Most mainline churches in America today still seem to fear an over-emphasis on the Holy Spirit. They certainly believe in the Holy Spirit as that part of God or that part of the Trinity that resides in God’s children, gives life to the spirit of man, and who shapes our character as Christians (fruit of the Spirit). However, the idea of power, revelation, prophetic words, words of knowledge, gifts of healing, visions, dreams, etc. are not on the menu in these churches. They seem to believe that if Christians pursue these supernatural manifestations of the Spirit, they will be led astray by the enemy into all kinds of deception and a faith focused on miracles rather than Jesus.

At the same time, there is a frustration in these churches, or at least among some of the people and leaders, that what we have in our faith is insufficient to truly meet the needs and challenges of the day. What do you do when your members suffer for years with depression, anxiety, fear, suicidal thoughts, addictions, doubts, gender confusion, or vaguely diagnosed illnesses and your prayers and Bible study only seem to give them temporary relief but no real victory?

Typically, churches that do not operate in the “supernatural” gifts of the Spirit, either conclude that these people have insufficient faith to be set free or send them out to secular doctors and psychologist for treatment. Even if they go to Christian counselors or therapists, most of them have been trained in secular approaches to treatment…so our people only get what the world offers with the simple addition of a prayer and a scripture. A theology then arises from our inability to help our people that declares that it is God’s will for his people to suffer in this fallen world, just as those who have no faith but the promised healing and freedom will come as we enter the presence of Jesus in heaven.

At the same time, we have the presence of Jesus within us already here on earth. Why shouldn’t that presence (the Holy Spirit) provide healing and freedom here as well as in heaven? In addition, Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 10, that we are not to wage war as the world wages war, but are to use divine weapons to pull down strongholds. He states this need for divine weapons because he also declares that our real struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers in heavenly realms. What doesn’t touch the spiritual realm will not set us free, if there is a spiritual component to our physical illness or emotional torment. And Paul suggests that most of the time, there is a spiritual component. Churches who don’t want to “over-emphasize” the Holy Spirit leave their people in the grasp of dark spiritual forces because secular treatment doesn’t touch the spiritual realm.

Of course, all churches pray for the healing of physical illnesses and emotional torment. Typically, however, the prayer is more of a wish than an expectation because if God doesn’t operate supernaturally in his church any more, then we can’t really expect more than secular doctors, science, and therapy can deliver. More than that, if God has provided solutions for infirmity and emotional distress through supernatural gifts of the Spirit, then he expects us to exercise those gifts as his primary source of healing and freedom and not just keep calling on him to do what he has equipped his church to do.

Sometimes we act like a policeman who has graduated from the academy and has been given authority and power to go make arrests and bring criminals to justice, but every time he sees a crime in progress, he calls the chief of police to come and do something. The chief will say, “ You have authority and power. You make the arrest. That is your job. If you can’t, then resign from the force.” If we keep calling on God to do what he has anointed and appointed us to do, then much will go undone. A heavy and healthy emphasis on the Holy Spirit in the church that stays consistent with biblical guidelines is the answer.

Before you push back, think about what an emphasis the first century church placed on the Holy Spirit beginning with Jesus himself. Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit would live in us, counsel us, teach us, lead us into all truth, reveal the heart and mind of God to us, heal us, free us, shape us, and give us power for ministry…to do what he had been doing. He didn’t tell the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit shaped their character or delivered sound doctrine so they could be effective witnesses. He commanded them to wait for power, which immediately manifested in tongues, revelation, and boldness. Can “supernatural” spiritual gifts be abused? Sure. They were widely abused in Corinth. Paul, however, did not tell them to quit exercising the gifts but to exercise them with love and a sense of order. When the church was looking for qualified leaders, they did not search for seminary graduates or successful businessmen, but looked for those who were full of the Spirit…which also manifested in miraculous works. The church was ordered to be filled with the Spirit at all times and to pray in the Spirit at all times. They were to earnestly desire spiritual gifts and to bear the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. When Ananias and Sapphira were disciplined unto death in Acts 5, it was because they had lied to the Holy Spirit. That suggests the prominence the Holy Spirit held in the church.

We could go on, but it would be heard to emphasize the Spirit more than the early church did or the New Testament does. I believe there is more danger in under-emphasizing the Spirit rather than over-emphasizing him. The truth is that the church needs much more of the Spirit rather than less if we are to fulfill our mandate of discipling nations and bringing heaven to earth.

I was browsing through the third chapter of John again this week.  It’s is one of those chapters that, no matter how many times you have studied it, you always know it contains so much more than you understand.  But one thing was evident to me as I read the words of Jesus again as he spoke to Nicodemus.  We should never underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer and in the Kingdom of God.  When you say it, it sounds trite – as if everyone knows that.  My experience, however, is that most believers don’t know that because they treat the Spirit as a minor player in the Godhead.  He gets an honorable mention on Sundays as one who, perhaps, played a significant role 2000 years ago but since then has been rather tame.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  I am reminded of that when Jesus cuts to the chase with Nicodemus.  Nic was a Pharisee as well as a member of the Sanhedrin.  But to his credit he was a truth seeker, although he still cared a great deal about his position and what other members of the  “good old boys” club thought of him.  He came at night so that he would not be seen with this “questionable” Rabbi. He represented another group within the Pharisees or the ruling council who were not quite ready to condemn Jesus because Nicodemus said, “We know you are a teacher who has come from God…” He came with a list of questions representing this little group.

