Faith Enough to Raise the Dead

Today we’re back with Lutheran Pastor Nathan Nass who writes at Upside-Down Savior. Click the link in the title which follows to read this where it appeared first, or, in both versions there is a link to listen to this devotional in its original sermon context, as well as a video link at Nathan’s blog.

Pins and Needles

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. (Acts 9:36-42 NIV)

Do you know how many people were raised from the dead in the Bible? God wanted to prove to us that he has power over death. That there’s hope even in the face of death. So, do you know how many people were raised from the dead in the Bible? It depends a little on how you count it. For today, we’re going to say: Seven. In the Bible, there are seven powerful examples of God’s power over death. Can you list them? In the Old Testament, the two great prophets—Elijah and Elisha—each raised a boy from the dead. In the New Testament, Peter raised to life the woman in our lesson today, and Paul raised to life a man who fell asleep and died during one of his sermons. Jesus himself raised three people from the dead: The son of the widow at Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and his own friend Lazarus. That makes seven people raised from the dead.

I said it depends a little on how you count it. Another man was raised from the dead in the Old Testament when his dead body touched the dead bones of Elisha. He popped right back to life! On Good Friday, when Jesus died, tombs broke open and believers who had died were raised back to life. Of course, we haven’t mentioned the greatest resurrection of all: Jesus! But for us today, if we think of specific people whom God raised from the dead, there were seven.

What if you had gotten to pick out in advance who they would be? Of the billions of people who have lived on earth, what seven people would you have chosen to raise from the dead? We’d expect it to be the most important, most influential people, right? Kings. Inventors. Great leaders. Talented people. Whom would you have chosen? Well, of those seven people whom God chose to raise from the dead, how many were kings? Zero. How many were scientists? Zero. How many were prophets? Zero. Whom did God choose? 3 young boys. 1 young girl. Jesus’ friend. An old lady. And the guy who fell asleep and died during church. Those were the seven people God raised from the dead. Maybe God wants to teach us about who is important in his eyes. What do you think?

Today, we hear about a woman. “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.” Joppa was a port city on the Mediterranean Sea, about 38 miles from Jerusalem. It’s famous as the place that Jonah set sail from to not go to Nineveh. There was a Christian woman in Joppa with a name that unfortunately doesn’t translate well into English: Dorcas. Dorcas is a beautiful Greek name that means “gazelle.” It’s just Dorcas doesn’t sound so great to us. So, we’ll use her other name: Tabitha.

It’s surprising that we don’t hear anything about Tabitha’s family. We don’t hear about her parents. They were probably dead. We don’t hear about a husband. She wasn’t married or was a widow. We don’t hear about any children. Tabitha probably didn’t have any. It sounds like it was just her. Just Tabitha. I wonder if she felt like a nobody. Like she had nothing. Just Tabitha.

At least, that’s what we probably would have thought about her: Just a nobody. We’re always evaluating other people, aren’t we? In our minds, we’re always deciding how important other people are. “Are they worth my time? Are they worth a ‘hi’?” Often, we decide, “No!” Most people just aren’t that important to us, right? It sounds awful to say that, but isn’t it true? There’s a lot of people we just don’t care about. It’s very easy to neglect the people who aren’t important.

I bet I know whom you look down on the most. I bet I know whom you consider the biggest “nobody” you know. Who? You. Am I right? I bet the person you talk to the worst is yourself. I bet the person you call “worthless” or “nothing” or “not important” more than anyone else is yourself. Is that true? If we’re supposed to treat other people like we treat ourselves, that can be a big problem. We treat other people like nobodies because we feel like nobodies. We neglect the people we don’t consider important, starting with ourselves. Do you ever feel like a nobody?

Then you need to realize something: Jesus cares deeply for even the seemingly least important people. Of the billions of people in our world who have died, only seven were raised back to life on earth. Who was one of them? Tabitha. This single lady with no family. Why? Because she mattered so much to Jesus. We’re told that Tabitha “became sick and died.” When the Christians heard that Peter was nearby, “they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’ Peter went with them.” In these simple details, there is something amazing. Tabitha mattered. Jesus cared deeply for her. When she died, Peter dropped everything and came at once. Do you see what the Bible is teaching us? Jesus cares deeply for even the seemingly unimportant people.

Like you and me. Jesus cares deeply for you. I know you don’t always feel important. Often you feel like a nobody. You feel guilty for your sins. But Jesus died to take your sins away. He rose to give you eternal life in heaven. You matter to Jesus! It’s true you’re not good at everything. In fact, you fail at lots of things. Me too! But God doesn’t love you because of what you’re good at. You know that, right? God doesn’t love you because of how you look. You know that too, right? God loves you by grace. It’s his undeserved love. God wants you to realize something today: You matter to God, just like Tabitha did. You are important to God. You are loved by Jesus.

So when Tabitha died, Peter showed up. “When he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.” It doesn’t sound like Peter knew Tabitha personally, but when he showed up, the people were quick to show Peter what Tabitha was like. What did she focus on? Sewing. Tabitha spent her time sewing robes and clothes for widows and poor people.

And there’s a part of us that thinks, “That’s it? All this hubbub for a lady who just sewed stuff? Does that really matter?” Our problem goes deeper than not caring about unimportant people. We don’t care about unimportant things. If someone wants to give glory to God, they should go out and do something glorious, right? Invent cool stuff. Save people’s lives. Win championships. Rule over people. Isn’t that what we think? Sewing stuff for widows? How did that make it into the Bible? If someone wants to give glory to God, they should do something glorious, right?

Yes! It’s just that in God’s eyes, simple acts of kindness like Tabitha was doing are the most glorious works in the world. The clothes she made for the poor she was really making for Jesus, because whoever helps anyone in Jesus’ name is serving Jesus himself. She had only one talent, but look at how much she used it! Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Tabitha saw an opportunity to show love, and she made the most of it. In God’s eyes, that’s the most beautiful thing. Just like Jesus cares for the seemingly least important people, Jesus loves even the smallest things that Christians do in his name. Like sewing. Or listening. Or changing diapers. Or giving rides.

When I hear this story, I can’t help but think of something here at our church. Can you guess what it is? Pins and Needles. Pins and Needles is our sewing group. Twice a month, a group of not quite young ladies get together and talk a lot and drink coffee—and sew quilts. Then they give their quilts away. To newborn babies. To patients at hospitals. To widows in nursing homes. Those ladies sew stuff. Does that matter? Yes! Do you know what Jesus thinks? There’s nothing more beautiful. Jesus loves even the smallest things that Christians do in his name.

What’s your Pins and Needles? I hope God opens your eyes. To not feel sorry for yourself. To see the opportunities God gives you to love other people with Christ’s love. What can you do? What seemingly unimportant thing could you do for seemingly unimportant people all to the glory of God? In the 300s, a Christian pastor named Chrysostom said, “If you want to be remembered, imitate Tabitha, not going to expense on lifeless matters like big buildings, but displaying great generosity in regard to your fellow human beings.” Catch what he’s saying? Don’t pour yourself into lifeless matters. Pour yourself out generously on your fellow human beings. Then you’ll be remembered. Like Tabitha. What’s your Pins and Needles?

But, before we praise Tabitha a little too much, there’s one more thing we need to see. Do you know what was the greatest thing that Tabitha did? It wasn’t sewing. Do you know what it was? She died. Of all the things that Tabitha did, the thing that brought the greatest good for others was her death. It sounds upside-down. But God used her death to bring more people to Jesus than anything she had done in life. God has a habit of using our moments of greatest weakness to showcase his power and grace. So that all glory goes to him. God is the real hero in this story.

Because the greatest part of Tabitha’s story wasn’t the good things she did. It was the amazing things God did for her. “Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.” God’s greatest good came through death. Does that sound familiar? When you finally feel like you’re living life to the fullest, you get hurt. You get cancer. Why? Maybe God’s using you to do showcase his grace.

When it was all said and done, “this become known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.” God’s greatest plan for Tabitha was to allow her to suffer and die, so that in his raising her from death, people would be drawn to Jesus and believe in him. Just like God’s greatest plan for the world was to allow Jesus to suffer and die, so that through his resurrection he could bring us salvation. Just like God in his good plans for you is allowing you to go through hardships right now. So that you trust in Jesus. So that you put your hope in our God who raises the dead. So that through your faith in the midst of trial, other people might believe in the Lord.

