Time Limited Command?

Faith Boost

Need a "faith boost" for the new year? Then read this piece by George Wood at Charisma

Have you ever heard a healing take place? I have. I listened to an audio tape of Duane Miller teaching his Sunday school class from the text of Psalm 103 at the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Jan. 17, 1993. Duane prematurely retired from pastoring three years earlier because of a virus which penetrated the myelin sheath around the nerves in his vocal cords, reducing his speech to a raspy whisper.

He experienced firsthand the awful distress described in Psalm 102, the counterpoint to the joy found in Psalm 103.

eaching his class that day with a special microphone resting on his lips, he reaffirmed his belief in divine healing and that miracles had not ended with the Book of Acts. Listening to the tape, at times you can barely understand his weakly spoken wheezy words of faith. The miracle happened at verse 4 when he said, "I have had and you have had in times past pit experiences."

On the word "pit," Duane's life changed—the word was as clear as a bell, in contrast to the imperfect enunciation of the preceding word "past." He paused, startled; began again and stopped. He said a few more words—all in a normal clear tone—and stopped again. The class erupted with shouts of joy, astonishment and sounds of weeping. God completely healed him as he was declaring the truth in this psalm. (You can read the full account in Miller's book, Out of the Silence, Nelson Publishers.)

Consider His Benefits

Like Duane Miller, perhaps you have spent a lengthy time in the despair found in Psalm 102; but Psalm 103 shows that the Lord has a deep healing to match your deep hurt. Psalm 102 ended with a sense that God's blessings would skip over you (v. 23) and benefit instead your children and their descendants (v. 28). Psalm 103 says God will not forget you.

No wonder the psalm begins with gratitude (v. 12). Look at what the Lord has done (vv. 3-5).

1. He forgives all your sins. Sins, like legal wrongs, are of two kinds: those arising from intention and those stemming from negligence. God forgives both our acts of commission and omission. He frees you to start over after failure, cancels all indictments against you, and discharges all your debts.

2. He heals all your diseases. The sticking point for many is that they have not yet experienced a healing like Duane's nor that assured in this psalm. But as believers in Jesus, we must take the long view when miracles do not immediately occur—that ultimately in Christ healing will come even if you must wait for the glorification of your body at the resurrection. God is committed to stamping out all disease; but in His providence, He has not yet banished death nor the instruments of illness which lead toward it.

Please broaden the definition of disease to include any deterioration which diminishes your well-being and wholeness. A disease can just as easily be a bad attitude, an unforgiving spirit, a bitter heart, an eruptive and angry tongue, a fundamentally flawed will that does not resist addictions. In Jesus, the good news of the gospel works to liberate us from these deformative and degenerative diseases so that on the inside our personality and disposition increasingly resembles that of Jesus.

3. He redeems your life from the pit. The pit represents the abyss from which you cannot escape. God reaches His long arm into the pitch-dark hole of depression or despair where you lie helpless and imprisoned, grabs you strongly, pulls you up and sets your feet on solid ground in the sunlight of His presence.

4. He crowns your life with love and compassion. A crown of righteousness, life and glory waits for you in heaven (2 Tim. 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4). Right now, the Lord wants you to wear a crown of love and compassion. Let others seek the crown of success, riches or power. God has a better gift for you.

5. He satisfies your desires with good things. The principal horror of depression is its total lack of hope. But God is committed to bringing good into your life—no matter what. The subtlety of temptation is that it bids you to believe you are headed down into the pit of nonfulfillment if you obey God, when the opposite is true: "At Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11). There's no disappointment in Jesus.

6. He renews your life like the eagle's. Trap an eagle and confine him to a dark cage. He won't live long. He lives best when he flies free. You're no different—and that's why the Lord has provided "all His benefits" (Ps. 103:2 ) for "all the oppressed" (v. 6). Note the word "all." Our Lord is not a God who has pets nor is He a respecter of persons. His favor applies to all who call upon Him.

