Not everybody who grows old, grows up. There is a vast difference between age and maturity. Ideally, the older we are, the more mature we should be; but too often the ideal does not become the real. The result is problems - problems in personal lives, in homes, and in Churches. If Christians would just grow up, they would become victors instead of victims.
The Epistle of James was written to help us understand and attain spiritual maturity - "... that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:4, NKJV).
I believe the best way to launch a study of the Epistle of James is to answer four important questions: "Who was James"? "To whom did James write"? "Why did James write"? and, "How can we get the most out of this study"? Let us consider each one of these questions.
Who was James?
There were several men who bore the name of "James" in New Testament history:
1. James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John (Matt. 4:21).
2. James, the son of Alphaeus (Matt. 10:3).
3. James, the father of Judas (not Judas Iscariot), the disciple (Luke 6:16).
4. James, the brother of the Lord (Mark 6:3). He seems to be the most likely candidate for author of this Epistel. He does not identify himself in this way; humbly, he calls himself. "A bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,...." (James 1:1).
James and the other brothers did not believe in Jesus during His earthly ministry (John 7:1 - 5 and Mark 3:31 - 35). Yet we find our Lord's brethren in the upper room praying with the disciples (Acts 1:14). What effected the change from unbelief to faith? 1 Cor. 15:7 indicates that Jesus appeared to James after His resurrection! This convinced James that Jesus truly was the Savior, and he, in turn shared this knowledge about Jesus to the other brothers.
James became the leader of the Church in Jerusalem. Paul called him "a pillor," in Gal. 2:9. It was James who moderated the church conference described in Acts 15.
To whom did James write?
"... To the twelve tribes which scattered abroad" (James 1:1). James wrote to the Jews living outside the land of Palestine. The term "twelve tribes" can only mean the people of Israel, the Jewish nation (Acts 26:7). The fact that many Jews lived outside their Promised Land is evidence of the spiritual decline of the nation. God had to scatter them (Deut. 4:27). When Peter addressed that huge Jewish congregation at Pentecost, he spoke to men from many different nations (Acts 2:9 - 11).
James sent his Epistle to Christian Jews. At least 19 times he addressed them as "brethren," indicating not only "brothers in the flesh" (fellow Jews), but also "brothers in the Lord." James was very clear on the doctrine of the new birth (James 1:18). There are times when James also addressed wicked men who were not in the fellowship (the rich, for examples - James 5:1 - 6); but he did so in order to teach and encourage the saved Jews to whom he sent the Epistle.
Why did James write?
Each New Testament Epistle has its own special theme, purpose, and destination. Paul wrote the Book of Romans to prepare the Roman Christians for his intended visit. 1 Corinthians was sent to the Church in Corinth to help correct certain problems. Galatians was written to a group of Churches to warn them against legalism and false teaching.
As you read the Epistle of James, you discover that these Jewish Christians were having some problems in their personal lives and in their Church fellowship. For one thing, they were going through difficult testings. They were also facing temptations to sin. Some of the believers were catering to the rich, while others were being robbed by the rich. Church members were competing for offices in the Church, particularly teaching offices.
One of the major problems in the Church was a failure on the part of many to live what they professed to believe. Furthermore, the tongue was a serious problem, even to the point of creating wars and divisions in the assembly. Worldliness was another problem. Some of the members were disobeying God's Word and were sick physically because of it, and some were straying away from the Lord and the Church.
As we review the list of problems, does it appear to be much different from the problems that beset the average Local Church today? Do we not have in our Churches people who are suffering for one reason or another? Do we not having members who talk one way, but walk another way? Is not worldliness a serious problem? Are there not Christians who cannot control their tongues? It seems that James is dealing with very up-to-date matters!
But James was not discussing an array of miscellaneous problems. All of these problems had a common cause - spiritual immaturity. These Christians simply were not growing up. This gives us a hint as to the basic theme of the Epistle - The marks of maturity in the Christian life.
James used the word "perfect" several times - a word that means "mature, complete" (read James 1:4, 17, 25; 2:22; 3:2). By "a perfect man" (James 3:2) James did not mean a sinless man, but rather one who is mature, balanced, grown-up.
Spiritual maturity is one of the greatest needs in Churches today. Too many Churches are playpens for babies instead of workshops for adults. The members are not mature enough to eat the solid spiritual food that they need, so they have to be fed on milk (Heb. 5:11 - 14). Just look at the problems James dealt with and you can see that each of them is characteristic of little children:
1. Impatience in difficulties (1:1 - 4).
2. Talking but not living the truth (2:14 ...).
3. No control of the tongue (3:1 ...).
4. Fighting and coveting (4:1 ...).
5. Collecting material "toys." (5:1 ...).
In my opinion, spiritual immaturity is the number one problem in our Churches today. God is looking for mature men and women to carry on His work, and sometimes all He can find are little children who cannot even get along with each other!
Marks of the mature Christians:
The five chapters of the Epistle of James suggest the five marks of the mature Christian:
1. A mature Christian is patient in testing (Chapter 1).
2. A mature Christian practices the truth (Chapter 2).
3. A mature Christian has power over the tongue (Chapter 3).
4. A mature Christian is a peacemaker, not a troublemaker (Chapter 4).
5. A mature Christian is prayerful in troubles (Chapter 5).
Similarity between Epistle of James and Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle of James logically follows the Epistle to the Hebrews, for one of the major themes of Hebrews is - spiritual perfection. The word "perfect" is found in Hebrews at least 14 times.
The key verse of Hebrews is - "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, ..." (Heb 6:1, emphasis added).
The word "perfection" means "spiritual maturity." The writer of Hebrews explained the perfect salvation to be had in Christ. James exhorted his readers to build on this perfect salvation and grow into maturity. Without the perfect work of Christ there could be no perfecting of the believers (saints).
How can we get the most out of this Study?
Since the theme is spiritual maturity, we must begin by examining our own hearts to see where we are in the Christian life. A careful study of the Epistle of James reveals four essentials in leading a satisfying Christian life which lead to spiritual maturity.