We must speculate on where he was going with his questions because Jesus sidetracked his dialogue and began to speak about his own agenda.  However,  I feel confident that Nic was going to ask a series of questions about the Messiah and about the nature of miracles and so forth. That would have been an amazing discussion to hear and a spiritual discussion at that.  However, Jesus knew it would have been a futile discussion because this brilliant theologian and descendant of Abraham would not get it.

Jesus simply said. “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Clearly, for Nicodemus, that must have seemed like a hard left turn that, perhaps, was leading to nowhere.  What an enigmatic statement that seemed to just come out of left field.  Nic tried to track with Jesus a bit and so protested that a man could not be born again when he is old. Then Jesus added to the confusion by saying that no one could even enter the kingdom unless he was born not only of water but of the Spirit. Here was a man who all his life had been taught that knowledge of the Torah, love for the word of God, and good works would gain him entrance into the kingdom. Jesus simply said that entrance was not based on anything we could do but solely on the basis of what the Spirit would do.

When Jesus said that a man could not see the kingdom,  he meant that a man could not understand, perceive, or experience the kingdom without being born again.  An equally valid translation would be that he could not see the kingdom unless he was “born from above.”  That birth from above was by the Holy Spirit.  In the same way that Jesus was born by the Holy Spirit coming on Mary, we can only be born again by the Holy Spirit coming on us and we cannot see, perceive, understand, or experience the kingdom without the work of the Holy Spirit. If our initial realization of the kingdom comes only by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, then all other experiences and insight into the kingdom can come only by the Spirit as well.

If we place limits on the Spirit, we place limits on our understanding and experience of the kingdom.  In an effort to make God understandable, we miss out on understanding.  In our efforts to keep the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts from being abused, we abuse our own experiences with God.  In order to enter the kingdom, we must be born from above.  In other words, it is not just an intellectual exercise of acknowledging who Jesus is, but God has to do something to us. A new creation (2 Cor.5:17) means that suddenly, we are different and distinctive from the rest of creation. I believe that someday science will be able to measure a shift in brain function, DNA, or genetics that occurs the moment someone is born again.

I do not believe that being born again, being born from above, or being born of the Spirit is simply a metaphor for us as we somehow take on a new philosophy of life. When the Spirit comes power is imparted.  Radical transformation is initiated. Positions shift in the heavenlies as we are seated with Christ. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is rumbling around in us waiting to get out.  All of that begins with the Spirit of God and continues with him until the Spirit himself raises us from the dead. The Spirit is immeasurable power and wisdom and can only be capped or quenched by us.

In too many places, the church still quenches the Spirit in the name of doing everything “decently and in order.”  In my Bible, when the Holy Spirit showed up, fire erupted, people spoke in tongues, people went out and preached in the streets, buildings shook, everyone had a revelation or a tongue or a prophecy, people got healed, and demons got cast out. Some even dropped dead in church for lying to the Spirit.  All that doesn’t seem to fit our definition of  “decently and in order.” Many of our churches could benefit from a little disorder orchestrated by the Spirit.

We have even elevated intellect over spiritual gifts and spirituality.  If you don’t think so, check out the classifieds in a Christian journal where churches are looking for staff members and pastors. The qualifications are rarely based on spiritual gifts, spiritual maturity, intimacy with Jesus, or how many people a person has led to the Lord.  They are most often based on degrees earned in an accredited university or business experience in the corporate world. Jesus himself nor his apostles should even bother to apply. They would not meet the qualifications.

Although the Spirit points us to Jesus, Jesus points us to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is God along with the Father and the Son.  We should pursue Him with as much passion as we do the other members of the Trinity.  If we fail to do so, we may enter the kingdom as a newborn, but we will remain in that same condition for years to come.  Our problem is not that we don’t know enough scripture, but that we haven’t experienced God enough.  That experience comes through the Holy Spirit.  Maybe we should make a real effort to get to know him.

We need to live with the understanding that as followers of Christ our primary role in the kingdom is to represent Him. Paul declared that we are ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor.5:20).  We represent heaven on earth and speak for our king. The key to understanding our role as representatives is simply to understand the word. We are to re-present Jesus. We are to fully present him again to the world by doing what he did, saying what he would say, and displaying the same heart he displayed when he was on the earth. We are to live and serve in such a way that people see him accurately in each of us.

Jesus represented the Father when he walked the earth. In the Gospel of John he says, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (Jn.12:44-50).

Notice the phrases taken from the text. “When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me…For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it…So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” These words echo what Jesus told Phillip shortly afterwards when he said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn.14:9) and “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing his work” (Jn.14:10).

Jesus came to show us the Father. He did what the Father would do if he were physically present on the earth. He said what the Father would say in the way he would say it. That is representation. When Jesus left the earth, there should have been no question about what the Father was like. If you wanted to know the Father, you simply had to look at the Son.

We are to represent Jesus by living in the same way he modeled life for us. That doesn’t mean we all become itinerant preachers – although he may call some to do that. It means that we display Him in whatever context we are in. He lives in us by his Spirit just as the Father lived in him. The Holy Spirit is present within us to lead us, remind us of his words, empower us for miracles, and reproduce the heart of Jesus in us so that we can accurately re-present him to the people around us.

Representing Jesus is the function of the church. We cannot display only a part of Jesus and accurately re-present him to the world. If we preach the gospel but do not heal the sick we have not done what he did. If we heal the sick and cast out demons but do not love the broken and the sinful, we have not fully displayed Jesus. If we do not confront legalism and hypocrisy in religious leaders we have not duplicated him or his ministry. If we do not live and love sacrificially, then people cannot see Jesus in us.

