A Demon Comes to Church part nine

And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, "What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out." (Luke 4:36 NASB)

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on this eventful day. The demon-possessed man was shouting. Jesus turned His attention from the Scripture to the man and his demon. With a single sentence, really just two commands, He changed everything for the people of  Capernaum that day. "Be quiet! Come out!" He said, and the demon did. They had never seen anything like it before. Jesus spoke, the demon left, and the man was sitting on the floor in his right mind again. Wow! 

We can not really comprehend how astounded these people must have been, but imagine a screaming, raving, insane man in your church service, a command from the preacher, and the man is suddenly thrown to the floor and as sane as anyone else there. It was not just unexpected, it was unprecedented. 

There was no disputing the suddenly sane man's transformation, yet every person turned to the man next to them and began to say, "Wow! Did you see that? How did He do that? Who is this Teacher? How does He have the authority to cast out a demon?" No one had any answers, but there were plenty of questions and plenty of speculation. 

There were several things everyone agreed about. Jesus had cast out the demon. The man was sane again.  Jesus had an inexplicable authority and an unprecedented power. They were not yet sure what it meant, but they knew immediately that it MEANT SOMETHING. 

Jesus, filled with divine authority and divine power, astonished everyone present that day, not the least of which was the suddenly sane man. This entire exchange likely took only a few seconds. That's how fast Jesus can move to change a life forever. 

Jesus can still move in a matter of seconds to transform lives today. He is not limited by the type or duration of the sin or the unbelief. Jesus can move. Pray today that our Lord will move just as quickly in our loved ones and that, in a matter of seconds they will be transformed by the power of the Most High God and set free from all that enslaves them. 

The Flabbergasted Heart

And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority. (Luke 4:31, 32 NASB)

The word that is translated "amazed" is ekplēssō, which means (according to blueletterbible.org) "1)to cast off by a blow, to drive out

2)commonly, to strike one out of self-possession, to strike with panic, shock, astonish

3)to be struck with amazement, astonished, amazed"

You don't quite get the idea from that very overused word "amazed", but when Jesus taught in  Capernaum, the people responded in a totally different way than in Nazareth. In Capernaum, Jesus's teaching hit them like a blow and left them reeling. It knocked them out of their self-possession  and not only made them think but brought lasting change. 

What a great way to receive the Word! When was the last time you heard the truth of Scripture in such a way that it totally flabbergasted you and left you speechless with the profundity of it? When did you last allow God's Word to bring lasting change in your life?

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will hear God's Word with ekplēssō and that we will be struck to the core of our being with truth that brings lasting change and makes us more like Jesus.