If you want to make a list of “Important People Whom God Should Raise from the Dead,” the Bible says, “A single lady with no family.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely. There is no one more important than her.” If you want to make a list of “Super Important Good Works that Give Glory to God,” the Bible says, “Sewing clothes for widows.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely. There is nothing better that can be done in my name.” If you want to make a list of “Ways God Carries Out His Will in Our Lives,” the Bible says, “Letting us die.” We say, “Really?” Jesus says, “Absolutely, so that you can rise.” You matter to Jesus. Just look at Tabitha! Your life matters to Jesus. Just look at Tabitha! So, what’s your Pins and Needles?

(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch to watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the video at the blog.)

Do You Have Faith to Walk on Water?

While not quite breaking our six month rule, we’re back again with the blog titled Being a Pilgrim. The writer simply goes by KorgRocker and is currently in a series of studies in the Gospel of John. Click the title below to read this on the blog and then it’s easier to decide to read some of the other installments from John’s gospel.

Jesus Walking on Water

“But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!”
John 6:17-21 NLT

The scene opens with darkness falling, and a small boat with several men in it in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, struggling against the wind and waves. Having been in a small boat in very rough seas, I know that this can be terrifying, but these were mostly seasoned fishermen, so being in a Galilean storm would not have been an unknown experience to them.

Matthew records what happened next, “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water” (Matthew 14:25). I personally don’t doubt for a minute that Jesus did walk on the water, but sometimes I wonder about the physics of this. Were His feet in contact with the water, or was He floating slightly above? Was He bobbing up and down with the waves? Did He get His feet wet?

But when the disciples saw Him, the account in Matthew grips our imaginations – “When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”” (Matthew 14:26). Well, we would be terrified as well wouldn’t we? It is not a common occurrence after all, and our minds would naturally flip into fear mode when something inexplicable in these circumstances happens. But the disciples were stuck in the boat, so flight, running away, was not an option. By the way, I think Jesus would have been walking in His own space on the water, with stormy mayhem around Him, but peace under His feet.

What happened next was another example of the “fear nots” in the Bible. Jesus often had to calm the fears of His disciples, and this was one such occasion. Being around Jesus must have been an unpredictable and often unnerving experience, prompting His occasional loving responses – “Do not be afraid”.

The account of Jesus walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee is something that often catches people’s imaginations. It is a well known story, taught often in Sunday Schools, but it bears further scrutiny as to why Jesus chose to reach Capernaum that way. It was of course the most direct route, as the land-based route around the North side of the Sea was quite long.  He could have course asked another boat owner to ferry Him across the next day. But Jesus chose to do this for several reasons, one of them being that it was an important learning experience about faith for His disciples, and, consequently, for disciples ever since.

What happened next wasn’t recorded by John, but Matthew wrote it up. “Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29). How remarkable is that? Impetuous Peter with the courage (foolhardiness?) to step out of the boat onto the rough water. With his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus he managed a few steps, but then his natural mind took over and he started to sink into the water. Jesus’ response is well know – “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31). John never mentioned this episode, perhaps because he was ashamed that he didn’t have the courage to follow in Peter’s steps.

I suppose we pilgrims perhaps look at this episode in a detached way, acknowledging the miracle but accepting that we don’t have the faith to follow suit with something similar. But it graphically illustrates what is possible if we have faith. We know, of course that, ” … it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6a). But faith to walk on water? Jesus taught about taking small steps of faith, as we read in Luke 17:6 “The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!“”

Faith starts as small as a mustard seed, but as we exercise that faith in doing God’s work, it will lead to bigger things.

Father God. We confess before You our poverty in faith. Please forgive us, we pray, and help us to grow more and more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lent, Part 4: Lord Over What is Good

Lenten Stories: Work With Me (Luke 9:10-17)

by Ruth Wilkinson

The four Gospels were written by four different writers, from different perspectives, for different intended audiences. They include different episodes from Jesus’ life. They include different teachings.  

Very few events—only three—in Jesus’ ministry before His crucifixion are included in all four Gospels. At the very beginning, all four include His baptism. Near the end of His ministry, all four include His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In the middle, all four include ‘the feeding of the 5000.’  

This is not just a story. This is not just a flannelgraph-Jesus miracle. There’s more going on here than just a reminder to feed people when they’re hungry. This is not an argument for some prosperity doctrine, where if we give Jesus a little bit, He’ll make us rich. This is not just Jesus showing off. Something important happened on that grassy hill in Galilee, in the season of the Passover before the Passover of the Last Supper. 

So what did the Twelve Apostles learn? How did it shape them, and what difference does it make for us today?  

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In its context, the story begins with miracles and power, and with Herod up in the palace saying, “Who is this guy?” (Luke 9:9). It ends with Peter providing an answer to that question: “You are the Christ of God” (John 9:19-22). With Jesus telling the apostles for the first time what its implications are: “I will die.” This is the first time that Jesus tells them what’s going to happen. That is the story in its context.  

It’s kind of perfect that the feeding of the 5000 happened immediately after the successful mission of the Twelve going to village to village (Luke 9:1-6). I mean, imagine the headspace they must have been in when they came back from that adventure. They had spent two years following Jesus, seeing Him work, seeing Him defend the oppressed, seeing Him challenge the short-sightedness and lack of imagination of the powers-that-be, seeing Him argue with pointless rule keeping, seeing Him heal on the Sabbath, breaking the rules. Seeing Him free people who were captive to evil spirits and to physical illness, people who were captive to the limitations of disability. Restoring people to their families and communities, raising people from death. Telling a sea storm, “Shut up! I’m trying to sleep!” Patiently, endlessly answering questions and seeing the people He could have ignored, like we saw last week.  

They spent two years steeping in and learning Jesus’ gentleness and grace, His fierceness and faithfulness. Jesus was impressive.  

And now He had sent them out to do His work. His power had flowed from their fingertips, flowed from their lips to do those same amazing things: healing, speaking truth in a way that captured hearts and minds, setting people free. How awesome was that? And how just-a-little impressive were they? 

Now they were back together, feeling the joy of sharing that experience with each other.  

In this moment of triumph… They walk straight into a wall. 

Thousands of people. No food. No clue. No energy. No answers. 

Empty hands. Empty pockets.  

All they had was Jesus.  

So what did they learn in this event, and what difference did it make for them in the future? 

I would suggest that they learned through this event, in a way that they had not understood before, that Jesus was Lord.  

He was Lord not only of the big, dark things like demons and storms and illness and death. He was also Lord over the little things—the stuff of everyday life. Lord over what is good. He was Lord over an early summer day when the grass is green and the harvest is in. He was Lord of companionship and friendship and laughter and surprise. He was Lord over food and satisfaction and abundance.  

But even more than that… The apostles needed to learn that Jesus was the lord of empty hands, and empty pockets.  

Fast forward. Past Jesus’ death, past His resurrection, past His return to heaven, past the day of Pentecost when the Spirit fell in power on the church gathered together in that upper room.  

One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter and John (I love this) looked directly at him. (Acts 3:1-4)

I’ve spent enough time working with folks on the street to know that one of the things that it is natural for us to want to do when we see someone sitting and begging is to avoid eye contact. Some of that is our own discomfort because we don’t know how to respond. We don’t know what to say. Should I give him money? Should I not give her money? These are natural moments that we encounter in life. Someone is there in our peripheral vision, and we don’t look. It’s natural, it’s understandable. But it’s not what Peter did.  

Peter looked directly at him. Peter saw him, and so did John.  

Peter looked directly at him, as did John. … But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” (3:4-6)

What did Peter have in that moment? What did John have in that moment? Empty hands. Empty pockets. The name of Jesus. The power of the Spirit who had filled them all at Pentecost. Peter, standing there, was filled with helplessness, and he was filled with power and faith.  

That’s a tension that we all live with as believers in Jesus.  

We are all unique and gifted individuals. We are all shaped by God to be who we are. We are all the sum of our experiences, the things we’ve learned, the things we’ve lost, the things we’ve gained. 

We come to Jesus filled with the desire to work with Him, to do something… but with empty hands and empty pockets. Filled with a desire to make a difference. Filled with a desire to make the world better for people. But with empty hands. With empty pockets. And that is hard. 

We’ve had some conversations recently in our Bible study about what it’s like to encounter folks on the street who we do not understand. Who we wish we could help. Our heart breaks for them. But there’s nothing that we can do.  

We watch the news at night with empty hands and pockets. We see what’s happening on the other side of the world and we wish we could help, but we can’t. 

