September 3, 2012
September 3, 2012
"Powerlessness: Unnecessary and Unbalanced"
"I'm not impressed with anyone's life unless they have integrity. But I'm not happy with their life until they are dangerous.1 As much as I have the ability to do so, I'll not let those around me get away with just being nice people!"
It was early on in my current health condition that six joints were effected probably around late May or early June. For the past 8-10 weeks my wrist has been fine until last night. I never knew how difficult things are with wrist discomfort especially in my dominant hand which I use to eat or carry things. Typing is difficult. Eating is difficult. Even walking is difficult because I need to steady my weight when pushing the walker. So what happens to our faith when things aren't getting better and instead it gets harder? This is where we're suppose to trust God that He's still in control and He's going to provide a solution soon right? This is the season of my life where I just don't know. I don't know if God is still in control. I don't know if He'll come through. This is where I am convinced that apologetics is not the answer. We can philosophicially reason with people, but faith is a matter of the heart as well as the mind. God, right now, appears to have forgotten me. I hate to complain, and I suppose more than ever I have taken on a negative and discouraging tone. What is more, I don't have a system of positive support to counteract all the negativity that has flooded in these several weeks. I can see how and why my patients during my clinical internship struggle so much without positive supports, without meaningful activities, and without a sense of hope or direction. I am at that place now and it is a kind of hell on earth.
My university e-mail account expires today. I spend close to six hours cleaning my inbox. I went through over 1000 e-mails and it was a monumental task to delete everything and now my e-mail account is deleted and no more. I cannot look back to yesterday and stay there. I must move forward in faith to what God has for me. I saw His faithfulness in my life while at Robert's but I cannot lingure there for too long. Forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on.
It was nice to be out tonight. It was my uncle's 82nd birthday and there were about 60 relatives who were at Fortune House. It is good to have a mix of both young and old. It is my mom's side of the family and so it is completely buddhist, agnostic, or atheist. They are nice people. They are friendly people. My nephew held the door open while my dad pushed me through the door. One relative even took out one of the chairs so that my wheelchair can fit at the table. I enjoyed being out and being surrounded by my relatives. The food was pretty good too. I bring up my relatives because they appear very much like Christians I know. Most Christians I know are nice people. We avoid using certain four letter words. We give to our chosen charities. We help grandma across the street. So what's the difference? Integrity is important. We need that. It is interesting when the author says he is not happy with someone until they are dangerous. I am sure he does not mean dangerous in the negative sense. He means dangerous in the sense that their lives show God's supernatural, redemptive, and healing power. There were two men that captured my attention as an undergrad from two different fellowships representing two different denominations, one baptist, the other pentecostal. Both were full of the Holy Spirit. The baptist who was in the same evangelism class with me led many to faith each week we went out for street evangelism. The other was deeply involved in healing ministry and many healings were done in the power of the Holy Spirit. These men were "dangerous".
"Many believers have made it their primary goal in life to be well-respected citizens of their communities. Good character enables us to be solid contributors to society, but most of what is recognized as a Christian lifestyle can be accomplished by people who don't even know God. Every believer should be highly respected AND MORE. It's the and more part that we're often lacking.
While character must be at the heart of our ministries, power revolutionizes the world around us. Until the Church returns to Jesus'model for true revolutionaries, we will continue to be recognized by the world merely as nice people—while it is overcome with disease and torment, on its way to hell.
Some Christians actually have considered it to be more noble to choose character over power. But we must not separate the two. It is an unjustifiable, illegitimate choice. Together they bring us to the only real issue—obedience.
Once, while teaching a group of students about the importance of signs and wonders in the ministry of the gospel, a young man spoke up saying, "I'll pursue signs and wonders when I know I have more of the character of Christ in me." As good as that may- sound, it comes from a religious mindset, not a heart abandoned to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
One problem with Christianity in the western world appears to be that it has become a religion rather than relationship. I saw this in New York. It is very obvious who had an intimate relationship with God and who simply showed up at church. The ones who just showed up talked mostly about sports and current issues and were disinterested in the things of God while the ones close to God were the encouragers who were always sharing about their relationship with God and what God had been revealing to them. The first movement is the one away from religion. Then we need to move in the direction of power. The power of God will indeed revolutionize the world.
"Character is shaped through obedience.Jesus commanded His disciples to go, and in going they were to teach all that they had been taught. And part of what they were taught was specific training on how to live and operate m the miraculous.5 They were commanded to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons."4 And now they were responsible to teach this requirement as the lifestyle for all who were to become followers of Jesus Christ. In this way, His standard could remain the standard—the norm for all who call upon the name of the Lord for salvation.
