“Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Mt.10:11-14).

As Jesus was sending out the twelve to try out their wings apart from his presence, he gave them these instructions as part of a larger set.   To us, this passage may seem a bit strange.  What constitutes a worthy person?  What does it mean to give the house your greeting?  What is “your peace” that can be imparted and then retrieved?  To some degree this passage is confusing to most of us because of cultural contexts that we are unfamiliar with.  To some degree it is because of a spiritual context that we are unfamiliar with.

Luke’s version of what Jesus said can be helpful.  Luke records the instructions Jesus gave to the twelve this way “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.        Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house” (Lk.10:4-7).

In the first century in middle-eastern cultures it was traditional to declare a blessing over a house as you entered.  That blessing was “Peace to this house.”  The idea of peace to the Jew was that of “shalom.”  Shalom didn’t simply mean the absence of conflict but rather the presence of God’s goodness, health, provision, joy, as well as peace with your neighbors.  It was as if the word “shalom” contained all the blessings God had promised those who would follow him faithfully. A quick reading of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 will give you a sense of that.  In that text, Jehovah lists a number of blessings and declares, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all of his commands…all these blessings will come upon you and accompany you.”  To declare a blessing over a house was a simply prayer asking the Lord to establish “shalom” over the house.

In the days of David, after a failed attempt to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem because David and the priests had not followed the prescribed way to transport the ark, a man named Obed-Edom was assigned as a caretaker of the ark and it was left at his house.  After Uzzah had touched the ark irreverently during transport, he had died immediately so I assume Obed-Edom did not sleep well for a number of evenings after finding ark left in his living room.  However, because of the presence of God in the man’s house and because the man had reverence for God, he was greatly blessed. “Now King David was told, ‘The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and everything he has because of the ark of God’” (2 Sam.6:12).  After hearing that, David found a way to move the ark the Jerusalem.  I believe shalom settled over the house of Obed-Edom and the result was constant blessing in all kinds of ways for those who lived there.

It was a gracious sentiment then for a Jew to enter a house and wish for God’s blessings to be poured out over the house. However, Jesus takes the idea to a very different level.  He says that first of all the when the apostles entered a house where they would stay while ministering in a village, they were to “let their peace rest on him” if he were a worthy man – a good man, a reverent man, and a man of faith. If he were not a good man of faith, then they should leave and take their “shalom” with them.

This giving and taking of peace goes beyond a sentiment or a prayer.  It implies that the apostles had been given authority to bestow the blessings of heaven or to take them away. It seems to parallel Jesus’s words, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt.16:19).

My point here is that we still do not understand the level of authority that Jesus has delegated to us. The apostles had the capacity to assess a man’s heart through the leading of the Spirit and if they declared shalom over the house where they were staying, God would honor that declaration with blessings. If they removed shalom by some declaration or by shaking the dust off their sandals then he honored that declaration as well.

How often do we mindlessly say, “God bless you” with little expectation or little faith that he will? What if we believed that we had been given authority to actually, literally direct blessings from heaven onto a person, a household, or a business and that God would honor our direction.  That would mean that we had been given a stewardship of those blessings (the riches of heaven) and that they were to be thoughtfully directed toward people who would use the blessings in godly ways (the worthy person).

I believe that we still the delegated authority to do just that when we speak shalom (peace) over a house or a person with faith and with thoughtfulness.  We are told, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.         If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet.4:10-11).

Speaking blessings is certainly a very real and profound way of administering God’s grace.  “Administering” does not mean to give away God’s grace randomly but as a steward would dispense resources of the master in thoughtful ways as the Master himself would do.  Some of that administration of grace was to be done by speaking and as one speaking the very words of God – which means speaking thoughtfully, intentionally, with authority, and with the expectation that those words will fulfill their purpose because they have been spoken as the very words of God by the Spirit’s direction.

Think about that today.  Meditate.  Think about who you are in Christ and the authority you have as his representative.  As you go through your day, ask the Spirit to direct you to people who need the shalom that already rests upon you and then bless them in the name of Jesus with faith that God is actually going to do so in some real, tangible way because you spoke the blessing.

So…be blessed today by declaring the blessing of peace over a worthy person!  Have fun.

Here is something Kevin Dedmon said in a chapter from his contribution to a book entitled, Walking in the Supernatural.