I know that is a tall order but that is the goal and it cannot be done in our own strength but only by the power of the Spirit. If our heart is to fully represent Jesus in every setting, the Holy Spirit will certainly empower us to do so because that is the heart of the Spirit as well. He came that he might show Jesus to the world and is quite willing and even excited to do that through us.

Just a few years ago, the fad in Christian circles was WWJD – what would Jesus do? It was on bracelets, tee shirts, coffee mugs, etc. I haven’t heard that so much lately but it truly is the heart of the mission and should be written on our hearts not just on our coffee cups. When that truly becomes our heart’s desire, then I believe we will see the power and the impact of Jesus like never before. As “charismatic” we talk a lot about being “Spirit-filled.” Too often we think of that as simply being filled with the power of the Spirit to fuel our spiritual gifts.  But to be Spirit-filled would actually be a life  filled with Jesus and to be fully like him in every way.

If I’m honest, there are too many times when I am wanting Jesus to represent my agenda rather than me representing his. I am wanting him to make me look good rather that me making him shine. When my motive is me, then I will never see Jesus nor his power manifested in me as he desires and as I desire in my best moments. May the Spirit of God enable us all to re-present the risen Lord in every way and in every circumstance in which we find ourselves. Be blessed in serving Him today.

For the first 20 or 25 years of my Christian faith, I was taught by good people who loved Jesus that God did not deal in signs, wonders, and miracles in our time. For them the Biblical witness that such things had happened in the past was sufficient. The view was that Jesus and the apostles performed miracles in the 1^st Century in order to validate their claims. Miracles validated Jesus as the Son of God and miracles validated the apostles as those who represented him after his death and as those who spoke and wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Once those “validations” had been written down they provided the credentials needed for Jesus and the twelve for future generations and so miracles ceased after the New Testament was written and the miracles were recorded.

Not only were we clearly taught that God no longer operated in the miraculous but also that those who claimed to operate in signs and wonders were either deceived by their own emotionalism or were purposeful deceivers themselves who were simply taking money from the weak and ignorant who still believed in such things.

If any of our fellowship ever attended a healing service it was always with an eye to prove fraud in what was claimed. If a few claimed to be healed then they were viewed as plants by the evangelist or people whose illnesses were actually psychosomatic and, thus, when they “believed” they were relieved of a psychological condition rather than a real illness. Any in wheel chairs or on crutches who did not walk away were solid proof that the healing gifts claimed by the evangelist were fraudulent. Out view was that if the gift truly existed, all would be healed. Since all were not healed, then the gifts no longer operate. Since we never saw healings in our churches, it was easy to believe that God no longer operated through spiritual gifts. It never occurred to us that we might not be seeing healing or any other kind of miracles simply because we had no faith for it and never asked. As James, the brother of Jesus, put it, “You have not because you ask not.”

Even now, many Christians associate the claim of “signs and wonders” with backwoods, superstitious folks like snake-handlers in West Virginia or with “healing evangelists” who ask for money every fifteen minutes and who read letters about miracles that were made up by the public relations staff of the ministry. On rare occasion, these Christians may be confronted by a healing that has been confirmed by doctors to be both real and inexplicable. When asked about the undeniable healing, they will answer that the body and mind are complex and not yet fully understood by science (i.e. God wasn’t involved) or that God heals on rare occasions to give us brief windows into heaven so that we know what good awaits us on the other side. They then rush to affirm again that God rarely does such things. He may do it from time to time but only as a sovereign act and never through men or women who are operating in gifts of the Spirit.

But Mark says this, “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mk.16:20). These “signs” were exhibited after the ascension and were done by disciples, not just his apostles. If just telling the stories of what Jesus did when he walked the earth was enough, these disciples could have done just that. They could have done so even more powerfully than we can because many of them were eyewitnesses to the miracles.

An interesting phrase in Mark’s closing comment is, “and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word.” It seems that Jesus had no problem with continuing to work miracles through his disciples as evidence that what he had said about himself was true. It seems that Jesus did not feel as if just telling the stories was all that was needed. Earlier in Mark’s closing chapter he had quoted Jesus as saying, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will pick up snakes with their hands, and when they drink deadly poison it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.”

The natural reading of these verses would never suggest that Jesus meant that those signs would accompany his followers for a few more years and then fade away. These are marks of the kingdom. Jesus preached the kingdom. The pattern has always been for the followers of Jesus to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God and then demonstrate its reality. The good news of Jesus Christ is that our sins are forgiven in him. The good news of the Kingdom of God is that the forgiveness of our sins provides access to the kingdom of God and access to the kingdom provides the blessings of “on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s provision is available to his children whether they are with him in heaven or still serving on planet earth. Miracles are part of that provision.

When God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt and led them to the Jordan River, twelve spies were sent into the land to confirm what God had said about the land he had promised to Abraham and his descendants. They came back with evidence from the land – huge clusters of grapes, pomegranates, and figs. This evidence was to confirm what God had already told them about Canaan. The intent was to bolster faith. God had told them that the land was a land flowing with milk and honey (an expression of abundance and fertility). Evidence of that truth was brought back and shown to the people so that they might have even more faith in the remaining promises of God. Of course, unbelief took over and instead of focusing on the proof that God’s word is true, they focused on the size of the enemy and their own weakness. Because they did not believe the word of God or the evidence of its truth, they never entered the land.

Signs and wonders are like grapes and figs brought back from Canaan. They are evidence of what else lies in store for those who believe and enter the kingdom through Jesus. Like all signs, they point to a greater reality that is accessible through faith. In addition, signs such as healing, prophecy, and deliverance point not only to the power of God but to his goodness and compassion.

