One Touch

On March 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 9: 31

They went out, and spread the news about Him in all that land.

Do you want to know how to evangelize the world? Here is an evangelism revelation. There were two guys in this story who spread the word about Jesus throughout the whole land. Were these just two of the best evangelists ever or is there something else going on here? And most importantly, what can we learn from their story?

The backstory is that two blind men pursued Jesus and healing. When Jesus asked them if they believed he was able to restore their sight they answered, “Yes, Lord” (v. 28). Jesus then touched their eyes and said, “Be it done to you according to your faith,” and the men’s sight was restored (v. 29 – 30). Clearly there is a faith message there but we also see in this example of Jesus’ ministry how we can spread the good news about the Kingdom of God – heal a few people.

What? Me? Well, isn’t that the ministry Jesus has left us with? Look at Ephesians 4 with me, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ” (v. 11 – 12, emphasis added). God has established these ministry positions in order to equip the rest of us for the work of Christ. We, the body, carry out the divine commission. Jesus has also empowered us for this service. “And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness, ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons’” (Matthew 10: 1, 8). The only question we have to answer is, “Am I a disciple of Christ” because all who are Christ’s disciples are anointed with his authority. 

God gave Jesus the power to heal and Jesus gave it to us. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you’” (John 20: 21). As we see from the experience of the two blind men, one touch from God will change a person forever. They become the voice heard in the desert. The steps to world evangelism are first that we must allow Jesus to touch us, and I mean really touch us. It is his ministrations to our heart and receiving our own miracles that make his word like a fire brand in our mouths. We need to seek that personal touch and live in it. Then we extend his grace to others. We lay hands on the sick and they recover, not because of our faith, not because of our healing anointing but rather by the blessing of the Lord. Jesus said, “The Father abiding in Me does His works” (John 14: 10). So, we need not have performance pressure. It is Jesus within me who does the works and whoever Jesus touches will want to tell the world.

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Holy Partakers

On August 18, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 3: 1

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

The writer of Hebrews addresses his audience in a peculiar way. He calls us partakers. To partake, according to the American Heritage Dictionary means to: 1. take part or have a share: participate, 2. to take or be given part or portion. Applying that definition to today’s passage means that we, each, have been given a part or a portion of a heavenly calling and further, that we take part, have a share in and participate in this heavenly calling. What, then, is this heavenly calling of which the author speaks?

Jesus is our part and portion. Jesus the Apostle, Jesus the High Priest operates in those two offices to this day. He was anointed to these offices. We see his anointing and the job classification in Isaiah 61: 1 – 3. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,” it says, “because the Lord has anointed me to . . . .” You can read on to see what the anointing was intended to do which is the job description, if you will. Obviously this passage in Isaiah was written long before Jesus entered the earth as the Messiah but not before God’s great plan and the anticipation of the great savior. So, think of this passage, if you will, as the job posting. God posted a job opening on the bulletin board listing its qualifications and requirements as well as the job duties. No one was able to accept that job until Luke 4: 18 when Jesus entered the temple and accepted the position. Beginning in verse 16 of Luke 4 we read, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him and He opened the book ad found the place where it was written, ‘THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO . . . .’”  Enter the King, Priest and Apostle of our faith.

Some years ago God gave me Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 as a prophetic word for my life. Initially I rejected it because I read it with the eyes of ego. In other words, when I read it my eyes were on me and I was overwhelmed. A false sense of humility overcame me resulting in my rejection of this Word from the Lord. I say that it was a false sense of humility rather than an honest one because I was looking at myself rather than at the Lord. A truly humble person does not have their eyes on themselves. Well, this is just proof that God can use anyone who will humble themselves which I soon did. Once having submitted my rather out of control ego to the Lord I realized that each of us is called under this same chapter and verse. Yes, it is our anointing in a sense because we are all called to partake of Jesus’ mission. The anointing I operate under, then, is not my own but rather that portion and part of Jesus’ which he has shared with me. I do not have my own anointing but I am anointed by him and of him for the equipping of the saints and for all those job duties that you read about in Isaiah 61 and Luke 4. We are all called to serve in the department of ministry under our chief administrator, Jesus.

This somewhat complex spiritual truth becomes easily understandable when I view it in these terms. We are all partakers of Jesus’ heavenly calling. Realizing that we are all a part of Jesus’ department may also take some of the self-imposed pressure off of us. We are not called to take on this assignment alone but rather as a part of a department with many others and with a department head who is all capable. Not only is Jesus super-capable but additionally he gives us his authority and power each time he assigns us a task. That means you do not have to succeed in the task in your own name or strength but rather that you proceed in the name and power of the head. Isn’t that a relief? Whatever God has given you to do you can do it because Jesus is authorizing the project in his name. Whooo Hoo!  

We are partakers, co-laborers with Jesus, anointed with a portion of his anointing, empowered with his might, armed with his authority. We do not have to bring much to the table; only obedience and humble submission. We must be willing to be led and directed according to his wisdom and instructions. Success is assured when we understand this paradigm because it is all done in the power of Jesus and his anointing. The weight is not upon our shoulders but rather on his and he can well bear it. We have only to do as he leads and all will be well.

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