1. The first essential
First of all, it is essential that we have been born again. Apart from spiritual birth there can be no spiritual maturity. James mentioned the new birth early in his Epistle: "Of His (God) own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (James 1:18).
The parallel to this is found in 1 Peter: "... having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23).
Just as a human baby has two parents, so a spiritual baby has two parents - the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
John said, "In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1, emphasis added).
Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit" (John 3:5, 6, emphasis added).
Notice that the word, "Spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit. "Born of water" here refers to physical birth. All babies are "born of water." No one is saved (enter the Kingdom of God) by being born of water alone. In order to enter the Kingdom of God, on needs to born of the Holy Spirit also.
The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and generates new life within the heart of the sinner who believes on Jesus Christ. The Spirit uses the Word to convict the sinner, and then to reveal to him the Savior. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8, 9) and faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The process of the born-again experience is a miracle.
2. The second essential
We must honestly examine our lives in the light of God's Word. James compares the Bible to a mirror (James 1:22 - 25). As we study the Word, we are looking into the divine mirror and seeing ourselves as we really are. But James warns us that we must be honest about what we see and not merely glance at the image and walk away.
3. The third essential
We must obey what God teaches us, no matter what the cost. We must be "doers of the word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22). It is easy to attend a Bible study, share the lesson, and discuss it; but it is much more difficult to go out into life in the workaday world and practice what we have learned. The blessing does not come in studying the Word, but in doing the Word. Unless we are willing to obey, the Lord is not obligated to teach us (John 7:17).
4. The forth essential
We must be prepared for some extra trials and testings. Whenever we are serious about spiritual growth, the Enemy gets serious about opposing us. Perhaps you feel a need for more patience. Then be prepared for more trials, because "tribulation worketh patience" (Rom. 5:3, KJV). The real examinations in Bible study come in the school of life, and not in the classroom!
I read recently about a man who was burdened to grow in his patience. He knew he was immature in that area of his life, and he wanted to grow up. He sincerely prayed, "Lord, help me to grow in patience. I want to have more self-control in this area of my life." That morning, he missed his train to work and spent the next 50 minutes pacing the platform and complaining of his plight. As the next train to the city arrived, the man realized how stupid he had been. He said to himself, "The Lord gave me nearly an hour to grow in my patience, and all I did was practice my impatience!"
Let us be reminded that "patience" or "longsuffering" is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23) and fruit needs time to grow.
Growing into spiritual maturity
Even physical maturity is not always an easy, pleasant experience. The teenager walking that difficult bridge from childhood to adulthood has his frustrations and failures, but if he keeps on going (and growing), he eventually enter a wonderful life of maturity. Christian growth is not automatic, as is physical growth. Christian maturity is something we must work at constantly. So, don't give up! There is travail in birth, and there is also travail in muturity (Gal 4:19).
Finally, we must measure our spiritual growth by the Word of God. We should not measure ourselves by other Christians, but by the Word of God and the Son of God (Eph. 4:13).
Not everyone who grows old, grows up. There is a difference between age and maturity. Just because a Christian has been saved for 10 or 20 years does not guarantee that he is mature in the Lord. Mature Christians are joyful Christians, useful Christians who help to encourage others and to build their Local Church.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Kingdom of this Earth
The Kingdom of this earth belongs to us as the children of God. It is ours in the first place. It was made for us by God.
Man gave the keys of dominion of this world to Satan through rebellion and through willful disobedience to God's revealed and direct will.
Before the creation of man, Satan was known as Lucifer and was one of the highest ranking angels in heaven. He became so puffed up in his power, and because of his beauty that he decided he would exalt himself, and make himself like God.
Isaiah said, "For you have said in your heart:'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'" (Isaiah 14:13, 14, NKJV).
Satan led a rebellion in heaven which involved a third of the angels that had been created.
"His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and drew them to the earth ...." (Rev. 12:14, emphasis added).
Notice that sometimes angels are called "stars" in Scripture.
God is God. He is almighty, invinecible, and invulnerable. There was no way for Satan to overcome God in heaven. Instead, God punished Satan for his pride and rebellion by casting him out of heaven as temporary judgment. His ultimate end is eternal punishment in a lake of fire.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations" (Isaiah 14:12)!
"And He (Jesus) said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'" (luke 10:18).
"Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit" (Isaiah 14:15).
"The devil, who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).
I have heard some Bible teachers teach that when God cast Satan out of heaven, He cast him down to the earth to rule here. In my opinion, that is totally, completely false.
God made the earth for man
God made the earth for man which was His crowning creation. He gave to man total dominion. God told man to rule here:
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food'" (Gen. 1:28, 29).
When Satan gained the kingdom of earth, he did so as an usurper. Adam actually took the keys of the kingdom of this world that God had given to him and by his disobedience willfully handed those keys to Satan.
Satan was able to accomplish on earth what he could not accomplish in heaven because Adam chose to yield his will to Satan and he handed the dominion of this world to him.
God never meant for it to be that way. Even as He punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience, at the same time He pronounced His judgment, He promised a Deliverer Who would come and defeat Satan and give the dominion of this world back to man.
"And I will put enmity between you and this woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3.15).
Jesus Christ was and is that Deliverer. By His life and death. He has purchased back for us all the rights and privileges man enjoyed as God's heir before Adam's transgression and subsequent punishment.
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us ..." (Gal. 3:13).
Jesus came to this world for a purpose - to destroy the power of the Devil.
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
Jesus Christ had done just that. He completely fulfilled His purpose.
The kingdom is not the Devil's. It is ours. It belongs to us: it does not belong to the Devil. We just let him have it willingly!
Satan is defeated
Satan already has been defeated by Jesus Christ.
Satan thought he had won when Jesus was crucified on the cross and put in a grave. No doubt there was a huge celebration at Satan's headquarters when this took place - a spiritual orgy. We can just see the Devil taking his place on his throne in the abyss of the dark sprit world with all the demons of hell coming to worship him.