The denomination that I was part of in my early years in the faith made the mistake of believing that Jesus only healed to prove that he was the Son of God. And yet, on many occasions in the gospels, he clearly healed and delivered out of deep compassion and not just to produce evidence that he was Messiah. In fact, he told many whom he had healed to tell no one about what he had done.

Signs and wonders should still accompany the preaching of the gospel and should still be part of the provision that God has laid aside for those who enter the promised land of God’s kingdom. Signs and wonders not only confirm the Word of God but continue to express his love and compassion for the suffering.

I believe the Spirit is awakening the church to these realities today but we still have far to go. The gospel in many places has been reduced to a simple doctrine to be believed intellectually and a call to moral living rather than an opportunity to share a supernatural experience with God.

Experience is always the greater teacher. Miracles allow us to experience God not just hear about him. An old adage says that a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. That is true in our faith as well. Of course, every experience must line up with the word of God and be grounded in scriptural truth but what is more consistent in scripture than the intervention of God on behalf of his people with miracles? That principle is at the heart of every great story in the Bible. If we want God to continue to produce great stories in our lives then we will need to ask and believe for miracles. Blessings today.

Years are measured in seasons. In much the same way, life is also lived in seasons. Although there is some continuity as we move from season to season, there can also be great differences and those differences can demand different perspectives, attitudes, and strategies to navigate well. We must navigate three feet of snow and eight-degree temperatures in February in very different ways than we navigate 95 degree heat in August.   One extreme requires a roaring fire while the other begs for air conditioning. One requires heavy clothing and lots of layers while the other demands light, breathable cottons. One season is lived primarily indoors while the other calls us outdoors. Just about the time we get one season figured out another presents itself. That change can be frustrating, but on the other hand, most of us are also eagerly awaiting the variety that a new season brings.

Sometimes, the God who created seasons for a planet spinning in space, may also call us to a new spiritual season as well. Sometimes the call comes at unexpected times for us while for God that time was appointed before the creation of the world. Moses is a prime example. The hand of God was clearly on Moses as a child who was marked for a great destiny. As you recall, to avoid extermination by Pharaoh, Moses had been placed in a waterproof basket and hidden in the bull rushes along the Nile by his Hebrew mother. The daughter of Pharaoh found him in the water and adopted his as her own. He was raised in the palace and given the training and advantages of Egyptian royalty. At some point he became aware of his Hebrew heritage and began to sense that somehow he was to be a major player in delivering his people from slavery. One day, he witnessed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and in a moment of anger killed the Egyptian and hid his body. Within hours, Moses had been discovered and fled from Egypt to the backwater country of Midian where he married, settled down, and became a shepherd. He fled Egypt at the age of 40 giving up every advantage he had as a son in the royal house. Then for 40 years he lived the quiet, unassuming life of a shepherd.
At the age of 80, however, Moses had an unexpected encounter with God in a burning bush and a new season was thrust upon him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, God picked up the thread of the destiny he had assigned to Moses and called him to return to Egypt and finish the job. Moses was not excited. He had left Egypt confused and afraid with a quick demotion from the palace to the pasture. All he had experienced related to the call that God was resurrecting was failure. He no longer saw himself as a leader or a hero. He simply saw himself as a hapless shepherd destined to live and die living in dusty tents in Midian.

With each excuse Moses offered, God responded that he would go with him. Moses continued to push back. “Who am I to do such a thing? Who will I tell them sent me? What if they won’t believe me. I’m no public speaker. Lord, send someone else.” The text tells us that the Lord began to get angry. He had given Moses every assurance and had even demonstrated a coupe of miracles. More than anything, God kept assuring Moses that he would be with him and enable him every step of the way. God never sets his people up for failure.

So what was Moses’ problem? There are probably several themes that created pushback in Moses about this new season to which he was being called. First of all, he no longer saw himself as a leader or anyone special. He had tasted failure and disappointment forty years earlier and he had no desire to taste that again. Secondly, life was comfortable and predictable. It wasn’t great, but he had adjusted to it and found a sense of security and contentment in what he was doing. Now God was wanting to launch him into the unknown. If he were younger that might appeal to him but he was two-thirds of the way through life. Moses died at 120. He was already 80. For us, if we think we might live to be 90, then two thirds of our life would be 60 years old. Most of us aren’t willing to step into a totally new season at that age. But that is exactly what God was calling him to do.

Even though the call to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness might seem better suited for a younger man, God seems to be more concerned about character than age. He can impart strength but he waits on us to develop character. The Moses who saw himself as a great leader was arrogant and rash. A man who was humble and had shepherded sheep for 40 years could now shepherd people and would lean on God rather than his own abilities. For Moses, the fullness of time for this new season came after Moses himself had been seasoned.

So what if your season is about to change? What if God is not calling you to the next thing (a continuation of what you have already been doing) but a new thing that is totally different from what you have known before? What if he is wanting to pick up the thread of your destiny that you laid aside years ago. Would you be willing to step into that season that would be full of spiritual productivity and adventure? Or would you, like Moses, find every reason to stay where you are and die peacefully but without having experienced the fullness of God and his glory that Moses discovered after he finally said yes.

We are in a season of acceleration. Maybe it’s an “end-times” thing but global and social changes are happening at an incredible pace. I believe God will be asking many of his people to step into new seasons with him that may be an expansion of what they are already doing or something very different from what they have ever known before.

