Rev. Amani Kabelege
THE WORD OF GOD IS ALIVE
READS: PSALM. 107:20-24 MARK 1:29-31 2 CORINTHIANS. 2:12-17
I welcome you all to this Bible Study, soon we will reflect together. Let me join all who congratulate, thank and see that we are benefiting greatly from the establishment of the Pastors’ Bible Study. I thank all my predecessors who conducted the previous three phases and this is the fourth Bible Study.
This Bible Study is divided into three main sections as are the three lessons of the Word ministry in the respective Sunday Service. But all are connected to achieve the weekly message of “The Word of God is Alive”. The short pre-Easter season (Sexagesma) as explained by Rev. Obias Kilagwa, my predecessor, continues.
- Psalm. 107:20-24
Let us remember that the Psalms are divided into five sections or Books: Book I, Ps. 1-41; Book II, 42-72; Book III, 73-89; Book IV, 90-106, and the last is Book V, 107-150. Therefore, our study of the Psalms is in the first chapter with 43 verses in the last section called Book Five. It is a part of the Psalms that some have called the Liturgy of thanksgiving after God delivered the Israelites from many problems or sorrows.
The sorrows that befell the Israelites in this 107th chapter are described in four small sections:
Ps. 107:4-5 where the Israelites wandered in the wilderness without a city to dwell in, they were hungry and thirsty and their soul was fainting.
Ps. 107:10-12, They sat in the darkness and the shadow of death; because they rebelled against the word of God, they despised the counsel of the Most High, they stumbled and had no helper.
Ps. 107:17-18, They are called “fools” because of their iniquities, they torment themselves; they hate all kinds of food, they draw near the gates of death.
Ps. 107:23-27, those who labor in many waters he raised up great waves until their minds were gone.
In such circumstances, the LIVING WORD of GOD intervenes to heal and save. The sending of the Word is the result of the Israelites/people crying out to God. The Word is preceded by this message, “They cried out to the LORD in their trouble. He healed them out of their distresses. He sent his word, he healed them, he delivered them from their destructions” (v. 19).
Here we clearly see that there is a strong connection between PRAYER/crying out to God and the sending of the Word that delivers and heals.
The Word is alive to bring life where life has left, or wants to leave. For example, organs affected by disease, places where there is hunger, thirst, or waves that can bring death. The Word that is alive delivers, restores life, and sets a guard so that life will not leave again. By the Word, those who were in captivity are restored to joy.
The emphasis of the way the living Word comes to us who are in trouble, in sorrow, pain, and death so that we may be delivered is PRAYER in the manner of Psalm 107. As an emphasis of this way, the words “They cried out to the LORD in their trouble,” that is, prayer, are repeated four times in these verses: Ps. 107:6a, 13a, 19a, and 28a. God’s answers to their cry for deliverance are seen repeated in verses 6b-7, 13b-14, 19b-20, and 28b-29.
This salvation is the reason why the people are called to thank God and praise Him in verses 8-9, 15-16, 21-22, and 31-32. And the words of thanksgiving that say “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his goodness” are repeated in these verses. So far we see this sequence: They cry out to God, the living Word is sent to save them, and then they thank God. Through the preceding verses we are informed that they thanked God for the following things:
- Being saved from the danger of a great famine in the wilderness (vv. 4-9).
- For being set free from captivity.
In the verses of our lesson it is gratitude for those who are healed and forgiven (vv. 17-22). Vv. 22 emphasizes that we should thank and testify to people about God’s salvation and not remain silent after being saved and healed. And this is the emphasis of our privates to encourage people to witness the mighty works of God in worship or assembly.
- For being saved from dangers at sea (vv. 23-32).
At the conclusion of the liturgy of thanksgiving to God, a song of praise to God for feeding the hungry and needy was sung as found in the verses that follow our lesson (107:33-43). As Book Five in Psalms 107-150 carries the main idea of Praise to the Lord, so those praises begin at the beginning of this lesson. Since God does great things for us every day through His Word, we should not be silent but praise Him and testify to others.
GOSPEL READING Mark 1:29-31
Jesus and his disciples enter Capernaum, where some of them are at home, namely Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Simon’s mother-in-law, who is also Peter, is sick and lies down. Jesus takes her by the hand and raises her up, and the fever leaves her.
The miracle of healing Peter’s mother-in-law was the second miracle after the one who freed the man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue in Capernaum. There are four miracles of exorcism in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 1:21-28; 5:1-20; 7:24-30; and 9:14-29). The abundance of these miracles of exorcism in Jesus’ ministry shows that it was a big problem then as it is today. This means that we servants of God today should not have a servant who cannot minister to a person possessed by a demon because it is a big problem and it is in every Street and Congregation where we are scheduled to work. By making Him the LORD Jesus, He sends us to do the ministry of casting out evil spirits to the possessed.
This lesson of Mark 1:29-31 is in a section called “Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee” which starts from Mark 1:14 – 7:23. It was preceded by various introductory events such as, the Baptism of Jesus (1:9-11); The Temptation of Jesus (1:12-13); Jesus calls his first disciples (1:16-20); and Jesus frees a man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue (1:21-28).