Our Basis for Confidence

How can we be sure God is like this? We have the records of generations to whom He has revealed himself (v. 7). His character is seen in how He helped Israel and what He's done for you (vv. 8-12). And if that's not enough to convince you, observe His tender parenting (vv. 13-18). Your life has a fixed center of stability because the Lord reigns (v. 19).

Avoiding the Extremes on Healing

Far too much of the teaching out there on healing is at the extremes: Either "name it and claim it" or rejoice in your suffering. Glad to find this relatively balanced word on seeking physical healing by Larry Keefauver at Charisma:  4 Truths About Faith and Healing 

When God doesn't heal now, you can apply essential truths about faith and healing that are anchored in Scripture. I've identified four key actions we should take when we face a serious illness:

1. Have others join their faith to yours in bringing your infirmity to Jesus. "When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them" (Luke 4:40; Matt. 8:16; Mark 1:32-34; 2:3-12).

Don't try to face sickness alone. An essential key to healing in the New Testament is the power of corporate faith and praying in agreement with others (see Matt. 18:19-20). When you gather with others to pray, the presence of Christ dwells in your midst. Because He is the Great Physician, with His presence comes healing power.

Throughout the healing miracle accounts in the Gospels, we observe that friends brought the sick to Jesus. In Mark 2, a paralytic man was brought by his friends to Jesus. The Syro-Phoenician woman brought her daughter to Jesus (see Matt. 15:22; Mark 7:24-30). A father brought his demonized child to Jesus (see Matt 17:14-18; Mark 9:17-27; Luke 9:38-42).

Join your faith with others to seek the Great Physician. When sickness has weakened, fatigued and discouraged you, seek out others who will pray in faith.

2. Seek to receive a touch from God. The woman with an issue of blood exercised her faith by going outside and searching for the Healer. She did all she knew to do to reach out through a crowd and touch Jesus (see Matt. 9:20; Mark 5:25-27; Luke 8:43-44).

When you are sick, you might be tempted to isolate yourself from settings in which you can touch and be touched by the presence of Christ. At times, you may not feel like going to worship services. You may feel too weak to sing and praise God. You may be too tired and discouraged to call the elders of your church to anoint you with oil and pray in faith for you.

Resist this temptation to stay at home in isolation. Healing flows through the body of Christ. His body is the church. Break out of your loneliness and seek the Healer.

3. Submit yourself to the authority and will of Christ, trusting Him as your Healer. The centurion's faith in Christ opened a door for his servant to be healed (see Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). Likewise, the authority for your healing does not rest in you or your faith. Claiming your healing and speaking the right words do not guarantee your healing now or at any future time. Your faith opens a door for you to receive your healing from Christ.

I prayed with a woman who demanded that God heal her. When I questioned her attitude, she exclaimed, "I have the authority as a child of God to command God to fulfill His promise of healing for me." She believed a common myth that has been spread by some faith teachers, who believe that we can command God to do our bidding.

Our authority isn't over Christ but in Christ. We reign with Him in heavenly places (see Eph. 2:4-7). The sons of Sceva presumed to have healing authority but quickly learned that authority rested in the person of Jesus, not simply in the repetitious use of His name (see Acts 19:13-16).

The truth is that all authority for every matter, including healing, rests in Jesus: "'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth'" (Matt. 28:18). From Christ we receive imparted authority to say what He says and to do what He does. Submit to His authority for your healing.

4. Believe on His Word, not someone else's advice or counsel. Whenever Jesus spoke the Word, people were healed (see Matt. 8:8, 16; Luke 7:7). The psalmist said, "He [the Lord] sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions" (Ps. 107:20). Listen to the Word of the Lord for your healing. No one else's word, faith or assurance will do. When God doesn't heal now, trust His voice and believe His Word.

Proverbs 4:20-22 reads: "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."

When God doesn't heal now, trust His Word--not your circumstances or human advice. God has not abandoned you. He's not taking a vacation. He is right there by your side as you put your trust in His tender care.

Moving On

At His Feet..

Practicing Detachment

From The Anchoress:

Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go.. to move forward. — CS Lewis

That is very true. It is also true of great experiences — those moments of ‘triumph’ when for a short time it all comes together for you; the accolades that follow can surprise and confound and are always too effusive.

