heaven's tree book club

September 4, 2012

the Lamb that was slain the reward for His suffering. —the Moravians
Today is my dad's birthday. It was a very ordinary day in terms of what happened even though it was my dad's birthday. That is the kind of man he is. He doesn't want a lavish party or vacation or gifts. We pretty much stayed home all day with the exception of a morning and evening stroll along the creek. Sometimes, in these moments, I wish my dad would long for the supernatural. It is hard to get someone so drenched in powerless Christian to hunger for what he has never seen or tasted. I too have not seen God's power, but I have a growing hunger for God's power.
"Revival is the atmosphere in which Christ's power is most likely to be manifested. It touches every part of human life, breaking into society with sparks of revolution. Such glory is costly, and it is not to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, a powerless Church is far more costly in terms of human suffering and lost souls. During revival, hell is plundered and heaven is populated. Without revival, hell is populated.. .period.
Let me illustrate the necessity of signs and wonders in our quest to see our cities transformed and the glory of God fill the earth. Without the following, the world suffers, God is grieved, and we are the most to be pitied:
1. Signs and Wonders reveal the nature of God...
A primary purpose of the miracle realm is to reveal the nature of God. The lack of miracles works like a thief, stealing precious revelation that is within the grasp of every man, woman, and child. Our debt to mankind is to give them answers for the impossible, and a personal encounter with God. And that encounter must include great power.'
We are to be a witness for God. To give witness is to "represent." This actually means to re-present Him. Therefore, to re-present Him without power is a major shortcoming. It is impossible to give an adequate witness of God without demonstrating His supernatural power. The supernatural is His natural realm. Jesus was an exact representation of the Father's nature.3 His re-presentation of the Lather is to be a model tor us as we learn how to re-present Him.
The miracle realm of God is always with purpose. He doesn't come up0 people with power to show off or entertain. Demonstrations of power are redemptive in nature. Even the cataclysmic activities of the Old Testament \vere designed to bring people to repentance.
 Healing is never only one-dimensional. While a miracle may change one's physical health, it also sparks a revolution deep within the human heart. Both reveal the nature of God, which must never be compromised through powerless Christianity."

I have never been a part of revival although I would like to be. God's power is really not seen today in the western church. Can we see God where there is no encounter with His presence? I think of the Exodus story and how when God showed up, the people would tremble in fear. We don't have encounters like that today. The fear of God is not present in society. It sounds so logical what the author says about witnessing. We are to represent God. To represent God we need to demonstrate His power. Without the power of God, as the author states, the world suffers, God is grieved, and we of all people are to be pitied. Powerless Christianity is not a good witness to the world. Signs and wonders show the nature of God. What exactly does it show about God? I reflect upon the healings and I think of how it reflects His compassion, sovereignty over nature, and His desire to be known and relational.
"2. Signs and Wonders expose sin and bring people to a decision...
"When Simon Peter saw it [the miraculous catch of fish], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"3
Peter had been fishing all night with no success. Jesus told him to cast nets to the other side of the boat, which doubtless he had already done many times. When he did it at the bidding of the Master, the catch of fish was so great it nearly sank the boat. Peter called for help from the other boats. His response to this miracle was, "I am a sinful man."
Who told him that he was a sinner? There is no record of sermons, rebukes, or any such thing in the boat that day—just good fishing. So, how did he come under such conviction for sin? It was in the miracle. Power exposes. It draws a line in the sand and forces people to a decision.
Demonstrations of power are no guarantee that people will repent. One only needs to look at Moses to realize that sometimes the miraculous only- causes our Pharaohs to become more resolved to destroy us when they see power. Without acts of power, the Pharisees might have forgotten about the Church that was born from the blood of Jesus poured out at the cross. Power stirred up the zeal of opposition in them. We must be sober minded about this: power often causes people to decide what they're for or against. Power removes the middle ground.
Mercy ministries are absolutely- essential in the ministry of the gospel.They are one of the ways the love of God can and must be seen. Yet they are not complete without demonstrations of power. Why' The reality is this: the world will usually applaud such efforts because they know we should be doing them. We must realize the s.id truth—it is common for people to acknowledge the fndness of the Church and still not be brought to repentance. But power f rces the issue because of its inherent ability to humble mankind.
 Jesus said, "If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin."4
Is He saying that sin didn't exist in the hearts of the Jews until He performed miracles? I doubt it very much. He is explaining the principle revealed in Peter's repentance. Power exposes sin and brings people to a decision. When power is missing, we are not using the weapons that were in Jesus' arsenal when He ministered to the lost. The outcome? Most remain lost. Power forces people to be aware of God on a personal level, and it is demanding in nature."
I love this second point. God's power forces people to recognize their sinfulness. However, I like how the author says although people are made aware of their sinfulness, it does not mean they will come close to God. Peter came close to Jesus, but there are many whose hearts get hardened. God's power reveals His holiness and awesomeness. It is in a very personal level. Like Peter, God spoke right to his profession of fishing. For another person, it would be totally different. God's power is absent today and I propose that it shows the lack of faith encounters in the American church. 

