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Doctrines of Christ

Lesson 30:  Laying on of Hands

Part IV:  Spiritual Authority

Our final lesson in the discussion of laying on of hands will begin in the Book of Mark 6:1-6, “¹ Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.⁴ But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.”

Ineffective at Home

This passage of Scripture gives us one of the most insightful lessons on the subject of laying on of hands. Miracles, signs, and wonders, followed Jesus everywhere that He went, except in His own home town. Certainly Jesus had the power within Himself to do the miracles, so what could short-circuit this power and render Him ineffective at home? I want to point out four issues that I see in this passage that we should learn from and avoid if we are to be effective when hands are laid on us or when we lay hands on others.

They Were Astonished

One of the best ways to study The Word is by studying words. Understanding the meaning of a word and its usage will many times help us to better understand the meaning of an entire passage or subject. So it is in the case of the word “astonished”. When Jesus expounded on the Scriptures that day in His home town synagogue His friends and relatives were “astonished”.

The Greek word for astonished is “ekpletto” and it means to knock one out of their senses. This meaning goes much further than our typical understanding of this word such as amazement or even admiration. Jesus’ words hit so hard it had a traumatic effect like getting punched in the head. I used to do a little boxing and I understand what it’s like to get hit really hard in the head. I was hit in the right ear by a left hook twice in the same boxing match. I never saw either of the blows but I remember that my mind just went blank, my legs were strong and I was still standing but my mind was like a test of the emergency broadcast system, woooooooooooo… I took the standing eight count and we continued but my mind was “astonished”.

Astonishment seemed to be a normal reaction to Jesus’ teachings. For instance look at the crowd’s response at the close of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:28, “²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,” The Sermon on the Mount to the religious mind was like being hit in the head by Muhammad Ali.

Consider the Sadducees’ response when Jesus corrected the foundational errors in their doctrine concerning the resurrection from the dead in Matthew 22:33, “³³ And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.” Once again He delivered a knockout blow to their religious minds.

When Jesus silenced the rich young ruler it was very similar to my experience of being hit with two left hooks in the same fight, they were double astonished. Mark 10:23-27, “²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” They were knocked out of their senses to hear that it was hard for rich folks to enter the kingdom of God. Then while they were still reeling from the first blow the second came as He expounded on the teaching, leaving them to ask, “Who then can be saved? That’s what I call hard hitting preaching!

Perhaps the most insightful uses of the word “astonished” is found at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry at Capernaum. We read this in Mark 1:21-22, “²¹ Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. ²² And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” He taught with authority, people loose their minds when they encounter authority!

The effectiveness of the ministry of laying on of hands is hinged on our ability to receive Divine Authority. Too often is the case where our humanity blinds others to authority as we will see in the next point.

They Were Offended

Jesus’ teachings are the source of astonishment in all of the cases that we studied. The things that He said knocked them out of their senses. But the case of astonishment in His hometown was not only “what” He said but more so “Who” was saying it.Once they began to absorb what He was saying they turned their sight on His humanity. He’s not a preacher He’s a carpenter… that’s Mary’s boy… that’s James, Joses, Judas, and Simon’s brother… Who does He think He is? And they were offended at Him.There’s an old saying that goes like this, “familiarity breeds contempt”. Those familiar with Jesus’ family, upbringing, work background, were challenged by what He said then immediately held viewed Him with eyes of contempt. Psalm 123:1-4 gives us some insight to the idea of contempt, “¹ Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. ² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He has mercy on us. ³ Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt. ⁴ Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.”Contempt runs two ways. When someone looks on another person with contempt (disrespect) toward them the one being looked upon feels the effects of it. Those in Psalm 123 said that their souls were filled with contempt because they were being looked upon by the proud with contempt. This Psalm is all about them crying to God for mercy to heal them from the contempt. One more thought about contempt is that it is generated from a proud heart. The pride of Jesus’ friends and kinfolk in His home town rose up. They humanized Him then they were offended at Him. In Lesson 8: Faith’s Direction, we learned that there were five ways that we could be offended. First, we can offend God, Matthew 16:21-23. Second, God can offend us, Matthew 11:1-6. Third, we can offend people, Matthew 18:1-7. Fourth, people can offend us, Matthew 18:15-20. And fifth, we can offend ourselves, Matthew 18:8-10. What was the reason for the offence in this case? If you chose the second reason you were right, they were offended by God. There was absolutely nothing wrong with anything that Jesus was saying the problem was “who” was talking. If we would judge the contents of what is being said we would be less contemptible toward those who are saying it.

