Have you ever noticed that churches that seldom preach the gospel seldom have conversions to Christ?
Let me take that to the next logical step.
Churches that don't preach healing don't see very many people healed.
Why is this? It's because your faith usually never rises above your own revelation of who God is. Here's the corollary to that: Your faith will usually never rise above your pastor or your church's revelation of who God is either.
God longs to display His glory in our midst - but we run the danger of becoming like the people in the city of Nazareth who's faith, or lack there of, was so woeful that the Bible says "Jesus could not do many mighty works there".
Why was that the case? The Bible says they were "offended" at Him. Not offended in the sense of having their feelings hurt and becoming bitter (as stated in a post below) - but offended in the sense that they couldn't put it together how this carpenter, whose family and siblings they were well acquainted with, could possibly be able to do the miracles that they had heard He was doing in Capernaum.
In many ways today - we are like Nazareth. Not only has the familiarity of the Gospel bred contempt, but many have decided that God doesn't move supernaturally anymore and healing and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for another bygone error. Their limited revelation of God has had the same effect on them and their churches as it had on the people of Nazareth - Jesus couldn't do many mighty works there, and furthermore was "amazed" at their unbelief.
When we lose the demonstration power of the Gospel that we were intended to operate in (healing, miracles, Gifts of the Holy Spirit) all we are left with is a half way Gospel message that requires us to extract or re-explain large portions of scripture such as "By His stripes we were healed".
What we are left with? A crippled Gospel. A Gospel of words that lacks the manifest power of the New Testament God that we see operating in the early church.
Churches with a crippled Gospel are then forced to go one of two routes - either become like the recreation director of a retirement home who is constantly saying, "Isn't this great - aren't we having fun?" (Translated - 'aren't we smart - our doctrine is superior to everyone else') while the residents bored out of their minds are pretty much a captive audience because they are financially invested there and don't have a whole lot of other exciting choices, or, churches go the route of offering yoga classes, bowling leagues and line dancing in order to try to stir up interest in folks coming to church.
However churches that will operate in what Paul describes as 'demonstration power', will not need to resort to gimmicks. Jesus will be the main attraction. He is the One who fills us with Living Water that satisfies our longings and cravings.
Churches that will preach and teach that God heals today, delivers today and still does the miraculous today, Hebrews 13:8, will see healing, deliverance and miracles because God always honors His Word.
As Petra used to sing concerning Christians: There's too much talk and not enough walk.
Let's show this world how awesome Jesus Christ is!
Excellent, excellent post today. I am going to link it to my blog.
ReplyDeletethanks Diane.
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteCame here through Diane's blog. Nice to see another charismatic/Pentecostal blogger. There aren't many of us.
I like what you have to say here (and I have said it myself on my blog). But one critical mistake exists in some churches that do preach "the whole Gospel": They can forget Jesus in the midst of all the miracles, revelation, and Kingdom power.
Sadly, this happens all the time in this type of church. You hear about the Spirit, you hear about the revelation, you hear about this and that, but Jesus is hardly mentioned at all---strange, since all those gifts and manifestations are intended to point back to him (and do so relentlessly).
How can it be that a charismatic generation has lost Jesus in the process? The irony is that the very churches we accuse of failing to preach "the whole Gospel" are often the ones who do the best job pointing people back to Jesus.
This doesn't have to be an either/or issue, yet that is what we perpetually seem to make it.
Hi dle - you are exactly right. That's a grievous error in the much of the Charismatic movement and contributes tremendously to what some people see as "flakiness" in that movement.
ReplyDeleteThe whole gospel includes preaching about sin, holiness, right living as well as healing and other miracles - and like you said - it shouldn't be an either/or thing.
Thanks for you comment!
"Seen and Not Heard" from 1990's Beyond Belief album.
ReplyDeleteI love it when Petra gets quoted on blogs.
I just love Petra ;^)
ReplyDeleteback again...if you don't mind clarifying a few things for me:
ReplyDeleteYour faith will usually never rise above your pastor or your church's revelation of who God is either.
This quote caught my eye, for I used to have taped above my desk a quote from al mohler which read:
"A congregation will never take the Word of God more seriously than the pastor."
am i not completely dependent upon the Word of God to see Christ fully revealed? and if so, is not the Word of God sufficient to see Christ fully? how great a role should experience have to take?
(keep in mind, i have not outlawed the possibility or practice of "sign gifts." i'm just asking if they are a critical piece in God being revealed.)
When we lose the demonstration power of the Gospel that we were intended to operate in (healing, miracles, Gifts of the Holy Spirit) all we are left with is a half way Gospel message that requires us to extract or re-explain large portions of scripture such as "By His stripes we were healed".
is the healing spoken of in isaiah 51 really focused on my physical healing? isn't the greater message here the healing of our souls in salvation? isn't that the direction of the rest of the chapter? furthermore, if a church does not practice the "sign gifts" but does practice james 5 elder anointing, are we denying the church the Holy Spirit's work in healing people?
Churches with a crippled Gospel are then forced to go one of two routes...