We walk the street and we see homeless folks and we wish we could help, but we can’t. 

We answer the phone in the middle of the night and hear a voice we recognize, telling us that something has happened. We listen with empty pockets and empty hands.  

A lot of churches today struggle with emptiness. Empty pews. Those rooms that used to be filled with kids in Sunday School, now empty. Sometimes churches even deal with empty offering plates. Wondering how we can change the world when we can’t even keep the lights on. 

The New Testament writer Paul wrote about this in his second letter to the Corinthian church. He struggled with this too, but he found an answer. He found an understanding of empty hands.  

He says, you know, I thought I was I was impressive. In fact, I knew I was impressive.  

I thought I was something. In fact, I knew I was something.  

But Jesus… Jesus picked me up by the ankles and shook me until my pockets were empty, then He set me down. Paul writes:  

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

When we come to Jesus with our empty hands and our empty pockets, it gives Him the opportunity to fill those hands with what He has for us to give away.  

Yes, we are all individuals with gifts that He has given us for serving Him and doing His work. But He has also called us to offer our empty hands to Him and to say, ‘I’m not impressive. I’m not something. But I will do my best to serve you as a good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23) .I may not be a clever servant or a talented one, a strong servant, or a rich one, a powerful servant, or a servant who has all the answers. But I can be faithful. I can be trustworthy, I can be a believing servant.’

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Coming back to that story of Peter and the man who was begging at the temple gate, it occurred to me, as I was rereading it, to wonder… who was Peter really talking to? When he was eye-to-eye with the man and saying, “I don’t have any money, but I will give you what I have.”  

Was he talking to this man who in a moment would be standing and leaping and running and telling people the good news?  

Or when Peter said, “I don’t have anything, but what I have I give you?” could he have been talking to God? Could he have been in that moment, praying, ‘I want to do something for you right now. I want to serve you here. I want to make this world better for this man, who you love. But I have empty pockets. I have empty hands. All I have to offer you is my courage. My faith. Myself.’

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Rev. Ruth Wilkinson, is a pastor in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada who appears here most Fridays. Her sermon blog is Pastor Percipia. Click the title of this post for a link to the original article and a video sermon of which this is an excerpt.

Do You Search for the Positive or the Negative?

We’re featuring a number of writers in the last half of October who are new to us, and new to readers here. Usually I tell you the name of the site and the writer, and then any tag line that appears, but this time I’ll give you the tag line first: “In all things may His Name Be Praised,” which will help you decipher the name of the blog and the author Hisnamebpraised. Clicking the header which follows will take you to where this appeared first.

Glass Half Empty? Glass Half Full? What About the Cup of Christ?

“…Jesus replied, ‘Why are you afraid?’. Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.” John, 8:26

“I have compassion for these people, they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. … How many loaves have you? Seven, they replied, and some small fish.” Matthew 15:32 & 34

“No one is good, but God alone.” Luke 18:19

“…whoever believes in me will do the works that I have, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. “ John 14:12

It’s that age old question: Are you a glass half empty person, or glass half full person? In discussing the answer to that question there are some who would suggest it is better to “half full” versus “half empty” person or vice-versa. (My apologies to my physicist friends who argue, unless in a vacuum the glass is always full, it just depends on the state of matter filling the glass). Yet the overall concept is; when faced with a situation, do you approach it to find the positive in it, or do you search for the risks or negative aspects in it?

You’ve got some hungry people. On the one hand, there are many there, in the thousands. The people are following your Master and they have heard wonderfully impactful preaching allowing many to believe. How wonderfully full is my glass! Uh, the Master tells you, He is worried that they are hungry. Okay, not tipping my glass over yet, send them somewhere to get food. However, the Master wants you to feed them. Uh, now my glass maybe starting to spill or leak some. I look around for resources and all I can find is seven loaves of bread and a few small fish! Bring on the paper towels, I’ve knocked my glass over.

At another time, the Master has finished a wonderful session of preaching and teaching. We need to get across the lake and low and behold there is a boat waiting for us to use. Things are going so smoothly that the Master feels comfortable enough to go to sleep. My glass is pretty darn full at the moment. Then the wind picks up. The wind is getting stronger so much so that my full glass is starting to lose some liquid. Then the waves pick up so much so that they are crashing over the side and still the Master sleeps, seemingly caring nothing for me/us. My glass has emptied out again.

If you’ve been around the New Testament much at all, these two previous stories are probably familiar to you. You might find yourself saying, with the hindsight of history, there was no reason to see either of these situations as “half-empty” situations. And you’d be accurate with the idea that, through Jesus Christ, seven small loaves and a few fish are more than sufficient to feed thousands until they are filled to the brim. Or, that no storm exists that can threaten Jesus Christ and it is for us to have, in Him, that unshakeable faith to face the storms in our life.

In fact you might say that the stories prove that we should face all situations and people with a completely positive perspective. Well if you’ve made that conclusion, I’d ask you to hold up a minute. You see there was this man that definitely saw Jesus through a glass, half full, maybe completely full perspective. Yet in that perspective, the man saw Jesus as a GOOD MAN. This particular man thought he could judge the difference between a good and a bad man and that people (including himself) could be good in their own right (their own self glory). Jesus is quick to empty that man’s glass. Why are you calling me, a person you consider just to be another man, good? Nobody can be “good” on their own, within themselves. Only God is good. We are, all of us, sinners! That is the humble way we need to understand ourselves and all others.

However, if we approach things, not through our own glass, but through the Cup of Jesus Christ, then we will be in a place, as the psalmist told us, where our cup runneth over. Our cup will run over with Grace and Love of our Heavenly Father, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, testified to by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

Half full? Half Empty? Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, let us throw away our glasses once and for all and come to Him who gives the Living Water freely, from which we will never know thirst again. Let us drink deeply from the cup of Christ, asking for the faith and spirit to see situations through His Eyes and with His Light that will leave us completely full, not only today; but also for all eternity.

Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father, we confess that all too often we rely on ourselves and our own judgement on how we should approach different aspects of life. We put our faith in our own perceptions about should we be positive or negative. Pour out Your Spirit that we would leave our own self-deceptive reliance behind and instead completely rely on You in faith. Let us cling to Your Promises of Grace, Rest, Peace and most importantly everlasting, freely given Love. That as we place our dependence and faith in and on our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will experience an overflowing cup of blessings which we can share with this love parched world. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray to the Glory of Your Name, Father. Amen

Your Faith Has Made You Unwell

Because Clarke Dixon is a weekly regular here, he doesn’t usually get an introduction. Today, I thought I’d mix things up a bit. Clarke is a pastor in Ontario, Canada, and also a good friend. He blogs his sermon from the previous week at Thinking Through Scripture. His church is currently working through The One Year Bible (various translations), and he is preaching from the New Testament portions. As we say so often, click the title which follows to read this at source.

Thinking Through Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Mark 10:46-52 (NRSV)

“Your faith has made you well.” So said Jesus to Bartimaeus. I suspect that Jesus may want to say to some of us today:
“Your faith has made you unwell.”

Faith can make us unwell when we get the wrong ideas stuck in our heads and we live in constant fear. I’m not good enough. I don’t have enough faith. Or we live judgemental lives. Those people are not good enough. We are barely scratching the surface here, but whether it makes us ugly in our emotional well-being, or ugly in our relationships, faith has the power to make us unwell.

So what does it look like to have a faith that makes us well? Bartimaeus will help us think through that question.

Bartimaeus asked for help

Of course Bartimaeus asked for help since he was blind and wanted to see. Sure, he wanted to see as anyone in his situation would. However, not everyone would want the upheaval of life that would come along with such a miracle. The status quo might be awful, but at least it is known, safe, and in a way, comfortable.

Bartimaeus was not wiling to stay with the status quo. Contrast that with the spiritual leaders who were trying hard to protect the status quo, who did not want to see things from a new perspective.

Do we have the kind of faith that looks to get the best perspective? A faith that has initiative, that is willing to embrace change? Or do we get comfortable with the status quo?

A faith that makes us unwell embraces the status quo.

Bartimaeus did not listen to the crowd

The crowd tried to shut Bartimaeus down. He tried all the harder to get the attention of Jesus. Embracing change is hard enough but it is even harder when the people around us try to shut us down. It is hard for the addict to break the addiction in the company of other addicts. The people around us can keep us in the status quo.

That is how cults work, surrounding people who might think differently on their own with people who are too afraid to think differently. Sadly, some churches may be closer to a cult than a community gathered around Jesus.

