Bible Study: Mark 8: 22-26

There is an account of a blind man cured by Jesus and is written in the Book of Mark. We see in most accounts of Christ, it is written in more then one gospel. We know not all of Jesus miracles were recorded. The ones that were selected are to help convey the message the Lord put on the Gospel writers mind. Each Gospel writer had a different perspective, so when you read about a miracle in one gospel it may be describe differently in another according to that Gospel writers prospective. It’s interesting that this miracle was only accounted in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 8: 22-26
22And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

23And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

25After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

After reading this passage I wanted to find out why it took Jesus 2 times to get this man to see correctly. It’s hard to believe the creator of the stars and planets and all life could not get it done on the first try. Here at TBS we have a banner that has a verse on it:

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

22And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

So the blind man did not come on his own, friends brought him there. It doesn’t say that the blind man asked his friends to bring or lead him there. In fact, this blind man may have even been talked into going not really thinking it will help. But his friends did have faith that Jesus Christ could cure his blindness. We also know this man wasn't from Bethsaida:
26And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

Mark 8:23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town;

So Jesus comes to Bethsaida and the blind man is lead to him by his friends to Bethsaida. Now Jesus takes him by the hand and leads him out of town. Why?
Because the town is know for its unbelief.

Mathew 11:20-24
20Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

23And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

It can also be found in Luke 10:13.

Mark 8:23-24 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

This man was not blind at birth. How would he know what a tree looked like? And why is he not completely cured at this point.

The problem wasn't that Jesus couldn't cure him, it was because of the blind mans disbelief! He had no faith that Christ could heal him.He didn’t really believe, but when his eyes started to see things his faith grew.

25After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

He saw every man clearly, 20/20 vision, God is not going to give his own second best.

In Mathew we see how people were cured the first time because of their faith.

Mathew 9:28-29 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

Now these guys were healed on the very first try because they did believe.

Mathew 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

I believe this scripture gives us another view how God works. How he changes our lives in stages, and it's based by our faith in him. I like the By Faiths:

Hebrews 11:7-33
By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house;

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed;

By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not

And though this man had little faith, Jesus gave him some sight and his faith increase. What is our faith?

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mark 8:26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

This town had heard the word, seen Gods works and rejected it. They didn’t believe and did not have faith in Christ.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

What happens when you reject the word of God?

Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

And the little faith that the people of that town may have had, will be taken away.

Luke 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

Lord, we pray now to you, to the author of our faith, to help us diligently seek you, we pray for wisdom and understanding of your word and to increase our faith in all matters concerning you. Amen.

Curtis Lewis Goes Home To The Lord

Curtis Lewis a faithful servant has been called home. We feel sad that he has left our presence, but we rejoice that he is now in the presence of Jesus Christ! We loved Curt very much and he will be sorely missed. But we must continue on with the work of the Lord so others can have the joy of being in Christ's presence.

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Below is a message from the his family.

Dear Friends and Coworkers,
As many of you know, our father, Curtis Lewis, passed away on Friday night. We are planning the Memorial service for Tuesday the 22nd, 10 am at Gospel Light Bible Baptist Church, 4393 Lyell Road in Gates. The reception in the afternoon will take place there as well. Pastor Vince Giardino is a life-long family friend.

In the event our friends and coworkers would like to make a contribution of food for the reception, you can either call Wegmans Lyell Avenue at 429-4400 (The store manager, Bill Burnett, has asked Lyndon Johnson & Mark Vanorden to coordinate orders for this occasion).

Or,

You can call the person at the Church who is coordinating our home-made food needs: Bonnie Vazquez at 281-0491.

Please join us, and share the invitation with others, as we celebrate our father's life.

Thankyou,
Wendy Wicks
Brian Lewis
Craig "Rusty" Lewis
Terry (Lewis) Modafferi
Brenda (Lewis) Maier

Baptism Picnic At Hamlin Beach State Park

We know these the pictures from the Baptism Picnic At Hamlin Beach State Park are on the late side but with all the stuff (archaic word in the KJV) going on with Curt, it has taken some extra time. No one was baptized but we had a good time with our families. We hope that you enjoy the movie of this event. If anyone would like to do a bible study on why we should be baptized please contact Dave Stulpin to set up that study.

