Quote from Forum Archives on December 9, 2005, 1:13 pm

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
Freeway Foundation November 25. 2005

Seeing The Kingdom Present With Power

(Mark 9:1-29; Matthew 16:28-17:21; Luke 9:27-43)

Dr. Curt Scarborough (July 26, 2005)

I. Concentration: on these mountain-valley events in the
synoptic gospels

1. Mark (who usually gives the briefest account) includes much more

detailed information on these events than do Matthew or Luke.

2. Exclusive to Mark are the crowd's discussion (14-16), the boy's

convulsion (20), Jesus' questions about "How long?" and the

father's cry for compassion (21-22), "All things are possible" (23),

and "I believe, help my unbelief!" (24)

3. Only Matthew writes here about mustard-seed faith moving a

mountain (20).

4. Only Luke reveals that Jesus was praying when His transfiguration

happened (28-29), and that following the healing of the boy, the

people "were amazed at the majesty of God," (43)

II. Meditaton: on the setting and participants of these
mountain-valley events

1. All three gospels preface the story with Jesus' prediction that
some of

the disciples would "see the kingdom of God present with power."

2. This prophecy referred, of course, to His transfiguration on the
mountain,

but it also referred to His victorious encounter with a very powerful

demon in the valley.

3. On the mountain-top, only Jesus was present, with Peter, James, and

John.

4. In the valley, participants included: Jesus, Peter, James, and
John, the

nine other disciples, the man with his demon-possessed son, the

multitude of curiosity seekers, the critical Scribes, and Satan's deaf and

dumb spirit. (A typical church gathering!)

III. Revelation: on what was needed to "see the kingdom
present with power"

1. COMPASSION: (Mark 9:22) and MERCY (Matthew 17:15) for the
suffering

boy and his troubled father.

2. FAITH: "If you can believe, all things are possible . . . Lord, I
believe;

help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24) "If you have faith as a mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible for you," (Matthew 17:20)

3. PRAYER: (Luke 9:28-29), "This kind can come out by nothing but
prayer

and fasting," (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29)

4. FASTING: apparently Jesus and the inner circle of disciple had
spent

about a week in fasting (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28)

IV. Applications: in order to "see the kingdom present with
power," I need to . . .

1. Spend quality time on the mountain-top daily communing with Jesus.

2. Regularly engage in prayer and fasting, rather than waiting for an

emergency to happen before entering into these spiritual disciplines.

(The nine disciples had not spent a week in prayer and fasting, so they

were powerless against the demonic spirit.)

3. Look upon hurting people and their families with the compassionate,

merciful eyes of Jesus, seeking the Father's guidance on what He wants

me to do to help.

4. Exercise my small mustard-seed faith by speaking to the mountain,
just

as Jesus spoke to the demon; such active faith WILL SPEAK, the obstacle

or problem WILL MOVE . . . and others WILL OBSERVE God's power

and be amazed at His majesty. (Luke 9:43)

Note: in a typical church gathering, Jesus is there, along with some who
have spent time with Him;

impotent believers, hurting people, critical skeptics, and Satan
also are present.

"Grandfather's Clock"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

The antique clock enshrined upon a special doily on the dresser in Grandma

and Grandpa's bedroom was my favorite secret toy. My grandparents lived
across

the street and a half-block north of my house during my grade school days,
and

they welcomed my daily visits on the way home from Douglas Elementary. I

looked forward to those brief respites between doing schoolwork in class and

doing schoolwork at home. For one thing, I could count on Grandma's butter

cookies with a glass of milk. Whole, not skim!

One such idyllic afternoon, as I paid homage to Grandfather's
clock, it suddenly

began to chime. The sudden sound startled me, and . . . oh, no! . . . it
slipped out of my

hand and crashed face-down onto the hardwood floor. The sickening sound of
shattering

glass sent shivers through my panicked heart. I was doomed! In spite of
Grandpa's

repeated warnings, I had committed the unpardonable sin! Not only had I
touched the

sacred, forbidden object, I'd broken its face into a million pieces!

Quickly, I stashed the broken glass into a manila envelope.
Then I replaced the

faceless clock on the dresser . . . kind of back in the corner in the
shadows where, I

hoped, its altered countenance would remain unnoticed.

However, next day, when I burst through the backdoor looking for
my butter

cookies on the kitchen table, there it sat. The CLOCK! Staring accusingly
into my

eyes through its newly-repaired face. I began to cry . . . and there stood
Grandpa,

arms outstretched to give me his usual hug. This time, his love-hug also
included

forgiveness. I'll never forget his kindness toward me. That day, I
experienced what

the adulterous woman must have felt when Jesus said to her, "I don't condemn
you;

go and sin no more." (John 8:11)

Kindness, one of the Spirit-fruits in Galatians 5:22-23, is
graciousness of heart

. . . a sweet disposition, a sympathetic nature, a considerate spirit. Paul
advised the

Ephesian Christians: "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another,

even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) Whenever I meditate
on

kindness, my mind returns to the antique clock, and to Grandfather
Scarborough's

gentle treatment of his careless, disobedient third-grade grandson.

Prayer for the Day: Lord, in the light of your gracious, tenderhearted
forgiveness

of my many sins, help me to exhibit that same
spirit of

kindness toward others today.

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Full Tuition Scholarships available for undergraduate

degrees (Bachelor of Biblical Studies) to the first 100

bi-vocational pastors who register in 2006.

You only pay a registration fee, graduation fee, and for

the text books used in the course ($20 per course)

Don't miss this once in a life time offer!

REGISTER TODAY!!

If you have questions contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or phone weekdays

1-314-739-1121 and speak to Dr. Curt Scarborough.

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY messag