Category: Bible Studies

Jesus has been preparing men to spread the Gospel and help in teaching the New Covenant…

Mark 3:13-19
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

The way that Jesus chose these twelve to follow Him is indicative of how He has called all of us and chosen a few. All of us have been given the authority to heal and to cast out demons.

When I first learned of this, it really did freak me out. The supernatural just wasn’t an area that I liked to think about, much less be involved in. However, Jesus left us all with a helper called the Holy Spirit, and the more I began to get to know that spirit, the more I began to realize that the supernatural world exists. The battle between good and evil rages on around us every day. As a Christian, it is my duty to enter this battle every day. My weapon…God’s Word. The Bible.

Thank you, Jesus, for choosing me. I love you and will go wherever it is that you call me to go. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Word travels fast. God knew our hearts and how we would respond. Many were wanting to just catch a glimpse of Jesus…

Mark 3:6-12
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of  God.” 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

No matter where He went, Jesus was now known. News of His miracles was traveling fast, and it was becoming necessary to plan for the many that would come to be healed. It’s a good problem to deal with, but a problem nonetheless.

Jesus was spreading the New Covenant, and the mercy and grace that He poured out were perfect, and people knew it and felt it. Jesus, while teaching and preparing the way for our salvation, was teaching His disciples to spread the word after He was no longer on this earth. For that reason, we can assume it was necessary that He not let them get overwhelmed. Pressed, but not broken down. He was fulfilling prophecy and teaching those that would continue His work after He was gone. Wow!

He asked that those He healed not spread the word of His miracles for the reason that it was not time. The steps Jesus took were metered by God the Father, and He knew that direction was needed in this crucial time. The time would come that the Gospel of Christ would be spread by word of mouth. As it is so today.

It is our calling to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of those that are in the dark and do not know Him. The liberation of souls and the words of salvation will not be televised. It is spread from believer to believer. Start speaking today! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Mark 3:1-6
3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Law holds the Pharisees back from doing God’s will. The strange thing is that they thought following law was the only way to “appease” God. How wrong they were. So wrong that Jesus was sent to bury that sin.

When Jesus heals that man, the Pharisees are now angry to the core and cannot get over it. Because Jesus chose the right way over the way of law, He was chased after for this. How wrong is that?

Now let’s examine our own lives. Do we accept some things that do not make sense as law? Chances are, the answer is yes. We go along with the status quo so perfectly and seamlessly that we don’t even notice when it’s wrong and against His will. We have been fooled.

As I read God’s word, I have become keenly aware that the devil’s best place to hang out is right at the dividing line between what is right and what is wrong. As he waits there, you can almost see how man will dip their toe into sin for a taste, then quickly run back to God with pity and sorrow. In this passage, Jesus broke through the blinders of man and corrected our lives through parables. Now that we know, it is our job to stand on principles that are founded on Jesus Christ. And He was the only man to live PERFECTLY! #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

Sabbath was made for man…

Mark 2:23-28
²³ One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

All of these rules, laws, and hoops to jump through. By this time, the Pharisees and old covenant believers had distorted and perverted the laws so much that they needed cleansing, clarification, and understanding.

As Jesus sought to clean up any judgment by man or misgivings by those in positions of influence, He was able to intentionally put Himself in the perfect teaching positions because He was led by the Father. He was led by God.

Through this lesson, we can see that there are times when we need to go against the grain if what we are doing and believing in is God-led and not led by any other entity. Jesus did not fall in line so that He would not upset anyone. On the contrary. He used situations to teach, as it was God the Father who was able to place Him at just the right place at just the right time.

He can do that for you. If you ask Him and believe in Him, He will do that for you. No longer will you need to turn away out of fear, for you will be led by the Holy Spirit. As you hone your discernment skills through daily reading of His word, you will find strength and power to literally do what Jesus did. To become more like Him and less like you. To be one with the Creator.

I pray this for all of us tonight. I pray that God comes into your life brighter than ever before and shatters darkness. I pray that the brightest light fills your heart and soul, and that you are renewed now. You are a spiritual being with power beyond your wildest dreams. I pray that power finds you and that you seek to understand it. That you Ask, Seek, and Knock louder than you have ever knocked before. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

The reason for all things was with them. In the flesh…

Mark 2:18-22
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.

21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

The questions from the Pharisees begin. Those that were supposedly following the law were wondering why Jesus and His disciples were not adhering to it. Jesus responds, telling them that He was the reason to fast, and He is with them. Why fast in remembrance or in grand expectation of Him when He is with them? This is the Great Feast with the Creator of the Universe. And you want to do what?

