Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Christianity is unique in that it’s a miracle religion founded on miracles including the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! The bible tells us in Acts 4:33 about the first Christians And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:3-4). It’s because of what God did for Jesus after men and demons did their worst to him we can have comfort and hope in our trials and testing because we have on our side the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Christianity is not a dead religion composed of some ideas and theology but a living relationship with a miracle working God who loves to give His trusting children miracles even on a daily basis – miracles of healing, miracles of deliverance, miracles of financial blessings, miracles of divine intervention and so on. God’s word is unchanging:
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:22-25
Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," and A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 1 Peter 2:6-8
For His trusting ones Jesus Christ is their Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Redeemer, Rock, Refuge, Strong Tower and everything they need. And as a result they will by no means be put to shame. But for those who are disobedient, He is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. Instead of comfort the rebels find woe and distress for the face of the LORD is against those who do evil. However for the righteous, the eyes of the LORD are on them, and His ears are open to their prayers. God’s word is unchanging:
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 2 Peter 2:1-11
It’s is a fact that some of the greatest corruption and perversion today is found in the house of God amongst Christians, not pagans. Not only do we have pedophiles who are priests or pastors, but we have rapists and thieves who masquerade as men of God. We find that many Christian evangelists and other ministers did not care for individuals but rather for the building up of their own empire. They are more interested in selling their products to their sheep then ministering to the sheep. The establishments of such ministers have become corrupt these days because the Babylonian system has pervaded their establishments. They have become money changers who create idol worshipers. The ministry of the Holy Ghost is perfect but the establishments through which they perform their ministries have become corrupt.
Many churches and ministries have become money making business establishments whose pastors and evangelists use flattering words, and have a cloak of covetousness to seek their own best interest, not the best interest of the sheep. Their desire is to fleece the sheep, not to bless the sheep. They covet offerings from the sheep they are supposed to serve and tend for. Evangelists expect offerings of those people that have been blessed by their ministries. They make elaborate advertisements for their products and spend little time ministering effectively to the sheep. The pastors are mostly concerned about filling their own coffers than those of the sheep.
Many ministers give long sermons to their congregations and lead them in long worship services on Sundays. According to these ministers, ministry means giving messages, conducting worship services, extracting tithes and offerings, and praying for the sick in their churches. They forgot that ministry means taking care of the sheep, ministering to the poor saints and widows and edifying the faith of the weak sheep during their trials and tribulations.
We have many preachers who are devoid of power preach the gospel in flowery languages and exhibit their oratory but not in the power of God. Oratory takes the place of the power of God. Gospel is preached from the church pulpits as a matter of routine, at times, mostly from texts already prepared. In the churches of today, the glory of men rules the roost. Men with good family background or rich men are honored when commonplace people are shown the backseats. The churches do not call "poor saints" or evangelists with poor financial background for giving messages but prefer only "renowned" ones.
These days, we find the ministers of God covet "service" from the people whom they are supposed to serve. They boast that they had resigned from their secular jobs to serve God but expect offerings from the people whom they serve. They do not work with their own hands even in their own offices established by them for running their ministries. They want "service" from the staff working in their offices. Recently, a T.V. Evangelist USA preached a message of "prosperity" to his sheep. He quoted Jesus' words in Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor...". This preacher replaced the word "gospel" with the word "prosperity" and preached that prosperity should be preached to the poor so that the poor may become rich. And then we have Evangelists who mainly preach on healing and miracles and not on cross-bearing and discipleship. The apostles during the New Testament period preached the gospel to the people with the result that the sick and the demon-possessed were delivered. They did not focus on healing and miracle ministries. But, miracles and signs followed them. They did not follow miracles and signs. God’s word is unchanging:
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." 2 Peter 2:20-22
Rabbi, Who Sinned?
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "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 one can work. "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. John 9:1-7
Just because the disciples asked a question and Jesus answered the question doesn’t mean that people can make a doctrinal statement out of it, such “as people are sick so that the works of God should be revealed in them?” It is true that people are sick and the works of God can be revealed in them for those who believe - as all things are possible to those who believe! But Jesus was not even saying that that the man was blind from birth that the works of God should be revealed in him. Although this is what Jesus said! Jesus was saying because He was there and He was doing the works of God who sent Him, the man would be healed and delivered. The key point is that when Jesus comes unto any scene a miracle is possible? Doctrinal statements of religious men which don't result into a practical application including a miracle for the poor and needy are useless!
