27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a
certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no
clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.
I love doing these five-minute devotional “Pastor Chats” early
each morning because I am seeing and learning things from these passages of
Scripture I never saw before. Especially, taking the time to look at them more
deeply in their context I am getting so much more from them.
Before we go on to the next section of Luke 8, we need to
remember that Luke begins this chapter with Jesus giving the parable of the
Sower sowing the Seed on the four different types of ground. The Word of God is
the Seed that must be planted into the hearts of precious souls before they can
believe and receive God’s great message of salvation. Then Jesus reminded His
disciples in verse 16, that we are not to hide God’s light but put it on a “lampstand”
so that others may see it. We are that lampstand that must go out into the darkness
to show people the “Way” to God through Jesus Christ!
Then in verse 21, Jesus says that whoever hears the Word of
God and does it are the ones who will enter into an intimate relationship with
Him as His mother and brothers spiritually. In this context it is obvious that
Jesus is teaching His disciples that we need be obedient to take God’s Word to
those in darkness. And then very next thing we read about in verses 22-26 is
that Jesus invited the disciples to get into the boat and cross to the other
side of the lake.
Why? Because on the other side of the lake, in the country
of Gadarenes there is a demon possessed man that needs the Light! But on the
way there and a terrible storm threaten to sink them, Jesus is teaching another
lesson to His disciples about faith! If we are going to be prepared to face the
demonic forces of hell with the Light of the Gospel, we must have faith in the
power and authority of Jesus over them!
So, when Jesus commanded the wind and waves to cease, He
revealed His mighty power over the elements of nature to His disciples. When they
arrive at Gadara Jesus is going to reveal His authority and power of the
demonic elements that blind, bind, and enslave people in their sins.
In preparing to study the story of the Maniac of Gadara here
in Luke 8:26-39, I want to encourage you to read the other Gospel accounts of
this same incident in Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 to get the full picture
of what took place.
My friend, today in our culture and world we are facing a
demon controlled and possessed people like never before. In John 10:10 Jesus said,
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I
have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Satan and his host of demons are stealing, killing and destroying the lives of
so many around us, and their only hope for deliverance is the authority and
power of Jesus!
As followers of Jesus, we must obey Him to get into the boat
and cross over to the other side to these dear people wherever they may be! As
we face the storms on our journey, in obedience to the will of God, our faith
will be increased to also experience the power and authority of Jesus over the powers,
principalities and rulers of darkness (Ephesians 2:1-3; 6:10-20).
This reminds me to ask you to pray for me as I prepare to
go South East Asia the second week of January 2025. Pease message or email me
if you want more information on this trip and more specific details on how to
support and pray for us. My email address is: pastormike@pmiministries.org
God bless!