Our lesson is the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mk. 1:29-31)
This story demonstrates the power of Jesus Christ in healing various diseases such as fever. The title of the week in our Bible Calendar starting on 08.02.2026 says, “The Word of God is Alive” but here Jesus’ healing is different, he heals the sick man without uttering a single word. Jesus approaches the sick man, lifts him up by the hand, then the fever leaves him, and he gets up to serve them (v. 31).
We learn that:
- We can pray to God silently without uttering words and God hears and acts.
- The Word of God is alive and powerful, His promises are true and sure, it can work on another person without being spoken by the supplicant but only by signs such as laying a hand on him, holding him, or helping him do what he was unable to do. Be careful here about using ambiguous signs such as spitting, treading on oil, anointing objects, etc.
We also learn that holding the sick person when prayed for and praying from the heart is as powerful as speaking the living Word when praying for someone. The power of the supplicant does not play a major role in praying and interceding for the sick except for faith in all and a powerful word in the supplicant.
SERMON STUDY, 2 COR. 2:12-17
Before the apostle Paul discusses the perversion of the living Word of God, he makes it clear that he has been faithful to the Corinthians (1:12-14), not easily changing the plans of the ministry that have been planned (1:2-22). After that, he explains why he has not visited the Corinthians again (1:23 – 2:4). In the message that precedes our lesson, the apostle Paul discusses the punishment and forgiveness of someone who has wronged you (2:5-11); How he met Titus in Macedonia (2:12-13) and then his Apostolic Journeys (2:14 – 5:21).
Paul’s Apostolic Journeys to preach the living Word of God receive God’s Blessings first and then they begin (2:14-17); the work of preaching the word requires God’s Approval and Blessings before it can be done. These journeys were a great triumph in the advancement of the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (v. 14).
By traveling and preaching the Gospel, one becomes a dispenser or giver of life and death. Unlike a merchant or salesman of other goods, a minister who travels to preach the Gospel, the living Word, is empowered by God to make a difference. When he preaches the Word of God, some receive the Word to believe and become alive, and some reject it and become spiritually dead – “the aroma of life unto life” and “the aroma of death unto death” (v. 16).
There is joy in having fellowship in proclaiming the Word of God as the Apostle Paul rejoices to meet Titus in Macedonia. At the same time, when he arrived in Troas for the same work, he says that he did not find rest in his soul because he did not find his partner in the work, Titus, and that was the reason for leaving Troas earlier than he had planned to go to Macedonia (vv. 12-13). Titus was Paul’s strength to move forward with his missionary journey. Ministers of the Word of God, let us stick together, cooperate, and be the reason for another minister to find comfort, joy, strength, and motivation to continue preaching the living Word of God without postponing, making excuses, delaying, or completely abandoning the work of a preacher of the Gospel of Christ.
Preaching the Word of God is the work of a person who recognizes himself as a SERVANT OF CHRIST (Christ’s captive). We learn from Paul that his work was governed by Christ, not him. Whether he says he remains in Troas or goes to Macedonia; that he goes to Corinth or stays in Ephesus; it was not Paul’s will, but by the direction and will of Jesus Christ in him, and therefore he is a slave of Jesus.
How do we, the current servants of the Word, feel and even say when our stations of preaching the Gospel are changed? We have the peace of Jesus Christ through His Church when He changes our station of work for us? When we preachers are invited by the congregation/poor and rich neighborhoods, in cities and villages, at the same time, where do we choose to go and preach? In the work of preaching the living Word of God, we need the will of Christ to guide us and Paul, the servant of Christ, is a good teacher for us in this matter.
In our lesson there is a figurative language of the smell of perfume before God for those who are saved and for those who are lost. This picture shows that for the victors of faith it can be “the aroma of life or living” and for those who are defeated by the Devil it is a reminder of judgment, that is, “the aroma of death”.
The words aroma and perfume are used sequentially in verses 14 and 15. In Greek they are two different words; aroma in v. 14 is the word “osmê” which means the Knowledge of God, “and manifests the aroma of knowing him”. V. 15 is the word “euôdia” which is Paul spreading this understanding, “we are the aroma of Christ before God”. A good aroma spreads, it attracts, all people like to stay where there is a good aroma. When we proclaim the living Gospel, we are doing that work of spreading a good aroma to our fellow human beings to believe in him and accept Christ as their LORD and Savior, to abide in him, but under the leadership of God.
In v. 16 it is talked about “the aroma of death”. According to Jewish teachings about the Torah, if a person uses the Torah well and correctly, it becomes a medicine for life, that is, the “fragrance of life,” but if he misuses it and misuses it, it turns into the smell of deadly poison, that is, the smell of death.
From Paul’s perspective, the positive effects of the Gospel are to bring life but for those who reject it and live without relying on God, it causes death by the authority and power of the same Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, he warns that there is the true or pure Gospel of Jesus Christ and then there is the perverted Gospel. Let us help each other, encourage each other, and stand together so that no one preaches a perverted Gospel.
Here at the end, I liked the warning of the Apostle Paul when he says that we should not be “as many do, peddling the word of God; but as from sincerity of heart, as from God, in the sight of God, speak in Christ” (v. 17).
Rev. Amani Kabelege
Kidugala
@2026