Jesus frees a demon-possessed man
26 Jesus and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes’ land, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived among the tombs, naked and homeless. 28 When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down before him. Then he shouted, “ What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me! ” 29 He said this because Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon would force him into the wilderness.
30 Jesus asked him, “ What is your name? ”
“ Legion, ” he replied, because many demons had entered him. 31 They pleaded with him not to order them to go back into the abyss.t32 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission, 33 and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.
34 When those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. 35 People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe. 36 Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the demon-possessed man had been delivered. 37 Then everyone gathered from the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “ Return home and tell the story of what God has done for you. ” So he went throughout the city proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.
This book will encourage and empower readers to engage the culture as bold witnesses for Christ. Too many Christians in America are being intimidated into silence and inaction. The sound advice and solid counsel in this book will help believers break free from the false constraints of prevailing legal misconceptions popularizedand perpetuated by the anti-Christian secular Left and its allies in law, media, education, and entertainment. By reading this book, Christians will learn that the law does not require them to sit passively on the sidelines of American life Each chapter begins with a short fictional vignette drawn from real-life controversies and circumstances. The vignettes are engaging, but intentionally unresolved, setting the stage for the legal counsel to follow. The tone of the counsel is relaxed and folksy, simple and direct, without confusing "legalese" or complex academic jargon. The relevant concepts are boiled down to plain English, and each chapter ends with a bullet-point action list of key take-a-ways.Is it still safe to live out our Christian faith in an increasingly secularized and hostile society?Do we risk being punished at school or on the job if we dare to take a stand for Christ?Can we be forced to shut up and sit down when we try to speak for Jesus in the public square?This book answers these tough questions and more with the kind of realistic and reassuring legal wisdom Christians need to be effective witnesses for the faith in 21st Century America.