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.

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

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

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

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.

We saw what happened with the new strategy we see also that the ark now was taken to another home. Uzzah (meaning “strength”) at the place where he was struck down is now called Perez Uzzah (the word perez means perished or broken) Lately I have been studying the root significance of Hebrew words and to my amazement I have discovered that many Hebrew words signify the same in Spanish as well as in Hebrew. Many people in Latin America have the last name Perez (Just like Smith and Jones in English) Perezca – means perished in Spanish, Perezoso – lack of energy or desire in other words lazy and so forth. Once this strategy was knocked down by God, fear took hold of David and they left the ark in Obed-Edom’s home for three months. (By the way Obed-Edom – means to serve in obedience and in Spanish and English the pre-fix of this word is the same Obed-ience or in Spanish Obed-encia.) To be entrusted with such a symbol in your home meant He was obedient and in spite of all the fear humble in service and for those reasons His house was blessed.

Now as I saw that word I was taken to a story in the New Testament (Luke 1:26-38) where we see Maria, the mother of Jesus, was pregnant and when she had received word and accepted the word of her pregnancy she became impregnated by the word. She then went to visit her cousin Elizabeth and upon seeing each other Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. Mary’s testimony was not in words or testimony by mouth but the mere presence, she had the ark (Christ) inside her, the new covenant we have is that now we don’t have to carry Christ on our shoulders but inside us, and our being full of His Spirit, His character and His Love many will be filled just by our presence in their lives. Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months, the exact amount of time the ark was in Obed-Edom’s house, during which time I am certain their house (Elizabeth and Zechariah) were blessed, this women who was up in years had a successful delivery, Luke 1:58, the neighbors and relatives had heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared their joy.

 The ark being made of wood on the inside and of pure gold on the outside meant that Jesus was 100% man on the outside appearance and 100% God on the inside. When we have that word inside us we have Christ inside us and just how the Ark was light in the tabernacle Jesus is that light inside us and as we reflect His true light others will see the presence of God in our lives and by our relationship with them they will share the same Joy of God’s mercy in our lives and homes. The same thing happened with Obed-Edom the people saw that his home was being blessed and they told David and this time we read in 1 Chronicles 15 we can see that the Israelites now prepared themselves to carry the ark, they sanctified themselves, they worshiped God and obeyed God’s commandments on how to bring His word home using His method and not our strategies.

David prepared a home for the ark, now God has restored the ark (Christ) so that through His Spirit He may dwell in each and everyone of us in a Temple not made with human hands. So that we may bring Glory to the master builder Almighty God. Hallelujah!

When Jesus shared a word in the synagogue in Luke 4:18 when Jesus said that the Spirit was upon Him he sat down and said: “Today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” it was not what Jesus read to the people that angered them it was what He did, He sat down… in the synagogue there is one seat behind the pulpit where no one sits, it is a seat left vacant for the Messiah and Jesus sat in that seat that was what infuriated the town causing them to want to kill Jesus.

This was a truly inspiring word and as I thought more on it I felt this huge burden to share it first with you this morning, I could not wait so sorry for waking you up I thought you were already up and I had to share this Joy with my family…you.

Stay Blessed,

Your Brother in Christ,

James

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?”

In the very first issue of NRR, I asked the question: “What do you do for the children?” I am ashamed to say that the first draft of that issue read: “What do you do WITH the children.” I had subconsciously succumbed to the philosophy or mindset of much of the institutional church: children are a problem, they interfere with the almighty “service,” where important, paid professionals in robes or coats and ties give important speeches, and where serious, quiet, and holy listeners sit deathly still in pews. So, the question becomes, what do we do WITH the children while we are doing the important things in the “service”?

Neither Jesus, nor the apostles, ever worried about what to do WITH the children. 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?