They Dishonored Him

When Jesus perceived their offence birthed out of proud contempt He said, ““A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” It’s grievous to be used by God and accepted by strangers only to be rejected by those closest to you. Rejected by your country, relatives, and your own house, the better that you are known the more likely your ministry will be rejected. It is amazing to me when I travel abroad I am treated with the status of royalty I don’t ask for that and to be quite honest I am not comfortable with it. I guess it’s because I am used to the dishonorable status that I am viewed with by my own country and relatives. At least I do enjoy some honor in my house. The main issue here is dishonor. To honor means to place a value upon to dishonor means to treat as worthless. For instance “Honor thy father and mother” means to count them as valuable and even to give finance to them. Another clear example of this is found in I Timothy 5:17-18, “¹⁷ Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” This is an excellent passage to help us understand the word “honor”. The elders who ruled well were to be counted worthy of “double honor”. Then it is followed up by the teaching of wages for a minister. In other words a good elder that works in word and doctrine is worth double the salary. Jesus was dishonored. He was treated as worthless. There is a valuable lesson that we should learn here. The more familiar that we get with someone the more susceptible that we are to hold them in contempt and to dishonor them. When it comes time for ministry it only amounts to powerless words because we don’t believe that they are sent by God, which brings us to our last point.

Unbelief

They were astonished and offended holding Him in dishonor then Jesus summed up all of this with one word… UNBELIEF. He marveled at their unbelief. It takes great faith to receive the teachings of a teacher and to believe that they are sent by God. It seems that any revelation of their humanity undoes any need that we have to receive them. Unbelief seems to come from a hard heart. In Mark 16:14, “¹⁴ Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” It seemed impossible to those who witnessed Jesus death to believe the testimony of some women who claimed that He had risen from the dead. Oh yes they eventually believed when they saw it for themselves but they could not receive this from the women who made this claim. Jesus rebuked them for not receiving the testimony about Him through others.Hebrews 3:12-13 explain how unbelief and hard heartedness run together, “¹² Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”Those in Jesus’ home town allowed their hearts to be hardened through the sin of pride to reject Jesus and His teachings. This rendered Jesus largely ineffective reducing His ministry to just seeing a few minor healings. We need to keep our hearts soft lest we too become hardened through familiarity and reject those that God sends to us.

Spiritual Authority

I want to inject a short exhortation to understand true authority here. The Constantine congregations are always teaching that we should submit to authority. I believe in submission to God’s authority but I refuse to be beaten into submission by fear. Romans 8:15, “¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” In the Old Testament the religious structure was driven by fear based authority. In the New Testament we have the Spirit of Adoption and we are led by the authority of love. I gladly submit to loving authority even when I have to be corrected or rebuked. But I resist to the death those who would try to use fear to control me, fear is of the devil.One of our clearest teachings of authority comes from Matthew 20:25-28, “²⁵ But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus flatly warned us that we shall not lord over each other with Gentile authority structures. He then taught us that true authority serves in humility. Another teaching that Jesus gives us concerning proper authority is found in Matthew 21:23-27, “²³ Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” ²⁴ But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: ²⁵ The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”There is an authority that comes from heaven and one that comes from men. Those with the authority from men always seem to despise those who come with authority from God. John the Baptist had heaven sent authority while those religious leaders of his day resisted him by their political authority. We need to learn to recognize the authority that heaven sends. We are so abused by Gentile authority that we seem to not even realize that this has come into the churches of our day. Jesus said “Yet it shall not be so among you,” but we readily accept abusive Gentile authority being imposed on us. We must demand that they earn our submission through serving out of love not lording out of fear.We must also learn that when the loving, humble, servant comes we should recognize him and believe and receive from him.