Mark 1: 4-5 4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

Deputies Honor A Pal

We wanted to post the article head lined in the Democrat & Chronicle on Wed. 7/9/08 : Deputies Honor A Pal. The article speaks for itself. I would like to commend the D&C and RNews for doing a wonderful job in reporting this event. The help of police officers from not only the Sheriff's Department but from Gates and Ogden Police Departments. We thank them for their time and work they put into making this possible. We would like to thank everyone who attended for their support to honor Curt. The Lord called and Curt listened and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

2 Timothy 4: 1-5 1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

AMEN

Curtis Lewis Special Deputy

Tuesday at 12:00 pm Curtis Lewis becomes a Special Deputy in the Monroe County Sheriff Department. His work with the youth throughout the years teaching the ways of the Lord through Gods word, has inspired many to become Sheriffs in Monroe County. As Curt has told many when he was asked what his relationship was to these Sheriffs, "I'm their mentor, the guy that kept them on the right side of the bars".

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

We know from Curt's stories of the past, he always wanted to be a Sheriff, but the Lord lead him on another path. The path that he was led on was in the construction industry where Godly comments are not usually heard. For many of these men, Curt was the only Christian that ever witnessed to them. It is amazing that God led Curt in another direction but kept him involved with law enforcement. With his gift of hospitality TBS Bible Study started 25 years ago and was a blessing from the Lord. With the invitation for all to come to fellowship, all sorts of people came. Curt would say the lame, the blind, and the lowly. Were not just regular people.

Luke 14:13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

Then calls in the middle of the night asking Curt for help after being arrested and Curt calling on his brethren Sheriff's for advise and help. This was Curt, always on call and his home always open. Curt, you sir, have been a blessing not only for TBS brothers and their families but to the entire community. We thank you and love you.

We would like to thank Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn for honoring a man who has encouraged Christian men to join law enforcement.

Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn will be issuing a Sheriffs Badge to Curtis Lewis at 12:00 pm (noon) on July 8, 2008 at 2510 Manitou Road, Gates, NY 14624.

Please join us for this happy and special occasion. Parking is at Lugias parking lot.

Psalms 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
Amen.

The Passing of Ken (Skip) Richarson's Wife Beverly

We at TBS would like to give our condolences to Ken on the passing of his wife Beverly. When a wife or child is lost we grieve for them. This loss will be life changing. We read in Job how he lost his children:

Job 18-19: 18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 19And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

He grieved but did not blame God.

Job 22:22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

This man didn't have the New Testament to read. He believed that God was his maker and was in control. Its ok to grieve, but we remember the promises of God: We will be reunited with our saved loved ones.

Luke 42-43: 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

We need to stay in the word to give us the strength and power to continue to do Gods will while we still walk in this place. Again we pray for our Brother in Christ.

Salvation Army Tour

Recently Curt Lewis and Ernie Giardino went to visit Captain Darrell Calhoun at the Salvation Army Facility at Liberty Pole Way in Rochester, NY. This facility consists of a church, office areas, a cafeteria, down stairs breakfast/meeting room, and 35 living quarters. We found that the Salvation Army has the capacity to feed many people every day. This is a remarkable task considering the fact that budgets are cut when the money doesn’t come in. With the price of fuel going up and the budget going down it becomes difficult to maintain even last year levels of service. The facility is a very clean environment where people of the street can come for some basic human needs. But the most important work of the Salvation Army is the spiritual needs of the people that come here.

John 21: 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

They have the opportunity to learn about Jesus Christ, and what he did for them. They are shown with scripture how Christ died on the cross to cover our sins. They are asked to come back to learn more about our Savoir and get more than their basic needs met.

John3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The Salvation Army will find out the education level of these people and may help them further their education. They help them get a GED or a driver’s license. They will help them find jobs as well as ask them to help in serving the needs of others. Darrell stated he is looking for volunteers, good men not afraid to speak up, help out and keep the facility safe.

1 John 17: 17-19 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

When we went in the church, we found old hymn books and King James Version Bibles.

Mattew 26:29-30 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

The level of detail and dedication of the people here is a memorial to the Lord. As for Curt and me, we found it to be a blessing to have an opportunity to spend time here today. If you would like to give some of your time to a good ministry please contact Captain Darrell Calhoun: email comroc@aol.com, phone: 585-202-5590.

Matthew25: 33-36 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.