After Peter and John healed the cripple at the Beautiful Gate, the onlookers were amazed at what they had just witnessed.  There seemed to be an underlying sentiment that Peter and John were some kind of superheroes with special power that made them unique. Peter, most likely recognizing the attitude, responded:  “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this?  Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk” (Acts 3:12)” Then, after a short sermon, he added:  “His name, through faith in His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know.  Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16).  Sadly, many people shy away from the supernatural gifts, thinking that they do not have the power to perform supernatural feats.  The reality is that they don’t.  None of us have the power to heal, save, prophesy, or set people free; nevertheless, God has commissioned us to go and do these things – to make the world a better place to live.  What else can we do but obey?  (Walking in the Supernatural, Destiny Image Pub., p.177)

First century Rabbi’s were approached by students who had extraordinary gifts of study and memorization in the Torah and who had a passion to learn and teach the Torah to others.  The process was much like that of Jesus and his disciples. Disciples would live with their teacher for several years learning and observing his lifestyle. The traditional path was for the student to apply with the Rabbi who considered the request and then took the best and the brightest as students. In a sense, the student chose the teacher.  Jesus reversed that order when he went after those who he would call to be his disciples and chose those who were not graduate students from the synagogue and who had probably shown no great capacity for theology.

The two processes were the same, however, when the Rabbi issued the invitation, “Come and follow me.”  That phrase was not an invitation to come and study and receive information or more biblical knowledge so that the knowledge could be passed on to others.  The phrase was meant to convey an invitation to follow the Rabbi so that you could not only learn what he knew but also so that you could live as he lived and do what he did.  The invitation was literally a call to become the Rabbi.  When Jesus called the twelve he meant for them to duplicate his life on the earth. When he called each of us, he meant for us to duplicate his life on the earth.

We have been called to do what Jesus did in whatever setting he has placed us.  We are to be light to the world, dispensers of the love and grace of God, and tellers of truth.  We are to point people to the Father and the Son and offer them the free gift of salvation.  We are called to do that at the office, in our homes, on the sidelines of little league games, and at school.  We are called to do that in line at the supermarket and with the wait-staff at restaurants.  We are called to do that because Jesus did that.  Nearly everyone would agree with the fact that as Christians (which initially meant “little Christ’s” in Antioch) we should minister to the sick and the poor, share the good news, be lights in a dark world, and so forth because that is what Jesus did.

But Jesus did other things as well – supernatural things.  He prayed to the Father and mediated miracles – feeding the five thousand, raising the dead, healing every kind of sickness, and setting people free from demonic oppression. He did those things over and over as part of his lifestyle. Many would be quick to say, “Yes, but he was God….we are not!”  It is true that Jesus was God but he walked on this earth as the Son of Man. Jesus certainly had a position of being God but laid aside all the special attributes of God to live as one of us.  He lived as a man with a deep and intimate connection with God and an unwavering faith.  He also sent out twelve and then seventy-two unremarkable disciples who did the very same things Jesus was doing.  He then sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his church and to distribute gifts of miracles, healings, prophecy, faith, intercession, etc. to unremarkable people who then lived as our remarkable Rabbi had lived when he walked on this earth.

It’s amazing to me that we tend to pick and choose the attributes of the Rabbi that we think we should emulate. When he said, “Come and follow me,” to those he chose (including you and me) he was calling them and us to become him – to live as he lived and to do what he did.  We do this because it is our call and because God, the Rabbi, and the Holy Spirit live within us so that we might replicate the life and the heart of the Son.

Of course, we do not have the power by ourselves to do these things – any of them.  I have no power to be unselfish, to love the unlovable, or to forgive those who have abused me.  The Spirit of Christ alone enables me to do those things. I have to power to grasp the spiritual truths of scripture unless the Spirit enables me to perceive those things. He also enables us to heal, deliver, raise the dead, intercede with power for the lost, prophesy, and so forth.  One is not more remarkable than the other but all are required if we are to become Jesus, the Rabbi.

May we all hear his voice today as he calls us to come and follow him and may our prayer be that we will learn what he knows, live as he lived, and do what he did. As we commit to the process he will send us out to do what he did and will give us his power and authority to do so.  If we will step out by faith, believing that he will always equip us for the assignments he places before us, we will see him live through us just as Peter and John did on the streets of Jerusalem.  We will also be able to declare that it was not us but Jesus who did such a thing.  Be blessed as you follow Him today!

Lies are a great strategy of the enemy to take us out of the game.  It’s simple.  If you hear a lie often enough you come to believe that it is true.  Once you believe that it is true, you will act in ways that seem to confirm the truth of the lie you have believed. Satan is a master at orchestrating such deceptions.

Let me give you a simple illustration.  A young woman is brought up in a home where she experiences a great deal of criticism and rejection.  On occasion she is told that she is worthless and that no one will ever want her.  She stores that lie up in her heart and comes to believe that she is unworthy of love and friendship.  She comes to believe that if anyone ever truly got to know her they would reject her. To avoid inevitable rejection she avoids relationships.   On the first day of school she arrives early and sits in the back where she won’t have to risk much interaction with others students who she believes will reject her just as her parents said. When students come in, she avoids eye contact and appears sullen. If they speak to her she makes little response. Her body language announces that she is not interested in striking up a conversation and so the new students honor her non-verbal sign that cries “Stay Away.”  At the end of the day no one has spoken to her and in some classes no one even sat next to her.  She leaves that day with her belief that she is unlovable and unworthy of friendship reinforced.  The lie she believed about her lack of worth and significance produced behaviors that reinforced the belief.  All she had to do was smile and be friendly to have a totally different experience.