The world is shifting and God has a hand in it. Every shift will open up new opportunities for his kingdom to expand on earth and he will be looking for people to use in significant and, perhaps, unprecedented ways in those moments. If the call comes will you be available? I ask myself that question as well. Perhaps, if we actually anticipate the possibility we will be much more ready to say yes. Pray about it. Dream about it. Even ask for it…if you dare.

Most of us have been in a huge mall that we are unfamiliar with and have looked at a site map to see where we were in relation to a store or restaurant we were wanting to find. That little red dot with the balloon over it saying, “You are here,” became your reference point. Your next step, your plan for navigating the mall, the time you allotted to finding your favorite store, or whether you even had time to attempt to visit that store all depended on your reference point. Your reference point determines your belief about where you are, where you are going, and if your goal is even possible.  Your next steps were organized around that perspective.

But what if the reference point was inaccurate or out of date or what if you read the map incorrectly? What if some joker had changed the reference point on the map so that you were not at all where you thought you were? When your reference point is wrong, life become a mess and you keep ending up in unintended and undesirable places.

Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is a reference point for the Christian life. It is a reference point for living and it makes all the difference. A clear example of that difference in found in a familiar story in John 6. Jesus was teaching along the shores of the Sea of Galilee where huge crowds were following him. In this account, Jesus asked Philip where they might buy bread to feed the crowds because they had not eaten all day. Philip immediately began a strategic analysis. First of all, there were about 5000 men plus women and children in the crowd. That translated to least twenty or twenty five thousand people in the crowd. Secondly, they were isolated and miles from any place that sold bread and it was highly improbable that anyone would have that much on hand even if a place were available. The final straw was cost. Philip quickly estimated that it would cost eight months wages to buy enough bread to feed the crowd anyway. If we assume that a month’s wages was equivalent to $4000 today, then we are talking about $32,000 to feed that mob one meal. The little band of disciples had nothing like that in their budget. Philip then deduced that the number might be reduced if there was already food in the crowd so a quick inventory was taken. The only inventory they could find was five small barley loaves and a couple of sardines. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that these people were not going to be fed. Perhaps, they should simply be sent away to find food for themselves.

The reference point for the apostles was the natural realm in which food and money are finite and numbers determine “real world” outcomes. However, Jesus lived from a different reference point. The apostles saw themselves rooted firmly in the natural realm while Jesus saw himself firmly rooted in heaven. There are no resource problems in heaven – no food shortages, no lack of money. Jesus simply determined by faith to draw on the resources of his Father’s kingdom. He blessed the barley loaves and sardines and then began to break them into pieces and place them in baskets to be distributed.  When the entire crowd had their fill, the apostles took up twelve baskets still full of food. Each apostle had his own basket to consider.

Our tendency is to assign the miracle to Jesus as something only he could do. That would miss the point. The point is that we ourselves are currently children of the King, citizens of heaven, and representatives of Christ on the earth. By faith, we have as much access to the resources of heaven as Jesus did. He came to show us what was possible in the kingdom of God for every believer not what was impossible.

If our reference point for living is the natural realm, then we will always be faced with impossible circumstances – not enough money, not enough time, incurable diseases, the fear of terrorism, etc. If our reference point is the kingdom of heaven, then there is a solution to every one of those needs. We may not know what the solution is or how it will come, but by faith we can know there is a solution available.

We should be clear that heaven does not promise that we will never find ourselves in a storm. In fact, Jesus said that is this world we will have troubles. He himself seemed to move form one “storm” to another. But as we find ourselves in a storm, we can know that heaven has a solution. That reference point allowed Jesus to sleep in a boat that was being tossed around in a violent squall while the apostles were gripped with fear and the anticipation of doom. Our anxiety levels in life are directly proportional to our reference point for living. If our reference point is our own resources or our own abilities, then we have every right to be filled with anxiety. If, however, our reference point is the resources and capacities of our Father in heaven and his willingness to share those with us, then why should we worry at all?

Think about it. What is your reference point for living? What are God’s promises concerning his care, protection, and provision for your life in this world? By faith, we have free access to heaven’s resources. If our faith is small, we can ask for more. God is pleased to give.

This is one of those “food for thought” blogs….something for you to consider. I was listening to a Bill Johnson sermon on YouTube a week or so ago, and he said something that resonated with me and that I have been mulling over since then. He said that whenever there is a prevailing spirit (demonic) over a people group, a city, or a nation, the church is either in active opposition to that spirit or is being influenced by that spirit. There is no middle ground.

I believe that is a true statement and, if it is true, there are a number of implications. First of all, there are certainly spirits assigned to nations, cultures, people groups, and individuals to promote evil there and oppose the works of God. In the Book of Daniel, we see demonic spirits referred to as the prince of Persia (Dan.10:13) and the prince of Greece (Dan.10:20). These were spirits of significant authority that were warring against Michael, the archangel, in order to hinder the work of God and to further the purposes of Satan in those nations. In the Book of Revelation, John wrote to the church at Pergamum and spoke of the city as a place where Satan had his throne (Rev.2:13), which speaks of a city over which Satan had great influence and spiritual authority.

In our own times, we clearly sense the influence of prevailing spirits in the Middle East that oppose Christ, his people, Israel, and life in genral. The unrelenting hatred and extremism of some groups there can only be understood by the influence of demonic spirits. When you look at Stalinist Russia, Nazi Germany and other places where millions died in concentration camps and mass graves, only a powerful demonic influence can account for such atrocities. We see the same level of influence now in Isis.