For three days the demons worshipped the Devil. They thought the Devil had won. They thought the Son of God was dead. But on the third day a light began to flicker in the dark abyss. It got brighter and brighter.
There is ordinarily no light in that underground abyss, but there was that day.
What was that light? It was the light of the Son of God!
On the third day He rose from the grave. The Devil could not hold Him! Satan could not keep Him victim.
I can just see Jesus walked right down the very center of Satan's stronghold. In my mind's eye I can see the Devil rose up. I can hear Jesus said, "Satan, Lucifer, your hour is not yet come. I have not yet come to bind you; I have come to take from you the keys of the kingdom and to lead God's sons into glory."
The Spirit of the Lord God was upon Jesus as He took from the Devil's hands the very keys of the kingdom of the world.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ..." (Isaiah 61:1).
I believe Jesus went to where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the Old Testament saints where waiting for the redemption of their bodies. They, who by obedience, had looked forward to their redemption. Jesus put the keys of dominion in the prison door and He set captivity free. He took the souls of the righteous dead from the habitaiton where they had been waiting and He transferred them to a place of glory in the very Presence of God.
"When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, ..." (Eph. 4:8).
There is a great resurrection. The great host of patriarches who had died before the the death of Jesus now are led as sons unto glory!
Can you imagine the Devil's face as he saw this great host going to glory, all of the righteous who died before Jesus, who had led lives of faith and obedience and it was accounted unto them for righteousness, who were waiting for the redemption of their bodies?
As Jesus sprung from the bowels of the earth to ascend on high, I believe Satan was tempted to lift himself against the Son of God one more time. I can see him reach out and grab the heels of Jesus.
Bruising the serpent's head
You can spiritualize what happens as the Master takes His heel and bruises the head of the serpent and He continues His ascension.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen 3:15).
Every time the Devil attemps to thwart the works of God in the ministry or in the lives of God's people I think of this. I believe there is a scar right across the front of the Devil's face where he was bruised by Jesus' heel!
Every time the Devil lifts up his head, every time the Devil comes against us, we can visualize the scar that graphically denotes that Satan is defeated, that he is destroyed.
Jesus Christ came here for a purpose, to destroy the works of the Devil. Given all power, under God's authority He met and defeated the enemy Satan before He ascended back to the Father.
He left with us this promise:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Now, what would you think of Jesus, knowing the enemy's strength, if He gave us the commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and did not give us the necessary weapons of our warfare?
But thank God, He did not do that. We have the same authority He had, passed on by Him to assure our victory over every aspect of Satan.
The keys of dominion
Jesus took those keys of dominion and He turned them back to man.
He said the following:
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:8),
"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatwver you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18).
"If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt. 17:20).
"As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21).
Of the disciples, it was written:
"And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mark 16:20).
Jesus had given you the keys to work the works of God. You know how to locate your enemy. You know how to assess his strength. You know what the weapons of your warfare are (2 Cor. 10:4).
You go forth, not in your own strength, nor in your own power, but you go forth as Jesus did. He had God's authority in Him! We now have Christ's authority working through us.
When Jesus wrested from the Devil the keys of the kingdom, He did not take them back to heaven, He left them here on earth - for us!
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).
God's Word in your mouth
There is no principality, there is no power, there is no work of Satan, there is no stronghold of the enemy in our cities, there is no prince of the power of the air that sits upon the thrones of our towns and villages; there is no power over our unsaved loved ones and there is no power in our rebellious youth. Ther is also no power in our sicknesses, diseases and problems.
God's Word and God's Authority is fire in your mouth:
Thus says the Lord: "Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire ..." (Jer. 5:14).
As disciples of Jesus Christ we need to rise up, empowered, and spiritually equipped to take this world for Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8).
Man gave the keys of dominion of this world to Satan through rebellion and through willful disobedience to God's revealed and direct will.
Before the creation of man, Satan was known as Lucifer and was one of the highest ranking angels in heaven. He became so puffed up in his power, and because of his beauty that he decided he would exalt himself, and make himself like God.
Isaiah said, "For you have said in your heart:'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'" (Isaiah 14:13, 14, NKJV).
Satan led a rebellion in heaven which involved a third of the angels that had been created.
"His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and drew them to the earth ...." (Rev. 12:14, emphasis added).
Notice that sometimes angels are called "stars" in Scripture.
God is God. He is almighty, invinecible, and invulnerable. There was no way for Satan to overcome God in heaven. Instead, God punished Satan for his pride and rebellion by casting him out of heaven as temporary judgment. His ultimate end is eternal punishment in a lake of fire.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground. You who weakened the nations" (Isaiah 14:12)!
"And He (Jesus) said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven'" (luke 10:18).
"Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit" (Isaiah 14:15).
"The devil, who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).
I have heard some Bible teachers teach that when God cast Satan out of heaven, He cast him down to the earth to rule here. In my opinion, that is totally, completely false.
God made the earth for man
God made the earth for man which was His crowning creation. He gave to man total dominion. God told man to rule here:
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food'" (Gen. 1:28, 29).
When Satan gained the kingdom of earth, he did so as an usurper. Adam actually took the keys of the kingdom of this world that God had given to him and by his disobedience willfully handed those keys to Satan.
Satan was able to accomplish on earth what he could not accomplish in heaven because Adam chose to yield his will to Satan and he handed the dominion of this world to him.
God never meant for it to be that way. Even as He punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience, at the same time He pronounced His judgment, He promised a Deliverer Who would come and defeat Satan and give the dominion of this world back to man.
"And I will put enmity between you and this woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3.15).
Jesus Christ was and is that Deliverer. By His life and death. He has purchased back for us all the rights and privileges man enjoyed as God's heir before Adam's transgression and subsequent punishment.
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us ..." (Gal. 3:13).
Jesus came to this world for a purpose - to destroy the power of the Devil.
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
Jesus Christ had done just that. He completely fulfilled His purpose.
The kingdom is not the Devil's. It is ours. It belongs to us: it does not belong to the Devil. We just let him have it willingly!
Satan is defeated
Satan already has been defeated by Jesus Christ.