Houston! We have a problem! Or better yet. Church of Jesus Christ, we have a problem! The current teachings and structures of the Church in America today have nearly strangled the true mission of the Church.

We see teachings like the purpose-driven life, the prayer of Jabez, the shack, your best life now, a gospel that says that Jesus died only for a pre-selected few, and a gospel that promises a “better” life if you join a certain congregation or give to a certain ministry. We see church structures that resemble worldly business organizations that have layers of “top-down” management or structures that resist any type of leadership having many opinions and no direction.

To the spiritual, it is layers and layers of confusion designed by the spirit of religion to keep the body of Christ from its real mission, Going!

(Mat 28:19-20 NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

We must stay focused. Let’s review the fundamental issues that keep us from getting to mission. We must see the obstacles, see them as obstacles, repent from the obstacles, and then remove the obstacles. Finally, we start and continue in the biblical direction for which we were intended so that we can accomplish His work.

Doctrine made Simple

Doctrine is our system of belief regarding Christianity. Where do our beliefs originate? Are they born out of our church affiliation, our parents, our favorite author, or are they simple ideas that we have created over time to justify our way of living?

Let’s keep it simple. A Christian’s doctrine should be born out of the Bible and the Spirit’s witness i.e. (John 4:24 NKJV) “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Where then can we locate the basic Christian doctrine in the Bible? In short, the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews provides the building blocks of the Christian faith.

(Heb 6:1-2 NKJV) Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, {2} of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. The Lord was adamant that those who were sent out did so two by two. In the same way, we see the three “pairs” of Christian doctrine. Repentance and Faith work together to produce a believer forgiven of sin, crucified with Christ, and Risen with Him. Then, we see baptisms and the laying on of hands where the progressive work of baptism works in the believer but also he is expected to produce fruit becoming the baptizer. Lastly, faith, hope, and love are undergirded as the Spirit would emphasize the reality of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

Continually working through these doctrines keeps the believer on solid ground not straying with strange teachings.

(Heb 13:8-9 NKJV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. {9} Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. Once believers are feeding on the right spiritual food, they grow up into mature believers ready to do the will of God.(Eph 4:14-15 NKJV) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, {15} but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ.

Why Structure Matters

Did you ever wonder where our current church practices originate? Are they biblical constructions or men’s inventions? Some to think on: Meeting at a building, sitting and listening to a speaker, elevating the five-fold ministry to “higher” callings, praying the sinner’s prayer, having a democratic form of church government; having a “pyramid” or hierarchal form of church government, and providing an event-based form of Christian living. These are just some forms of church structure that keep the body of Christ from Going!

The first three centuries of Christianity happened in believer’s homes. From that point forward, the church was forever changed through the hands of Constantine and the papal reign. Protestants may have broken from the “Catholic” faith, but they kept the church structure which continues to impede the mission of the church even today. Some have ventured from the norm but often were unable to sustain the biblical model. John Wesley charged out the doors of the Church of England and was disdained for his acts. Wesley’s class meetings stirred believers to not only live holy or set apart for the Lord but made them witnesses to all the earth. Yet, though a great effort, Methodism has dwindled to another denomination with weak doctrine and weaker believers. Neither denominationalism or non-denominationalism is the answer, Christianity is the only solution.

Suppose then we have corrected our doctrine and our structure according to Biblical standards. What then should we expect when it comes to our great commission of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them.

The New Testament Mission: from Baptized to the Baptizer

There’s no other mission. There is only one. Go and make disciples. This commission is to all disciples. He equips us by giving us His Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts tells us why we were given the Holy Spirit:

(Acts 1:8 NKJV) “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.”

The Holy Spirit came and is present to witness through us. Not to perform as some exotic dancer on a stage providing sensual satisfaction for a few bucks. God Forbid! The Holy Spirit has come for outside the four walls of the Christian hideout called the church building or the house church for that fact. Any meeting without the mission of witness will morph from encouragement to entertainment to extinction. We must go!