Some lies are planted in our homes behind closed doors while others are planted by our culture through the media and our education system. Several years ago I had a young man whom I had never met come into my office.  I’ll call him Todd (not his name). He was the grown son of some members of the church where I was serving.  He introduced himself and quickly and got to the point.  He simply and bluntly asked me what the Bible had to say about homosexuality.  I read several passages to him from both the Old and New Testaments that clearly stated that a homosexual lifestyle was sin.  He looked devastated as I finished reading the passages.  I asked him why he came in.  He told me his story.  When he was eighteen he went off to college and shared a dorm room with another young man he had never met.  However, they soon became close friends and in their sophomore year left the dorm and shared an apartment.  Todd then told me how emotionally attached they became to one.  It was then than both of them gave into their feelings and began a homosexual relationship.  He felt a great deal of shame about it but couldn’t bring himself to break off the relationship.

As we visited, I asked him if he and his friend had been sexually attracted to one another in the early stages of the relationship.  Todd seemed to be shocked that I had even asked the question.  His answer was revealing.  “No! The thought of it was repulsive but because we felt so strongly about one another we knew we must be gay and so the sex just naturally followed.”  We continued to talk about the possibility that men and women could have deep friendships and emotional bonding without a sexual component to the relationship.  Scripture says that David and Jonathan had such a deep emotional bond that their “souls were knot together.”  Solomon said. “There is a friend who is closer than a brother.”  There is no suggestion that there was any sexual component to these friendships.  They were just best friends.

The cultural lie that Todd had bought into was that love and sex are equivalent.  Somehow we have lost the ability to separate the two – even among friends.  Fifty years ago boys had best friends with whom they shared their deepest fears and greatest hopes. Young girls did the same and even walked around in public places holding hands.  There was nothing sexual about the relationships.  The all grew up, got married, raised children and continued to stay in touch with best friends.  Now the lie is that if you feel emotionally drawn to anyone of the same sex you by definition are gay.  If you are gay then the relationship must become sexual.  That is simply a lie and our media and education system reinforce the lie.

We speak of homosexuality as if it is another gender – male / female / homosexual.  God did not create that category.  He simply made them male and female. I’m not saying that all homosexual relationships are friendships distorted by deception. There are other factors as work in many of those relationships. But I know many are deep friendships that have been redefined and distorted by our culture. Deep same-sex friendships without lust are very biblical and healthy.  Our cultural preoccupation with sex has all but stolen these godly friendships from us.  Those who are caught up in the gay lifestyle are afraid to walk away from it because they fear they are doomed to never have love in their lives.  But love and deep friendship can exist without lust and sex.  Deep emotional connection can occur between friends just as it can with family members.  This cultural lie has cost us on many fronts

Todd was astonished to discover that his relationship with his partner could have remained a “best friends” relationship without sex and without shame.  In that moment he realized that perhaps he wasn’t born with a genetic mandate to be gay. He thanked me for my time and walked out the door.  Two years later I was sitting alone at an airport in L.A. waiting on a connecting flight.  Out of the crowd Todd walked up to me with a young lady next to him.  He introduced me to his wife.  He said she knew everything about his past and that he still had some struggles related to his past  but they were working through all that.

Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” If truth sets us free then lies keep us in bondage.  Satan is the master of lies so we must be masters of truth. Scripture is our foundation and if anything is true, then it is God’s truth – whether it comes by scientific discovery or revelation.  It is all God’s truth and will not contradict God’s word.  Whether a lie is planted in our hearts by hurtful families or by cultural propaganda, it blinds us to who we are in Christ and the destiny and glory he has for each of us.  Paul told Timothy not to lay hands on any man quickly.  He meant that Timothy should not be too quick to give authority to a man he had not proven.  The same is true for cultural beliefs and assertions. Don’t be too quick to agree just because you keep hearing it stated over and over.  Weigh it against God’s word.  Do your homework.  Know the truth because knowing it will keep you free.  Be blessed today in God’s truth.

At the cross an all-encompassing exchange literally took place in the spiritual realm. Our condition was assigned to Christ and, by the grace of God, his condition was assigned to us.  Jesus took upon himself the penalty for sin (death and separation from God) that was pronounced in the Garden of Eden and the curse of the Law that condemned sinners.   Jesus not only took on the penalty of our sin but also gave to us eternal life and a secure relationship with God.

Jesus not only paid a debt we could not pay but lavished us with blessings that belonged to him. It was as if the prince himself left his palace and position, put on the rags of a prisoner, stepped into our cell, and as he did so he handed his royal garments and his keys to the palace to us. Of course, he leaves it to us to decide whether we will walk in royal robes and live in the palace or continue to wear the rags of a beggar while the keys of the kingdom rest unused in our pockets.