The Scripture doesn’t say much, if anything, on handling children when believers gathered. But I can’t imagine that the believers back then didn’t have children. I imagine nothing was ever said, because the early Christians didn’t make such a big deal about the issue. The churches were in the home, families lived in homes, children lived in families, and therefore, children met with the church in the home. And despite the Scriptural silence on kids and church, I can guarantee one thing: there weren’t any Sunday Schools and Children’s Churches.

Doug Carty of High Point, N.C. (along with many others) makes this point: “If Sunday Schools are essential adjuncts to church life, why is the Bible silent on this subject?…His building plan, the Bible, is complete in every detail. Where is the Christian who would deny that the Bible is a perfect blueprint? Interestingly, there is not even a hint of Sunday Schools in God’s blueprint.” Doug goes on to point out that Sunday Schools were not even originated to teach Bible stories or Christian morality, but were started in nineteenth-century England to give poor children of mill and mine laborers a chance to read and write. So who had primary responsibility for training children before the appearance of Sunday Schools? The family. I think it is the contention of most house churches that the family still has the primary responsibility for the instruction and nurturing of Christian children. That may be the reason most home churches (just like the biblical NT church) don’t have Sunday Schools. And this really is a barrier to Christians who contemplate leaving the institutional church for the home church. It is amazing how many Christians worry about the spiritual welfare of their kids to the point that the parents will poison themselves to death on the corrupt religiosity of the institutional church, just so long as there’s a good youth program. I am convinced that many institutional churches realize this, and capitalize on it by providing jam-up “youth ministries,” in order to keep their “tithe-payers” from leaving. (Of course, I realize that often there are other, sincere motives involved, too.)

Although it is the family’s primary duty to raise children up in the Lord, it does not follow that the home church should be uninterested in their welfare. Quite the contrary. If kids see their parents’ church as a drag, they’ll tend to think Jesus is a drag, too. In the next section we will discuss practical ways for the home church to make children know that the church belongs to them as well as their parents.

“Relax – there’s going to be more noise and interruption in the house church. People with children need to quit feeling guilty about it.”

In discussing practical ways to integrate children into the life of the home church, we must understand off the bat that if parents bring the traditional mindset of the institutional church into the house church, nothing will work for the kids. The system church has the mentality of juvenile segregation: push them out into the Sunday School wing, so everything can be Holy and Quiet. This, of course, is unbiblical. How quiet do you think the kids were during the Sermon on the Mount? The system church is liturgically rigid in its “order of service,” and kids, being as unprogrammed and unpredictable as they are, can never fit within that rigidity. So: the first practical thing to do in the church in the home is to relax– there’s going to be more noise and interruption in the house church. People with children need to quit feeling guilty about it, and people without children need to exercise more tolerance than they would in the institutional church.

 
ONE MILLION DOLLAR REWARD!!

For Scriptural Evidence of:

• Sunday Schools
• Children’s Churches
• youth ministries

The second practical thing to do is to develop close relationships between each parent, and between each parent and child. This is possible in the home church, as it is not possible in the organized church. With close relationships, when little Johnny is about to flush the cherry bomb down the toilet, an adult not Johnny’s parent can firmly request that the little hellion extinguish the wick, without fear of alienating little Johnny, or little Johnny’s mom. Close relationships are extremely important.

The third practical thing that should be done is to find creative, workable ways to involve the kids in the meeting with the adults. Where did the idea come from that the meeting (or the church) belongs exclusively to the adults? I know of one house church in which the children are generally musically gifted. The young folks play guitars, violins and flutes, and feel free to lead out in song or music. Other home churches encourage kids to share testimonies, or to recite memorized Scripture, or to ask for prayer requests. My particular home church one meeting had the teen-age young people lead the service with Scripture and music. The meeting was entirely different–it gave us variety, and helped the young people join in. During another service in my home church, one of the sisters conducted a “Sunday-School lesson” for the young children with the adults present. The adults were forced to adapt to a young child’s viewpoint (something that all adults should do periodically). And the kids got to have fun with their parents as they learned the spiritual lesson being taught.