Do we have the kind of faith that yearns for growth and is willing to embrace change, or do we allow the crowds around us to draw us back to the status quo?

A faith that makes us unwell listens to the crowds.

Bartimaeus had wisdom in knowing what to ask for

Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “what do you want me to do for you?” Contrast that with the request of the disciples:

And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

Mark 10:36-37 (NRSV)

Let us imagine how the spiritual leaders might have responded if Jesus asked what he could do for them; something like “Go fly a kite.”

Do we know what to ask for? Do we have wisdom in our asking, in what we are seeking help on? Or do we have a one track mind like the disciples. Or worse, blind spots like the religious leaders? Do we have the kind of faith that seeks light on our blind spots? Or do we just live with assumptions, assuming the status quo is just fine?

A faith that makes us unwell lacks wisdom in knowing what to ask for.

Bartimaeus knew whom to ask

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Mark 10:47 (NRSV)

“Have mercy on me.” While Bartimaeus may have said that to anyone and everyone who passed by, he knew that asking it of Jesus would be life changing in a way that some coins thrown his way would not be. “Son of David” is not likely how he addressed anyone and everyone that passed by. Bartimaeus had insight into the unique identity of Jesus. Jesus was the one who could destroy the status quo.

When we celebrate the Lord’s Table we are reminded that Jesus changes everything for us. This man, being God with us, will have mercy. Do we have the wisdom to go Jesus? Or do we depend too much on religion and religious leaders who themselves are comfortable with the status quo?

A faith that makes us unwell lacks wisdom in where to look for help.

Conclusion

Does your faith make you well or unwell? Perhaps it might be a bit of both and faith has brought both beauty and ugliness to your soul. May Jesus say of us “your faith has made you well.”

 

When God Sifts Your Resources

“Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.” – 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NLT

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. – Zechariah 4:6 NIV

A year ago we introduced you to Joey Rudder who is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and occasionally shares a devotional blog post, like the one today, at JoeyRudder.com. Click the title below to read this where it first appeared.

A Miraculous Rescue

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there.’ The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I WILL SAVE YOU and give the Midianites into your hands.’”

Judges 7:2-4b, 7a NIV, emphasis my own.

God ultimately sifted Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 men, and He brought them victory when it seemed impossible.

Sometimes God will sift your resources, finances, and solutions.

Your bank account gets so low you can’t use your debit card to get gas.

All the treatments the doctors recommended have failed you.

Everything you do to “fix” your situation backfires.

When things get so bad, and victory seems impossible, or when you’re out of answers and resources and nearly out of hope, Almighty God can step in and do what only HE can do – and He will receive ALL the glory.

When the miraculous happens, you can’t credit it to your salary, the medical experts, or your intelligence.

You’ll know the victory is from God and God alone.

Doubt will never tarnish it. The enemy won’t be able to hide it under a pile of lies. And the faithless will be silenced when it happens – even if they try to speak, their words will have no credibility as you bask in the glow of God’s unfailing love and faithful provision.

Of course, God can use the resources He’s provided to rescue you. He can increase your finances and wisdom. He can use doctors to bring about healing. But He jealously longs for you to know it’s HIS doing.

God will not share His glory with another.

Oh, precious soul. If God has sifted your resources and you’re holding onto mere fragments of what you once thought could save you, hit your knees and acknowledge that this is beyond you. Cry out to God, admit that you need Him and His miraculous rescue, and BELIEVE He still performs miracles today.

Because He does. 

 

First Century Cancel Culture

A couple of times in our earlier years we featured the writing of Claire in New Zealand at the blog One Passion, One Devotion. I’m not sure how we broke that continuity, but today, after a long break we’re catching up. Click the title which follows to link to this article at its source, and then click that blog’s header for some really excellent articles.

Influenced – Blind Bartimaeus

You don’t have to be on the internet for more than 2 minutes to know about cancel culture. Some of its valid – they should cancel certain people for certain things – but others you’re like,  ‘Come on!’ …

Let’s jump into the bible and see where the crowd tried to cancel someone and how they didn’t let that crowd influence them and stop them from encountering Jesus.

Mark 10

Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!”

They called out to the blind man and said, “Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!”

⁵² Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.”

At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.

I love it when we read the bible – it’s not just a story locked into the pages – it’s God showing us what He is like and what He can do and we can ask Him to speak and show us what He wants to say today about our lives and what He wants to do to and through us.

So Jesus has been in Jericho – doing miracles, healing people, teaching.  Because of this a large crowd had started following Him.  He’s the man, He’s amazing.

But there is a difference between following Jesus in the crowd and being a follower of Jesus.

The crowd were buzzed about all the cool stuff Jesus was doing.  But followers declared Jesus was Master, Lord, Saviour and their lives completely changed because of His influence.

So Jesus is leaving Jericho and the crowd is following.  Crowds are noisy right – unless you’re in one doing a minute’s silence – there is always some level of noise.  People talking. People yelling. People moving.  In this case there were probably people bustling to get closer to Jesus, to hear what He was saying or to get Him to touch them and heal them.

There is a blind man sitting by the road – this was his spot where he would have been dropped off every day, or maybe he slept here, and it was where he would beg for money and food.   They didn’t have health insurance or disability allowances back in those days.  Bartimaeus heard all the noise and the buzz of the crowd and asked someone what is going on? What’s happening?

When he was told Jesus was walking past he called out loudly JESUS SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!

What he is saying here is important.  Son of David is one of those spiritual titles for who Jesus is – that he is the son of God, the messiah.  So Bartimaeus KNOWS who Jesus is, he knows his true identity.    He has heard of his great fame, he has heard of the great things that Jesus has done and he has made up his mind that this is the one who has the power to change his life and heal him.  He has made up his mind that this is God Almighty.

And the crowd tried to cancel him. They told him to sit down and shut up.  They tried to block him from meeting Jesus.

Sometimes when we’re Christians people will tell us to sit down and shut up.  The world have tried to cancel Christians and call us intolerant and narrow minded.

They’ll try to cancel us because sometimes what we believe is counter cultural.  It’s upside down to the world.

It’s bless your enemies instead of get vengeance.

It’s serve not be served.

It’s deny yourself instead of follow your heart.

It’s righteousness and holiness instead of whatever feels good.

It’s purity instead of player.

It’s self control instead of whatever I want I want it now.

It’s seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness instead of building my own kingdom.

It’s grace instead of guilt, hope instead of hopelessness.

Disclaimer here:  Being a Christian isn’t about rules and to do and to do don’t lists.  It’s about a relationship with God, its about peace with God, and when its like that we make God our greatest influencer because we see He’s worth it and His way of living, while hard and upside down sometimes, we do it in response of how good and loving God is.  Knowing Him is worth everything.

Bartimaeus didn’t let the crowd cancel him. In fact, he got louder. He called out even louder.

The cool thing is that over all the noise of the crowd Jesus heard Bartimaeous.  There would have been hundreds of people potentially calling out His name, but there was something about this man calling that grabbed His attention.

Have you ever thought about how God hears us when we pray even if the 8 billion people on the planet all prayed at the same time? He cares about you and what you have to pray.  Prayer doesn’t have to be special words at special times, it is us talking to God, listening to God and about us connecting heart to heart.  We can be honest about how we’re feeling.  If you read Psalms you’ll see often that David, author of probably over half of them, talks about how life sucks, how he feels like he’s drowning, that everyone is against him, that he’s alone, scared, frustrated, angry.  They’re emotional!  They’re raw!  But he always ends it by realizing that in it all, despite how he feels, in the middle of the mess, God is right there, God rescues Him, we can call out to Him and He will hear and respond.  God hears you when you pray.  If we could see what happens when we prayed, how God turns His attention to us we would want to pray more.  If we could see angels move in response to our prayers, we would want to pray more more more.

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!”

They called out to the blind man and said, “Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus.

Now I want to pause here and point something out.  Minor details in the bible can have major meaning.

Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and jumped up and ran to Jesus.

That cloak wasn’t just a jacket, wasn’t just a jumper, wasn’t just a hoodie or an item of clothes.  It was an item of clothing, a cloak that defined that he was a beggar.  It was like his permission slip to be sitting there asking for money.  If you were wearing a cloak like that it showed the people around you that you were a beggar.  It was his identity.  In biblical days, being blind was often seen as a curse. There was really no way to support yourself financially, so beggars were given cloaks, which gave them permission to beg. Beggars were defined as such by the cloak they wore. Usually, the cloak was the beggar’s one and only possession and their only source of income.