Here is a question.  “If the prince had indeed entered into your cell, exchanged clothes with you and handed you his keys to the palace…what thoughts or things might keep you from ever moving into the palace and enjoying the blessings assigned to a prince?  Many of us hesitate to receive all that Jesus has purchased for us with his blood. We continue to live as paupers when we have been invited to live as a prince.

By faith in what Jesus did for us we literally have moved from a position of…

• Sin to Righteousness.   God made him, who had no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

• Alienation to Adoption.   In love, He predestined us to be adopted as his sons in Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will… (Eph. 1:5)

• Slavery to Sonship.    Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father”.  So you are no longer a slave, but a son. (Gal. 4:6-7)

• Death to Life.  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin, in which you used to live… But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ.  (Eph. 2:1, 5)

• Rejection to Acceptance.  Accept one another then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Rom. 15:7)

• Poverty to Riches. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.   (2 Cor. 8:9)

• Darkness to Light.  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  (Eph. 5:8)

• Alienation from God to Citizenship in Heaven.  Remember that at that time, you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world … you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people.  (Eph. 2:12, 19)

• Cowardice to Courageousness.  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim.1:7)

• Old to New.   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone the new has come.  (2 Cor. 5:17)

• Cursed to Blessed.  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Gal. 3:13-14)

• Bondage to Freedom.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.  (Luke 4:18)

• Condemnation to Justification.  Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life, set me free from the law of sin and death.  (Rom. 8:1)

• Weakness to Strength.  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.  (Phil. 4:13)

• Ruled to Ruling.  You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air. …And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms… (Eph. 2:1, 6)

Because of this exchange, we are able to approach the throne of grace with absolute confidence knowing that God’s help and mercy will be available to us (Heb. 4:16).  As we approach the Father to set us free from those things that hinder our life in Christ we can fully expect his help.  Because of Jesus we are no longer cursed, alienated sinners opposed to God. Instead we stand before him as his children with all the blessings of heaven available.  Feel free to ask for those blessings and expect them.  When you receive the blessings of Christ and operate in them, then Jesus receives everything he paid for and rejoices in you.   Remember who you are and be blessed roday.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor.10:3-6)

This is the fourth and last segment on Weapons of War which has been a brief look at Paul’s words about divine weapons in 2 Corinthians.  Learning what these divine weapons are and how to use them is crucial in overcoming the enemy, ministering God’s healing grace to wounded people, and setting people free in the name of Jesus.  There are actually many “weapons” or tools that God activates through his people that create faith, heal broken hearts, declare things that God will not do until his people announce them, rebuild shattered identities, and free people from the oppression of the enemy.  That oppression can take the form of fear, condemnation, illness, demonization, curses, addictions, etc.  God has a solution for each of those and most often provides that solution in partnership with his people.

Gifts of the Spirit are at the heart of these divine weapons.  Gifts of faith, mercy, prophecy, healings, wisdom, tongues, words of knowledge, worship, intercession, etc. can all be used to break the power of the enemy in a person’s life.  Some reveal truth and set people free from lies that the enemy planted decades ago.  Some break the power of demons and send them away so that the individual is no longer oppressed or harassed. Some reveal the love of God to a person’s heart and heal wounds that have festered for decades.  Others exercise the authority of heaven on the earth and set things in motion that will eventually bring salvation to the lost and revival to nations. We don’t have time to list them all or discuss them all here.  That would take an entire book.

However, if you hunger for such weapons or such spiritual gifts, then Paul says to earnestly desire those gifts.  Jesus says to ask, seek, and knock.  Peter quotes Amos who told us to go after such things by seeking the Holy Spirit and his baptism.  If you want to these things from God then let me encourage you to do the following.

1. Pray – Ask God for the gifts and understanding of how to use the gifts.  Jesus sent the Spirit so ask him for more of the Spirit.  Ask Jesus to baptize you in his Spirit as he sees fit.

2.  Pursue – Do not just ask for these gifts or anointings, go after them.  Spend time with people who minister in the gift or the weapon you desire.  Ask them to mentor you.  Read books.  Go to conferences. Get equipped with teaching, modeling, and impartations of the gifts from those who operate in them.  If you want the gift of intercessory prayer, hang around intercessors. If you want healing gifts, hang around those who see healing when they pray.  If you want prophetic gifts, find some prophets.

3.  Practice – When you begin to understand how gifts operate or how to ask God for certain things, then begin to practice using your gift.  This is where most people fail.  They believe that a spiritual gift should just operate in its fullness as soon as you receive it.  When people pray for healing, ask for tongues, attempt deliverance and don’t see great things happen they often give up and assume God is not giving them the gift. Spiritual gifts are like other skills and talents.  They must be practiced and developed.  You must be willing to play a lot of rounds of poor gold before you can begin to play great rounds of golf.  Practice.  Risk.  Seek more mentoring as you go.

