Ever have doubts about your ability to be used by Christ? Consider the account of the Gerasene man who was possessed by a legion of demons:
When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”
Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Mark 5:2-13, 18-20
Your Life:
The following is from a teaching heard at Applegate Christian Fellowship.
Who, do you suppose, was Jesus’ first missionary? One of the twelve disciples perhaps? Paul the Apostle?
Nope.
Jesus’ first missionary was the Gerasene man. A man who only minutes before was possessed by a legion of demons. A man whose theology was only minutes old. A man whose doctrinal knowledge could be summed up in one sentence: “Jesus scared the hell out of hell.” Yet Jesus instructed him to, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And the result was that …all the people were amazed.
The key to being used is not your theological educational foundation. The key to being used is to share what you’ve heard from God’s word. Jesus said,
Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Mark 4:24
Of course we are to study to show ourselves approved unto God. 2 Timothy 2:15 But the appetite for studying increases proportionally to the amount that we share with others, the amount that we “mete” out.
Are you teaching your kids the great stories of the Bible? Are you blogging to influence people for Christ? Are you leading a small home group? Are you sharing the gospel with neighbors? Don’t doubt God’s ability to use you. It’s more dependent on Him than it is on you. The key to being used is to give out the bread of life that you take in. In other words, you use it, or lose it.
From a Jon Courson teaching at Applegate Christian Fellowship, January 27, 2010