Where is the urgency to tell others what the Lord has done? Where is the manifestation of the Spirit? In the book of First Corinthians, the twelfth chapter, the Apostle Paul instructs us regarding the gifts of the Spirit. The expectation should be that all are given a manifestation of the Spirit. Whether on the street or in the store, He may desire to manifest Himself through you to others.

(1 Cor 12:7 NKJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:We must expect and prepare to manifest the Spirit as He wills. Are we prepared? Are we willing? What may happen? You may see either a plucking up or a planting. The Book of Jeremiah gives us insight into what may transpire:

(Jer 1:6-10 NKJV) Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” {7} But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. {8} Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. {9} Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. {10} See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” When the Lord sends us out, we may be found rooting out, pulling down, destroying, throwing down, building, or planting. It is a diverse work. Isn’t a peculiar thing to see four out of the six actions in Jeremiah’s call seem to be destructive rather than constructive? Many people today have wrong belief systems and exist in non-biblical structures. The Spirit of God seeks to gently extract the person from the problem. We are the ones that He desires to perform the extraction.

Are we not all commissioned to be the watchmen of the souls of men? Do our hearts hurt for those not experiencing the grace of God in doctrine or body life? Ezekiel was addressed in a stern way. This warning is our warning. We are all watchmen!

(Ezek 33:2-6 NKJV) “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, {3} ‘when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, {4} ‘then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. {5} ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. {6} ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” We may say, “ well that call is only for the fivefold ministry.” The full time ministers of the Gospel. Another lie! We are all “full time” ministers i.e. witnesses for Christ. There’s no delineation. Believers may have different functions in the body but no one is exempted from the commission to go. Case in point, what is the difference between Jesus’ disciples in Matthew Chapter ten first one and His apostles in verse two. Is not that they were called? We are all disciples and are all apostles because we are all called? No exclusions, no exemptions. (Mat 10:1-2 NKJV) And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and allkinds of disease. {2} Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:” … Okay! So we are convinced that we must go. But what should be happening? Well, the Spirit of God will manifest Himself to those around us. The intent is that He will guide everyone into the Truth. He bears witness of Christ. He has a convicting work. The apostle John pens this in his Gospel:(John 14:17 NKJV) “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 16:13 NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 15:26-27 NKJV) “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. {27} “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (John 16:8-11 NKJV) “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: {9} “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; {10} “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; {11} “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.As you can tell, this is a sobering and daunting task. Yet, the Holy Spirit promises the joy of doing the Father’s will through it all. It is the commission of the Gospel to all believers.

Remember, right the doctrine, right the structure, and ready the witness. The Holy Spirit will manifest Christ’s glory through you and I.

All believers have a calling and a grace given according the measure of Christ’s gift.

(Eph 4:4-7 NKJV) There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; {5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism; {6} one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. {7} But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. In Christ, the mission is Go!

Russell White
October 29, 2009

 There were a couple of verses that I was thinking on during worship Sunday morning.  Ron went on to talk about Hebrews 12:2 later that morning, but I didn’t feel led to interject because he had a good word and was going in a different direction.  I want to take a minute and share with you what the Lord was showing me this morning. Also, if you notice anyone that didn’t get it, please forward because these were the only email addresses that I had of the attendees from Sunday.

Hebrews 12:1-2  “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author (beginning) and Finisher (end) of our Faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Picture a runner before a race; many have on some type of clothing (wind suits, sweat suits, etc.) over their running shorts and shirts.  This other clothing is heavy and bulky.  It isn’t good running cloths for racing because it is restrictive.  It keeps you from reaching your potential.  Also, many runners put their running shoes on just minutes before the race because they are lighter and easier to run with, but they aren’t always as comfortable as other shoes.  Other shoes are built for comfort, but they are often heavier and bulkier. 