It was time for change. We were headed down a path of self-destruction, and we needed to be bailed out. There was no other way. When Jesus refers to “new wine being put into old wineskins,” He is talking about the New Covenant, not the old way. Jesus was here to make things new. The Pharisees sought to put our Lord in a box and limit His potential. Maybe not intentionally at first, but perhaps they were blind.

If new wine is poured into old wineskins, the skins will burst. To try and pour the New Covenant into the old way of thinking, only one thing would happen. Jesus was teaching the law-abiding Pharisees to open their hearts and let Him in. As we all know, they would refuse. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

The privileges that come with being one of God’s chosen…

Luke 2:13-17
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I often think about all of the people that I have avoided in my life because I judged them either for the way they looked or acted. The reason being is that they made me feel uncomfortable. They required me to move out of my comfort zone, and that was hard for me.

As I have grown older, I have found some amazing relationships through working in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than the power of David Keith. It’s not even a contest. I am powerless without Him. I am the sick that needs the doctor. I am the sinner that requires my Father’s love. I am the one that needs Jesus. I need Him every day. Without Him I am wretched, blind, and lifeless. Thank God He came for me.

The more I get to know Christ and develop a close and intimate relationship with Him, the more I find that His words are becoming my words. His wants are my wants. His love is my love. I am becoming more and more like Him.

By no means do I say that I have all the answers or that I have this whole thing figured out. I mess up daily. That’s beside the point. Jesus made me a promise, and every single day that I wake, I stretch for that promise of His love, all well knowing that when the race is finished, I will be honored to even sweep my Father’s floor in Heaven. But He has more for me. Way more. I am headed towards His will. No matter how beautifully difficult it may be.

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

What you see is not always what you get…

Mark 2:1-12
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Nobody had ever seen anything like this. This is God in the flesh. This is the Creator and savior, all rolled into one. He took on the form of man and walked perfectly through our world, never sinning, never failing, always true. A shining example for the entire world to witness.

The picture is of a man wanting healing of his affliction, in this case paralysis. His friends, four of them, take him to the roof of where Jesus is and lower him down because there is no way to get through the throngs of people. After all of this, Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven.” And in that moment, the man’s heart broke because he wanted to walk. He could not see the true healing…the forgiveness of sin. Ultimately, that is His greatest gift, SALVATION, freedom from sin. But more was wanted. That was not enough.

Sound familiar? It should. We are human. And…we are HUMAN. Made in the image of God Himself. Given this Earth to rule over by our mighty creator. So, Jesus turns, lets them know that their way of thinking is wrong, but He does it so peacefully. The true gift is freedom from sin. RECEIVE! #JESUSSAVES

AMEN. Maranatha.
DK

In finishing my first Chapter of the Gospel of Mark, I realize how to the point he is in his writing. I am enjoying it. I love the humanity on display in this story. Our beautiful weaknesses…

Mark 1:40-
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Jesus was not about the spectacle. We are the ones that did that. As humans, we tend to have this inherent need to profess everything we see and hear, be it good or bad. Jesus gave explicit instructions to the man He had just healed not to tell anyone about the miracle. The man did it anyway. Can you really blame him, though? I would be jumping for joy and shouting out what Jesus had done for me if my disease was healed.

Jesus had a plan. A perfect plan to save us from ourselves. It was put into place at the perfect time. He was given the perfect followers to help Him establish His ministry. He saved all of us and made us all…PERFECT. Yes, He did. He removed all sin and left nothing but forgiven people to walk the Earth until His return. All we have to do is accept His free gift of freedom, salvation, healing, Love, Hope, Joy, and undying happiness. Once we do, He will smile upon you and lay out His perfect plan for your life. HIS PLAN. Not yours.

It’s better than you could ever imagine. #JesusSaves

Amen. Maranatha.
DK

He was surely receiving His instructions from God at this time…

Luke 35-39
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Jesus did not make a move without consulting His Father first. The time at which He did this was important, as it was obviously the first thing that Jesus did every day. It is what we should do. Pray first thing in the morning.

As we pray, whether we hear Him or not, instructions will be given to you through the Holy Spirit. With His plans in place, everything will be perfect, even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Even as trials hammer on us from all sides. Even as we are attacked by Satan himself, God’s plan is perfect.

I pray for God’s perfect plan for us by the will of God alone. I pray your happiness and mine do not come from what this world provides. Rather, I pray that our happiness comes directly through the glorification of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen. MARANATHA!
DK

Jesus continues to heal to this day, and will continue to do so tomorrow…

Mark 1:29-34
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

As Christians, Jesus left us with the power to heal and to drive out demons. Jesus did this for a mass number of people on this day. However, He could not let the demons speak, for they knew who He was. If they were to say His name at this time, it would do Him no good. Jesus possessed the power to prevent demons from speaking against Him. He left us that power as well. The Holy Spirit.

Amen. Maranatha.
DK