Introduction

The first chapter in the Gospel of Mark summarized Jesus Christ was baptized and He started to preach to the world. He was telling people:

"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)

The good news is the path of faith and belief in the gospel, it opens up a new path in our lives in which we are no longer helpless and powerless to deal with illness.

This Is the Generation In Which the Kingdom of God Has Come Upon

There is a church in Canada that has collected a thousand crutches. Over a thousand people came in with crutches and walked out of the church as they returned to health. Money cannot stop people from getting diseases. But today, we have the gospel from our Lord Jesus Christ which is free of charge, people just have to believe and receive it.

Before I became a Christian, I only concentrated on how to make money. However, I found that there are a lot of things that both poor and rich people cannot manage. I was thinking in my mind: how to live a better life? I am not someone who doesn't have knowledge or education background. I just thought there must be a way for me to live a better life in this world.

Then I realized that I needed to find a God and this God must be a God Most High who has the power. One day, I walked into a church and found many Christians were living in peace and security. This is the life which I was looking for! It turned out that trust in the Lord Jesus Christ not only can make our life peaceful and stable, but it also allows people to have a wonderful life. Life should not be helpless and hopeless, we should live our life happier and full of joy.

God Is Baptizing Us With the Holy Spirit

John the Baptist shared the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And this was his message: "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:7-8)

The spirit of God is the source of power. When God lives in us, we will gain power from Him. Just like a power plant has infinite power, we are the ones who have the control to turn it on and off. The spirit of God has unlimited energy which created the universe.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:1-4)

No matter how formless, chaotic and dark the situation is, there will be hope when the spirit of God is working. We all need hope to live in this world, people cannot live well without hope.

The first time when I went to the church, I did not know anything and I could not understand the texts in the Bible because I was not familiar with the English language. But even so, the moment I walked out of the church, I found that I have changed my view of the world: the world has become a better place. It had nothing to do with my understanding, it was all because the spirit of God illuminated my heart. This is the gospel from our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, when I start to pray for other people, I will always tell the person to be filled with the spirit of God because the Holy Spirit will provide us with the power to overcome our weaknesses and grow stronger.

There are still many people who are afraid of devils. Fear is not an option, just like Chinese people were called the Sick man of East Asia a long time ago, Japanese people did not care if you were weak or not. The Japanese invasion of China, Nanjing Massacre still happened. Being weak is not a way at all. We have to be strong and courageous because it is the only solution to solve the problem. Where does the strength come from? It comes from the Holy Spirit!

This is the gospel of the kingdom of God, with a demonstration of the spirit's power. The Holy Spirit is the God who created the universe, it is the harmony between man and the spirit of God. Keep in mind that we cannot fight against the devils alone, but with the power of God, we can win over the enemies and overcome all the difficulties in this world.

Don't ever feel that you just have to be a good person in this world. Being a good person will never solve problems. If you meet a robber, and you tell the person that you are a good person. Do you think the robber will stop? No, the robber will still do the same to you. So today, we need to know that the only way to solve problems is letting the power of God come into us.

We Are Given the Power From God When Filled With the Holy Spirit

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. (Mark 1:21-22)

If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will know with certainty that you have authority from God in your hands. When we become Christians, who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to speak and do things by authority. When we pray for other people, do not say: "Oh Lord, please! please! please heal." Instead, we should say: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command the spirit of pain to go away!" This is the authority given by God. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will gain the power from our God, we are given the authority to speak in faith. This is also a sign of strength.

We Need to Know What Devils Know

Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:23-24)

When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, the person will be given with the authority from God. The devils will know who you are. Today, devils know Jesus Christ is the Holy One of God. We should let devils know that we are also the Holy One of God!

Before Jesus came to the synagogue, a man was possessed by an impure spirit for many years. No one noticed that this man was possessed by an impure spirit and nobody knew how many people got ruined by this man. The impure spirit started to cry out until one day Jesus came to the place. We need to know that if the spirit of God is not working in that place, then the spirit of the devil is working in that place. We must have spiritual eyes and begin to use the spiritual authority given by God and let the devils know that we are the Holy One of God, we are part of the body of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Had Created A New Doctrine

Jesus created a new doctrine called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not a common doctrine but a powerful doctrine, it is the way of eternal life, the authority given by God to tread down the devils. With this doctrine, we can have the authority to command the impure spirit to obey us. Therefore, if you are afraid of devils, you must fight against the devils because fear will never solve the problem. Today, we are putting this doctrine into practice and have breakthroughs. We are doing what Jesus had done, we will become someone like Jesus Christ, and our reputation will spread throughout Galilee. More and more people will know us and come to us for help, so we can preach the gospel to them.

The Gospel Is About Healing the Sick And Casting Out Demons

When Jesus came into Peter's house, Peter's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. The process was very simple. Today, we need to know that this gospel can heal the sick and our God is a God who can heal us!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

We need to know that God loves us, God gave His only Son to us! God is willing to give us everything on Earth. Diseases and cancers are not good things, and they are not the will of God. God is willing to give us everything as He promised. Jesus just touched her hand and the fever left her, not only just healed the sick, but Jesus also raised a child from the dead. How wonderful our God is! God is rich in mercy, the grace of God is not for us to suffer from diseases or cancers, but for us to get healed.

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, 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. (Mark 1:32-34)

Mark Verses 32 to 34 mentioned Jesus healed many who had various diseases. If we go back to the Book of Acts Chapter 5 Verses 16 and the Book of Matthew Chapter 12 Verses 15, we will see that anyone who came to Jesus Christ was healed!

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:16)

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. (Matthew 12:15)

Even Jesus's disciples were able to heal the sick and cast out demons after Jesus ascended to heaven. Jesus was more than capable of doing such things. So today, we must build up a strong character and become strong-minded people. When we pray for illness, we may encounter a situation where some people got healed and some people did not get healed. Why? The problem is us, not God! Because our God is faithful, not one of all the good promises the Lord our God gave us has failed!

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

If people did not get healed, it means the problem is us. Even today, we kept looking for a revelation. At the time when we do not know how to solve a problem, we will kneel down and pray to God for revelation.

Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ

So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1:39)

Both preaching the gospel and casting out demons are important. Peter was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. Peter had to preach and cast out demons like what Jesus had done, we also have to do the same because this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not spiritual sustenance.

In China, high school students have to pass the National College Entrance Examination before they can enroll in a university or college. If you write something on the paper that is related to the topic, then you will get some points. But if you write something which is not relevant to the topic, then you will get zero points. It also applied to Christians, we need to refer back to the Bible and think carefully about what the gospel is all about. If the Bible tells us to do this or that, then we must follow what Bible is telling us and things will become much easier. Hence, it is not about making complicated things. It's about making complicated things very simple. Don't wait for the day when we come to our Lord Jesus Christ and be told by Him: "You believe in a different gospel which is not a gospel at all." That means everything you have done in your life is worth nothing.

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23)

If you preach in the name of Jesus Christ, and Jesus said: "I never knew you." The reason is that you are someone who does not love, whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Mark 25:42-46)

Today, we need to know the The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a complete system. Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. We preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and do what Jesus had done, preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and cast out demons.