This is the picture of the first verse, but our problem is that we get consumed with the besetting sin (clothes) and the weights and burdens of life (shoes).  We then forget to run the race, or we try to run and tire out because we are dragging too much with us.  Then when we try to run, we run it like it is a 100 yard dash instead of a marathon.  If we take our eyes off of the finish line we will not make it. A few weeks ago, Peyton and I raced a cross country motorbike race.  It was a 1 1/2 hour grueling race in the hills of Sicily Island.  My first lap took 23 plus minutes.  I was so tired after the first lap that I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t quit because I was in third place.  I kept telling myself to go just one more lap.  Keep pushing and ride one lap at a time.  I stayed in third place until the end of the third lap which was over 1 hour into the race.  I had told myself that if I was no longer in third (top 3 get a trophy) that I would then quit, but when I came to the finish line, Haven was waving the white flag (which means one more lap).  Now I couldn’t quit because that would be a horrible example for my son.  So I dug deep and finished.  I did finish fourth, and I didn’t get a trophy.  What I did get was the confidence to know that I overcame.  Although I lost the race, and some battles, I finished it.  I pushed myself farther than I thought I could.  Many times in Christ, we give up before we should.  We quit right before the breakthrough happens in our lives.  We have to look to finish this race no matter what it cost us or how bad it hurts.  We need to readjust our sights and focus.  We look at the pain when the race gets hard and we want to quit.  It does no good to only run 25 of 26 miles in a marathon.  You could lead the whole race up to that point, but if you don’t finish then you lose all of the reward and prizes.  Many grow weary, lose their focus and quit.  God will not congratulate us for 25 great miles run in Christ, but will condemn us for not finishing the race in Christ. 

Look to Jesus, his last mile was Horrific, but he finished.  Why? Quitting or disobedience wasn’t an option for him, and his focus was on his Father and His Will for Him.  He knew the rewards of finishing the race, and He knew He had to focus on his Goal, God’s glory.  Through the Cross, God was glorified because sin was defeated, and Jesus took the keys to Hell and Death from Satan. 

Now, let’s look at another man who had a tough last mile to run, Stephen the Martyr (Acts 7).  If Stephen would have backed off his preaching of Truth, this probably wouldn’t have been his last mile, but God had greater things planned (Apostle Paul).  Stephen had his eyes on the finish line and he saw the reward: (vs. 55-56) – But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

Because of Stephens focus on the reward, Christ himself, he was able to push past all the obstacles, even death itself.  Even in his death, with the heart of Christ, he cried out, Lord lay not this sin to their charge.  I want that Spirit to richly dwell within me, but it takes obedience, focus, and throwing aside the things that hold us back.  Jesus is well worth it.

One more thing that I noticed is that Hebrews 12:2 says …Jesus is set down (seated) at the right hand of the Throne of God, but Acts 7:55-56 says… Jesus is standing on the right Hand of God.  I believe Stephens Obedience and Faith brought Jesus to His feet as He watched what took place with His child.  Just as a loved one or coach is standing close to the finish line of a race screaming, “Your almost there!!!”  Encouraging that person to finish the race.  God also revealed Himself to Stephen to carry him through his persecution and death.  The more we obey and walk by Faith, the more the Father will reveal himself to us.  The world and the love of the world and its treasures is what blinds us from really seeing God.  What in our lives (yours and mine) robs us from seeing God.  Every time in Scripture that a man sets himself apart to God for his use, God revealed himself to this man.  May we be the people that set themselves apart to see His Holiness.

In Christ, 

Scott Alford

06-02-2009

  ”When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers (died), another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”  Judges 2:10

This theme is repeated throughout the Old Testament and especially in the book of Judges.  Why couldn’t the knowledge of God be passed to the next generation?  My heart’s desire is that I would raise up a generation after me that will know and follow God even more than I do.  There are two things I noticed in the reading about Israel as they took the Promised Land God gave them. 

The first is that the generation that proceeded the generation that didn’t know God was always in a battle.  They were fighting to take what God had given them as a result of His covenant with them.  Was the next generation involved in the fighting or were they spectators that never experienced a fight nor were they taught to fight?

We as the first generation can get so caught up in fighting spiritual battles that we forget to teach the next how to fight.  The next generation never learned how to know God in the midst of the battle.  They never experienced His faithfulness to drive out the enemy before His people. They never experienced these things for themselves but were benefactors of the blessing God gave their fathers. 