Bartimaeus threw off his cloak. He threw off his old way of life. He threw off his comfort zone. He was done being defined as a beggar. He didn’t just toss aside a jacket or sweater, this was life or death. It was sink or swim time; either he was going to be healed or he would have nothing. His faith was remarkable; he was so desperate for change he went to Jesus expecting a miracle.

When he encountered Jesus he threw it off and left it behind.  Jesus changes us – he gives us a brand new start.  He takes off our old life and gives us a new one.

It’s like how we talked about last week with our panel – God gets to define our life.  He gets to say how we do it.  He gets to say leave this behind and live differently because He is good, wise, great and most importantly because He loves us.

So Bartimaeus meets Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man answered, “Master, I want to see!”
⁵² Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.”
At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.

What do you want me to do for you?  Surely Jesus could tell this man was blind?

But He asked.

Loaded question potentially.

He’s asking the blind man what do you expect me to do?  What do you believe I can do?   What do you have faith in?

Jesus asks us the same question.

What do you believe I can do?  What do you want me to do for you?

Now we don’t turn this into a Christmas list for Santa situation where we reply with our wish list, a Lamborghini, to be 5 foot 5, doc martin boots, a swimming pool….

Psalm 37:4 says Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Philippians 2:13 says: for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

It’s like God places His dreams in our heart and the Holy Spirit transforms us that our desires become His desires and His desires become our desires.  It is God at work in us to make us willing to do His will.

But its also an invitation.

What do you want me to do for you?

How big can you believe God for?   How big can you dream?  How big can your vision be?

God wants to do amazing things to and through our lives.  We are not made for normal.  We are not made to blend in.   We follow an amazing God who is the creator of the universe, who loves us so much that He gave His son Jesus to make the way for us to have peace with God.   Nothing is impossible for God.

So how do we make this real in our lives?
1.  Position yourself where Jesus is – Bartimaeus was on the main road where everyone has to pass through.  In the same way, get yourself where God is.  River Youth.  Camp.  The Guys Group, Glow  Church.  We don’t put these on just because we like to have fun together, but because we believe that when you position yourself where God is you meet Him and He changes your life.

2.  Call out to God.  The bible says that everyone who calls out to God will be saved. Calling out to God can look like prayer, can look like worship, can look like getting prayed for, can look like fasting.

3.  Leave the old behind and follow Him.  Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and left that identity behind and left everything that was familiar to follow Jesus.  He became a disciple.

God is inviting each one of us into that adventure.

The challenge is the same.

Will we see Jesus for who He really is?

Will we fight the cancel of the crowd telling us that this is crazy?

Will we hear Jesus calling us to come closer?

Will we believe He can do what He can do?

Will we throw off our old life and follow Him?

Prayer: Erring on the Side of Audacious Expectations

^{John 14 : 14 (NIV)}  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

^{John 16 : 23 (NIV)} In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

^{John 16: 24 (NIV)} Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

^{John 16: 23-24 (The Message)} “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!

It can be hard to find the balance. On the continuum between, at one end, half-hearted prayer that is more doubt than faith, and the other end, believing that as your day began God was like a genie ready to grant you your daily three wishes.

We are commanded to go to God with our needs — our prayer petitions — and leave them before him. But what are our expectations of what happens next?

There are many people who believe that God’s intervention in the affairs of humankind are an extreme rarity, if he intervenes at all. The world is simply what it is, and that is the answer to the question, “If God… why all the suffering in the world?” We live in a fallen world where there is bound to pain and sorrow; flood, fire and famine; doom, defeat and despair. (That wasn’t a cheery sentence; but it was rather alliterative.)

There are other people who believe that God certainly hears our prayer requests and that this is the end in itself: That God wants to be in communication (or fellowship) with us. This is the idea that just as a father behaves towards his children, God wants us to tell us when and where it hurts. He wants each situation to bring us back to him. He wants us to come to him when we are ‘burdened and heavy-laden.’ But it’s about keeping the channel of communication open, ‘without ceasing.’

Still others believe that while God’s intervention is rarity, miracles do exist; they just don’t happen every day. We’re talking about genuine miracles here, not things contrived for the glare of the television lights or the crowd in the arena. So God is indeed a miracle working God, it’s not (as with the first group) a complete rarity, but just don’t get your hopes up.

Further up the ‘hope’ ladder are those who would say, ‘God is positively disposed and favorably inclined to give us what we ask.’ Why this doesn’t happen may be related to the complexities of other situations we can’t see, or a lesson that we need to learn before the answer comes. But absent those factors, God’s default position would be to give us what we come to him asking. I wrote about that this time last year:

A former pastor of ours used the phrase, “God is positively disposed and favorably inclined” to hear and answer our prayers. Many are praying right now for the world to be set right (or as N.T. Wright phrases it, “set to rights.”) It might appear that God is not answering. I believe that’s why we’re told to be tenacious about our praying. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking. (Matthew 7:7 even spells out the acronym ASK!) But it doesn’t say that if we ask enough times we’ll get a ‘yes.’  Even as many are praying, we would appear to be living in what a songwriter called, “the mystery of unanswered prayer.”

And there are those who believe that God is constantly orchestrating more details in the lives of his people than anything we can possibly imagine; that there are constantly situations where God is even giving us ‘answers to requests we haven’t made;’ or that life consists of many seen and unseen coincidences, defined as, “Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.”  This view ranges — depending on the person — from the dramatic holding on to the hope of healing even when doctors say the situation is incurable; to the trivial belief of some that God is truly willing to intervene in life on Planet Earth so that you will get a parking space next to the big box store entrance.

…Parking spaces notwithstanding, I fall into the latter camp. I have to pray believing that my prayer is not only keeping the lines of communication open, not only making a difference in me, but making a difference also in the situation. Regardless of statistical odds or past prayer performance, I have to go to him with an ultimate faith that he is willing and able to execute deliverance from whatever situation is pressing in. This is the faith of children; what it means to ‘come as a child,’ and it’s a faith that is not double-minded, but believes without doubt (See James 1:8 and 1:6 and Mark 11:23) and without wrong motivation (see James 4:3).

(Deliverance might be a better way of defining the situation. If you are praying for money for a specific need you are praying for a deliverance from poverty with respect to that financial issue!)

…The greatest danger I see is in not asking at all. Not coming to God to bear our souls and cry out for help or mercy because the petitions we brought before him last month were not answered in the affirmative. I believe God will respect our tenacity in prayer; our willingness to go to him even in the absence (so far) of the answers we sought before.

He longs to see faith that is lived out in a concrete assurance of things not apparent (Hebrews 11:1).

Right now, we hear a lot about deconstruction or to say it slightly different, people deconstructing their faith. I think some of this has to do with is termed “the mystery of unanswered prayer.” (We wrote about that here in this 2020 devotional.)

Some of this may have to do with the ‘big one’ that God didn’t answer. Maybe the request was indeed to audacious, or our motives were wrong, or God clearly had another plan and granting the request would have been to our peril.

But I also think we need to consider what our general expectations are when we pray. Where do we fit in with respect to the above five categories of what we think God can do, is doing, or will do?

Trumpeting vs. Illuminating

“You must understand that God has not sent his Son into the world to pass sentence upon it, but to save it—through him. Any man who believes in him is not judged at all. It is the one who will not believe who stands already condemned, because he will not believe in the character of God’s only Son. This is the judgment—that light has entered the world and men have preferred darkness to light because their deeds are evil. Anybody who does wrong hates the light and keeps away from it, for fear his deeds may be exposed. But anybody who is living by the truth will come to the light to make it plain that all he has done has been done through God.”  John 3: 17-21; J. B. Phillips translation.

The Bible makes a strong case that we’re not to “trumpet” our good works in order to get credit, or draw attention to ourselves. Nor, we are instructed, should we make a spectacle out of prayer, or giving. We are to approach God, and do acts of service with a humble spirit. We’re to take the back seat, though we might be asked to come forward.

But this passage, particularly vs. 21 “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,” following on the heels of the popular John 3:16 text, tells us that we won’t stay hidden in the darkness such as those who do wrong (evil), but rather we will come into the light, because we are naturally drawn to be people of the light.

• NASB: But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.
• NCV: But those who follow the true way come to the light, and it shows that the things they do were done through God
• The Message: But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.

One verse that comes to my mind in this context is in Acts 26 where Paul is speaking before Agrippa and Festus:

²⁶ For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.

