Togetherness
I miss Family Worship Center, my family and friends. I miss the companionships but more than that I miss the fact that I won't be questioned if I decide to get 'stupid' here. I mean, I definately don't like people all up in my business but I also hate knowing that if I drove home with a Bugatti Veyron (i totally googled "most expensive car in the world" for this) tonight no one would question me or atleast send me on a guilt trip. I can I magine doing that to Fam's house, after jumping up and down she'll say something along the lines of "Dooshima, I know your mum spends on you but she'll never buy you a Bugatti. I know that if you could afford it, which you can't, you wouldn't get one for yourself. And I know too well that you don't have any guys lavishly spending on you so from whence cometh this sexy thang?" Normally, I would hate this but the truth is, togetherness, companionships and fellowships keep us all in check. Sometimes, the fear of open rebuke is stronger than the fear of God but (I think that) if it keeps us from sinning then it's not so bad 'cause it brings us closer to fearing God. Ok, maybe it doesn't but it keeps us on the right track and that's my point.
Silence*Please don't close the page if it gets overwhelming, i promise it'll make sense somehow*
You know how Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen and Saul left Antioch to spread the gospel in the book of Acts with Mark as their helper ba? No? Oya keep up! Mark was Barnabas' cousin and also their helper on the trip but somehow, he got distracted or couldn't handle the persecutions and left the brethren. Luke (the writer of Acts) didn't give a reason why Mark left, matter of fact the only reason we know that there was a falling out is because in Acts 15:37-38 he wrote "Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John, called Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work". Was Mark homesick? Was he one of the Jewish Christians who couldn't handle the fact that salvation had come to the Gentiles? Or was he just upset that authority had been moved from his cousin to Saul, the horrible convert? No one knows, we only know that he left his companions when they needed him the most.
Word must have gone round but it is also obvious that he was later forgiven and accepted back into ministry because Paul wrote in Colossians 4:10 "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions, if he comes to you, welcome him) and in 2Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry".
Togetherness in silence
The point i'm trying to make with all this bible study -which is highly inspired from my Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) bulletin by the way- is that if you pay close attention you'll realize that Mark's sin was not written anywhere. Luke and Paul's silence made it possible for Mark's ministry to be restored. How would we percieve the gospel according to Mark if they had exposed him? Would they even have published his account?
Silence is graciousness. Not telling our family and friends details of someone's mess up gives room for reconciliation, it won't hurt to be a little graceful even through the bad times. It makes it easier for the sinner to return and it definately helps in 'saving face' when/if we reconcile with the person. This is where fragility meets strength and power. The grace to forgive and the strength to stop sinning even when people have lost faith in you can be found on the cross. Christ died for you and me so that we wouldn't have to worry about being weak anymore. There's hope, peace and salvation on the cross, reach out and grab it.
Thanks to Rhapsody Phoenix for the One Sweet Blog award and Jemima for the Versatile blogger award, i really appreciate it :*