The fourth practical thing I would suggest is not to be hidebound by “house-church theology.” Sure, we don’t believe in Sunday Schools, but the world’s not going to end if someone has something special for the kids, if he or she takes them aside in another room once in a while. And we don’t believe in pacifying the kids with entertainment to keep them out of our hair, but there’s nothing wrong with showing them a video once in a while (even, heaven forfend, if the video is a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and not spiritual).

A fifth practical suggestion that one house-churcher has suggested is for each meeting home to have announced house rules, so that children and parents might not inadvertently harm anything.

A sixth practical suggestion is to tolerate fussing infants as much as you can, but if they get too loud, make sure the parents understand that the baby should be taken out of the meeting until he cools off. If a parent doesn’t do this, the parent should be communicated with. Remember, relationships are important.

My seventh, and last, practical suggestion, is to never let the meeting become boring–neither for the children, nor for the adults. If the meeting is dead or too long for the adults, imagine what it’s like for the kids! Their attention span is probably about half of ours. We need to constantly put ourselves in the shoes of our brothers and sister–and our kids are, in the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters. Let’s prefer them in love.

 We finish these thoughts on children and the house church by presenting the manifest advantages of the home church for young folks. We should not look upon children as an obstacle to getting folks into the house church. We should look at the advantages of the house church for kids, and point these advantages out to potential house church converts.

One big advantage of the home church for young people is that the youth get to see their parents in loving, supportive relationships with one another. They get to see their parents open their hearts to God in a real, personal, non-religious, un-phony fashion.

Another tremendous advantage is that the kids are not given second-class status in the church: they are not segregated, put out of sight, out of mind in nurseries, Sunday Schools and youth ministries.

 One of the biggest advantages, in my view, is the close relations that develop between adults and children of other adults. In my home church, I constantly pray for the children involved. There are only six couples in the church, and only fourteen children. It’s very easy to find out what’s going on in the kids’ lives, and easy to pray for them daily, individually, by name. I submit to you that this doesn’t happen too often in the mega-church.

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.

If we looked a little closer at Psalm 118:22-24, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We have often sung the song “this is the day that the Lord has made…” and we apply it to every day and that’s o.k. But “THE DAY” referred to here is the day the builders refused the stone which is “THE DAY THEY CRUCIFIED CHRIST”!!! When the builders perceived what kind of Kingdom God wanted to build with Christ the Old Testament builders rejected and killed the King of the Kingdom. Again to summarize the day that the builders rejected and killed Jesus is the day that Jesus became the head stone of the corner to build with. The Old Testament Prophets and Priests rejected Christ.

My wife and I built our house last year and we employed many sub-contractors to do the work. One of our subs just could not seem to understand that we wanted things a certain way but kept doing things the way he wanted them. Needless to say it created great problems, the house is ours not his. His job was to build to suit our tastes not his. The same is true with the House that God is building. He wants a spiritual house built on the foundation of the Lordship of Jesus while the modern builders want the foundation on the control of men. God wants the walls of His house built out of the precious living stones of redeemed lives held together by the mortar of loving relationships. The modern builders want bricks and mortar holding the people in with control and programs.

When I built my house I eventually got what I wanted and I firmly believe that God will eventually get His builders to build His way or He will get new builders.

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part II

Reading: Isaiah 28:9-18 (key 16)

Another Old Testament passage that uses the cornerstone is Isaiah 28:16, “Behold, I  lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”  

In verses 9-13, the Lord shows Isaiah the contrast between systematic religious training and the rest and refreshing of the Holy Ghost. Systematic religious training or “line upon line…precept upon precept…” There is nothing wrong with this kind of training and learning unless it becomes a mental assent to God.

Isaiah 28:11-12 says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people. To whom He said this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; andthis is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” In I Corinthians 14:21 the Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 28:11 and defines it as speaking in tongues. The reason leaders reject the Holy Spirit and replace Him with systematic learning is because religious leaders can’t control the Holy Ghost. God has a rest and refreshing that is more powerful than religious learning but again religious leaders refused this too.