4.  Persevere – Stick to it as long as the desire is in your heart.  Pray for it as long as the desire is in your heart.  Ask God to show you if there is anything in your life that is blocking the exercise of that gift.  If you find any kinks in the hose, straighten them out.

Go after the gifts.  Learn to use them as divine weapons.  Be blessed and bless others.

We often idealize biblical figures so that we forget their humanity.  We remember David for taking down Goliath but forget his human frailties that surfaced with Bathsheba or his unwillingness to discipline or deal with Absalom.  We remember Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel but forget that he caved into fear and depression immediately after his victory when Jezebel threatened him. We think of the Apostle Paul as the greatest of the apostles, immovable in faith and writing great chapters about love (1 Cor. 13), but forget that in an ungracious moment he refused to give John Mark a second chance and forever parted ways with Barnabas  – the man who had accepted him into the fellowship of believers after Paul came to Christ.

Being human does not disqualify us from greatness in the kingdom of God, it simply reminds us of our desperate dependence on God to keep those “human moments” to a minimum and to maintain perspectives of faith when we face hardships.  Paul tells us that we “know in part and we prophecy in part” so that we are also operating in the dark at times.  We don’t always have everything revealed to us nor do we always fully understand what has been revealed. Our faith ebbs and flows at times to our own dismay but that is our reality. In Matthew 11, we find John the Baptist in one of those moments.

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. (Mt.11:1-6).

I find it amazing that John the Baptist had a moment of doubt about Jesus being the promised Messiah. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a relative of Elizabeth, the mother of John.  Luke tells us that John was about six months older than Jesus. When Mary had become pregnant with Jesus she visited Elizabeth who was carrying John in her womb.  Luke tells us, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Lk.1:41).  Even in the womb John, by the Spirit, seemed to recognize who Jesus was.  Thirty years later, John was the one who declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God.  He was the one who had baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus in the form of a dove. John declared that Jesus was the anointed one of God, and that his own ministry had to decrease so that Jesus would increase in the eyes of the Jewish people.

And yet, after his imprisonment, he apparently began to wonder if Jesus were the Messiah or if another one was coming.  John was experiencing our humanity for he also “knew in part and prophesied in part.”  Apparently, John was beginning to doubt who Jesus was because things were not unfolding as he had anticipated.  Jesus frustrated many who believed that Messiah would come with overwhelming glory and power, moving quickly to overthrow Roman oppression and restore Israel to her greatness as in the days of David and Solomon.  But Jesus, although a great teacher and healer, seemed to be anything but a man pushing his way to the top to grab power and glory.  He seemed totally apolitical instead of being politically savvy.  He seemed to resist notoriety rather than embracing it.  He talked about loving enemies rather than destroying oppressors. He talked about turning the other cheek rather than organizing resistance against Rome.

As John languished in prison the “kingdom of God” wasn’t feeling so near or victorious.  And so he asked, “Are you really the one or did I miss it?”  Interestingly, Jesus didn’t send him a theological response or quote Old Testament prophecies that had been recently fulfilled in him.  He simply said, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” On several occasions, Jesus himself had said that you can know a prophet by his fruits.  Words are easy; actions are more definitive.

Jesus pointed to the miraculous works of heaven that were flowing through his ministry to authenticate who he was.  He also pointed to Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy that John must have known by heart. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isa.61:1).  Jesus’ ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance fulfilled that prophetic word.  Messiah had come to bring heaven to earth.  The miraculous works of God confirmed that the kingdom had indeed come to earth and in doing so, confirmed that Jesus was and is the anointed one of God – the Christ.

Jesus often healed and delivered simply out of compassion. Many times he told those he had healed or delivered not to tell anyone who had done that for them.  But he also said that his miracles and the miracles of those who followed him were their credentials documenting their citizenship in heaven.  If John the Baptist needed that concrete evidence, then how much more will unbelievers need that evidence today in a world of empty promises and cynicism?  For the last few centuries, the church has offered theology and explanations of why God no longer acts like God rather than concrete experiences with the Creator. When people ask us if Jesus is really the Son of God and Savior of the world, we need to be able to respond as Jesus responded to John.  “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”  After people experience God we can give them a theology for that experience to stand on.

Experiencing God is not found only in healing or deliverance.  His presence can simply overwhelm people with love or peace. His voice can penetrate unbelief or fear.  Angels can pull people from burning vehicles or he can open up new realities through dreams or visions. Prophetic words can disarm the agnostic and miracles of provision can confirm his care to those who felt alone and helpless. But all of those things are experiences with God.  If God had sent Moses to Egypt with a nicely framed theology instead of demonstrations of power on behalf the Hebrews, the Jewish people would still be serving Egyptians today.