I deliberate chose the KJV for this one because I love the phrasing, “this thing was not done in a corner.”  But most of the translations — even the modern ones — keep this phrasing, with The Message rendering, “You must realize that this wasn’t done behind the scenes.” Just as ‘cream rises to the surface,’ so will the works of God be evident, even in an unbelieving world.

Here’s how the NLT and Amplified Bible render Matthew 5:15-16

^{NLT 15} No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.

^{AMP 16} Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.

I can’t help but also think of the tension in 1 Peter 2:12 here as well. The world may on the one hand criticize and condemn us, but then on the other hand, they recognize the good that the presence of Spirit-filled Christians are doing in the world.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (NLT)

Therefore:

• We dwell in the light, not darkness
• We reflect (or you could say, carry) The Light of God
• We shine like light and are the light of the world

Taste and See, Go and Tell

Someone once shared with me that part one of the Gospel is “taste and see” and part two is “go and tell.” Another way of saying this, “freely you have received, now freely give.”

^{NIV.Luke.6.17} He [Jesus] went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

We present devotionals here from a variety of sources. Today we’re with Jerry Robinson, who is one of the three writers at Reflections of a Lay Catholic. If you click the title which follows you can read this where it first appeared.

Is Your Faith Contagious?

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6:12-19, Luke tells of the great multitude of people who sought out Jesus to be healed of their diseases and to be cured of the torment of unclean spirits.  Luke doesn’t elaborate on how this great multitude of people learned about Jesus’ healing.  But, I suspect it happened by word of mouth, by those who heralded the healing and curing power of Jesus to their family and friends.

Reflecting on this passage, I related to the poor tormented souls as I recalled a time when I was overwhelmed by stress and the exigencies of life which brought so much unhappiness.  I wasn’t looking for Jesus to cure me, but I let friends who knew I needed Him carry me to His emergency room, an ER with zero wait time!

So, I ask myself today, have I been one of those friends who, after being cured, or having witnessed His healing, made the effort to tell others who need Him?  I can say “Yes”, but reservedly.  This blog is one way I get the word out.  I evangelize through spiritually mentoring other men to develop their interior lives and their relationships with Jesus.  I share my faith in small groups with other men who already have a strong faith.  But, do I reach out effectively and proclaim the Good News to those who have not heard it or are indifferent to it?  Is my faith contagious?  I think I can do better.

How about you?  Is your faith contagious?  In what ways do you tell others about Jesus and His saving grace?  How might you do better?

“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your constant presence in my life.  Lord, open my heart to new ways to bring others to You, and, through Your grace, help me to realize the virtue of fortitude I need to be outgoing in bringing Your Word to others.  Help me, Jesus, to live my life in a way that others want some of what I have.  Amen.”

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Either Way, It Was a Miracle

^{NIV.Luke.9.16} Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.

Almost two weeks ago we wrote about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and noted that that miracle is the only one in all four gospels? It’s in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6.

Perhaps foreshadowing today’s post, we quoted John’s gospel:

^{John 6:14} After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

but nowhere else is there narrative of the multiplying of the loaves and fish expressly stated. Rather, it’s implied in the statement that everyone was fed and satisfied. We know that 12 baskets were left over. Did the baskets multiply, too? I would love to have had a front row seat on watching that multiplication take place. (Or maybe it would be better to have a back row seat!)

Which brings us to…

A lot of people are talking about a forthcoming title on the problem of homelessness; saying that this is the definitive book on the subject. I’d love to review the book on my other blog, or run an excerpt from it here, but the publisher doesn’t offer us either option. The book is Grace Can Lead us Home by Kevin Nye. I decided to see if Kevin had a website, and he does, and thought I would mention the book anyway, and then offer you an example of his writing from two years ago. You can read this where it first appeared by clicking the title which immediately follows. And look for the book when it comes out next month from Herald Press.

Why Worry About the Loaves and Fish

When I was younger, I remember my grandma telling me about the worst sermon she ever heard. It was on this passage, and the preacher had told the congregation that the miracle of this story is not Jesus multiplying the bread and fish, but that everyone actually had bread and fish but didn’t want to share it. So when the disciples set out the little that they had, everyone who was there chose to share what they had with one another, and the multiplication simply happened because there was already enough food, and they decided to share it in common. My grandma was really upset by this interpretation, because she said it diminished the miracle. In that version, Jesus wasn’t necessary, there was no real act of God, just a humanist sharing. I always remembered that because I was on my grandma’s side; how dare that pastor try to tell my grandma that Jesus didn’t have the power to make more food!

Fast forward a few years, and now I’m in Bible school and seminary and I’m beginning to read the Bible in new ways. I start to learn that it’s okay to not read every passage literally – in fact, it’s impossible to do that. Some books and passages have to be read the way they were meant to be read, not the way I want to read them, by picking up the Bible at a random page and projecting everything I want and believe onto what I’m reading. I think back to this story and passage and begin to wonder, maybe that pastor was right. The passage never says that the bread and fish multiplied, that the fish started separating into two fish and then four and then 16 until there was enough. Like any student who’s first learning something that challenges their earlier beliefs, I fell fully into it. It’s amazing that the historical Jesus inspired a crowd to share what they have. Is it a miracle? Who could explain that?

Years later, I find myself laughing at both extremes. My grandma was right; this was a miracle. The text wants us to know that. 5,000 men, only 5 loaves and 2 fish, and 12 baskets leftover? Everyone was fed? This is a miracle. Did the loaves separate? Did the crowd add some of their own food to the communal pile? I don’t know. Even if they did, is that less of a miracle? Do we not believe that every good gift comes from God? Maybe God multiplied their bread the day before, for them all to bring with them? Maybe God slowly and methodically blessed those in the crowd to have more than enough to bring to the gathering that day. Maybe it was both. Maybe it was neither. But everybody had enough, because of the blessing of Christ. When God blesses, there is enough.

A beautiful poem by Mary Oliver really helped me unlock this passage. Sometimes where Bible  scholars and historians and scientists fail, poets help us read scripture; so much of it, after all, was written by poets. Mary Oliver writes a poem called Logos, and it says this:

Why worry about the loaves and fishes? 
If you say the right words, the wine expands.
If you say them with love
and the felt ferocity of that love
and the felt necessity of that love,
the fish explode into many.
Imagine him, speaking,
and don’t worry about what is reality,

or what is plain, or what is mysterious.
If you were there, it was all those things.
If you can imagine it, it is all those things.
Eat, drink, be happy.
Accept the miracle.
Accept, too, each spoken word
spoken with love.

Accept the miracle = it was all things, plain, mysterious. I understand why she calls the poem “logos,” because this intermingling of reality and mystery is most understood in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the word of God made flesh, fully God and fully human. Try formulating a thesis on that one. And so it is no surprise that this divine and yet fully historical, real and mystical Christ would deliver a miracle that feeds a crowd literally, and feeds us today spirituality. When God blesses, there is enough. There is more than enough.

There are leftovers. I’m reminded of when Jesus turns water into wine. There’s an extra detail that the wine Jesus made was better than the wine they had already, even though they didn’t need that. When God blesses, there is more than enough.

We can’t separate this miracle from the miracle in the Exodus desert. When the Israelites were stranded in the wilderness, God gave them enough to eat. They were not allowed to take more than they needed, or it would spoil and make them sick. God was blessing, and there was enough; and God was also teaching that to take more than you need is to make a community sick. To take more than you need, even when there is more than enough, is to violate the generosity of God. Again, we get this great detail in Exodus that the manna tasted like wafers made with honey. They didn’t need to be sweet in order to sustain their bodies, but you see the extra blessing of God in the sweetness of provision. When God blesses, there is more than enough – not just enough to sustain, but enough to bring joy. When God blesses, there is abundance.

And yet, we live in a world where many go hungry. Many do not have what they need. There are some who do not have enough bread to eat. There are many who I see every day who don’t make enough money to live, or to have shelter. We are told there is a shortage of affordable housing. We live in a world, even in a country, where there does not seem to be enough to go around. Is this passage wrong? Is God wrong? When God blesses, there is more than enough to go around, right? So why does it seem there is not enough to go around?

Where is the missing abundance? I think we all know the answer to that. There is, of course, enough. But like a game of telephone, it doesn’t seem to make it all the way around. 1/3 of the food we purchase in America is thrown out. The wealth gap between the rich and the poor is the worst it’s ever been in America, and is among the worst in the whole world. Units and rooms in houses and hotels and apartment buildings sit empty every night, while 50,000 people live on the streets or in their cars.