Even in America there are the prevailing spirits of Anti-Christ, anti-Semitism, sexual immorality, perversion, violence, and abortion that are having their way in our culture. The rapid acceleration of cultural decline in a once Christian nation is a clear indicator of demonic influence. For the past 50 years, most of the American church has been in passive opposition to these prevailing spirits rather than in active opposition. We have moaned about the decline of the church and our culture but have done so quietly over coffee or while cocooned in Sunday School classes. By and large, the result is that the church has been influenced by these spirits rather than these spirits being pushed back by the church.

How can any Christian church approve of abortion, active homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and the idea that Jesus is a Savior but not the only Savior? And yet many churches in America and many individual’s who identify themselves as Christians hold those cultural views. We have become toxically politically correct which is another way of saying that we don’t want to offend anyone by suggesting that they may be wrong or that their actions might be unacceptable. In that environment there can be no call to repentance. This political spirit is also a prevailing and highly manipulative spirit. Try running a household full of kids that way and see how well it goes. Running a nation that way has even greater repercussions. In recent decades, we have not shaped the culture but the culture has been busy shaping us. I believe it is because we have not actively opposed the prevailing spirits that have been and continue to influence America.

Lets transfer the principle from a national grid to a personal grid. Whatever prevailing spirits in our culture are doing to influence us individually, if we are not actively opposing them, then they are likely influencing us. Most believers are passive in much of their own spiritual lives. We hear cultural input day after day justifying and rationalizing unbiblical and ungodly values and lifestyles. We are likely to absorb the value only minutely day after day, but the accumulation effect impacts us as the months and years pass. Television and movies normalize sinful and perverse lifestyles so that we are no longer shocked or offended when we encounter those things. We hear proponents of abortion and same sex marriage offer their arguments day after day on talk shows and never hear a sermon or a teaching at church that pushes back against those arguments. Our kids hear those values promoted at school and see those who oppose them demonized. Unless we recognize the devil’s agenda and actively oppose those values in our minds, our prayers, and our actions, we will slowly be coopted into a mindset of excusing those behaviors or assigning them to moral gray areas.

We have often heard the maxim that if we are not growing spiritually we are actually loosing ground in the same way that if we stop exercising we don’t stay at the same level of fitness but rather lose strength and endurance. I know that to be true by personal experience. You probably do as well. In reflection, it might be a very good thing to begin to identify the prevailing spirits in our culture, our community, or our families and encourage our churches to actively oppose those spirits while we do the same in our personal lives.

I’m not speaking primarily of picketing, demonstrating, or writing blazing op-eds, although there may be times for that. But where there is a prevailing spirit of divorce in a family or community, the church should be actively providing ministries that strengthen marriages and families. Where teen suicide is on the rise, the church should be finding ways to connect with teens at risk and infusing hope into that segment of the community. If a spirit of poverty seems to prevail in a community or over a people group, the church might be working to provide pathways out of poverty for that group. Where abortion thrives, funding abortion alternatives, volunteering at Life Centers, and promoting adoption would be an active way to oppose those spirits. For every strategy of Satan, God has a powerful and creative answer. Doing similar things in our own lives would be helpful. Although spiritual warfare begins with massive amounts of prayer, spiritual warfare can have a very practical side that goes beyond prayer and deliverance and that takes territory back in whole communities.

Let me encourage you to consider what prevailing spirits might be having the most influence in your community, your church, or your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment to identify those spirits, and then pray for creative ways to actively oppose those spirits in your own life and your community.   To take a passive approach might mean you are actually losing ground. Just….food for thought. Blessings today in Him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” 

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”

Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

In his gospel, Mark ties two supernatural events together that we often miss because they are separated by chapter breaks and so, in our minds, they are often viewed as unrelated incidents. But…let’s review. Toward the end of Chapter 4, Jesus told his disciples that he wanted to get in a boat and sail across the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. He calls on them to make the journey in the evening so it will be night before reaching the other side. Being on a large body of water at night on a lake subject to sudden storms always presents some concerns. In the middle of this night we are told that a “furious squall” came up suddenly and threatened to swamp the boat. The disciples, afraid for their lives, woke Jesus with the question, “Don’t you care that we drown?” There may have been a bit of accusation present in the statement suggesting that Jesus should never have insisted on crossing Galilee in the night. Of course, you know the story. Jesus got up, verbally rebuked the storm, and the winds and waves immediately subsided. The response of his disciples is interesting. Mark says, “They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

As frightened as they were of the storm, it seems that they were more upset by an encounter with the supernatural power of Jesus. They had already seen Jesus heal lepers, heal paralytics, cast our numerous demons, and raise the dead. Yet, at this moment they asked, “Who is this?”   As they tried to get their minds around what has just happened, they beached their boat in the area of the Gerasenes (Gadarenes) and immediately faced an even stranger situation.

Suddenly, out of the dark comes a man who is, by all definitions, demon possessed. Luke tells us he was naked (not the first thing you want to see after an already disturbing cruise); he came from a stretch of tombs that were probably carved into a bluff along the coast. He was a man who cut himself with stones and cried out in torment night and day. He was a violent man with pieces of broken chain swinging from his wrists and ankles and undoubtedly had the classic look of a madman with deranged hair and a ragged beard. He was most likely smeared with mud and smelled of everything dead or rotting.