As we pray for people to come to faith, pray that God will arrange an encounter with heaven that they cannot deny. Then share Jesus, the source of every heavenly encounter, with them.  Be blessed today and expect miracles. They point to Jesus.

In scripture, “keys” represent authority. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt.16:18-19).  In essence, Jesus was declaring war on hell and pronouncing the victory in advance. In order to prosecute the war against a supernatural enemy, the church was going to need supernatural power and authority.  Jesus said that he would give that authority to his church.

Jesus had already demonstrated the supernatural power and authority of the kingdom of heaven in his own ministry.  “Supernatural” does not always mean mystical or magical. It simply means “above the natural” or “beyond the natural.”  In our context it means that power and authority derived from the spiritual realm exceeds or trumps anything that can be found in the natural or the temporal realm. In the natural realm disease, hunger, and storms have their way. But Jesus dominated each of these in the natural realm by exercising authority derived from heaven.  He also demonstrated that the power of heaven is greater than the power of darkness within the spiritual realm by casting out demons, raising the dead, and by his own resurrection.

While Jesus was on the earth, he delegated that same power and authority to the twelve and then to seventy other followers who also healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. Upon his return to heaven, Jesus sent his Holy Spirit who also imparts power and authority to the followers of Jesus for healing, deliverance, miracles and so forth.  That power is manifested through spiritual gifts that are backed by the authority and power of heaven.

In addition, the Holy Spirit himself has taken up residence within every believer and has made us partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet.1:4).  John tells us that we now possess eternal life through our relationship with Jesus.  When all those factors are taken into consideration, it appears that we should operate more in the spiritual realm than in the natural.  In fact, if we possess eternal life now, we are primarily spiritual beings because only those things that belong to the spiritual realm are eternal.  “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor.4:18).

Since we are primarily spiritual beings, Paul directs us to fix our eyes on that realm – to make the spiritual realm our first point of reference in all things.  Jesus lived with the heavenly realm as his primary perspective.  Storms weren’t a problem because there are no storms in heaven. A little bread and a few fish could feed five thousand because heavenly economics are not limited to what we can see or hold in our hands. The dead are only asleep.  Water can become wine with a simple command or can become rigid enough to walk on.  Jesus didn’t perform magic; he simply knew that he was not limited to natural law because he was a citizen of heaven with the power and authority of his homeland establishing the things he commanded.

We are called to live by that same heavenly perspective.  It’s called faith.  Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth  (the natural realm) as it is done in heaven (the spiritual realm). Whatever God does for his children in heaven, he is willing to do for his children on earth. Heaven comes to earth through faith. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Mt. 21:21-22).

God’s will for his children in heaven is perfect health.  Healing brings that heavenly reality to earth.  Provision is God’s will for his children in heaven.  Prayer provides for his children on earth. Heaven is a “no demon zone.”  Deliverance establishes that reality on earth. The fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, etc. – releases the atmosphere of heaven into this troubled world. If we believe that we are currently citizens of heaven seated with Christ in heavenly realms then we are releasing the manifestations of heaven to earth rather than begging for heaven to do something about this mess.

The apostles experienced the difference in perspectives on the boat in the storm while Jesus slept.  They were living with the perspective that they lived in the natural realm and were terrified of the storm that had power to destroy them.  Jesus slept in the midst of the storm, not because he was exhausted but because he had peace. In a sense, he “owned the storm” because the spiritual realm has power and authority over the natural. Faith is not just believing who Jesus is but also who we are in Jesus. Faith is seeing life through the eyes of the Spirit rather than the eyes of the flesh. Faith is fixing our eyes on what is unseen and believing that if God is for us, no one or no thing can stand against us.

Today let me encourage you (and myself) to view life and even our struggles with a heavenly perspective – not just, “What would Jesus do?” but “What will Jesus do?”

Ask yourself, “What would the Father do in response to a challenge if that challenge surfaced in heaven?”  Then expect his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven on the basis of your prayers, your declarations, and your faith because you are his authorized representative on the earth – loved and empowered by heaven.  Live in the spiritual, walk with authority, and carry the atmosphere of heaven with you today. Be blessed. It’s the Father’s will for you.

I’ve just finished teaching a short series on the supernatural power of words in the life of a believer.  I need to teach on the power of our words from time to time because I need to be reminded.  As believers, we need to continually guard our hearts and minds so that we are not hijacked by our culture.

Right now, every time I turn on the news or a talk show, my blood pressure goes up almost instantaneously.  The constant war of words on the airways is irritating.  Solomon said, “Where there are many words, sin is not absent” (Prov.10:19).  That must be more true today that at any time in history.  Culturally, truth seems to have been put on the top shelf of the closet to be brought out only on very rare occasions.