Take what is healing in all of that, but the rest must be let go. Practice detachment, or you begin to believe the hype, and then you’re lost. If you have not practiced detachment, when your hand inevitably misses a rung, it will come a hard, hard fall.

Scars a Resource for Healing

"As the prototype for a new way  of being human, and as the one who awakens us to our true selves, Jesus shows us how our scars can become a resource for healing, instead of a source of shame. That's not to say that whenever we bring our suffering to Jesus, everything is easily or magically healed and we will never feel the pain again. But it does mean that even in the darkest moments there is yet a blessing - a deep revelation of our belovedness that is as profound as the hurt that we feel."

Prototype: What Happens When You Discover That You Are More Like Jesus Than You Think, by Jonathan Martin, page 109

Worth a Look

Some links worth a look:

Why Doesn't God Always Heal the Sick? - Sam Storms

Warning About Fake Facebook Pages Asking for Money

Is God's Presence Limited to Scripture? - Rachel Held Evans

Church Should be a Taboo Free Zone

Final Healing

There's healing.....and then there's HEALING! The great story below is from Thinking Out Loud:

“Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer.

Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing.

That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, “You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, “He died.”

Campolo felt terrible.

But she continued, “Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God.

He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him.

It was an awful thing to be in his presence.

But the lady told Campolo, “After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing.”

And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, “He wasn’t cured, but he was healed.”

Pre-Existing Condition

Aren't you glad Jesus doesn't really take that attitude.  Sin is a "pre-existing" condition that we all have, and He removes it by His grace.

A Personal Note

I haven't been on the web as much as usual for the past few days due to a family medical crises.  Yesterday, my 83 year old mother had cancer surgery.  I am overjoyed to report that her prognosis looks good, the surgeon thinks that they got it all, and does not think that she will need chemotherapy. She was discharged from the hospital today and went home to recover in peace.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for all the grace and mercy we have received this week, for the prayer support of our family and friends, for the wisdom and skill given to a great doctor, and for your healing power at work in Mom's body. And thanks for the Christian testimony of my Mom and Dad and their example of a strong marriage.

To God be the glory!

Just A Reminder....

...like me and you!

Thanks for the Prayers

Thank you to all who prayed for my mother after my prayer request last week. She went home from the hospital on Friday, and is doing better. Still a long way to full recovery, and we appreciate your continued prayers.

God is good! Thanks, again, for your prayers.

Free Audio Book Download for June

 Christian Audio.com' s free audio book download for June is Joni Eareckson Tada's A Place of Healing

In this eloquent account of her current struggle with physical pain, Joni Eareckson Tada offers her perspective on divine healing, God’s purposes, and what it means to live with joy. Over four decades ago, a diving accident left Joni a quadriplegic. Today, she faces a new battle: unrelenting pain.

The ongoing urgency of this season in her life has caused Joni to return to foundational questions about suffering and God’s will. A Place of Healing is not an ivory tower treatise on suffering. Its an intimate look into the life of a mature woman of God.

Whether readers are enduring physical pain, financial loss, or relational grief, Joni invites them to process their suffering with her. Together, they will navigate the distance between God’s magnificent yes and heartbreaking no and find new hope for thriving in between.

Just go to Free Downloads on christianaudio - Audiobooks, and follow the instructions.

Did I mention that it is FREE! As in NO CHARGE.

An Awesome Testimony of Grace & Healing

This is an absolutely awesome testimony of grace, forgiveness and healing, which I was privileged to hear live last Sunday morning at Pinelake Church. Yes it is long (41.5 minutes) , but well worth the listening time.

Amy Martin shares her testimony about God's love and grace. Pregnant at sixteen, Amy and her boyfriend Mitch did what everyone said was best and had an abortion. Vowing to forget that it ever happened, they moved on with their life. They had another child, got married, went to college, started their careers and served at their church. From the outside everything looked great...

The Past and Grace from Pinelake Church on Vimeo.