Many consider themselves unworthy of God using them in the miraculous, and therefore never pursue that realm. Isn't it ironic that Christians will disobey God by not diligently seeking after spiritual gifts—they won't lay hands on the sick or seek to deliver the demomzed—because they realize their need for more character? In none of the commissions of Jesus to His disciples did He deal specifically with character.
Is it possible the reason there are so few miracles in North America is because too many before us thought they had to become better Christians before God could use them? Yes! That single lie has kept us in perpetual immaturity because it protects us from the power-encounter that transforms us. The result is we have converts trained and over trained until they have no life, vision, or ingenuity left. This next generation of converts must be handled differently We must help them by giving them their identity as world changers, provide them with a model for character, passion, and power, and open up opportunities to serve.
Mario Murillo puts it this way, "When he picks up a Bible, his focus will not be on emotional healing or self-esteem. He'll ask you where the trigger is and how you fire it. When he reads the Word, he will want to apply it to the taking over of neighborhoods for God!""
There are a lot of Christian books on self-esteem and emotional healing, many by Christian psychologists. This is not to downplay the importance of emotional health. I too have adopted the mindset that I need to be well before I can be effective in ministry,. I do not agree with the author that the reason why there are so few miracles in America is because we think we need to become better Christians first. I think one of the big issues of our time is faith. I've been to a lot of churches in California and New York in my 13 years in higher education.I've been to nearly 100 churches ranging from very liberal to very conservative. Very few churches teach on healing and the power of God to heal. From the conservative church we hear about sin and God's holiness. From the liberal church we hear about social justice and God's compassion for the poor. We simply do not receive teaching on this area of God's supernatural power to heal. As a result, we have Christians who are either seeking holiness or seeking justice or somewhere in between. Consequently, we do not see Christians empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring forth kingdom power into our communities. We're not having a positive influence in our world.
"Many believe His power exists only to help us overcome sin. This understanding stops very short of the Father's intent for us to become witnesses of another world. Doesn't it seem strange that our whole Christian life should be focused on overcoming something that has already been defeated? Sin and its nature have been yanked out by the roots. Many constantly call out to God tor more power to live in victory. What more can He do for us? If His death wasn't enough, what else is there? That battle has already been fought and won! Is it possible that the process of constantly bringing up issues dealt with by the blood is what has actually given life to those issues?
Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." 'The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need pow-er to overcome something it I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness ' for the miraculous and tor the impossible.
Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed."
I believe this is partly true. We do spend a lot of time wrestling with sin. I am often reminded of my sin throughout the day. I think also that the cross did deliver us from sin. I disagree however that the author takes a light stance on sin. Yes, we are dead to sin, that is the penalty of sin, but we are not dead to the presence of sin. Many Christian leaders have fallen within recent years from secret sins which became very public. I do like when the authors says that we do things that often do not require for God to show up. I think of worship services. When we observe a worship team and a local band, they appear to be doing the same thing, singing, and playing instruments although the lyrics might be a little different. When we hear a pastor preach versus our professor give a lecture they appear to be doing the same thing although the content may differ. The difference as we know is God's power. This primarily happens with the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the casting out of demons which I have not seen in any North American church. We rely on God for the supernatural.
"So great was the disciples need for power to become witnesses that they were not to leave Jerusalem until they had it. That word power, dunamis, speaks of the miracle realm. It conies from dunamai, which means "ability." Think about it—we get to be clothed with God's ability':
The remaining eleven disciples were already the most trained people in signs and wonders in all of history. No one had seen or done more, except Jesus. And it was those eleven who had to stay until they were clothed with power from on high.When they got it they knew it.This power came through an encounter with God.
Some, because of their fear of error, have said it's improper to seek for an experience with God. After all, many deceived groups have come from those who based their beliefs on experiences in conflict with Scripture. Under the guidance of such attitudes, fear becomes our teacher. But why aren't those same individuals afraid of belonging to the doctrinally stable camps that are powerless? Is this deception any less dangerous than that of the power abuser? Will you bury your gifts and tell the Master when He comes that you were afraid of being wrong? Power and character are so closely aligned in Scripture that you cannot be weak in one without undermining the other."
"Continuing with this theme we have the command, "Do not quench the Spirit.""'This mandate is focused on our need to follow His leading.To quench means to "stop the flow" of something. As the Holy Spirit is ready to bring salvation, healing, and deliverance, we are to flow with Him. Failure to do so hinders His efforts to bring us into the supernatural.
