TBC means “To Be Continued” and this picks up where we left off yesterday.

What about the rest of the community that can see the change but did not pray to Jesus for our change? They can see the change but without faith they have no way to know it was Jesus who changes us. How do we express the changes in us that Jesus made without sounding crazy? “He spit on your tongue and put His fingers in your ears? Get out of here, that’s crazy.”

That is an exaggeration and silly. For those who have no faith but have seen the change, when asked we may be received as a witness of the power of God for the changed. We might not for many see the power to change is one of the mind, to think it necessary to change by whatever means. A 12 step program or yoga are ways to change that do not glorify God and the point to being a witness is to glorify God.

Being a creditable witness requires us to tell the truth without the hype. It becomes that much more difficult when we try to witness Christ to people who did not know us before the change.

John 10:37-38 English Standard Version

³⁷ If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸ but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Give glory to God but understand that in doing so every action taken in obedience of faith will be judged by a world that doubts us in every way possible. We must not fear judgment by others, it will come. The alternative is to fail in the command to be a witness in the world.

“If you love me….” JC

The quality of our love is what is being judged.

Mark 7:32-37 English Standard Version

³² And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³ And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. ³⁴ And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ³⁵ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ And Jesus^[a] charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Look at verse 33. Jesus took this man that others wanted healed and took him away from those who cared about his wellbeing and did this miracle privately. The people asking for a miracle never saw what Christ did to heal the man. Spitting on the tongue and placing His fingers in his ears is very mechanical in form and has nothing to do with the healing except how it was perceived and received by the man being healed. For the man it was personal, private and only had meaning to him. Jesus knew that. This is may be why He took the man aside privately.

This is important to each of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The miracle of transformation into this new creation which we have become was done in private where no one can see how it was done. Like the deaf and dumb man that was healed those who pray for the lost will know that it was Jesus that saved them. They will not know how or even when but faith tells them it is Jesus who saves.

TBC