Daily Devotional
February 23
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. - Mark 16:16-18 (KJV)
In this verse Jesus is saying that if you believe in Him, and are baptized, you will be saved. This places importance on being baptized, and although the Scriptures show that you can be born again before being baptized (Acts 10), Jesus is saying that you should be baptized to be saved. It is made clear that if you do not believe in Jesus, you shall be damned. Anyone who knows of the command to be baptized, and does not do it, may not have been truly born again, as Jesus has said to be baptized to be saved, and James wrote that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). You must obey the commands of Jesus to assure your eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9).
Jesus is saying that these signs will follow all that believe in Him, not just the ones called to be ministers, but all saints. Jesus said that we would do these things, and not that we just could do them. We have been commanded to cast out devils, operate in the Spiritual Gifts, lay hands on the sick (not just pray for them) and see them recover, etc. Jesus would not command us to do these things, without giving us the power to do them. It is not our human power that can do these things, but it is the power of God in us (Luke 24:49), and flowing through us, that enables us to do these miracles. The Word of God tells us to do all the works that Jesus did, and even greater works (John 14:12), so why are we not doing them? If you believe the Word of God, and love Jesus, then you need to do what it commands us to do (John 14:21). If we would all go out and heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise a few of the dead, then we would cause a revival like this world has never seen. Don’t stay in your prayer closet, praying for revival, but lets go out and cause one to happen. Praise God for all He has given us!
Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com
**Daily Devotional**
**February 23**
*16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. - Mark 16:16-18 (KJV)*
In this verse Jesus is saying that if you believe in Him, and are baptized, you will be saved. This places importance on being baptized, and although the Scriptures show that you can be born again before being baptized (Acts 10), Jesus is saying that you should be baptized to be saved. It is made clear that if you do not believe in Jesus, you shall be damned. Anyone who knows of the command to be baptized, and does not do it, may not have been truly born again, as Jesus has said to be baptized to be saved, and James wrote that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). You must obey the commands of Jesus to assure your eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9).
Jesus is saying that these signs will follow all that believe in Him, not just the ones called to be ministers, but all saints. Jesus said that we would do these things, and not that we just could do them. We have been commanded to cast out devils, operate in the Spiritual Gifts, lay hands on the sick (not just pray for them) and see them recover, etc. Jesus would not command us to do these things, without giving us the power to do them. It is not our human power that can do these things, but it is the power of God in us (Luke 24:49), and flowing through us, that enables us to do these miracles. The Word of God tells us to do all the works that Jesus did, and even greater works (John 14:12), so why are we not doing them? If you believe the Word of God, and love Jesus, then you need to do what it commands us to do (John 14:21). If we would all go out and heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise a few of the dead, then we would cause a revival like this world has never seen. Don’t stay in your prayer closet, praying for revival, but lets go out and cause one to happen. Praise God for all He has given us!
Devotional by Pastor Joe W. Green, www.infinite-faith.com
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