Satan thought he had won when Jesus was crucified on the cross and put in a grave. No doubt there was a huge celebration at Satan's headquarters when this took place - a spiritual orgy. We can just see the Devil taking his place on his throne in the abyss of the dark sprit world with all the demons of hell coming to worship him.
For three days the demons worshipped the Devil. They thought the Devil had won. They thought the Son of God was dead. But on the third day a light began to flicker in the dark abyss. It got brighter and brighter.
There is ordinarily no light in that underground abyss, but there was that day.
What was that light? It was the light of the Son of God!
On the third day He rose from the grave. The Devil could not hold Him! Satan could not keep Him victim.
I can just see Jesus walked right down the very center of Satan's stronghold. In my mind's eye I can see the Devil rose up. I can hear Jesus said, "Satan, Lucifer, your hour is not yet come. I have not yet come to bind you; I have come to take from you the keys of the kingdom and to lead God's sons into glory."
The Spirit of the Lord God was upon Jesus as He took from the Devil's hands the very keys of the kingdom of the world.
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ..." (Isaiah 61:1).
I believe Jesus went to where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the Old Testament saints where waiting for the redemption of their bodies. They, who by obedience, had looked forward to their redemption. Jesus put the keys of dominion in the prison door and He set captivity free. He took the souls of the righteous dead from the habitaiton where they had been waiting and He transferred them to a place of glory in the very Presence of God.
"When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, ..." (Eph. 4:8).
There is a great resurrection. The great host of patriarches who had died before the the death of Jesus now are led as sons unto glory!
Can you imagine the Devil's face as he saw this great host going to glory, all of the righteous who died before Jesus, who had led lives of faith and obedience and it was accounted unto them for righteousness, who were waiting for the redemption of their bodies?
As Jesus sprung from the bowels of the earth to ascend on high, I believe Satan was tempted to lift himself against the Son of God one more time. I can see him reach out and grab the heels of Jesus.
Bruising the serpent's head
You can spiritualize what happens as the Master takes His heel and bruises the head of the serpent and He continues His ascension.
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen 3:15).
Every time the Devil attemps to thwart the works of God in the ministry or in the lives of God's people I think of this. I believe there is a scar right across the front of the Devil's face where he was bruised by Jesus' heel!
Every time the Devil lifts up his head, every time the Devil comes against us, we can visualize the scar that graphically denotes that Satan is defeated, that he is destroyed.
Jesus Christ came here for a purpose, to destroy the works of the Devil. Given all power, under God's authority He met and defeated the enemy Satan before He ascended back to the Father.
He left with us this promise:
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Now, what would you think of Jesus, knowing the enemy's strength, if He gave us the commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and did not give us the necessary weapons of our warfare?
But thank God, He did not do that. We have the same authority He had, passed on by Him to assure our victory over every aspect of Satan.
The keys of dominion
Jesus took those keys of dominion and He turned them back to man.
He said the following:
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:8),
"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatwver you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18).
"If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matt. 17:20).
"As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21).
Of the disciples, it was written:
"And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mark 16:20).
Jesus had given you the keys to work the works of God. You know how to locate your enemy. You know how to assess his strength. You know what the weapons of your warfare are (2 Cor. 10:4).
You go forth, not in your own strength, nor in your own power, but you go forth as Jesus did. He had God's authority in Him! We now have Christ's authority working through us.
When Jesus wrested from the Devil the keys of the kingdom, He did not take them back to heaven, He left them here on earth - for us!
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).
God's Word in your mouth
There is no principality, there is no power, there is no work of Satan, there is no stronghold of the enemy in our cities, there is no prince of the power of the air that sits upon the thrones of our towns and villages; there is no power over our unsaved loved ones and there is no power in our rebellious youth. Ther is also no power in our sicknesses, diseases and problems.
God's Word and God's Authority is fire in your mouth:
Thus says the Lord: "Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire ..." (Jer. 5:14).
As disciples of Jesus Christ we need to rise up, empowered, and spiritually equipped to take this world for Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8).
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Jesus Christ's Mission on Earth
As the Body of Christ and as ministers of Christ, we need to understand fully that Jesus Christ's misson on this earth was more than to die on the cross of Calvary. That was only part of His mission of salvation.
The purpose of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ came here for a purpose. What had been lost to man in the Garden of Eden and wrestled from him through temptation, God sent Jesus to reclaim. For that responsibility, Jesus came in the form of the Second Adam to face the same temptation and to face the same enemy that the first Adam had faced.
When Jesus came face to face with the enemy, even though He was God incarnate, He was 100 percent man. The Bible says that this was so that He could be taken from among men, that He might one day qualify to be the High Priest of every man and every woman:
"Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17, NKJV).
Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God in the heavenlies as our High Priest.
Because Jesus prevailed as man, He is able to succor those in need today:
"For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:8).
Jesus is able to understand. He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
If Jesus were just divine, if He were God only, He could not understand the feelings of our infirmities, but He was 100 percent man, human in every respect, tempted in in every point like as we are:
"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
Prior to His death on the cross, Jesus did not draw on His inherent deity to overcome Satan while He was on this earth. The resources He use are the same resources which God has place at the disposal of His believing disciples today.
Jesus was tested as a man
Being tried, Jesus was tried as a man. Being tested, He was tested as a man. Overcoming, He overcame as a man.
Why? So that some day, you and I might realize that because He overcame as a man, we can over overcome as men, without inherent deity.
He came here for a purpose, to engage the enemy in bitter spiritual combat, and He won. He had no more resources than those available to you and to me. And He won.
Every time Jesus confronted Satan or any of his evil power, Jesus won. He defeated the Devil soundly on every battlefield where they met.
We have the same resources, the same authority for defeating Satan that Jesus had.
God-given directives and strategies
The spiritual warfare we are in, we are in it to win! We must win. And to win, we must have a strategy. We must know the God-given methods and rules of winning this victory once and for all. There are several specific rules for spiritual battle I want to share with you that are very important.
