Journeying with Jesus: Nuggets from the Gospel of Mark

DECISIVE MOMENTS IN TIME (MARK 1:14-15, NIV)

BY REV. LISA MORRISON

Life is full of decisive moments – some having greater impact than others.

I remember clearly one of those decisive moments that changed my life forever. I was in South Africa, as a guest lecturer for a semester, when the Lord woke me up at the crack of dawn one morning and spoke to my spirit saying, “Mathapelo (one of my students) is the daughter you’ve always wanted,” and then He shot a love burst in my heart for her. I was excited about this announcement but had no idea what it meant since I was going home to the United States in less than three weeks.

In a matter of a few short months, the Lord began to reveal His plan. He asked me if I would be willing to step down from pastoring my church and district leadership positions to stand behind Mathapelo in a support position for her to come to the United States to receive her education in theological studies. It was a decisive moment in time when God broke into my world, which resulted in a radical change in both our lives.

In Mark 1:14-15, we read of a decisive moment in time, which results in a radical change for all history. It is the moment the prophets foretold. The Kingdom of God has come near. Why? Because Jesus, the promised One, has arrived and He has begun to proclaim the message of the gospel. It is a message of repentance and belief. Jesus is orienting God’s people to the truth that repentance is critical and foundational to salvation. It is the core of His message. We cannot be saved if we have not turned away from our sinful ways and believe that Jesus is the One who has come to save us from our sin.

We all must decide if we will accept Jesus’ message of “Repent and believe the good news.” (v. 15 NIV) No one escapes this decision – even not deciding is a decision. When we choose to repent and believe, we will experience a decisive moment in time that will change our lives for all eternity.

The decisive moment of accepting Jesus into our heart is designed to provide us with the opportunity to share the good news of God to our world just as Jesus did to His world. If your heart’s desire is to share the good news of Christ to those around you, then be prepared for God to break into your world in a decisive moment in time and ask you to be on mission for Him, which will produce a great impact on the lives of those around you.

Lisa Morrison is an ordained minister who has served as pastor, and staff pastor in several positions in the local church, as well as in district ministerial and educational leadership positions. She also has been an Adjunct Instructor at various educational institutions of higher learning teaching in the Religion Departments. She holds two master’s degrees and a post-graduate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.