Hat Tip: The Past and Grace on Vimeo:

Serving Christ in a Time of Plague

In these times of scares over Swine Flu, and before that Avian Flu, we should remember that Chrisitians in the past were known for serving the sick in times of plaque and disease, even at the risk of their lives. Ligonier Ministrieis had this quote about the ministry of John Calvin Serving Christ in a Time of Plague

During Calvin's ministry, Geneva was terrorized by the plague on five occasions. During the first outbreak, in 1542, Calvin personally led visitations into plague-infected homes. Knowing that this effort likely carried a death sentence, the city fathers intervened to stop him because of their conviction that his leadership was indispensable. The pastors continued this heroic effort under Calvin's guidance, and they recounted the joy of multiple conversions. Many pastors lost their lives in this cause. Unknown to many, Calvin privately continued his own pastoral care in Geneva and other cities where the plague raged. Calvin's pastoral heart, already evidenced by the provision of hospitals for both citizens and immigrants, was further revealed as he collected the necessary resources to establish a separate hospital for plague victims. When believers died, he preached poignant funeral homilies with passion and personal concern. (John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Discipleship, ed. Burk Parsons [Lake Mary, Fla.: Reformation Trust, 2008], 65)

In the days of the early church believers were known for caring for plaque victims.

When a devastating plague swept across the ancient world in the third century, Christians were the only ones who cared for the sick, which they did at the risk of contracting the plague themselves. Meanwhile, pagans were throwing infected members of their own families into the streets even before they died, in order to protect themselves from the disease.

How many Christians would be willing to act so now, if an epidemic occurred today? Would I? Would we hide in our homes afraid of the disease, or go forth to serve as Jesus would?

Something to think about.

Related item : The Greatest Pandemic in History at Between Two Worlds

I Recommend ... The Jollyblogger

For several months I have been amazed at the high quality writing and blogging being done by David Wayne, aka the Jolly Blogger.

David is a Presbyterian pastor in Maryland. A few months ago he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. During his treatment and struggles with his health he has continued to blog with sensitivity, wisdom and deep insight into God's grace in suffering. I believe very firmly in healing, but also recognize that in the "now but not yet" of the Kingdom not everyone will be healed this side of Christ's return. And whether ultimately healed or not, there are lessons to be learned during times of suffering. As David has said: "God has done things through my cancer that nothing else ever has or could. " Recent reports are that he is doing better. I will continue to pray for his complete recovery.

I liked his blog before the cancer diagnoses, and highly recommend the Jollyblogger's site and writings to my readers.

(John Schroeder at Blogotional wrote a fine tribute to David Wayne at Blogotional: Best Blogging!)

Implications of the Not Yet

In our Ministry Class we teach an "inaugurated Eschatology" concept of the Kingdom of God, also know as the "now and not yet" concept. I also like to call this "down-payment" eschatology.

During His ministry on earth Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is at the door, already here, delayed and in the future.In Christ we receive now a down payment on our future kingdom inheritance. It is real kingdom life, just not all of it now.

Kingdom ministry is a demonstration of the breakthrough of the Kingdom into the now, of the age to Come into this age.Understanding and living in the tension between the "Now" and the "Not Yet" of the Kingdom enables us to avoid both a defeatist "pie-in-the-sky" mentality on one hand and a phony triumphalism on the other.

Some implications of the "Not Yet" of the Kingdom are for prayer ministry are:

1. God is sovereign - He acts or doesn’t as he wills and we do not always know his ways or reasons. The Spirit moves as he wills.

2. Struggles continue while this life and age continue. There will be no end to problems.
We never fully arrive until the Kingdom fully comes upon the return of the King.

3. Spiritual warfare is important, because sometimes “soaking prayer” is needed

4. Not all are healed. Sometimes nothing obviously happens, and sometimes nothing happens period.

5. If you do not take the credit when God acts you do not have to take blame if nothing happens.

6. As the physician's oath says: Do no harm. There are times when pastoral counselors must confront sin. However, during our Sunday prayer ministry time we have a rule that ministers should not, under any circumstances, condemn the person being prayed for or say that there problem is the result of their sin. There are other times for trained people to do that, if necessary.