 Isaiah 28:13 goes on to say, But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.”  Notice the trap in religious learning, they go and fall backward and are broken, snared and taken.

In verses 14-15 of Isaiah 28 God addresses the rulers of Jerusalem. They had made a covenant with death and were in agreement with hell. They thought they could escape all judgment because they had made lies their refuge and were hidden in falsehood. It reminds me of the modern day easy believism associated by parroting a “sinner’s prayer” and calling that salvation. Many today believed they are saved from hell yet are still bound firmly in sin. They too have made lies their refuge.

This leads us to our key passage in verse 16, “…Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”.  The hasty builders want fast church growth; they could care less about the salvation and sanctification of the people as long as their crowds and offerings are large.

To summarize both of these Old Testament passages that refer to the Corner Stone we could say that the Priest and the Prophet rejected Christ and the Holy Ghost. Now we know that the Law is our schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. If we apply this to today we will find that today’s modern church builders still reject Christ and the Holy Ghost as God’s foundation and building materials.

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part III

Readings: Matthew 21:33-42; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19

“The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner.” In each of the passages listed above Jesus is telling the parable of the vineyard and concludes the parable with a reference to the cornerstone.

The parable is quite simple, God is the Husbandman, the Vineyard is His Kingdom, His servants (builders) are religious leaders, and His Son is obviously Jesus. God planted a vineyard and gave it to His servants who refused to give to God the fruits of His vineyard and ultimately wanted to seize the vineyard for themselves. The lesson is that God will one day judge those servants and destroy them. It is in this context that Jesus quotes the cornerstone passage.

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. What prompted Jesus to use this parable? Read Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8. Each of these passages tells us of an encounter that Jesus had with the religious leaders of His day. They asked Him, By what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority?” This question of authority seems to be the question the whole world is struggling over WHO’S IN CHARGE? Jesus liked to answer a question with a question and He asked them, “the baptism of John whence was it? From heaven, or of men?” So we might conclude that the key to understanding the parable of the vineyard would be in the context of God’s authority verses man’s authority. Controlling religious leaders become addicted to their own authority and little by little they begin to despise God’s authority.

I believe that Jesus settled the issue of authority once and for all in Matthew 20:20-28. The mother of James and John asked Jesus to allow her two sons to sit at His right hand and left hand in His kingdom. Jesus answered her with a question, could hers sons drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism? The fiery baptism of drinking the cup of Christ’s sufferings seems to be the only way to attain to any prominence in eternity.

The other ten disciples were infuriated over James’ and John’s desire to be “over” them. That’s when Jesus settled the matter for good, “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whoso ever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” THE WORLD’S WAY OF AUTHORITY SHALL NOT BE THE CHURCH’S WAY OF AUTHORITY!!! Christian authority is not over but under. The only one who has right to be over is Christ Himself. Our authority is serving by love not controlling by fear.

Once again the stone that the builders refuse is the serving way of Christ opting rather for the controlling way of the world.

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part IVa

Reading: Acts 4:1-12

After the powerful healing of a lame man in Acts 3, Peter and John were brought in for questioning by the Sanhedrin. It is here that the Apostle Peter through inspiration of the Holy Spirit removes all doubt as to the interpretation of the cornerstone.Verse 10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The Apostle Peter describes the crucifixion of Christ by the Sanhedrin as the rejecting of the stone. And the resurrection of Christ from the dead is God setting Him as the Head Stone of the Corner!!! This is the foundation of salvation and healing.

I often hear the question repeated, “Why don’t we see healings anymore”? I will take this a step farther. Why don’t we see healings or conversions anymore? I know some will read this and refer me to the healing evangelists or to the churches that claim how many got “saved” at their meetings. I’m sure a few get healed and saved but I question the validity of most of those claims. Personally I believe that we see so few healings and conversions because the modern builders reject the Cornerstone!