1. You must locate your enemy
You cannot do battle against an enemy if you cannot locate him. One of the reasons why we have such great failures as ministers is because we have not zeroed in on our enemy; we have not located him.
Most of our activity in ministry is surface. It deals only with the exterior. We have not fully learned that our battle is not with flesh and blood:
Paul said: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalitites, against power, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).
We are not dealing with just young people who are rebellious. Many parents have raised their children in Christian homes but now those young people are on drugs, are living lives of promiscuousness. And they wonder what went wrong. One thing parents must not do is, never let the Devil put them under condemnation.
That does not mean that we give up on them; but if we try to deal with those young people on the surface, we are battering our heads against a stone wall.
You can talk to these young people until you are blue in the face, but there is no way that you can communicate through words because the battle is not in the natural world. It is not with natural things or circumstances.
It is time we learned how to locate our enemy so that we do not dissipate our fire power by putting it in the wrong direction.
There is an underlying reason for sin which goes beyond the surface. There is an underlying reason for sickness that goes beyond the surface.
If you can go beyond the surface in intercession, in prayer, in travail, in the power of the Holy Ghost and get hold of these things at the root cause, you can defeat them and destroy them. You can lay the axe at the root of the tree. As you do this in the Name and the power of Jesus Christ, the surface takes care of itself. The victory comes.
After we have realized where our battle is, who enemy is, where and how he operates, there is another very important rule of winning the battle....
2. You must assess the enemy's strength and know your strength
You must never understimate the Devil's strength. You must not be afraid of the words demons, Devil, principalities and powers.
There is nothing mystical about the power of God; it is simple. It is mystical only because we have taken it and put it off somewhere out of man's reach. The same thing is true with Satan and Lucifer.
Paul said: "... lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11).
There are only two forces in this world: God and the Devil, good and evil.
Satan and denominationalism
Satan tries to destroy the strength of God's people through disunity. Let us examine one of his methods for doing this:
John 4 tells of a time when Jesus sat at Jacob's well. A Samaritan woman came by and Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). She looked at Him and then said in surprise, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan" (John 4:9).
In those days, Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.
One of the biggest curses in the world is the spirit of denominationlism that divides the Body of Christ. Many Churches within their own denominations cannat get along with each other, much less those of other denominations.
Do you see what Satan tried to do? Religious differences and doctrines and divisions did not start with the Church.
Satan and doctrinal differences
If Satan cannot get us to be divided because of the denominational walls that we have, he tries to get us to be divided, to dissipate our strength, through doctrinal differences. More people have been sent to hell through the Church of Jesus Christ and their differences than I care to try to evaluate.
There are many people who believe that Christian can be demon possessed. I hold deep respect for people who may believe this, but I do not believe that a Christian can be demon prossessed. I believe than a born-again, Spirit-filled believer cannot be demon possesses, so I do not get any demon. Not so for those Christians who believe otherwise. You get what you believe for.
I do not believe that the Devil inhabits the same vessel inhabited by Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. I am talking about demon possession, not about oppression. I am not talking about outside forces coming against us. I am talking about possession.
Jesus Christ possesses me and He so fills this temple which is the temple of the Holy Ghost that He does not leave any place for the Devil.
However the enemy does have a certain amount of power which God has permitted him to have for a season, and we need to know how to assess his strength.
The strength of Satan and the Strength of Jesus
The Scripture tells us that one third of the angelic beings of heaven followed Lucifer in revolution. Satan must have been very powerful to persuade on third of the angelic host of heaven to follow him.
God not only knew the strength of Satan's power by his attack on heaven but also by his attack against man on earth.
Now let me ask you this question: If God knew the strength of the enemy's power when He sent His Son Jesus here to engage that enemy in spiritual battle, do you think for one minute that God did not give His Son the necessary tools, weapons, equipment to engage that enemy and to work the works of His Father Who sent Him?
How much power did God give Him?
Jesus said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18, KJV).
Even if that power were not spelled out in many, many Scriptures, that one would be enough to settle. "All power" means that Jesus was given complete, total, unquestionable power and mastery over the Devil. Yes, God gave all power into the hand of His Son to accomplish the task to be fulfilled.
Isaiah said: "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11, NKJV).
God guaranteed the success of His Word, Jesus Christ, Who did indeed accomplish what He was sent to do.
John said: ".... For this purpose of the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
As a result of His victory over Satan, Jesus has led the way. He has given to you and to me the keys not only of working the works of God once in a while here on this earth, He actually has given us the keys to complete victory and dominion over Satan here on earth.
In effect, Jesus Christ by His life, death, resurrection and ascension has given to us, as His disciples, the keys of dominion over the kingdom of the world.
The purpose of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ came here for a purpose. What had been lost to man in the Garden of Eden and wrestled from him through temptation, God sent Jesus to reclaim. For that responsibility, Jesus came in the form of the Second Adam to face the same temptation and to face the same enemy that the first Adam had faced.
When Jesus came face to face with the enemy, even though He was God incarnate, He was 100 percent man. The Bible says that this was so that He could be taken from among men, that He might one day qualify to be the High Priest of every man and every woman:
"Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17, NKJV).
Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God in the heavenlies as our High Priest.
Because Jesus prevailed as man, He is able to succor those in need today:
"For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted" (Heb. 2:8).
Jesus is able to understand. He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
If Jesus were just divine, if He were God only, He could not understand the feelings of our infirmities, but He was 100 percent man, human in every respect, tempted in in every point like as we are:
"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
Prior to His death on the cross, Jesus did not draw on His inherent deity to overcome Satan while He was on this earth. The resources He use are the same resources which God has place at the disposal of His believing disciples today.
Jesus was tested as a man
Being tried, Jesus was tried as a man. Being tested, He was tested as a man. Overcoming, He overcame as a man.
Why? So that some day, you and I might realize that because He overcame as a man, we can over overcome as men, without inherent deity.
He came here for a purpose, to engage the enemy in bitter spiritual combat, and He won. He had no more resources than those available to you and to me. And He won.
Every time Jesus confronted Satan or any of his evil power, Jesus won. He defeated the Devil soundly on every battlefield where they met.