7. At the worst case, healed or not, the person being prayed for should feel they have received love and been valued.

"Too much 'kingdom now' leads to arrogance and presumption, demanding healings as if on tap. Too much 'kingdom then' leads to pessimism and fatalism, leaving healing to 'if it is God's will'. 'Balance' leads to neutralising of the radical edges, loss of risk taking, a passive middle road and theologically correct approach to healing... It leads to persevering faith, optimistic realism, dependence on God, discerning the moment, honoring people's dignity, respecting the unknown, and leaving the results with God."

- Alexander Venter, Doing Healing, page 78.

Implications of the Now

In our Ministry Class we teach an "inaugurated Eschatology" concept of the Kingdom of God, also know as the "now and not yet" concept. I also like to call this "down-payment" eschatology.

During His ministry on earth Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is at the door, already here, delayed and in the future.

In Christ we receive now a down payment on our future kingdom inheritance. It is real kingdom life, just not all of it now. Kingdom ministry is a demonstration of the breakthrough of the Kingdom into the now, of the age to Come into this age.Understanding and living in the tension between the "Now" and the "Not Yet" of the Kingdom enables us to avoid both a defeatist "pie-in-the-sky" mentality on one hand and a phony triumphalism on the other.

Some implications of the "now" of the Kingdom for doing prayer ministry are:

1. God is already at work before you pray.

2. There is a thin veil between heaven and earth - God’s kingdom power can break through at any time and in any way.

3. We can and should live in expectation of God’s action.

4. God’s action is not dependant on me or you - our prayer, our holiness, or our preparation.

5. We should speak Kingdom words and use Kingdom talk in our prayers. The announcement of the kingdom has power.

6. Kingdom Ministry is Eschatological - Gifts of prophecy, deliverance and healing are signs of the Kingdom’s breakthrough, and characteristics of the Kingdom Age to Come.

Here's links to some of my previous posts on Kingdom Theology:

Atonement and Kingdom: Together Always!
Kingdom Already But Not Yet
Kingdom Consensus
The Core of the Gospel is the Kingdom
Kingdom Evangelism
The Future Has Arrived
The Good News of the Kingdom

Models for Ministry

Yesterday I wrote about our class for training church members in our Vineyard ministry "model." Let me explain more of what I meant by that.

Within the boundaries of orthodox Christianity, there is a lot of freedom for diversity in practices and methods. Different denominations and traditions have developed practices that reflect their defining theological systems, values and core principles. There may be multiple ways to do various Biblical functions that all fit within Biblical boundaries. Not everyone preaches the same way, runs a communion service the same way, baptizes the same way, evangelizes the same way, etc. But if you are going to preach, pray, teach or otherwise minister in a particular communion, you should follow that communion's philosophy and models - or go to another communion where you are more in agreement on philosophy and practice. Importing alien ministry models can cause disruption and conflict that help no one.

I like to use and example from the world of professional football. There are rules that the entire NFL must live by and play under, the ones enforced by the officials and referees. Within each team organization, however, there is a coaching staff which has a particular offensive and defensive philosophy that fits under those rules. Some teams like to run, and use infrequent passes to open up the running game. Some like to pass, and run just enough to keep the defense honest. Some mix short passes and ground plays. But on any given team, that coach's football model stands no matter what other teams may due with their freedom within the rules. If you are a quarterback who wants to throw long bombs, but you've joined a team that runs a lot, you have to adapt to the coach's decision in order to be a team player. If you are a running back on a passing team, you may have to improve your pass blocking skills and forbear the glory of long ground gains for the good of the team.

So, in our "Ministry Class" we explain to our folks that there are many ways of doing prayer ministry within the Body of Christ. In our communion, on our team, we have developed models and procedures that grow out of our core values and theology. Therefore, if you want to participate in our ministry activities, you should learn our model. Models and practices learned in other Churches may not be compatible here.

But we also emphasize, to take the football analogy further, that part of our model is "everybody gets to play." We do not believe in Christians sitting on the bench or as mere spectators in the stands. Every believer has a place on the team, on the field and in the game. And we will train you and coach you so you can join the game.

More on this tomorrow.