In the book of Isaiah 6, The Prophet Isaiah saw the Lord. When he saw God’s holiness it prompted him to cry out “Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”. Next a mighty seraph took a coal from the altar and touched it to his mouth declared him clean from iniquity. Then he heard the Lord calling for a volunteer to go for Him and Isaiah said “Here am I; send me”. Most of us are very familiar with that story but few of us know what God sent Him to do. “And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat , and make their ears heavy , and shut their eyes; let they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

This passage has always fascinated me because it seems to say that God’s preachers actually close the eyes, ears and hearts of the people so that they cannot be converted or healed. Jesus confirms this in Matthew 13:1-9, He tells the parable of the Sower. Then in verses 10-15, when asked by His disciples why He spoke in parables He quotes Isaiah 6:9-10. He told His DISCIPLES that it was for them to know the mysteries of the kingdom but not the multitudes. In the Great Commission Jesus tells us to make disciples not converts but once again the modern builders reject the hard work of relationally making disciples by making programs of discipleship in the sterile environment of a classroom.  (Continued…)

The Stone that the Builders Rejected IVb

Last week I began to make a point concerning the reference of the term “Cornerstone” being applied to the healing of the lame man at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3:1-11). When the disciples were forced to explain the healing the Apostle Peter said, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Peter’s reference to this passage applies to healing and to salvation. This prompted me to run a rabbit based on Isaiah 6:1-13, “And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat , and make their ears heavy , and shut their eyes; let they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

This Old Testament passage is quoted three times in the New Testament. Last week I covered Matthew 13, this week we’ll look at the two other uses.

In John 12:23-42, Jesus uses this Isaiah passage again. After prophesying of His coming crucifixion the people asked Him who the Son of man is and why must He be lifted up because Christ lives forever. Then Jesus said, “…Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” The subject of walking in the light verses walking in darkness is very interesting.

The Apostle John defines “walking in the light” as having fellowship with one another (I John 1:7). Does this mean that walking in darkness means to not be in fellowship with other believers? It is one thing to say we believe in Jesus and go to a congregational church; it’s quite another thing to put those beliefs to the test in close relationships. That’s why so many builders prefer non-relational congregations because the relationship way is just too messy!

After giving this message on walking in the light Jesus once again quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, could refusing to be relational be the reason that we don’t see conversions and healings? He even points out that the religious folks who wanted to believe would not confess Him for fear of being put out of the synagogue, they wanted the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43).

This Isaiah passage is quoted once more at the close of the book of Acts 28:23-31. After Paul had spent the whole day mightily arguing the things of the kingdom of God and of Jesus, some believed others didn’t. Then he refers again to the Isaiah passage and in closing he says in verse 28, “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” We should all take this as a warning that religion can be the biggest blinder that there is. If we reject God’s way He will find someone somewhere who will obey His way!

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part V

Up to this passage every use of the cornerstone is being applied to Old Testament builders. Now let’s see how it applies to the New Testament Church and consider the possibility that our contemporary congregations are still rejecting the cornerstone.

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building  fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)

God is still building a temple in the New Testament however it is not made of bricks and mortar. The temple that He is building now is built of people. Individual lives that have been founded on the Rock of Christ are then to be fitly framed relationally together to form a temple built of people that God lives in!

The apostles and prophets laid the foundation of Jesus Christ. In I Corinthians 3:10-17 the Apostle Paul confirms this. Then he warns that others should, “take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” Even then the Apostles were having problems with the builders; while they worked to lay the foundation others were using substandard materials to build the building.  

The apostolic way of building was to lay the foundation of Jesus Christ then to build lives together on this foundation. The “fitly framing together” of lives is s-l-o-w work. It’s no wonder that Isaiah warned in chapter 28:16, “Behold, I  lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”  Haste means to hurry. Why are Christian leaders always in a hurry? Certainly there is urgency because so many are perishing, but cutting corners to hurry is proving fatal to many. In 2008 a Haitian Pastor cut corners with sub-standard materials while building his school, the building collapsed and 90+ students were killed. So it is with hasty modern church builders who cut corners for fast production. Their “converts” would have been better off to have never heard!

