In Him

We’ve been missing out on holiness in the church.  Holiness is not the same as being self-righteous where you try to avoid evil and do good for goodness sake.  No holiness is abiding in God wholly.

I’ve wondered how to receive healing for a long time now and tried teaching on it.  Yesterday I felt as though I was coming down with the flu.  Elijah was sick, then my mother-in-law, and I had terrible nausea start when trying to eat lunch.  I knew I was coming down with something.  I had a fight with my wife the night before, and knew that having that bitterness when walking into my mother-in-law’s house would open me up to getting sick.  It did.  But as I was in the bathroom about to puke my guts out I started praying, “OK, I’m not going to pray just to try to avoid sickness, I’m just more aware than ever that I really need a change.  I’ve been trying to be righteous and holy in my own strength, but I haven’t been sincere, and I know I’ve been missing you.  If the only way you can get through to me is making me deathly ill, then fine, I’ll blow chunks and not get mad at you.  I’m the cause of my own problems and I’m sorry for blaming you all this time.  You’ve tried to tell me and I could never seem to get it past my mind and into my heart.  I need a revival in my own life.”  And He healed me.  I returned to my seat and apologized for everything I had done to my wife.  I never barfed, the chills and nausea left and God showed me what was possible.  For me I finally had something indisputable and I could see Him work.  I always had doubt before.  Maybe the cold sore went away on its own, maybe Michelle not having any more pain from the kidney stones is a fluke, maybe…etc.  Anyway,

That’s it!  That’s what we need. Jesus said that if we would abide in him we would receive whatever we ask for in prayer.(John 15:7)  We are supposed to share in him in his sufferings and in his glory.(Romans 8:17)  We receive our inheritance by living in Christ.  We are to pray without ceasing.(1 Thessalonians 5:17)  This is why we are baptized by submersion.  We are supposed to give God our all all the time.  He says he wants us to be hot or cold or he’ll spew us out of his mouth.(Revelation 3:15)  We don’t tend to believe holiness is attainable because it requires us to make a choice.  I can’t just give him the time between 11:00 and 11:30 everyday and say I’m devoted.  We are to be a slave to righteousness, not a friend of righteousness.  Meaning we are bound to do the right thing, not prefer it one hour and not the next.  Jesus says if we set our hand to the plow and look back we aren’t fit for service in the kingdom.(Luke 9:62)  We can’t give God just part.  He left the 99 to search for the 1 because he wants us all.  He is a holy God and wants us wholly.

The Bible says for us to confess our sins to one another so that we can be healed.(James 5:16)  Meaning no hiding, no pretense, no bitterness, just his love uniting the church.  John says I pray that you prosper and be in good health as your soul prospers.(3 John 1:2)  We are in good health when we are in Christ.  This explains why Paul left someone sick in Miletus.(2 Timothy 4:20)  We think  Jesus is a magic word apostles use to perform signs and healing.  But no.  Jesus preached and taught and told the disciples to preach “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17; 10:7)  He got their hearts ready to receive him.  The requirement to receive anything from God is humility we know he resists the proud. (James 4:6) So it is for everyone at any time, but only under the right circumstance: our heart being broken.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bering with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. – Ephesians 4:1-3

Trust

I’ve found that sin is a lack of trust.  I love the way the NLT puts it, “The world’s sin is unbelief in me.”  (John 16:9) If we don’t trust that God will provide, we steal.  If we don’t trust he will protect, we lie.  If we don’t trust his judgment, we envy.  “Abraham believed, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6)  “If anything is not in faith, it is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

We try to make room for our faults saying, “Well, I have to build my faith.”  They say that because that’s what it looks like is missing: a greater amount of faith.  Jesus told his disciples that they had “little faith”.  However, that doesn’t make sense when we see that he said “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, move from here to there and it would move.  Nothing would be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)  He says elsewhere that the mustard seed is the smallest of seeds.(Matthew 13:31-32)  So do we have a smaller amount than the smallest amount?  No.  We choose not to believe consistently.  Jesus basically said, you rarely believe.  They always had their hearts hardened. (Mark 8:17)  We have to guard our hearts and maintain our willingness to yield.

I said a while back on Facebook, and it’s still in my quotes:  When I pray I move something greater than mountains, I’m moving the creator of the mountains.  Which is more difficult to believe:  that you can actually speak and be heard by Almighty God who created everything, or move a mountain that in comparison to God is microscopic?  When you realize that you do not do the work, but God in you, then you can trust God to do the impossible just as much as the insignificant.  It’s not your “faith” that does the work, it’s your willingness to listen and obey God that does the work.(Acts 3:12 & 16)   Did Joshua bring down the walls, or did God?  We either trust God or we don’t, there are no varying degrees of trust.

 

Love and Unity 2

Looking back at Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and 1 Corinthians 2, Jesus wanted us to be one as he is with the Father.  He put his Spirit in us, his mind in us, his heart, so that we could join Him in his works. Jesus says if we abide in him and his words in us we could ask for anything (John 15:7). He also said if two or more gathered in his name and agreed on something we’d receive it (Matthew 18:19-20).  I’m trying too remember if I said this before, but that gives us the accountability we need so that we know we aren’t asking “amiss” for selfish reasons (James 4:3).

Asking in Jesus’ name is asking with him in mind, not a magic word.  The magic word did not work for the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14-16).  You pray for discernment to know what God’s will is and what he approves of. These men, though they prayed for something admirable (the exorcism of a man) they did it only for pride and prestige, not out of love. You can see why many pastors many evangelists can’t seem to heal and fake it. God hates that because it kills the hope of those who are hurting and breeds uncertainty.  Love always hopes, always perseveres, always trust, but hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). Many teachers are guilty of inoculating the church to the promises of God.

Do not let your hearts become hard.