Heath Update

From start to finish our faith is dependent on Jesus. We all had a start and we will all have a finish; it’s the middle that will be completely different.
In Matthew 11, John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus to verify that he really is the Messiah. He has had time to contemplate while sitting in prison whether he wants to be martyred as a fraud or not. Jesus reassures John he is the Messiah by reminding him of all the miracles they were experiencing. Which I guess if we are experiencing the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers being healed, the dead raised and the Good News preached to the poor, then it is a pretty good indication that the Messiah is in our midst. If these things were not happening then I may have some doubts about being martyred also.

I have an amazing opportunity to teach in the Pastors Bible School twice a week. I have needed to make a few adjustments, but for the most part, I believe we are connecting well. It occurred to me the other day that many of them don’t believe they can do amazing things for God. I guess that is what colonization does to mans self-worth. Many of these men (and us, mind you) look at “giants” of the faith and have already determined they could never do the same. It’s a sad reality because God has no favorites.

Of all the men that have ever lived throughout history, Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest. He is greater than Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and yes, even Habakkuk. Yet, that is not where Jesus finishes. He then says that the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John was! WOW, John is the greatest up until the Kingdom had come; now you and I are considered greater.

One unfortunate aspect of ministry is that the “giants” are given higher and higher levels of pedestals and looked upon as having something no other has. The opposite is true in the Kingdom of God. When we hear or see “giants” of the faith it should always cause us to believe we can accomplish that or more through the power of Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12 says, “Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith get rid of everything that is slowing us down and run after Jesus.” Maybe what the writer of Hebrews is saying is, “since we are cheered on by guys and gals who have received promises late into life (Abraham), never died (Enoch), saw oceans part (Moses), overthrew kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, quenched flames of fire, escaped swinging swords, saw armies flee in their presence, received loved ones back to life, or preferred resurrection to temporal freedom, we should never believe that we could not experience the same. We must look at the crowd of witnesses and say, “ I can do that too!” I don’t believe it is cockiness but rather confidence in what has already been given to us.

What has occurred in the body of Christ is that many pastors, elders, leaders, etc. are so concerned about themselves and title that anyone who experiences greater things with God is a threat to their position. So the “church” has done a wonderful job over many decades developing doctrinal statements and policies and procedures to keep its members in check. I have great news!! Things are busting out and for the first time in years, men and women are realizing they have “the same power that raised Christ from the dead alive within them. So if your pastors, elders or church have never experienced Hebrews 11, it doesn’t mean that you cannot!

Most of us have never experienced raising the dead, casting out demons or healing the sick but that doesn’t mean these things don’t happen. For many, it is easier to just dismiss it all and conclude they don’t happen today. As a result we (and theologians) have decided to bring the Word of God down to our experiences and explain away the supernatural, instead of taking our experiences up to the Word and believe for the miraculous. Our experiences never validate the Word of God. The Word of God is true whether we experience those things or not. Let us stop trying to give excuses for our lack of experience or faith and determine to keep our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

So the next time we hear an amazing God story, let’s take the attitude that we will also believe for the same results in our own sphere of influence, and know that if Jesus is really in our midst then the blind will see, the lame will walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf will hear, the dead will be raised and the poor will hear the Good News. But most of all remember that, “God blesses those who are not offended by Jesus.”