"3. Signs and wonders bring courage...
The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law, And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.'
A very profound part of the Jewish culture was shaped by the command to keep the testimonies of the Lord. The family itself was driven by the ongoing revelation of God contained in His commandments and testimonies. They were to talk about the Law of God and what God had done when they went to bed at night, rose up in the morning, walked along, etc. Just about any time of the day was a perfect time to talk about God's wondrous works.
To insure they didn't forget, they were to build monuments that would help them to remember the invasion of God into their lives. For example: They piled stones to mark the place where Israel crossed the Jordan River.'' That was so that when their young ones would ask, Hey Dad...why is that pile of stones there? They could respond with the story of how God worked among them.
The testimony of God creates an appetite for more of the activities of God. Expectation grows wherever people are mindful of His supernatural nature and covenant. When the expectation grows, miracles increase. When the miracles increase, testimonies increase as well. You can see the cycle. The simple act of sharing a testimony about God can stir up others until they expect and see God work in their day.
The reverse is also true. Where they decrease, miracles are expected less if there is less expectation for miracles, they happen even less. As you can see there is also a possible downward spiral. Forgetting what God has done by removing the testimony from our lips ultimately causes us to become fearful in the day of battle. The story of the children of Ephraim is tragic because they were thoroughly equipped to win.Theyjust lacked courage.Their courage was to come from their memory of who God had been to them."

I love testimonies. I am eager to hear of testimonies of how God is at work locally and in the world. Sadly, we don't have very much locally but I get many e-mails about God working in other places. These testimonies help us hunger for more of God and build our faith. We are to talk about God's works not just once a week but it is to be a continuous thing throughout the day. It is sad that we do not see God at work in our lives and how we talk about lesser things. We really need to stir up a hunger for God.

"4. The supernatural is the key to the sin cities of the world...
Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
This passage of Scripture makes a distinction between religious cities and those known for sin. The religious city* had a numbed awareness of its need for God, while the sinful city was conscious that something was missing." Religion is even more cruel than sin.
The cities that Jesus addresses here saw more signs and wonders than all the rest combined. The miracles Jesus perfornaed were so great in number that apostle John said recording them could fill up all of the books in the world. This gives us perspective on the rebuke of Jesus upon the hard-hearted cities.
Jesus was limited in what He could do m Nazareth because of their unbelief.'"Yet in Chorazin and Bethsaida, His miracles appear to be limitless, which suggests these cities had a measure of faith. His stern rebuke didn't appear to
e because they didn't appreciate His working of miracles. They must have. Their problem was that they added such a move to what they were already ztninfc instead of making Him the focal point of their lives.That's what religion does. Like Jesus said, they failed to repent and change their way of thinking, /alter their perspective on life itself).
Many enjoy the move of God, but don't genuinely repent, (change their life's perspective, making His activities the focus and ambition of their lives). The revelation that came to them through the miraculous increased their responsibility, thus requiring change. It never came.
The anointing in Capernaum was so great that some translations say they were exalted to heaven. Could He be saying that the miracle realm around them was so great that it made their city the most like heaven of any city on earth? If so, Capernaum became, for a brief season, the example of—on earth as it is in heaven.They made room for His great work, but never made the adjustment in their lives to make it their main focus.
But there is another message contained in this story.Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would have repented had they been exposed to the same dimension of outpouring] Did you hear it? Tliey would have repented! It's a prophetic promise for today. Miracles on the streets of the "sin cities" of the world will cause them to repent! It is this secret that gives us access to the heart of these great cities! The San Franciscos and the Amsterdams, the New Orleans and the Rio de Janeiros of this world will repent. ..if there is an army of saints, full of the Holy Ghost, walking their streets, caring for the broken, bringing the God of power into their impossible circumstances. They will repent! That's a promise. They sinaply await those with the message of the Kingdom to come."
Point number four is very interesting. I have skipped through this particular passage at times and did not realize its significance in the context of signs and wonders. Indeed, religion that is empty of God and turning from sin is worse than sin. I also think of San Francisco as I have spent a lot of time in this city. I cannot talk about the other cities. Other cities have a reputation for lawlessness. New Orleans is an example but I have not been there. There is hope for these cities. It is possible like in the previous point that mighty works can be done but people do not repent. Mighty works of God by themselves do not bring people closer to God at least not for everyone. Empty religion is uneffected by the presence and power of God. The author goes through many more points, but they can all be summarized by the one in which I close this entry.