For the first three centuries of Christianity the apostolic way of building brought and kept multitudes for the Kingdom of God. Then along came Constantine and Augustine who gave us buildings and congregations and professionals but could not give us conversions and healings. The lazy builders of our day refuse the slow hard work of building people together through loving relationships opting for the hasty gathering of congregations through programs. Could this refusal to build God’s way with His materials of the Cross and the Spirit be why the Holy Spirit no longer abides in our congregations? The apostolic way of relationships would always usher in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. The fast growth builders have learned how to get crowds of people but they can’t get the Holy Spirit to dwell with them. Silver and gold have they some but they cannot produce salvations and healings.

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part VI

I Peter 2:2-10

The last use of the cornerstone passage in the New Testament is found here giving us even greater insight to how God’s Building is to be built and what materials are to be used.

In verse four we see that Christ is once again referred to as a stone. But then in verse five we also are called lively stones. We are being built as a spiritual house a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. God chips away at each living stone until it fits perfectly with the next stone. Until we are willing to have our own lives chipped away to fit with someone else we are refusing God’s way of building. It’s much easier to sit in a non-relational congregation and say that Jesus is the chief cornerstone than it is to be the stones in His temple.

In verses 6-8, Peter quotes Isaiah 28:16, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” Then he begins to give us insight concerning those who are willing to build God’s way and those who refuse. “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious:” The greatest test to our faith will be to stay in the relational process of building God’s House. It all comes down to building by faith which works by love. On the other hand those who are disobedient disallow God’s Stone they don’t want to build on His Stone neither do they want to be built as stones. They stumble over obedience to the Word of God! God has appointed a terrible end to the disobedient.

In verse ten the Apostle Peter points out that we have much reason to praise God because He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Let’s look at another passage of scripture and see if we can understand a little what the Bible means by being in darkness and being in light.

In I John 1:6-7 the Apostle John says, “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” He says that if we walk in the light we have fellowship with one another. Could we conclude that walking in the light is to walk in fellowship with other Christians? Could we further conclude to walk in darkness would mean that we refuse to walk in fellowship with other believers? Could we even go further to say that refusing to walk in fellowship with other believers makes the blood of Christ of no effect in the cleansing from all sins?

I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is building a house built of people that prove their love for Him by their love for one another. Refusal to build this way is to reject God’s Cornerstone that is to reject Christ Himself!!!

The Stone that the Builders Rejected, Part VII

A fitting conclusion to the end of our study is found in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel 13:10-16, “Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar: Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation there of shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets o of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.

God reveals to Ezekiel His hot displeasure against the Old Testament builders. They were building the walls with “untempered mortar”. The Hebrew word for “untempered mortar” is “taphel (taw fale’)” meaning to smear a plaster of gummy slime. In figurative language it means foolish things. The “untempered mortar” in this case was the promise of peace when there was no peace. This resembles the false claims of the modern builders who promise salvation to anyone who will say a sinner’s prayer. No repentance, discipleship, holiness just say a prayer and say you believe…no change required! Then the “convert” is urged to sit in a pew in a congregation of people that they hardly know and that makes them Christian…God forbid!

On the other hand to “temper” means that a substance was added to the mortar that modifies its properties or qualities. The tempering process of concrete actually goes through a phase where it heats up then permanently bonds or sets. So it is with the mortar of loving relationships. The friction and heat caused in relationships bound together only with a mutual love for Jesus will eventually bond us permanently, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35

God was angry not only with the wicked builders but at the wall itself and foretold of a shower that would destroy the wall down to the foundation. I will conclude with a reminder from Luke 6:46-49, “And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: His is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell ant the ruin of that house was great.”

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!