Yes, the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit including prophesy must be judged to see if they result in a concrete application including meeting in a practical way the real needs of the people and not just some dead words that are dead the moment they are spoken as they have no life or miracle working power in them! It’s to be noted that God doesn’t have any programs for the church of Jesus Christ to be used by them. He is the Program and when He shows up in His power and glory He can and He does whatever He wants including healing the sick, casting out devil and raising the dead! The real tricky part is to get God to show up and minister to the people. But where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there! All we need is people of faith to get God to move onto a particular need or situation by releasing our faith and believing God for the impossible.
We don’t need programs but we do need the Holy Spirit who is the other Helper, Guide, and Miracle Worker, to come and do what He does best- miracles, just like He raised Jesus Christ from the dead after the world did their worst to him and restored all things to Jesus including all power, glory, riches and authority! We need people who know their God, and know how to pray and manifest the victory. Then we will see the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit just like Jesus, Philip, Apollos and Paul did! The key to the release of the power and authority in the life of Jesus and the other disciples was prayer:
· Before Jesus went out to the frontlines, He spend time in His Father’s presence where the Father revealed His will to Him. Through prayer He penetrated the enemy lines, fought the battle and won it.
· Before Jesus began His ministry, He spend 40 days in fasting and prayer and returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee (Luke 4:14).
· Before feeding the five thousand by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish Jesus went into a solitary place where He prayed (Matthew 14:13).
· Before a great healing campaign in Gennesaret where the people brought the sick to Him, Jesus went up on a mountainside by Himself where He prayed ( Matthew 14:22-23).
· Before choosing the 12 apostles Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).
· Before He began His ministry throughout Galilee where He preached and cast out demons, Jesus prayed. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed (Mark 1:35).
· Before going to the cross on the road to Jerusalem, Jesus knowing that He was going to be taken and crucified, went up onto a mountain where He prayed (Luke 9:28).
· Before Jesus was arrested, beaten, mocked and crucified, He went into the Garden of Gethesemane where He prayed – where He wrestled and agonized in prayer (Matthew 26:36-46)
Before God’s people do anything significant in their lives that will bring ever lasting and concrete results in their lives, they must pray and seek the will of God and win the battle and then they will see the manifestation of their victories. Just dancing and praising the Lord for an hour is not enough! King David danced before the Lord as an expression of his joy and faith and not to accomplish something. God never intended that dancing and praise replace good old fashion effectual fervent prayer! I have been to churches where God’s people have danced for hours and nothing changed. They were no different when they left from when they had first come in!
The same is true about being slain in the spirit and even barking like a dog. Many pastors and preachers were slain in the Spirit for hours and days and there was not change at all in their ministry or character. They were like a wet sponge where a lot of water went through but only a bit was retained. They rest of the water goes through many people because they are full of holes and are not able to retain the shower of blessing that comes upon them when they are touched by God. It all leaks out just as fast as it came in!
We need hearts like Jesus talked about “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). We need a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us so that wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field. God’s people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places and sow beside all waters (Isaiah 32:15-19). And as a result we will have boldness and miracles, signs and wonders done through the name of Jesus.
It’s is to be noted that in accordance with the Word of God real ministry is done by the body ministering to each others. We are all ministers and can minister to each other love, joy, peace, goodness, faith, miracles, loving kindness, compassion and understanding as well as in the other gifts and fruit of the Spirit. We can cry with those who cry, laugh with those who laugh, sing with those who sing and make a real tangible difference to one another. We can pray one for another so that we can be healed. We can prophesy to one another prophecies given to us by God. We can freely give to one another what we have received from God. We can also gracefully and in love rebuke one another or instruct one another according to God’s word. We can restore those who have been overtaken in any trespass, in a spirit of gentleness, considering that we ourselves are also tempted. We can bring back the lost and pray for the sick for the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:15). God’s word is unchanging:
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? "You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. "My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them." Ezekiel 34:1-6
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18
In summary, in a true church of Jesus Christ people minister in practical ways to one another and bring about salvation, healing, deliverance and miracles. In a true church of Jesus Christ the ministry doesn’t belong to man but to God and His Holy Spirit who is the true Administrator of any church as well as the CEO of the church board. And His wisdom is better and greater than all others! The Holy Spirit should be invited and allowed to run His ministry because it is after all God’s show, not ours. Who wants a show that is not run by the Holy Spirit? Not me! We are instructed by God to be drunk, filled or under control of the Holy Spirit just like a drunk is under control of a liquid spirit. God’s word is unchanging:
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. Ephesians 5:11-21
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