It must have been disturbing enough to see this man in the distance, but in this case he ran straight at them. Just as they prepared themselves for a vicious attack, he fell on his knees before Jesus and began to shout at the top of his voice, “Want do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God. Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” How’s that for a greeting from a naked madman? Mark focuses our attention here on the demonized man but I would have loved to see the eyes of the disciples who must really be thinking now, “Who is this?” The wind and waves obey him and demons beg him not to torture them as they call him Son of the Most High God. Then the demon begins to bargain with Jesus. I’ve heard numerous demons speak and it’s never a nice, soothing, human voice but a hissing, growling, threatening or arrogant tone. But this time it is a fearful, pleading tone.

You know the rest of the story. Jesus allows the demons to leave this man and enter a herd of pigs nearby which immediately runs into the Sea of Galilee and drowns. That has to be another disturbing sight for these disciples – to hear the squealing of two hundred (just guessing) tormented hogs rushing to the water and then the thrashing of drowning swine and then their bodies floating out to sea. Witnesses to the event ran into town and told everyone what had happened. When they came out, they saw the man who had become an icon of demonization and insanity sitting with Jesus, clothed and perfectly sane. Luke tells us, “Then all the people of the region…asked Jesus to leave them because they were overcome with fear” (Lk.8:37).

From our perspective, the stilling of a storm and the deliverance of a severely demonized man would be good news and something to celebrate. But in the unrenewed mind, the evidence of the presence of God is a fearful thing. Perhaps, it is fearful because something unexplainable just occurred and we fear what we don’t understand. That was the normal response to God throughout the scriptures which called for the most frequent command in the Bible – “Don’t be afraid.”

As for the Garasenes, it seems that the wildly demonic had been with them so long that it had become the norm. Instead of being afraid of the destructive presence of Satan, they were terrified by the healing presence of God and essentially demanded that the Son of God leave them…even though they must have had their own sons and daughters in need of healing and deliverance.

Apparently, the only two men standing there that were not afraid was Jesus and the man who had just been delivered. The Gerasenes wanted Jesus as far away as possible. The former demoniac and nudist wanted to be as close to Jesus as possible.

Personal experience is often the catalyst for real paradigm shifts in the way we view reality. The apostles had seen Jesus heal and deliver others but had not experienced that themselves as far as we know. In all three gospels, the quieting of the storm and the deliverance of this radically demonized man occurred before Jesus sent the twelve out to heal and deliver on their own. After God worked powerfully through them on their mission trip, they too had a paradigm shift. They didn’t seem to be afraid of the presence of God anymore.

What this tells me is that personal experiences with God are catalysts for the renewed mind that Paul speaks of in Romans 12:1-2. Most believers have not had profound spiritual experiences with the Father, Son or Spirit. They believe they are saved by faith and do see the goodness of God and his blessings in ordinary ways in their lives. But if you asked them if he will heal them miraculously or raise a loved one from the dead they would not even entertain the possibility. They distrust spiritual experiences in general and shy away from them as a potential source of deception. They will live saved but powerless lives for the most part.

But a believer who has had a radical spiritual experience with God wants more. He or she does not fear it or avoid it but seeks it out. They run toward miracles, not away from them. Like the demonized man who was delivered, they want more. Those who have been insulated from those experiences will, like the disciples in Mark 4-5, typically feel fear as they see a supernatural move of God and move away from it.

The difference in believers can be marked. When the city folks asked Jesus to leave, the demonized man wanted nothing more that to follow Jesus wherever he went. But Jesus told him to stay in the area and simply tell people what God had done for him. When Jesus later returned to the area, crowds were waiting to hear his every word. The man with a God experience had done the job.

Supernatural encounters are good for the soul. When we begin to desire them rather than fear them because we know we can find more of Jesus there, we can know we are well on our way to a renewed mind. Paul says that when our mind has been renewed then we will be transformed. For some, even that prospect is fearful. They think that to be transformed is to lose yourself, yet the opposite is true. It is in transformation that we find the person we were always meant to be and experiencing a few weird nights or Sunday mornings is worth it to find the you that God intended.

For most of the Jews, coning into the presence of Gold was a fearful thing that held the expectation of death. Undoubtedly, that expectation was established at Sinai when Jehovah descended on the mountain with smoke, fire, and thunder and declared that no one should touch the mountain lest they die. There were other echoes of that moment such as the moment that Nadab and Abihu offered strange and drunken fire in the tabernacle and fire from the Lord came out and consumed them. There was also the moment when Uzzah tried to steady the Ark of the Covenant when David was attempting to move it to Jerusalem and he was killed for his “irreverent act.” Even a man of God such as Isaiah cried out “Woe is me!” when he received a vision of God on his throne in Isaiah 6.

Many believers today still tend to keep their distance from God because of past sins or shameful moments in their lives that they feel disqualify them from coming joyfully into his presence. They still fear a lightening bolt from heaven or the consuming fire of God’s disapproval so they stay away, pray little, and sit in the back pew as anonymous worshippers who want to keep a low profile in the sanctuary as if God might not see them.

The Jews were fearful because they related to God on the basis of law-keeping and the curse of the law was severe judgment for misdeeds. Many Christians still think that God accepts them or rejects them on the basis of their ability to live a righteous life. And since we all fail daily to measure up to God’s righteousness, those of us who have not fully discovered God’s grace still live with fear and a sense that we cannot and should not come close. What we must grasp is how radically Jesus has changed the spiritual atmosphere for every believer.

The writer of Hebrews spoke of this change when he said, “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast, to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them because they could not bear what was commanded…the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ But you have come to Mt. Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God: You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb.12:18-24).