It seems that everyone has become a “spin doctor”.  Everyone claims that the words they spoke clearly last week do not mean what you thought they meant.  In fact, they mean just the opposite even though the videotape contradicts the claim. It seems that the most responsibility anyone will take for the hugely inaccurate things spoken a week ago is that they were not as clear as they should have been. That’s like me telling you  (Col.3:9) that I want you to paint my living room “sage green” and after you do so, I tell you that what I said was “canary yellow” and I expect you to repaint it.  After you protest, I simply say that you misunderstood or, perhaps, I wasn’t as clear as I should have been but you still need to absorb the time and cost because you should have understood “sage green” to mean “canary yellow.”  That kind of communication makes us all crazy.

In a culture that decided decades ago that all truth is relative and that everyone has his or her own truth, this kind of double talk should probably be expected.  My concern is that we, as believers, might be infected with the same mind set that words really don’t matter and that we should never be held accountable for what we say.  But, as Christians, we don’t live in a kingdom where “truth is relative.”  We live in a kingdom where truth is absolute and unchanging. We live in a kingdom where we are to speak the truth in love (Eph.4:15),  put away all lying (Col.3:9), and let our “Yes” be “Yes” and our “No” be “No” (Mt.5:37).

Words are extremely important.  In fact, Jesus tells us that on the Day of Judgment we will have to give account for every careless word (Mt.12:36).  We are ambassadors of Christ on an alien planet.  We should always reflect the culture of heaven and the character of our King in everything we say. In fact, in every circumstance we should try to sense what our King would say, if he were present, and speak only as he would speak.  Words have power.   As a believer, a priest, a king, and an ambassador of Christ in the earth, your words have authority and power. Jesus spoke, not as the Son of God but as the Son of Man and see what power his words carried.

Our words have amazing potential to create good or evil both in the natural and spiritual realms. God is very clear that he wants our lips to be a source of life not death to every person and every circumstance.  He is clear that fresh, life-giving water is to come forth from our hearts rather than salt water which brings death when given to often to living things. We are to be a constant source of blessing, rather than cursing, and we should speak clearly with integrity as a people who do what we say because our Father always does what he says.  May our words be pleasing to God (Ps.19:14) and may our speech be unique in our culture.  Peter called on us to speak as if we are speaking the very words of God (1 Pet. 4:11). In doing so we will be set apart from the world around us. May we be honest, kind, and yet direct in the things we say and may our words be full or grace and life to all those around us…and by the way, that includes the things we say to our spouse and children behind closed doors.   Be blessed.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Jn.1:13-10).

Another section from the first chapter of John’s gospel gives us another insight into Jesus and our response to him. John begins with an amazing thought.  The very creator of the world walked across the face of his creation unrecognized by the very people made in his image.  This is even more amazing when you think of who and what did recognize him.

In a sense, the natural world recognized him because it responded to his commands.  Water, trees, wind, withered hands, and fish darting about in the Sea of Galilee all bowed to his commands.  Even the demons ran to him calling his name and begging for mercy.  Satan himself acknowledged who he was by the very temptations he offered in the wilderness.  And yet man, the one made in the image of God and the one for whom Christ came to give himself as a sacrifice, was blind to his identity. Even “his own”- the Jews who searched the Torah for every fleeting clue about Messiah and who longed for his coming – missed him.  They not only missed him but also eventually killed him.

How could that be? How could they miss the one who taught with authority and performed one undeniable miracle after another? For the most part, I believe they missed him because of their preconceived notions about what he would do and what he would look like. They made the mistake of assuming that God was like them and that Messiah would come as they imagined.

In their world, Messiah would come on a notable day – a feast day or a high Sabbath full of symbolic significance.  Undoubtedly he would be born into a family of high standing with wealth, education and influence. Reputable Rabbi’s probably wondered which of them would have the privilege of schooling the young Messiah in their advanced understanding of the Torah.  Without question he would give honor to the religious elite of Israel, the Sanhedrin, and, perhaps, ask for their seal of approval as he began to reveal himself publically. Of course, he also would be political as they were and beat the Romans at their own game of governmental intrigues and, eventually, military might to overthrow the oppressors.  As this new “reign of David” was established, these honored leaders of Israel would be given influential cabinet posts and governorships. I’m fairly certain they looked for all of those things as signs of the true Messiah in addition to his miracles. They waited for a Messiah made in their image and when he did not fit their mold they were blind to his presence.

Jesus disappointed them.  He came into the world as an unknown, born in a stable rather than a noble house.  Instead of a family of standing he came questionably into the world from the womb of a backwater girl swearing she had never been with a man. He studied at the feet of some nameless Rabbi and never once asked the Sanhedrin for it’s blessing.  He was apolitical and never attempted to raise an army.  He didn’t gather Jewish nobility around him but coarse fisherman and former tax collectors.  He even let women follow him around including one former prostitute.  He didn’t seek wealth or honor the wealthy.  Instead, he warned of the toxic dangers of wealth. When they demanded signs to prove who he was, he shrugged them off.  In the mind of the Sanhedrin, the High Priest, and the Pharisees, Jesus was no Messiah.  He was a scandal.

