War Club Tells the Good Story 1

THE GOOD STORY BEGINS

1This is the good story about the Chosen One, Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who is the Son of the Great Spirit. This story began long ago and was foretold in the Sacred Teachings by the ancient prophet Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah).

2“Behold!” Creator Will Help Us (Isaiah) said, as he spoke the words of the Great Spirit. “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way. 3He will be a voice howling in the desert wilderness, ‘Clear away the stones and make a straight path for the coming of the Honored One!’”#1:3 Isaiah 40:3

PURIFICATION CEREMONY

4The prophesied messenger appeared in the desert wilderness. He came to tell everyone to turn from their wrong ways of thinking and return to the ways of the Great Spirit. The messenger’s name was Gift of Goodwill (John). He came to perform the purification ceremony#1:4, 5, 8, 9 Baptism to show people that they had been released from their broken ways.

5From the surrounding territory of the Land of Promise (Judea) and from Village of Peace (Jerusalem), all the people came to him to participate in his purification ceremony performed in the river Flowing Down (Jordan). As they came, they were admitting to their bad hearts and broken ways.

PREPARING THE WAY

6Gift of Goodwill (John) came wearing buffalo-skin#1:6 Lit. camel’s hair garments, with a cowhide sash around his waist. The food he ate was grasshoppers and wild honey.

7“I am preparing the way for the one who is greater and more powerful than I,” he announced to all. “I am not even worthy to bend down and untie his moccasins. 8I perform the purification ceremony with water, but he will perform the purification ceremony with the Holy Spirit!”

CREATOR SETS FREE COMES FORWARD

9It was in those days that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came from his home in Seed Planter Village (Nazareth) in the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee), to have Gift of Goodwill (John) perform for him the purification ceremony.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was a mature man of about thirty winters. The time had come for him to show himself to all the people and begin his great work. He waded out into the river to have Gift of Goodwill (John) perform the ceremony.

10As soon as Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came up from the water, he saw the sky open. The Spirit of Creator came down like a dove and rested on him. 11Then a voice from the sky spoke like distant thunder, “This is my much-loved Son who makes my heart glad!”

HIS VISION QUEST

12Right then and there the Spirit drove Creator Sets Free (Jesus) into the desert wilderness. 13For forty days and nights he remained there, surrounded by wild animals and being tested by Accuser (Satan)—the ancient trickster snake. Spirit-messengers also came to give him strength and comfort.

THE MESSAGE OF THE GOOD ROAD

14Then later, after Gift of Goodwill (John) was arrested, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) traveled to the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee) to tell the good story.

15“The time has now come!” he said to the people. “Creator’s good road is right in front of you. It is time to return to the right ways of thinking and doing! Put your trust in this good story I am bringing to you.”

HIS FIRST FOLLOWERS

16As he walked along the shore of the Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee), he saw two men, One Who Hears (Simon) and Stands with Courage (Andrew), throwing their nets into the lake, for they were fishermen.

17“Come! Walk the road with me,” he called out to them, “and I will teach you how to net two-leggeds instead of fish!”

18Right then and there they dropped their nets and began to walk the road with him.

19He walked a little farther down the shore and saw two more men, the brothers He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John), the two sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee). They were sitting in their canoe and mending their nets. 20Right away he called out for them to walk the road with him. They dropped their nets, left their father behind with the hired help, and also became followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus).

NEW TEACHING FOR NEW MEDICINE

Once a week on the Day of Resting the people would come together at the local village gathering house to learn the ways of the Great Spirit.

21Creator Sets Free (Jesus) took his new followers and went to Village of Comfort (Capernaum). When the next Day of Resting came, he went to the gathering house and began to teach the people. 22They were amazed at his manner of speaking, for, unlike the scroll keepers, he spoke clearly and boldly as one with authority.

23Suddenly, a man controlled by an unclean spirit cried out loud, 24“Creator Sets Free (Jesus) from the Seed Planter Village (Nazareth), what are you doing here? Have you come to put an end to us? I know who you are! You are the Holy One from the Great Spirit!”

25Creator Sets Free (Jesus) spoke sharply to the spirit. “Be silent!” he said. “Come out of him!”

26The unclean spirit shook the man, threw him to the ground, and, howling with a loud voice, came out of him.

27The people were dumbfounded and began to ask each other, “What is this teaching? What new medicine is this? He even tells the unclean spirits what to do—and they do it!”

28His reputation spread like wildfire into the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee) and to all the surrounding territories.

POWER OVER SICKNESS

29As soon as they left the gathering house, they went to the home of One Who Hears (Simon) and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew). He Takes Over (James) and He Shows Goodwill (John) were with them.

30The wife of One Who Hears (Simon) was there. Her mother was sick in bed with a bad fever, so they asked Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to help her. 31He went and stood by her, took her by the hand, and lifted her up. The fever left her and she was healed. Then with a glad heart she went to prepare a meal for them.

32Later that day, when the sun was going down, many sick people were brought to him, along with those who were tormented by evil spirits. 33The whole village had gathered outside the door.

34He healed many with different illnesses and set others free from evil spirits, but he did not permit the spirits to speak, for they knew who he was.

35Early the next morning, before the sunrise, he left and found a quiet, out-of-the-way place to be alone and pray. 36One Who Hears (Simon) and the others 37found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!”

38“It’s time to go to the other villages and tell them the good story,” Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “for that is what I came to do.”

39So he traveled about all the territory of Circle of Nations (Galilee). He taught in their gathering houses and forced out many evil spirits.

HE HEALS A MAN WITH SKIN DISEASE

40 While in one of the villages, a man with a skin disease all over his body came to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He humbled himself, bowed down, and pleaded with him, “Honored One! If you want to, you can heal and cleanse me.”

Under tribal law anyone with a skin disease was considered ceremonially unclean and could not participate in ceremonies or attend meetings at the gathering houses. If someone touched or was touched by an unclean person, they would be considered unclean until the sun set that day. So to help people avoid this, the diseased person was required to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!”

41Creator Sets Free (Jesus), stirred with compassion, reached out and touched the man. “I want to!” he said. “Be cleansed!”

42Right away the disease left him, and he was made clean.

43Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sent him away at once with a warning. 44“Tell no one!” he instructed. “Go and show yourself to a holy man, so he can see with his own eyes. Have him perform the cleansing ceremony given to us by the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses).”

But the man chose not to follow his instructions.

45Instead, he spread the news about his healing far and wide. Soon Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was unable to show his face in the local villages, so he stayed away from them. But the people continued to come to him from all directions.

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