If He is to be free to move in our lives, we will constantly be involved in impossibilities. The supernatural is His natural realm. The more important the Holy Spirit becomes to us, the more these issues will be paramount in our hearts.
At some point we must believe in a God who is big enough to keep us safe in our quest for more of Him. Practically speaking, many Christian's devil is bigger than their God. How could a created, fallen being ever be compared with the infinite Lord of glory? It's an issue of trust. If I focus on my need to protect myself from deception, I will always be overwhelmingly aware of the power of the devil. If my heart is completely turned to the One who is "able to keep me from falling,"1 He is the only One I become impressed with. My life reflects what I see with my heart.
So how do we walk in the power of God? First, we must pursue Him. The life of power is a life of abiding in Christ, (staying plugged into our power source). The hunger for the demonstration of power must not be separated from our passion for Him. But realize this, our hunger for Him in part must be seen in our lustful pursuit of spiritual gifts.1" That is His command!
In this endeavor I must passionately desire life-changing encounters with God, over and over again. I must cry out day and night for them...and be specific. I must be willing to travel to get what I need. It God is moving somewhere else more than where I live, I must go!"
"Biblical passion is a mysterious mixture of humility, supernatural hunger, and faith."
"Jesus healed everyone who came to Him.To accept any other standard is to , . fjte [jiMe down to our level of experience, and deny the nature of the One who changes not."
"As for the ministry of power, whatever I receive from God I must give away. You only get to keep what you give away. If you want to see people healed, look for those who are sick and offer to pray for them. While I am not the healer, I do have control over my willingness to serve those in need. If I minister to the needy, I give Him an opportunity to show His extravagant love for people. The ministry of signs and wonders will go nowhere if we are afraid of failure. As Randy Clark puts it, "I must be willing to tail to succeed."
Jesus said that we must receive the Kingdom like a child. The life of power is at home in the heart of a child. A child has an insatiable appetite to learn. Be childlike and read the works of those who have succeeded in the healing ministry. Stay away from the books and tapes of those who say it shouldn't or can't be done. If the author doesn't walk in power, don't listen, no matter how proficient they may be in another field. An expert in biblical finances is not necessarily proficient in signs and wonders. Maintain respect for that individual's place m God and his or her area of expertise, but never waste precious time reading the stuff of those who do not do what they teach. We have grown fat on the theories of classroom Christians. We must learn from those who fust do it!
Someone once brought a book to my office that was critical of the revival that started m Toronto in January of 1994. I refused to read it and threw it away.You might say."You're not very open minded."You're right. I am responsible to protect what God has given me. No one else has that assignment. Burning within my soul is a piece of the original flame from the day of Pentecost. It's been handed down generation after generation.That tire burns deep inside, and because of it I'll never be the same again. My passion for Jesus is growing continually."
"If we teach, preach, or witness and nothing happens, we must go back to the drawing board—our knees. Do not make excuses for powerlessness. For decades the Church has been guilty7 of creating doctrine to justify their lack of power, instead of crying out to God until He changed them. The lie they came to believe has given rise to an entire branch of theology that has infected the Body of Christ with a fear of the Holy Spirit. It deceives under the guise of staying undeceived. The Word must go forth with power. Power is the realm of the Spirit. A powerless Word is the letter not the Spirit. And we all know, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."" Lives must be changed in our ministry of the Word. Keep in mind that conversion is the greatest and most precious miracle of all.
"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."" If the gospel is powerless, it is because' human wisdom has had its influence."
Prayer:
Father, I love this author. I love this author who stimulates something inside of me to hunger for more of You and more of Your power. I am given a vision and a taste of Your supernatural presence and power and I am not satisfied with anything less. There is a brand of powerless Christianity invading the church rendering her disabled and mute in a suffering society. Jesus healed all those who came to Him and I come to Jesus eager and desperate for a healing touch that will restore my life and body. Slowly, with each passing day, I grow more agnostic because I don't experience Your presence and power. I cry out tonight for more of You, more of Your power to bring hope and healing not only to my life but to all present in my life. Father, I don't want a dull and meaningless faith. I want and hunger for a vibrant and supernatural faith of purpose, power, and abundant life of Christ. I don't want to settle for anything less. Each new day I see my need for you as now my wrist is bothering me. I am weak, but You are strong. Father, I cry out for Your healing presence and touch in my life.
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