the limitless gifts He wanted to deliver.

So what was the Christ’s answer?  Mark 6:6 “And He marveled because of their unbelief.  And He went around the Villages, in a circuit, teaching.”

See, Christ maybe limited with what He can do for us, by us; but He will not be limited with what He wants to do for all His other children.  He chooses this behavior; we can only limit our personal interaction, but not God’s sovereignty and power.

Of course we must be constantly vigilant in our discernment of what happens around us.  But we must be careful to not disregard something, out of hand just because it doesn’t fit into our “God Model”.