A Visit with the Joneses

Carol Jones Saint: Hello, hello there, come right in to visit with the Joneses at Home Sweet Home. We're going to be thinking about the Christian home in this radio visit, and right here at the beginning, the trio is going to be reminding you to give Christ first place in the heart and in the home. And we're going to be using the little chorus written by Irvine Bert Jones, "Give Christ First Place in Your Home."

Certainly when you give Christ first place in your heart and in your home, you will want the Lord's leading moment by moment and day by day, step by step and all the way. And so listen now as you make it your prayer even as we make it our prayer, Lead on O King Eternal as I play the song for you on the beautiful Schantz pipe organ, the largest pipe organ in northwestern Pennsylvania, found in the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.

What a privilege to play this organ as I do my own arrangement of Lead on O King Eternal. I think you'll enjoy hearing it from this great cathedral. Hear the echoes, the overtones. See the organist sing, Lead on O King Eternal.

Oh, that was magnificent, Bert, and certainly portrayed the words, and what a message for each of us to make in our lives and in our homes, that God would lead us.

Bert: And Carol, I know the part you liked the best about that. You liked that great big 32-foot bass pipe.

Carol Jones Saint: Right, I did. I love that when all the stops are pulled out. Magnificent.

Bert: And I love the overtones of that beautiful Gothic church, so it was a privilege for me to play the organ there, and you'll be hearing more of it from time to time.

Now as we are thinking of the Christian home and the need for the Christian home and the problems of the Christian home, I want that our family devotions will be centered this time on a story that is repeated in two of the gospels. We find it in Mark chapter five and we also find it in Luke chapter eight. It tells of the day when Jesus went into the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. I'm reading from Luke chapter eight, beginning with verse 26, and then I'm going to skip some of the story and you can read that yourself.

And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man which had devils a long time and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not."

Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought Jesus to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear. And Jesus went up into the ship and returned back again.

Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought Jesus that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away saying, "Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee." And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. And it came to pass that when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him, for they were all waiting for him.

Carol Jones Saint: Beautiful, beautiful scripture. Hear those wonderful words. In Mark it says go home and tell, and here in Luke it says return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee. My friend, one of the greatest things you can do after meeting Jesus is to return to your own people. Go home and tell. Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee.

A Visit with the Joneses, Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania and the zip code 16512. If you enjoy emailing, the email address is visitjoneses@aol.com. Don't forget the gifts to the ministry are tax-deductible and your check should be written to the legal name A Visit with the Joneses Incorporated. There are many expenses involved in a ministry such as this and it would mean so much to have you share with us.

In preparing this message, and then going through an old songbook from the early 1900s, I found this lovely chorus from 1905 from the Charles M. Alexander evangelistic campaigns. The music by Robert Harkness, who was his music director for many years, and words by Ada Habershon, "Go Home and Tell, Go Home and Tell, what God hath done for you." Well, let's learn it together. So we will, we'll just learn it together. I'll play it through once, then we'll all sing it, and I hope you'll catch on too to this lovely reference from God's word.

Bert: Very wonderful and thrilling story we find recorded in Luke chapter eight and Mark chapter five. First I want you to notice that a work was done. Jesus came into the country and just as he got off the boat, he was met by this man who was filled with devils. The whole city knew about it, the whole town knew about it, the whole countryside. He was in terrible condition.

And he met Jesus, and Jesus cast out the devils. Of course, the interesting part of the story is the devils went into the swine and the swine went down into the lake and were drowned in the lake. Well then, of course, the people who kept the swine weren't happy with Jesus. They would rather have had the swine than to have a man who was cleansed of devils. But a great work was done.

It was just like a total change. The old life is described here in verses 27 and 28. There met him out of the city a certain man which had devils a long time and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs. And when he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not."

That's the picture of the old life. And then we have the picture of the new life as they came out from the city to see the man, and all of his life was changed. Jesus then got on the ship to go home, and the man came to Jesus and said, "I want to go with you." But Jesus said, "Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done for you." Oh, it's a wonderful thing when God does a work in a man's life.

It's a wonderful thing when Jesus Christ forgives your sins and cleanses from sin and gives you a new life. It's a wonderful life when you can say with the Apostle Paul, "Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." I wonder, have you allowed Jesus to make that change in your life? He can do it. Without him, I'm an old creature, but now with him, old things have passed away and all things have become new.

Bert: Let us pray. Our Father, as we have heard this song as sung by Ruth, this hour we would not offer our services to thee for a specific sphere alone, but without limitations we would say, "Here I am, Lord, I'm yours to use. Whenever, wherever, however, but I'm yours to use." May this be the spirit in which someone this hour will come to thee and say, "Lord, thou hast done so much for me. I offer myself to thee." For Jesus' sake, Amen.

Bert: Well, when the man came to Jesus, he did not turn him away. Jesus was thrilled that he had offered his services and Jesus accepted the services which were offered, but he gave a strange commission that must have been hard for the man to understand. He did not say, "Come and get on the boat and travel with us." Instead he said, "Go home and tell, and go home and show how great things God hath done for you."

It was quite a commission. Go home and tell what I have done for you. In our next family devotional period, we are going to think of this commission the Lord gave. He accepted the service but with a different commission for the man as he said, "Go home and tell what I have done for you." Are you ready to hear that commission?

Carol Jones Saint: It has been such a joy to have you visiting at Home Sweet Home for this special time of family devotions. We have been sharing with you part one of a three-part series that is entitled Go and Tell, and we hope that the thoughts that we have shared in this particular time of devotions have been challenging to you and have helped you in your Christian life. Don't miss the additional ones because there are some great ideas that Bert shares with us regarding witnessing to your loved ones and your friends right at home.

Now remember that you can be a blessing to us if you would take time to write. The address is A Visit with the Joneses, Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania and the zip code 16512. If you enjoy emailing, the email address is visitjoneses@aol.com.

Don't forget the gifts to the ministry are tax-deductible and your check should be written to the legal name A Visit with the Joneses Incorporated. There are many expenses involved in a ministry such as this and it would mean so much to have you share with us. Thanks so much for being here and until the next time, go home and tell.