February 10, 2025 | by Sarah Davis
The following post is for our Sermon Notes series. Sarah’s senior pastor is Mitch Kimbrell of Christ Memorial Church in Williston, Vermont.
This reflection on God’s Word comes from a talk by Pastor Mitch under a tent affectionately known as “the tabernacle” during Christ Memorial Church’s youth retreat in 2024. The theme for the week was Encounters with the Son of God, and we were reading through passages in the Gospel of Mark. On Tuesday, we looked at this interaction between Jesus and a former demoniac:
As he [Jesus] was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. (Mark 5:18-20)
This man’s desire to follow Christ was right, but it was not what Jesus had in mind for him. I am impressed with the man’s obedience. The text says that he “begged [Jesus] that he might be with him.” He may have been disappointed that he was not permitted to physically be with Jesus. But the former demoniac obeys, and does exactly as the Lord commands. He goes and shares his testimony.
Pastor Mitch pointed out that no evangelism class was needed for this man to share his faith. He was simply to tell what the Lord had done for him. That’s it! From his short time with Jesus, a man once possessed by demons was sufficiently equipped to declare gospel truths. Our faith story is enough.
And how cool to see how the man was received by those he shared with. Our stories of coming to faith are compelling – the events that took place, how we felt, the changes within us, the reason for that change. The response of those who heard was to marvel.
Our stories are indeed something to be amazed by! Our eternal destiny in the moment prior to rebirth was a one-way ticket to hell: “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Cor. 2:14). The very second we believe by faith in Jesus we have a one-way ticket to heaven. What a glorious transformation!
We need not fear what others will think of us. We need not fret about what we will say. We simply need to tell our friends what Jesus has done for us. Phew, can’t you feel the pressure being released? I sure can! Pastor Mitch’s comment was freeing for me, and I hope it will be for you as well.
About Sarah Davis
Sarah met her husband, Mike, in 2006 at a membership meeting at Christ Memorial Church. She is a veteran homeschooling mom to three wonderful boys, two teens and a tween, and is forever finding new ways to serve her church. Though born with a visual impairment, Sarah would mostly call it a blessing because it allows her to experience the world in a unique way.
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