We have the same resources, the same authority for defeating Satan that Jesus had.
God-given directives and strategies
The spiritual warfare we are in, we are in it to win! We must win. And to win, we must have a strategy. We must know the God-given methods and rules of winning this victory once and for all. There are several specific rules for spiritual battle I want to share with you that are very important.
1. You must locate your enemy
You cannot do battle against an enemy if you cannot locate him. One of the reasons why we have such great failures as ministers is because we have not zeroed in on our enemy; we have not located him.
Most of our activity in ministry is surface. It deals only with the exterior. We have not fully learned that our battle is not with flesh and blood:
Paul said: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalitites, against power, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).
We are not dealing with just young people who are rebellious. Many parents have raised their children in Christian homes but now those young people are on drugs, are living lives of promiscuousness. And they wonder what went wrong. One thing parents must not do is, never let the Devil put them under condemnation.
That does not mean that we give up on them; but if we try to deal with those young people on the surface, we are battering our heads against a stone wall.
You can talk to these young people until you are blue in the face, but there is no way that you can communicate through words because the battle is not in the natural world. It is not with natural things or circumstances.
It is time we learned how to locate our enemy so that we do not dissipate our fire power by putting it in the wrong direction.
There is an underlying reason for sin which goes beyond the surface. There is an underlying reason for sickness that goes beyond the surface.
If you can go beyond the surface in intercession, in prayer, in travail, in the power of the Holy Ghost and get hold of these things at the root cause, you can defeat them and destroy them. You can lay the axe at the root of the tree. As you do this in the Name and the power of Jesus Christ, the surface takes care of itself. The victory comes.
After we have realized where our battle is, who enemy is, where and how he operates, there is another very important rule of winning the battle....
2. You must assess the enemy's strength and know your strength
You must never understimate the Devil's strength. You must not be afraid of the words demons, Devil, principalities and powers.
There is nothing mystical about the power of God; it is simple. It is mystical only because we have taken it and put it off somewhere out of man's reach. The same thing is true with Satan and Lucifer.
Paul said: "... lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11).
There are only two forces in this world: God and the Devil, good and evil.
Satan and denominationalism
Satan tries to destroy the strength of God's people through disunity. Let us examine one of his methods for doing this:
John 4 tells of a time when Jesus sat at Jacob's well. A Samaritan woman came by and Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink" (John 4:7). She looked at Him and then said in surprise, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan" (John 4:9).
In those days, Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.
One of the biggest curses in the world is the spirit of denominationlism that divides the Body of Christ. Many Churches within their own denominations cannat get along with each other, much less those of other denominations.
Do you see what Satan tried to do? Religious differences and doctrines and divisions did not start with the Church.
Satan and doctrinal differences
If Satan cannot get us to be divided because of the denominational walls that we have, he tries to get us to be divided, to dissipate our strength, through doctrinal differences. More people have been sent to hell through the Church of Jesus Christ and their differences than I care to try to evaluate.
There are many people who believe that Christian can be demon possessed. I hold deep respect for people who may believe this, but I do not believe that a Christian can be demon prossessed. I believe than a born-again, Spirit-filled believer cannot be demon possesses, so I do not get any demon. Not so for those Christians who believe otherwise. You get what you believe for.
I do not believe that the Devil inhabits the same vessel inhabited by Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. I am talking about demon possession, not about oppression. I am not talking about outside forces coming against us. I am talking about possession.
Jesus Christ possesses me and He so fills this temple which is the temple of the Holy Ghost that He does not leave any place for the Devil.
However the enemy does have a certain amount of power which God has permitted him to have for a season, and we need to know how to assess his strength.
The strength of Satan and the Strength of Jesus
The Scripture tells us that one third of the angelic beings of heaven followed Lucifer in revolution. Satan must have been very powerful to persuade on third of the angelic host of heaven to follow him.
God not only knew the strength of Satan's power by his attack on heaven but also by his attack against man on earth.
Now let me ask you this question: If God knew the strength of the enemy's power when He sent His Son Jesus here to engage that enemy in spiritual battle, do you think for one minute that God did not give His Son the necessary tools, weapons, equipment to engage that enemy and to work the works of His Father Who sent Him?
How much power did God give Him?
Jesus said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18, KJV).
Even if that power were not spelled out in many, many Scriptures, that one would be enough to settle. "All power" means that Jesus was given complete, total, unquestionable power and mastery over the Devil. Yes, God gave all power into the hand of His Son to accomplish the task to be fulfilled.
Isaiah said: "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11, NKJV).
God guaranteed the success of His Word, Jesus Christ, Who did indeed accomplish what He was sent to do.
John said: ".... For this purpose of the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
As a result of His victory over Satan, Jesus has led the way. He has given to you and to me the keys not only of working the works of God once in a while here on this earth, He actually has given us the keys to complete victory and dominion over Satan here on earth.
In effect, Jesus Christ by His life, death, resurrection and ascension has given to us, as His disciples, the keys of dominion over the kingdom of the world.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Front Line of the Battle
Not many people of God know that if you let God work His works through you, you are very likely to stand completely alone. Not everyone will welcome your ministry. It will suprise you, some of the people in your Local Church, including Pastors, elders and leaders will not accept you. You will be misunderstood, you will be criticized, you will be critiqued. Every lie in the world will be told against you. Sometimes even the most well-meaning friends are the ones who advise us in a negative way. That is why we must be very careful and very watchful.
Why? Because it is the Devil's business to defeat you. When you let God work His works through you, you are on the front line of battle against evil, sickness, disease, need, poverty and want.
A true story
Let me share with you a true story. A renowned evangelist was invited to hold a crusade in an overseas country. He sent his representatives to prepare the particulars.
What the men found when they arrived in that country was very discouraging to them. The Churches were all fighting among themselves. They did not want to cooperate with one another. There was great dissension among the brethren.
The report the evangelist got was very negative. He was advised to cancel the crusade completely. Going by the natural senses, this would have seemed the wise thing to do. But, as children of God, we do not go by our natural senses, we go by that God-given sixth sense - faith.