It is easy to criticize them on this side of the cross and, perhaps, we should.  After all, not all were blind, not all missed him.  Many did believe and became born- again sons and daughters of God.  And yet how often do we miss God because we already have him all figured out?  How often do we miss his answers to our prayers because we are looking for him to respond as we would respond if we had his power?  How often do we ascribe new moves and manifestations of the Spirit to the devil because we have never seen God work that way before?

If we learn anything from John it should be that God can move among his own while his own totally miss what he is doing.  I’m certainly not saying that everything that manifests in the church or that claims to be from God is from God. We must test the spirits.  But I am saying that we should be open to God doing new things, even greater things than we have ever seen him do and not to dismiss these things quickly because they don’t fit out preconceptions.  I’m saying this because in these last days I believe God will do some amazing things not recorded on the pages of the gospels. They won’t be out of character for God, they will just be new.  Prayer, discernment, and the evaluation of the fruit of a thing will be needed. It takes a while to see the fruit.  Sometimes it takes a while to hear from God.  We should not be gullible but neither should we be hasty.

In our own lives we should be open to God’s creativity and fresh ways of showing himself to us. Even God must get tired of routine.  Look at the miracles of Messiah – no formulas there.  A little mud here, some spit there, and a finger in the ear.  Maybe God likes variety as much as we do.  Whenever he comes or however he moves, we don’t want to miss him.  We want to receive everything he has for his people. Be open today and see if you experience the Father in fresh and surprising ways. Then be open again tomorrow.

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.     He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Jn.1:3-13)

I wanted to spend a little more time on John’s theology of Jesus in chapter one of his gospel.  I love the phrase, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.”  In the writings of John, the term “life” or “eternal life” speaks more about quality than duration.  For him, eternal life is the quality of life a man has in connection with the Father rather than eternal existence.  Those who find themselves in torment will have a never-ending existence but John would not call that “life.”

When he looked at Jesus, he saw something that he had never seen before.  He saw a quality of life that he had never imagined. It was a life in close and intimate fellowship with the Father.  There were qualities evident in the life of Jesus that had not been seen since Adam walked in the Garden.  Think of the things people saw in Jesus that arrested their attention.

The most obvious was the power available to him because of his relationship with Jehovah. As Jesus touched the lame, the blind, the lepers, and even the dead they were instantly returned to health and life. Demons were driven from their victims with a single command. Jesus tore at a few fish and a handful of bread and fed thousands. He commanded storms, walked on water, and changed water into the best wine at the wedding.

He also taught as no one had ever taught before.  He taught with the authority of one who knows, rather than one who speculates. Instead of quoting great Rabbi’s he spoke what the Father was giving him at the moment.

He exuded a security and a peace that is available only to those who know the heart of the Father and know the love the Father has for them. Jesus himself said that he gave peace, but it was not like the peace the world gives. Jesus had three years to save the world but never seems in a hurry, never worried about his next meal, and never spent a moment concerned about the approval of men.

He prayed in such a way that his disciples, who had heard thousands of Jewish prayers while growing up, felt like they had never heard anyone pray before.  They asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Jesus also dispensed love and grace in ways that no one had seen before either. Moved with compassion, he touched broken lives with his love and grace in a way that invited people to trade in their old way of life, full of sin and brokenness, for a new life where grace and forgiveness ran deeper than the river of sin that had been gushing through their lives.

Those who saw Jesus saw that life and that life was the light of men.  If you’ve ever been lost in the dark you know how welcome a light is.  Suddenly, that light gives direction and hope. Suddenly you know in which direction you should be walking or driving and the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness are chased away.

The life Jesus modeled shows us that there is something else, something more, something worth pursuing with all of our hearts. It also gives us hope that there is a heart in heaven from which all of that flows.  The life we see in Jesus echoes the atmosphere of heaven.  In that life we sense that there truly is a place filled with love, peace, and security.  A city where sickness, death, and the demonic have no power and no place.

The life people saw in Jesus was a light directing them, calling them, and filling them with hope.  The amazing thing is that his life is available to us. As the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ, our lives should begin to emit that same life and hope to those still walking in darkness.  Paul said that, as believers, we should shine like stars in a dark sky.  I marvel at the men and women who centuries ago ventured out on seemingly endless seas in tiny boats with only a hand-held sextant and a basic compass to tell them where they were and where they were going. Sometimes they were driven by storms for days never seeing land or a single star to give them a heading.  When the clouds broke and the night sky was clear, they found hope and direction from those lights shining in the darkness.

My hope is that we (myself included) will pray harder and press-in harder to know the life that John saw in Christ so that others may see Jesus in us and that life, then, can be a light for them giving direction and hope. Remember, you are the light of the world.