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Stilling of the Storm
207
They could tell what they knew, what they had seen and heard and
felt of the power of Christ. This is what everyone can do whose
heart has been touched by the grace of God. See
1 John 1:1-3
.
If we have been following Jesus step by step, we will have
something to tell about the way in which He has led us—how we
have tested His promise and found the promise true. This is the
witness for which our Lord calls us.
Though the people of Gergesa had not received Jesus, He did
not leave them to the darkness they had chosen. They had not heard
His words. They were ignorant of what they were rejecting. So He
again sent light to them by those to whom they would not refuse to
listen.
The destruction of the swine alerted the whole country as nothing
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else could have done and directed attention to Christ. The men
He healed remained as witnesses to His power, channels of light,
messengers of the Son of God. This experience opened a door
throughout that region. When Jesus returned to Decapolis, thousands
heard the message. God overrules even the working of evil to bring
about good.
The demon-possessed men of Gergesa, dwelling among the
graves, in slavery to uncontrolled passions and loathsome lusts,
represent what humanity would become if left to Satan’s rule. Satan
constantly exerts his influence on people to control the mind and
incite to violence and crime. He darkens the intellect and defiles
the heart. Whenever people reject the Savior’s invitation, they are
yielding themselves to Satan. Many in the home, in business, and
even in church are doing this today. Because of this, violence and
crime blanket the earth, and moral darkness encloses the places
where people live. Satan leads men and women to worse and worse
evils, until complete wickedness and ruin are the result. The only
safeguard against his power is the presence of Jesus. In the sight of
men and angels, Satan has been revealed as our enemy and destroyer;
Christ, as our Friend and Deliverer.
God has called us to be “conformed to the image of His Son.”
Romans 8:29
. And people who have been degraded into instruments
of Satan are still transformed through Christ into messengers of
righteousness and sent out to tell “what great things the Lord has
done for you.”
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