It is true that God has richly blessed America. Any time there is enough, any time there is an abundance, it is a miracle, just like my grandma said. But if there is more than enough, and yet all do not eat, or all are not filled, then we have not done what God has blessed us for. We have taken more than our daily bread. We have taken someone else’s bread. If there is more than enough, and not everyone is filled, we have cut others off from God’s blessing and hoarded it for ourselves.

When God blesses, there is more than enough. For some of us today, we are in search of enough, and the Gospel offers us comfort. It offers a mystery and a miracle, that the bread and fish will multiply. For those of us who have had our daily bread, or maybe a little more, the text beckons us with a challenge. Will we add what we have to the gathering? Will we accept that if God has multiplied our blessings, it is so there will be more than enough for everyone? As we move to the table and accept the bread and the cup, notice that for whoever you are, and however much you have, and however much good or wrong you have done, the same amount of Christ is offered to you, and it is more than enough.

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Again, today’s article by Kevin Nye wasn’t, as far as we know, a book excerpt, but I want to mention the book again below because I think it’s an important publication.

Seeing God’s Work in the World

Sorting through devotions online, today I discovered a source which, in one of their writings made a statement about the main purpose of scripture, or what they called “the primary theme and promise of the Bible;” and that statement was completely erroneous. And with that I knew I couldn’t share anything they had written. Presenting devotions from a variety of sources is a responsibility taken seriously, and even though there is a disclaimer, sometimes including someone here implies endorsement. Hopefully we get it right most days.

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It’s a year later, and we’re back at Life Talk, the devotional page of Methodist Life. The writer today is John Grimm.

The Greatness of God

^{NRSVUE*.Luke.9.37} On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. ³⁸ Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. ³⁹ Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he^[a] shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” ⁴¹ Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² While he was being brought forward, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Wow.  That is what can be said about Jesus casting out a demon from a boy.  We should be astounded at the greatness of God.  For the man to see his son free from the demon would have been spectacular!

When is the last time we were astounded by the greatness of God?

Did this astonishment happen when a confirmand** felt the Holy Spirit present in her?

Did this astonishment happen when a loved one quietly died after battling a terrible disease?

Did this astonishment happen in a worship service as Jesus healed a broken relationship?

Maybe we are like the generation who watched Jesus cast the demon out of the boy.  Maybe we are faithless and perverse.  It might be that Jesus needs to rebuke us so that we can see the greatness of God.

God, we want to see your greatness.  However, our lack of faith and our perverse ways keep us from noticing your power at work in this world.  Heal our lack of faith and drive out our perverse ways.  We want to see you work in our world.  In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen.

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Footnotes

1. 9.39 Or it

Editor’s notes

*The citation, NRSVUE, stands for New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, releasing in September.

**A confirmand is a person completing the process of preparation to enter into the sacrament of confirmation. In your tradition, think about someone preparing for adult baptism, or confession of faith, or even someone anticipating a missions trip.

Rationalizing The Case for a Miracle

In both Matthew 8 and Luke 7 there are parallel accounts about Jesus healing the servant of a centurion, that is to say a Roman centurion. Despite the frustration the followers of Jesus are experiencing as a result of the Roman occupation, in Luke’s account, they don’t hesitate to advocate on behalf of the petitioner.

And that’s where it gets weird.

They don’t feel the request is worthy of consideration because (a) there is an urgent need and (b) Jesus has the power to perform the miracle needed; but rather they make a case, a rationalization for why Jesus should do this.

^NIV.Luke.7.3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, ⁵ because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.”

Peterson translates that quotation as, “He deserves this. He loves our people. He even built our meeting place.” Did the centurion clear the necessary permits to get the project through to completion? Or did he, in a more literal sense, underwrite the construction costs himself? If the latter is the case, was he from Rome himself or was he a Jew who had attached himself to the military — the way Matthew, a Jew, had attached himself to the Roman department of internal revenue – and then risen through the ranks?

(That last one is just something I threw in at the last minute. You’re free to borrow it!)

Either way, there is an argument being made here on the basis of merit. Most English translations of verse 4 have it that the centurion either deserves or is worthy of having his petition granted.

Strangely, Jesus doesn’t say, ‘That’s not the way it works.’

^NLT.Luke.7.6 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. ⁷ I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

Matthew’s account repeats the statement,

^NIV.Matt.8.8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Both accounts quote the centurion making the opposite claim to those who would try to argue on his behalf; make the case for granting the healing request. He says “I am not worthy…” “I don’t deserve…”

Interesting.

Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves, and he pressed mud into the eyes of the blind man, and he noticed the touch of a woman with internal hemorrhaging, but the centurion argues that Jesus can complete the healing act by remote control.

How complete the centurion’s theology was is not known to us, but we know that God simply spoke the worlds into existence, so to just “say the word” is all that is needed here.

And the servant is healed. And the gospel writers describe Jesus as showing genuine amazement.

^NLT.Luke.7.9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” ¹⁰ And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.

^{NIV.Matt.8.10} When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith…” ¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

The servant is healed not because of any case argued by anyone on the centurion’s behalf but because of the centurion’s faith.

 

Healing as the Reversal of Sickness

Is it “health and wealth gospel” or “prosperity gospel” to believe that God never wants you to be sick, even for a day? How you answer that question says as much about your belief about God than it does about your take on particular doctrines. I am well aware that the realities of life come crowding in on us constantly, but I also find it helpful, hopeful and inspiring to be reminded of the spiritual realities of various infirmities, and the way scripture views sickness in an overall, general sense.

So while this may be a bit too Charismatic for some of you, I hope you’ll take the time to let it speak to you. Oshea Davis is today’s writer, and clicking the header which follows will take you to where it first appeared.

Think On These Things: Think on Healing & Miracles

“Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are pleasing, whatever things are commendable, if there is any excellence of character and if anything, praiseworthy, think about these things. And the things which you have learned and received and heard about and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you,”
Philippians 4:8-9 LEB.

Thoughts of sickness are a lie against the promise of God; thoughts of sickness are not honorable, not right and they are not pure of heart. Thoughts of sickness are not pleasing, and not commendable. They are not excellence of character and or praiseworthy.

Thoughts of Healing are an agreement that the promises of God are true. They are honorable. Thoughts of healing are right, are pure and pleasing. Thoughts of healing are commendable, and they are excellence of character. Thoughts of healing are praiseworthy.

Does this sound strange to you? If it does you are out of touch with reality; you do not know God, the gospel or scripture.

Healing is part of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, (Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 8:17); it is by biblical definition part of the gospel. The gospel is good, it is trustworthy, praiseworthy, excellent, and so forth.

Sin is not good, not praiseworthy, not excellent and so forth. For a Christian forgiveness of all their sins by Jesus’ finished work is a stepping stone; a doorway into the next life. To stay at this doorway, means you do not believe you are forgiven, which is why you never enter into or believe the gospel. The only correct way for a Christian to think of sin, is being already judged and buried in Jesus’ death. Sin, death and judgment are behind the Christian. Value, unmerited favor and joy is before the Christian.

Hebrews 10:2-3 says that the Old Testament yearly sacrifices reminded the minds and thoughts of the practitioners of their sin. The writer of Hebrews says this was not a good thing for the mind to be reminded of our sins. To be reminded of ones sins, if you are indeed forgiven, is not excellent or praiseworthy. They were reminded of their sins, because Christ had not yet come. Hebrews later states that Jesus once and for all removes our sins from us. The pragmatic implication is that our minds and thoughts are not reminded about or sins; rather, we are reminded of our new identity in Christ.

We are the righteousness of God and co-heirs with Jesus. By His great love we are children of God.  Thus, it is not a good thing to be mindful and dwell on your sins. You are to be renewed by thinking about Jesus, and who are “presently” in Him. This is praiseworthy and excellent.

Paul says in Romans 6 we are to assent that we were buried in Jesus’ death. Our sin, by His atonement, was dealt with and buried. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5, that we at one time knew Jesus from a human point of view, but we do NOT know Him this way any longer.  He is on the throne, ruling and pouring out the baptism of the Spirit. Our thoughts are to be on this present reality of Jesus. Paul extends this to us. The old man is gone, with all our sin and judgment for that sin. Our new creation is our present reality, and this is where our thoughts ought to be. Thus to “think on these things,” is not thinking about our sin, but how righteous God sees us as. God interacts with us, as the righteousness of God.

