No. 40 Marching Orders

Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment, give without payment. Take no gold ... Matthew 10:7-9

Do I hear you shout, “This Mark is not meant for me! How can I cure the sick and raise the dead? This Mark was addressed specifically to the disciples who were given special powers.

We can’t cast out demons, not even little ones or raise an ant from the dead. Evangeline, quickly move on to the next Mark before you lose me.”

Evangeline sits in her chair calmly waiting for the hysteria to subside, then replies, “There is one God whose commands are the Mark. Fret not, we can hit this Mark with obedience!

Cure the sick with wisdom and wharever talents God gives you. Cure with prayer.

Raise the dead in spirit even if you can’t raise their bodies. Awaken them to immortality. Cleanse the lepers. Cleanse the loneliness of the leprous condition, the outcast diseased, the ugly, or the morbidly obese.

Cleanse them with your friendship and watch them blossom.”

You have the power to cast out demons, use it! Some demons shrivel up with neglect; others dissolve in the presence of holiness. The strongest can only be annihilated by prayer and fasting. Do it.

Make sure you do it all without accepting money or its counterpart: glory, or even in expectation gratitude in return. There is no Mark that you cannot hit if you want to enough.

Remember, we aren’t just trying to make it to Tahiti; we are desperate refugees who risk our lives and our egos to become citizens of the Kingdom of God.