Paul said: "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, NKJV).
Paul also said: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
It was not that the evangelist did not trust the brethren who brought him the report. It was just that he positively knew what God had told him to do. He did not feel the release in his spirit from conducting the crusade in that country. Also he knew God's Word of direction carried with it the authority for following His directions.
So, he said to one of his trusted brothers, "We won't take that an answer. Go back. Pursue the route I tell you. God will work this thing out."
He returned to the field and what happened made spiritual history. The Christian brethren still were not able to get together, but God opened another door to the evangelist's ministry in that country through the government of that country.
They were invited by high government officials not only to come for a crusade, but to come as their guests. They had free use of the stadium of the meetings. Every member of the evangelist's team was the guest of the government in the government hotel during their entire stay.
When the Pastors of the Churches heard how the government officials were going to welcome them, they realized that God was in the crusade. They "jumped on the bandwagon" and began to cooperate in a marvelous way. Thousands of people saved and healed. Many of those souls would have missed heaven if they had listened to the negatives with which the enemy tried to deceive them and to contend them.
God forbid that we should let ourselves be hindered by negatives! We must be positive and trust God as we work the works of God!
It was a great miracle when Jesus healed the madman of Gadarenes (Mark 5:1 - 20).
Here was a man who had been of tremendous trouble to the authorities. Ranting and raving among the tombs of the dead, he could not be restrained by chains or fetters. He cried through the mountains night and day, cutting himself with stones.
This man was so possessed by demons that the unclean sprits told Jesus that their name is Legion - "for we are many" (Mark 5:9).
Jesus spoke the Word which delivered this man completely. At His word, the legion of demons left the man and entered a herd of about 2000 swine, causing the pigs to race down hill into the Sea of Galilee where they drowned. This demonstation of power so unnerved the swine herders that they ran through the countryside and into the city spreading the word. A crowd gathered to see what it was all about. And they were afraid (Mark 5:15).
Jesus had done that countryside a great favor. You would think that such a manifestation of miraculous power would cause those who saw the results to go home and bring their sick and afflicted loved ones for Jesus to heal. You would think He would be besieged by people acclainming Him and marveling over this great deliverance.
But you would be wrong. Thanking Jesus was the furthest thing from their minds. They wanted Him out of there. They wanted to get rid of Him. They did not want Him around at all.
"They began to plead with Him to depart from their region" (Mark 5:17).
Not many people welcome Jesus' miraculous ministry. Similarly not many people will welcome your miraculous ministry!
Ministry of the supernatural
The ministry of the supernatural requires you to deal with the negative forces of unbelief. If you know how to deal with the negative forces, one will put a thousand to flight, two will put ten thousand to flight, you will not even get a scratch.
"How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight ..." (Deu. 32:30).
"A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you" (Psalm 91:7).
There are many voices, including those of the clergy of all denominations, that are raised against the ministry of supernatural victories.
I tell you honestly that I have never personally seen a miracle. But I believe miracles. There is enough power in the written Word of God that I should believe.
Jesus gave Philip a profound answer
One day Philip asked Jesus a searching question and he got a very profound answer.
"Philip said to Him, 'Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves'" (John 14:8 - 11).
What Jesus was saying was this, "Philip, if you cannot believe this theological discourse, if you cannot understand the revelation of the Word, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me, if that is too deep for you, Philip, if you cannot understand it, believe Me for the very works' sake."
In other words, He is saying, "Believe Me for the things that you have seen. If you cannot believe Me because of the theology, because of the doctrine or because of the Word, Philip, believe Me because of what you see done. What you have seen with your own eyes is proof that I am in God and that God is in Me."
Jesus then went a powerful step further to promise us that we could prove His power in our lives and through our ministries:
Jesus said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask on My nace, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:12 - 14).
God out of Himself
Here is reaffirmation of the delegated authority of God, God acting in us and through us - out of Himself and in us!
"And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another'" (Matt 11:2, 3).
Strangely, Jesus Christ never did answer John's question. Instead He said: "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Matt. 11:4, 5).
I believe that when John received that testimony back, he knew in his heart that everything was all right, that everything was settled, that this Man was the Son of God, the Messiah. he believed the works Jesus did.
John no longer needed to worry about anything; he could die in peace. His work was finished: The Prophet of God had come into the world.
The miracle ministry of Jesus Christ had a very definite place in producing the proof that Jesus was Who He said He was. It also has a very definite place in the ministry needs of the world today. We must produce the proof; we must produce the power!
Negative forces of unbelief
The negative forces of unbelief may resist arguments or logic. They may remain adamant and unchanged in the face of our most educated words or most learned dicourse. But they must flee before the positive performance of miracle ministries which show forth the resurrection power of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
The only effective way of combating the negative forces of unbelief is with the positive forces of performance - producing the proof that reduces all arguments and gainsaying to useless ashes.
John 9 records the action of Jesus in healing a man blind since birth. His disciples who did not believe the miracles of healing assumed that the blindness of the man was due to his own sin or the sin of his parents.
But Jesus said: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no none can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:3 - 5).
The word "day" means while Jesus was still physically alive. The word "night" represents death which means Jesus was no longer walking with His disciples. Jesus was sent by the Father to work the works of God.
After Jesus came under intense interrogation from those who knew the blind man, He healed him. Negative forces of unbelief began to fly.
The healed man soon discovered that arguments availed nothing. In answer to the repeated question, he finally declared:
"I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples" (John 9:27)?
This is real truth that people often do not hear what they do not want to believe. They reviled the man and cast him out. But he had one irrefutable, unarguable point:
"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see"
This is what I mean by producing the proof. Producing the proof won the battle. Negative forces have to go!
Why? Because it is the Devil's business to defeat you. When you let God work His works through you, you are on the front line of battle against evil, sickness, disease, need, poverty and want.
A true story
Let me share with you a true story. A renowned evangelist was invited to hold a crusade in an overseas country. He sent his representatives to prepare the particulars.