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

We as Christians are in a warfare and God has given us spiritual weapons that we can and will with.  Are we giving weapons to the next generation and teaching them to use them?  Or are they sitting back and watching us fight?

The second thing I saw is that the first generation did not fully obey God in that they did not fully drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land.  One generation’s disobedience can be the cause of the next generation’s curse.   Future generations will suffer the consequences of the prior generation’s wrongs.   The first generation disobeyed God and consequently began to take on the idolatry of the people they did not drive out.  When we become friends with the world through sin and compromise we cause the next generation’s vision to be cloudy.  We introduce them to another god and instead of knowing and experiencing the one true God they are introduced and begin to know a god we have made with our own hands and imagination. 

Romans 1:21-23 clearly points this out.

“Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God (did not fully obey Him), nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man–and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”

When one generation does not fully glorify God through their lives the progression begins as mentioned in the verse.  Futile thoughts and foolish hearts become darkened so that in this condition another god is made that is full of corruption.  What is left for the next generation is a god that has been made up from minds that became futile and hearts that were darkened. 

We must get back to knowing the God of the Bible and teach Him and His ways to the next generation.  As Christians we have been given the Holy Spirit who will bring revelation to us all as we follow Christ.  We must pray as Paul prayed for the generation that would follow him in Ephesians 1:15-19:

“Father give us and the next generation the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.”      AMEN!!

Danny Allen

April 23, 2009

 Historically we are in the Age of Information, but I submit that we are in another
Dark Age of Christianity.  I know that this is not a new concept but we need to be reminded of it to see religion for what it is, to know our enemy.In the Middle Ages, “church” attendance was booming, everyone from serfs on up to Kings attended the “church” of the day. An article from Minnesota State University states, “From the moment of its baptism a few days after birth, a child entered into a life of service to God and God’s Church. As a child grew, it would be taught basic prayers, would go to church every week barring illness, and would learn of its responsibilities to the Church. Every person was required to
live by the Church’s laws and to pay heavy taxes to support the Church.  In return for this, they were shown the way to everlasting life and happiness after lives that were often short and hard.” 

The common people of today live under a sort of chosen ignorance.  People don’t challenge what they’re taught, not because they are illiterate, but because they choose to be devoid of understanding.  Not wanting to upset the delicate balance of their greed-driven humanistic theology.  Unfortunately what Karl Marx said is too true, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”  People must drug themselves to sleep with religion so that they can live their lives without sacrifice and feel that they are going to heaven.  (more…)

Luke 1:80

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

The powerful prophecies concerning John the Baptist were summarized by three interesting points.

First, “the child grew and became strong in spirit”. There is a natural and a spiritual growth that should coincide. John the Baptist grew in physical stature and in spiritual stature. Too often we over emphasize our physical attributes and the spiritual gets lost in the flesh. Notice how many children today are raised in Godly homes but then they begin to mature and the spiritual seems to just fade away. This is a time that I believe that our sons and daughters are going to not only become physically mature but spiritually mature. We need the parenting skills to bring our children not only to physical but spiritual maturity. Instead of wanting to get big enough to do what the rest of their piers are doing they will be excited about doing the Heavenly Fathers business.

Second, “was in the deserts”. Desert or wilderness living is in the DNA of every prophet. John may have been forced into wilderness living because his parents were so old at his birth that they may have died when he was very young. Many believe that he dwelled among a sect called the Essenes. The Essenes were distinguished by their desire for purity. Self-denial was at the heart of their beliefs along with temperance and labor (especially agriculture). Purity and divine communion were their main objectives. Today’s prophets will be driven into the wilderness because of the same desires. These goals cannot be achieved in the self-serving churches of our day. This will force the prophets into a desert place to commune with God.