The pragmatic application is if your circumstances or Satan tries to remind you of your sins, you are not indulge this temptation by thinking about your sins; rather, you are put off this old-man way of thinking, and put on the new-man, who thinks about how completely forgiven he is and how boldly he can march into the throne room of God and ask and receive.

The same is true for healing and sickness. Sickness is part of curses of Adam and of the Law (Deut. 28). Jesus, by substitutionary atonement, became our curses. Jesus was nailed to our curses of sickness. Even when leapers who needed to be healed, under the Law, a blood sacrifice was given. Healing is shown under the Law, that a substitutionary sacrifice is needed. Jesus was our substitutionary sacrifice to redeem us from all sickness.  Isaiah 53:4 says Jesus “bore” (same word for the substitution atonement for the escape goat in Lev. 16) sickness and pains.[1]

Curses are not honorable, excellence, praiseworthy, etc. And yet, sickness is a curse.

Sickness is a curse; it is not excellent.
Sickness is a curse; it is not praiseworthy.
Sickness is a curse; it is not honorable.
Sickness is a curse; it is not “true” regarding what God has promised.

When tempted by circumstances and the devil to keep rehearsing your sickness over and over in your mind, do not sin by doing this; rather, be obedient and put on the new-man who thinks on the finished work of Jesus who bore all your sickness and pains, who was nailed to your sickness and how these died with Him, on His body, so that you are freed and released from all of them. God is for your body, so much so, He made it part of the gospel. He is the God who heals you.

To indulge on thoughts of your sins or sickness is in direct disobedience of the Scripture commanding us to “think on these things.” Rejoice! You are commanded to think on righteousness, healing, blessings, miracles, peace with God, Joy and unending unmerited favor upon you.  Rejoice.

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[1] For more see, Christ our Healer. FF Bosworth.

A Powerful Church

Four years ago we introduced you to the writing of Bert M. Farias, who like another author frequently featured here, J. Lee Grady, has a blog at Charisma Magazine’s website. This time however, we’re featuring some writing from his own site, at Holy Fire Ministries. Bert has a number of published books, as well as two new ones due this month.

His primary audience is Pentecostal and Charismatic readers. Note that as you read. Click the header which follows and read today’s devotional at his site.

Christ’s True Church is One of Power

The Church began as a pure and powerful free flowing river in Acts 2, but through the centuries of time that river has picked up much dirt and debris (sin, man’s traditions, doctrines of demons, carnality, and compromise, etc.) until it became so muddied and diluted of its former character, power, and authority that it devolved into a shell of its former glory and such a phantom of the original. But in the last few centuries a glorious restoration has begun in its character, power, and authority until now we stand on the precipice of the greatest awakening and move of God this world has ever seen.

The early Church was birthed in Jerusalem where Jesus commanded them to wait for His POWER (Acts 1:8), and through the early apostles this POWER was carried forth to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth at the time. Then years later the “work” that Saul and Barnabas were separated unto added to the expansion of this gospel of POWER very quickly (Acts 13).

“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the HOLY Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the WORK to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus” (Acts 13:2-4).

Most church members and saints, however, are not called to the “WORK” but specifically called locally. They have jobs, families, and relationships in their Jerusalem. Others’ sphere of influence will extend out to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world etc. This is the Lord’s divine design to add to the local churches and multiply the number of disciples and the obedience to the faith of many (Acts 6:7). It is to be the Church’s primary focus and commission.

UNITY IN THE BODY WHEN EACH FINDS THEIR PLACE

This is a simple word but profound and will create greater unity in the body when everyone finds their place. We cannot think of ourselves higher than we ought to, but at the same time, we cannot lightly esteem the lesser or weaker members either.

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Cor. 12:18).

We often forget that this verse was written to the church at Corinth. It is in a local church setting and context. Here is another verse from another chapter:

“Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, [collectively as a church and also individually]” (2 Cor. 3:16 — AMP)? We need more collective movement in the body and less independent movement. I’ll say more about that at another time.

THE WORK VS. THE LOCAL CHURCH

Saul and Barnabas along with three other prophets and teachers were ministering to the Lord and fasting at Antioch (Acts 13:1-2), when the Lord separated them to a WORK whose sphere of influence would be far beyond the local church in Antioch. Not everyone is called, separated, and sent that way. You can’t make yourself a prophet or a teacher, or an apostle, or choose it like you would choose a secular profession, as many self appointed Facebook and social media individuals do. I’d rather hear a donkey bray in a barn at midnight than listen to some of these pseudo “apostles” and “prophets” tout their latest revelations on social media. A true apostolic anointing has Power attached to it. It is God who appoints, anoints, sets and sends.

We see the immediate impact and results of this separation and sending. Saul (Paul) immediately begins to operate in a greater POWER and authority (Acts 13:8-12).

A TRANSFER OF POWER: STEPHEN AND PHILIP

In the early church at Jerusalem we see the same principle in operation as Stephen and Philip move from serving as deacons and tending to windows into a ministry of POWER and greater supernatural influence ( Acts 6-8). What often happens, though, is Christians get excited about Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth, and they lightly esteem Jerusalem. Spirit-filled leadership will recognize callings and anointings but it’s the Holy Spirit who does the “setting apart”. You can’t just lay hands on people to receive gifts and mantles, as is so common today, without the authorization of heaven and the direction of the Spirit. That’s just treating the things of the Spirit as common and playing with them as if they’re toys. It’s childish and irreverent to make so base that which is holy. Immaturity should not be a leader of God’s people.

LAYING ON OF HANDS WITH PRAYER AND FASTING

Honestly, so much of the laying on of hands today is done in the flesh. Often there is no leading of the Spirit to do it. No faith. No reverence. No POWER.

I remember being a part of a full gospel but still traditional church that would lay hands on the sick nearly every Sunday. The pastor would call up the elders, most of whom had no anointing, give each of them a bottle of oil, and just lay hands on people with no faith, no unction, and no POWER. Never did I see anyone healed. Never was there a testimony of such. You might as well just have laid hands on a piece of wood.

Friends, these things are holy. The laying on of hands is holy whether it be for healing or setting someone apart for ministry. There is supposed to be active faith and/or a transfer of POWER with it. There should be believing effectual prayer and at times fasting attached to it.

Notice that it wasn’t until the apostles laid hands on the seven that Philip and Stephen began to move out and preach the gospel in great miracle POWER (Acts 6:8). They received a great impartation and transfer of Power from the apostles when they hands on them.

STEPHEN

“… whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:6,8).

PHILIP

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed” (Acts 8:5-7).

This is not for everyone. We have no record of the other five deacons receiving the same impartation or transfer of POWER Philip and Stephen did. Yes, we are all commissioned to preach and to lay hands on the sick and cast out devils (*Mark 16:15-18), but some are called, especially anointed, and appointed to a ministry office or function.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:27-28).

God sets in the body whomever He wills and appoints various ministry gifts. Some are called to work locally all their lives. Others will mature into greater callings of greater influence. Stay content in that and don’t push for ministry beyond the scope of what the Lord has ordained. Even John the beloved, an apostle, appears to have limited himself to mainly Jerusalem for sometime to care for Jesus’s mother Mary and help oversee the local church before ending up at Ephesus, and then confined to the island of Patmos in his later years. But he lived longer than the rest of the original apostles and became known as the apostle of love from what we glean from the gospel and epistle that bears his name.

Not every minister has an international ministry. I believe some ministries are confined to their present locale and region. The same could hold true with apostolic and prophetic ministries. Be faithful to your local church family and community as Philip and Stephen were, and if God sees fit to increase your sphere of influence let Him do it. Don’t initiate it on your own. Your overseers, if they are Spirit-filled men, will know it.

Find your place in your grace. Function in your unction. Remain in your lane.

In conclusion, read the following portion of Scripture very slowly and carefully:

“They compare themselves to one another and make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and then they judge themselves by their own standards. What self-delusion! But we are those who choose to limit our boasting to only the measure of the work to which God has appointed us—a measure that, by the way, has reached as far as you. And since you are within our assigned limits, we didn’t overstep our boundaries of authority by being the first to announce to you the wonderful news of the Anointed One. We’re not trying to take credit for the ministry done by others, going beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, our hope soars as your faith continues to grow, causing a great expansion of our ministry among you” (2 Cor. 12:12-15 — TPT).

I could say so much about these verses, but that will have to be for another time.

Stay tuned or buy the book (s) when it’s published.