What the men found when they arrived in that country was very discouraging to them. The Churches were all fighting among themselves. They did not want to cooperate with one another. There was great dissension among the brethren.
The report the evangelist got was very negative. He was advised to cancel the crusade completely. Going by the natural senses, this would have seemed the wise thing to do. But, as children of God, we do not go by our natural senses, we go by that God-given sixth sense - faith.
Paul said: "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17, NKJV).
Paul also said: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
It was not that the evangelist did not trust the brethren who brought him the report. It was just that he positively knew what God had told him to do. He did not feel the release in his spirit from conducting the crusade in that country. Also he knew God's Word of direction carried with it the authority for following His directions.
So, he said to one of his trusted brothers, "We won't take that an answer. Go back. Pursue the route I tell you. God will work this thing out."
He returned to the field and what happened made spiritual history. The Christian brethren still were not able to get together, but God opened another door to the evangelist's ministry in that country through the government of that country.
They were invited by high government officials not only to come for a crusade, but to come as their guests. They had free use of the stadium of the meetings. Every member of the evangelist's team was the guest of the government in the government hotel during their entire stay.
When the Pastors of the Churches heard how the government officials were going to welcome them, they realized that God was in the crusade. They "jumped on the bandwagon" and began to cooperate in a marvelous way. Thousands of people saved and healed. Many of those souls would have missed heaven if they had listened to the negatives with which the enemy tried to deceive them and to contend them.
God forbid that we should let ourselves be hindered by negatives! We must be positive and trust God as we work the works of God!
Jesus Himself suffered adverse reaction
It was a great miracle when Jesus healed the madman of Gadarenes (Mark 5:1 - 20).
Here was a man who had been of tremendous trouble to the authorities. Ranting and raving among the tombs of the dead, he could not be restrained by chains or fetters. He cried through the mountains night and day, cutting himself with stones.
This man was so possessed by demons that the unclean sprits told Jesus that their name is Legion - "for we are many" (Mark 5:9).
Jesus spoke the Word which delivered this man completely. At His word, the legion of demons left the man and entered a herd of about 2000 swine, causing the pigs to race down hill into the Sea of Galilee where they drowned. This demonstation of power so unnerved the swine herders that they ran through the countryside and into the city spreading the word. A crowd gathered to see what it was all about. And they were afraid (Mark 5:15).
Jesus had done that countryside a great favor. You would think that such a manifestation of miraculous power would cause those who saw the results to go home and bring their sick and afflicted loved ones for Jesus to heal. You would think He would be besieged by people acclainming Him and marveling over this great deliverance.
But you would be wrong. Thanking Jesus was the furthest thing from their minds. They wanted Him out of there. They wanted to get rid of Him. They did not want Him around at all.
"They began to plead with Him to depart from their region" (Mark 5:17).
Not many people welcome Jesus' miraculous ministry. Similarly not many people will welcome your miraculous ministry!
Ministry of the supernatural
The ministry of the supernatural requires you to deal with the negative forces of unbelief. If you know how to deal with the negative forces, one will put a thousand to flight, two will put ten thousand to flight, you will not even get a scratch.
"How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight ..." (Deu. 32:30).
"A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you" (Psalm 91:7).
There are many voices, including those of the clergy of all denominations, that are raised against the ministry of supernatural victories.
I tell you honestly that I have never personally seen a miracle. But I believe miracles. There is enough power in the written Word of God that I should believe.
Jesus gave Philip a profound answer
One day Philip asked Jesus a searching question and he got a very profound answer.
"Philip said to Him, 'Lord show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves'" (John 14:8 - 11).
What Jesus was saying was this, "Philip, if you cannot believe this theological discourse, if you cannot understand the revelation of the Word, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me, if that is too deep for you, Philip, if you cannot understand it, believe Me for the very works' sake."
In other words, He is saying, "Believe Me for the things that you have seen. If you cannot believe Me because of the theology, because of the doctrine or because of the Word, Philip, believe Me because of what you see done. What you have seen with your own eyes is proof that I am in God and that God is in Me."
Jesus then went a powerful step further to promise us that we could prove His power in our lives and through our ministries:
Jesus said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask on My nace, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:12 - 14).
God out of Himself
Here is reaffirmation of the delegated authority of God, God acting in us and through us - out of Himself and in us!
"And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another'" (Matt 11:2, 3).
Strangely, Jesus Christ never did answer John's question. Instead He said: "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Matt. 11:4, 5).
I believe that when John received that testimony back, he knew in his heart that everything was all right, that everything was settled, that this Man was the Son of God, the Messiah. he believed the works Jesus did.
John no longer needed to worry about anything; he could die in peace. His work was finished: The Prophet of God had come into the world.
The miracle ministry of Jesus Christ had a very definite place in producing the proof that Jesus was Who He said He was. It also has a very definite place in the ministry needs of the world today. We must produce the proof; we must produce the power!
Negative forces of unbelief
The negative forces of unbelief may resist arguments or logic. They may remain adamant and unchanged in the face of our most educated words or most learned dicourse. But they must flee before the positive performance of miracle ministries which show forth the resurrection power of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.
The only effective way of combating the negative forces of unbelief is with the positive forces of performance - producing the proof that reduces all arguments and gainsaying to useless ashes.
John 9 records the action of Jesus in healing a man blind since birth. His disciples who did not believe the miracles of healing assumed that the blindness of the man was due to his own sin or the sin of his parents.
But Jesus said: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no none can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:3 - 5).
The word "day" means while Jesus was still physically alive. The word "night" represents death which means Jesus was no longer walking with His disciples. Jesus was sent by the Father to work the works of God.
After Jesus came under intense interrogation from those who knew the blind man, He healed him. Negative forces of unbelief began to fly.
The healed man soon discovered that arguments availed nothing. In answer to the repeated question, he finally declared:
"I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples" (John 9:27)?
This is real truth that people often do not hear what they do not want to believe. They reviled the man and cast him out. But he had one irrefutable, unarguable point:
"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see"
This is what I mean by producing the proof. Producing the proof won the battle. Negative forces have to go!
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