Mark 16:15 Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all. (The Message)
I've learned a couple of things this morning when I read this Scripture. First I learned that Mark 16:9-20 are only in later manuscripts and not the earlier Greek ones. I learned that when Jesus was speaking to his disciples in chapter 16:14-18, he was only speaking to 11 of them as Judas had committed suicide.
From a web site, I learned about St Patrick. I didn't know he was a missionary to Ireland and who went from being a slave to a person who preached God's Word.
His story starts at age 16 when he and a large number of his father's slaves were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves. He was forced to work as a shepherd in Ireland and suffered from hunger, cold, fear and loneliness. But as his fears increased, his faith increased.
Six years later, he escaped and returned to his family in Britain where he decided to devote himself to God. He entered the church and became both a deacon and a Bishop. He then went back to Ireland at age 22 (a missionary) because his greatest desire was to tell the Good News to the Irish.
Anyway, all this got me thinking. How many people suffer today? How many of them will continue to keep their faith during those times? How many of them will turn to God because of others witnessing to them?
Maybe the person whose hunger was taken care of by Mike at the bus station or the person who needed money and got some from Brian outside the store, are suffering like Patrick in the respect of being hungry, cold, lonely and fearful. Through Mike and Brian, God laid his hand on those men and I pray the men will see that somehow.
Mike and Brian were in the world and spread God's Word like Mark 16:15 says.
Nancy