Third, “till the day of his manifestation to Israel”. There is an appointed time that God will raise up His messengers. John was preaching in the wilderness and the whole region heard him. One of the outstanding features of the Day of Pentecost was that it began with a sudden sound from heaven. I believe that we need the miraculous amplification of the prophets in this hour. We need God’s messengers to thunder His message and bring even the hardest of hearts to fear God! We need national prophets that will be enquired of by the political leaders. Not political preachers jockeying for notoriety. Today’s television preachers have had the spotlight for thirty years and no one fears them because they are false prophets. We are anxiously awaiting the prophets old and new that God has been preparing in the wilderness.

I say to the prophets, don’t be discouraged. God is preparing you for a time. Your lack of popularity is an asset not a liability. Stay true to the Word.

I say to the churches, pray that God would send the sound from heaven that would manifest the prophets in new and powerful way. That God would by-pass the television medium and cause His messengers to be heard. Finally, pray that the people will obey the prophets.

I can not stop sharing this word from 1 Chronicles, still this morning it rings in my head it is so powerful for the Body today to realize what happened in chapter 13 and how it applies to us today. The reason why David wanted the ark back in Jerusalem was that they had neglected it since the time of Saul, they had neglected the presence of God, the symbol rather, of God’s presence in their lives. After so many victories of war, so many triumphs David conferred with his officers, a King with heart full of desire to worship, had realized that they had to have the true presence of God among them. But they did something not quite right in the eyes of the Lord, the ark of the covenant was in Abinadab’s house (notice the location), now they wanted to bring it back and to do so they brought it on a new cart. Now let me stop here for a moment, that new cart was a type of transportation a method of moving but this method or strategy was not what God had designed, you see the ark had golden rings and through those golden rings were to wooden rods for the sole purpose of carrying the ark from place to place not on carts but on the priest shoulders. The presence of God manifested through His Son Jesus Christ can not be brought correctly into the lives of others with new methods or strategies it must be brought in by us, we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9) As a matter of fact everything that represented Christ in the Tabernacle had the same two poles for transport purposes, the Altar of Sacrifice (offering), The table of Showbread (His word), The Alter of Incense intercessory prayer) all were meant to be carried by Us.  (more…)

By Dan Trotter

At a recent house church conference, before a panel discussion was about to begin, I whispered to Les Buford that I bet the first question was going to be: “how do we handle the children?” Sure enough, it was. This, in my opinion, is the number one question asked by those contemplating doing house church. It is a tremendous stumbling block. But it shouldn’t be.

This issue will examine three things: one, the differing philosophies or mindsets that the institutional and house church have toward children and the church; two, practical issues that arise; and three, the advantage to children of the church in the home.

“Jesus never, ever said: ‘Suffer the little children to be packed away in the nursery.’ Can you imagine the children being led to Children’s Church during the Sermon on the Mount?” (more…)

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part I

Reading: Psalm 118:19-29

There are four key words in Psalm 118:22: 1) stone 2) builders 3) refused 4) cornerstone. The first word to consider is stone. The Hebrew word for stone is “eben” which means to build. It comes from the prime root “banah” meaning to begin to build or to be a builder, this is the word used in Psalm 118:22 for builders. The passage would read something like this, “the “eben/stone” which the “banah/builders” refused…” The word refused in the Hebrew is “maac” pronounced maw-as. It means to reject with despite, disdain, loathing, count as utterly vile. If we could sum this up we would conclude that God wants a building, He provided material “The Stone” and builders, the Old Testament prophets and priests. But they utterly reject with hatred God’s building material. (more…)

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”   Matthew 1:21

He shall save his people from their sins,
The angel did proclaim.
But the preachers of our day
Make salvation so profane.
A different message from the Bible
These false men do tell.
Rather than be saved from sin,
They say “be saved from hell”.
The hearers gladly take their word
And follow this false trend.
In their minds they are saved from hell,
but their souls are bound in sin.
The birth of Christ into the world,
Tells quite another story.That so affects the lives of men,
We live only for His glory.
When Jesus Christ the Savior
Is born into our hearts.
He empowers men to quit their sins,
From iniquity they depart.
So now at Christmas ponder,
What our Savior did intend.
Did He save our souls from hell?
Or save our souls from sin?
His shed blood saves us from our sins,
So let this end all strife.
For if indeed we’re saved from sins,
We have eternal life!