The theme here is open access to heaven for every believer. He is not speaking of access after the funeral but now. The phrase is, “you have come.” In Christ, the presence of God is not a fearful experience but a glorious experience. The atmosphere is one of joy not terror. It is not a mountain that repels but a city that invites. It is not a place where you are a stranger but a city in which your name is written. An interesting detail is that the word “firstborn” in the phrase “church of the firstborn” is plural. It could be translated as “church of the firstborn ones”. That plural suggests that every believer has the status of a firstborn son with God, which in the Jewish culture would mean that you are absolutely the apple of your Father’s eye.

This has all been accomplished by the blood of Christ rather than by your own righteousness. The blood of Abel cried out for justice and vengeance but the blood of Christ cries out for grace. Under the Old Covenant, most men ran away from the presence of God. In Christ, we are invited to run to his presence. The writer of Hebrews made this clear when he said, “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb.4:16). The presence that was once terrifying is now comforting, loving, peaceful, joyful, kind, and empowering.

Jesus has made all the difference because his sacrifice satisfied all the demands of holiness and justice and opened the the doors of heaven so that love and mercy could be poured out on earth. Knowing how much we are welcomed into the Father’s presence and how he sees each one of us in Christ is the key to every blessing in the Kingdom. As we begin to grasp his love for us, we cannot help but draw closer, pray with greater faith and expectation, and ignore the accusations and slander of the enemy. As we do that, our capacity to love others and extend grace to them multiplies. Once we grasp what Jesus had done for us, we are compelled to worship in our hearts and as we do we get to join thousand upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.

I love the picture the writer of Hebrews gave us in contrast to the fearful atmosphere of Sinai. I hope you will think about it today and, in doing so, draw closer to the Lord anticipating a very warm welcome.

If, in fact, Christ has purchased healing for us as well as forgiveness under the New Covenant, then my next question might be, “Since I have been taught the opposite for years, how do I come to have faith in my heart for the healing that is mine?” Let me offer a few thoughts on that.

First of all, I need to study the word of God until I am convinced that scripture does indeed teach that Christ not only purchased forgiveness by his blood but also healing by his wounds for every believer. Until I am certain that this proposition is true, my faith will waiver in moments when I need to operate by faith rather than sight. I would recommend reading some books on healing. I have already recommended F.F. Bosworth’s classic book, Christ the Healer.

Secondly, I can ask for the faith to believe in my heart what I now believe in my head. Paul declares, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Rom.12:3). If my measure of faith is given to me, then I can ask for a greater measure. I will need to cooperate with God in the growth of my faith, but ultimately, faith comes by grace like anything else. In the same way that we can ask for more wisdom, more of the Spirit, etc., we can ask for an increase in faith for healing.

Thirdly, we need to consistently confess what we now believe to be true. This is a primary way tin which we cooperate with God for the increase of our faith. Paul speaks to this as well when he says, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom.10:8-10).

This verse suggests a causative connection between confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart. Verbally declaring something consistently over time tends to write that truth on our heart. The declaration of God’s word has power. The writer of Hebrews says that God’s word is living and active (Heb.4:12). As we declare his word, it operates not only in the atmosphere around us but also on our hearts. The Holy Spirit can then take that and give our heart a revelation of that truth. As the Spirit uses our verbal declaration of God’s truth to bring revelation to our hearts, our faith increases. Our part then is to speak in ways that are consistent with God’s truth regarding his healing for us.

The fourth thing we must learn is to live by faith and not by sight. This means that when we begin to experience illness or pray for healing that does not come immediately, we still stand on the promises of God that he is in the process of healing us. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn.14:12-14). We know that healing is God’s will. We know that if we ask for anything that lines up with his will he will do it. Therefore, if we have asked with any faith, he will do it. Jesus reserved the timetable for himself, but we can say with certainty that he is in the process and our healing is in the pipeline.

Lastly, our faith is often undermined when we don’t see what we have asked for immediately. Sometimes, God is simply in the process and our answer has been ordained. However, we must also consider the possibility that something in the spiritual realm is in the way of our answer. We are told in 1 Corinthians 11, that some Christians were sick because they were defiling the Lord’s Supper by taking it when they did not love the brethren and were even abusing them.

In James 5, we are told that if any among us are sick, they should call the elders of the church to pray over them and their prayer of faith will raise them up and if they have sinned they will be forgiven. This tells us that although our own prayers can bring healing at times, some illness is to be overcome by the prayers of spiritual leaders. Again we are told that some illness lingers because we have unrepented sin in our lives that we have not confessed to others- – sin that needs to be forgiven before healing can manifest.   Hidden sins, unforgiveness, unbelief, bitterness, etc. that we have not confessed and dealt with through the cross can hinder our prayers and our healing.

In Daniel 10, we also see that demonic spirits can hinder the answers to our prayers as well. Generational curses from our “fathers” and sin curses or word curses from our own actions or from our own mouths can also get in the way if they are not dealt with through the cross. Before we start declaring the healing power of Jesus over ourselves, we should take a spiritual inventory to see if something in our present or our past may be hindering that grace from operating in our lives. James underlines this necessity of repentance and confession when he tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed (Ja.5:16).

As we conclude this short series, my hope is that the Holy Spirit has borne witness with your spirit that the in heritance of every believer in Christ is healing. The ultimate expression of that is to walk in divine health but we are not promised that we will never get sick. However, we are promised that Christ bore our sins, sicknesses, and infirmities on the cross and that healing is available to every believer who can receive it by faith. As we think this truth, speak this truth, pray this truth, and teach this truth we are sowing seeds from which we will eventually reap a harvest of faith and healing. If you are ill now or struggling with some infirmity, may Jesus impart healing even now for the sickness he has already carried away.