If you’re following the 5x5x5 New Testament reading plan, you’re at least through Mark chapter 5 by now, which contains one of my favorite stories: the demon-possessed man Jesus frees. It ends this way:

As [Jesus] was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. (Mark 5.18 – 20, ESV)

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I’m a huge believer in equipping and training. I think it’s the central mission of the church:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry… (Ephesians 4.11, 12, ESV)

I also believe in growth over time, a lesson you might have seen in Mark chapter 4:

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4.26 – 28, ESV)

That said, what do we learn from the story of the demon-possessed guy in Mark 5? He begged Jesus to let him go with Jesus for training. Instead, Jesus sent him off on a mission…without training! Let’s explore this a little more tomorrow.