"5. Miracles reveal His glory...
"This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory: and His disciples believed in Him. ""
Jesus attended a wedding where they ran out of wine. As yet He hadn't performed any of the wonders for which He would later become known. Mary- knew w ho her son was and what was possible. So in this time of need His mother, Mary, turned to Him and said, "They have no wine." Jesus responded

to her savins, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My h
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has not yet come." But then Mary did something amazing—she turned to to servants and said, "Whatever He says to you, do it!" i3 Her faith just made r0o for the extravagance of God! Jesus followed this with the miracle of tur11Ul the water into wine.
Now what really happened? It's important to remember that Jesus only jjj what He saw His Father do, and He only said what He heard His Father say When Mary first mentioned the need for wine to Jesus, it is safe to say He noticed that the Father was not involved in doing any miracles for that wedding Besides, He knew that this wasn't His hour...the time to be revealed as the miracle worker. That's what brought the response, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me. My hour has not yet come." Mary, however, responded with faith and had the servants ready to do "...whatever He says to you."
Jesus again looked to see what the Father was doing and now noticed that He was turning water into wine. So Jesus followed His lead and did the miracle. Her faith so touched the heart of the Father that He apparently changed the chosen time to unveil Jesus as the miracle worker. Faith moves heaven, so that heaven will move earth.
According to John 2:11, this demonstration of God's power released the glory of God into that location. Signs and wonders do that. They release the glory of God into our cities.The need—be it physical sickness, poverty, oppression, etc.—represents the impact of darkness. The miracle displaces darkness and replaces it with light—glory. When miracles are absent, so is the glory of God, which is the manifested presence of Jesus.
As glory is released, it displaces the powers of darkness and replaces it with the actually ruling presence of God. The house is clean and swept and becomes filled with the furnishings of heaven.13 As the powers of darkness are removed they must be replaced with right things, or the enemy has legal access to return- making the last state of the man worse than the first. Miracles do both—they remove the ruling influence of hell while establishing the ruling presence of God.
How will the glory of God cover the earth? I believe that, at least in part, it will be through a people who walk in power, bringing the testimony of Jesus to the nations of the world. There will be a generation that will catch this and will invade the world system with this living testimony of who Jesus is!"
Prayer:
Father, display Your glory by Your mighty works in this city. Invade the places of darkness with Your light and glory. Move heaven so that heaven may move earth. I pray for an out-pouring of Your Spirit upon this dry and thirsty land. Father, I want to be a man of God who moves in Your power and authority to bring hope and healing to the nations. Help me to represent You in being a powerful witness of Your love and saving power. Lead me away from empty and meaningless religion which is not from You and move me towards vibrant Christianity full of power and Your presence. Reveal Your glory to me. Help me to see You at work in my life and in the world. I hunger for You and for Your miracles. I don't want a dull faith. Your mighty works help to give us courage and faith. Help me to build a testimony of Your works and wonder. I want to tell of Your mighty deeds but these days, I don't experience Your presence and power. I long to be healed of my physical condition and perhaps this very next day You will heal me. I promise to speak continuously of this healing all the days of my life and all the credit goes to You.