Assuming churches who do not practice or preach these gifts end up with the crippled gospel, then which category are you suggesting Greenville Grace falls into? are you saying we are in one or are headed toward one?
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of all the miracles the Holy Spirit performs, isn't raising that which is dead to life the most amazing work He does? it seems to me that nothing glorifies Christ and reveals the power of the Holy Spirit like a conversion--especially when HE receives the credit for it happening.
this is maybe my biggest beef with much of the charismatic movement (not saying you, making a sweeping evaluation, i would not put you or cj mahaney in this category), but it seems that some would consider the blind man receiving sight more exciting and encouraging than rejoicing in his salvation.
frankly, to see people justified and sanctified in our congregations means God truly is performing the miraculous in our midst.
oh by the way...thanks a lot for the petra reference!!!!
ReplyDeletenow i'm trying to figure out if i could find all my tapes and a tape player of if it is worth the money to download all the songs on itunes!
getting a band stuck in your head is far worse than just getting a song stuck in your head.
Hi Danny -
ReplyDeleteto start you ask:
"am i not completely dependent upon the Word of God to see Christ fully revealed? and if so, is not the Word of God sufficient to see Christ fully? how great a role should experience have to take?"
I'm not sure how to answer this other than to say all my experiences are firmly rooted in scripture. I don't separate them anymore than I'd separate my salvation from scripture.
I'd also add that I know that God has called us to the impossible. I can preach repentance by a simple act of my will - but when it comes to healing, etc., I have to utterly and totally rely on God for that.
Then:
"is the healing spoken of in isaiah 51 really focused on my physical healing? isn't the greater message here the healing of our souls in salvation?"
Healing is as much provided for in the atonement as our salvation is. 2 Peter says "by His stripes we were healed."
In 1 Cor. 11 Paul says, "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep."
Paul says because we fail to discern what the broken body of Christ represents (healing) that is why many among you are sick and have died. The blood of Jesus covers our sin - His broken body has provided for our healing.
Since Jesus is our Passover Lamb - you well know that the Israelites not only put the blood on the doorposts - but they had to do something else as well - eat the body of the sacrificial lamb. It's stated why they did that - so they would be healthy and strong for their trip out of Egypt (Ps. 105:37) The foreshadowing of the blood on the doorposts is understood by all - but many forget the other part about the body of the lamb. Thus Jesus, His Body and His Blood - provided forgiveness and healing (physical as well as spiritual). Thus the two elements and their importance in the communion supper. If we don't believe in healing then we may as well just drink the juice and forget the bread.
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As far as a 'crippled gospel' - the above sets up what I'm about to say. If healing, etc., is not part of our preaching, teaching, then we are like a bird with one wing - we leave out the purpose of the body of Christ. His shed blood saves, His broken body heals. Without both aspects we really have a half-way gospel. If we abandon the Promise of the Father that is promised to all believers (Acts 2:38-39), along with everything that it entails - again, we have greatly weakened our ability to demonstrate (a las Paul) the Gospel message to this world.
Since Jesus thought it important enough to put those two things (body and blood) in the same atoning gift to us - I believe they go together.
You ask:
"of all the miracles the Holy Spirit performs, isn't raising that which is dead to life the most amazing work He does?"
I think everything the Holy Spirit does is amazing and always points back to Jesus. Yes, there's nothing more amazing than someone being truly saved. Healing miracles serve that purpose (pointing to Jesus) - all gifts of the Holy Spirit do actually - that's why Paul said tongues then are sign for those who don't believe. The supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit merely empower us to carry out the great commission - not to carry out some side show.
Yes, I agree with your last statement - people being saved is the greatest miracle of all - just not the only one that Jesus does today - and the others are used to either bring people to the miracle of salvation, or to give the redeemed the healing that Jesus purchased for us on the cross.
You're a real Berean Danny - and I love you for that. Sorry I don't know the codes for bold and italics - I know how to link things - but can't do simple italics!
Blessings!
Petra's ministry was a real blessing to me in my high school years - really helped me stand strong for God!
ReplyDeleteI remember years later as a youth pastor, I had the opportunity to meet Greg Volz and get my picture taken with him - it was sort of a giddy moment for me ;^)
thank you for you graciousness, eric. i know of no other pastor on the other side of the sign gift fence which will allow me this conversation. i appreciate that.
ReplyDeletedo you practice james 5 elder anointing at your church? how is this different than other healing situations? (if it's not, then we both practice that one identically!!!)
i appreciate your statements about healing physically and spiritually. i'd say romans 8 lays that out well.
Yes, we practice the James 5 elder anointing as well, and actually see quite a few healing's in that particular ministry.
ReplyDeleteI consider any manifestation of healing to be the gift of healing mentioned I Cor. 12 being demonstrated through someone.
Additionally I believe those who walk around saying that 'they have the gift of healing' are really mistaken. Scripture is clear that people don't 'own the gifts', but rather the Holy Spirit does. When gifts manifest(Greek,'phanorosis', a momentary flashing/shining forth) it is indeed the Holy Spirit showing up to do the work or display the gift through them.
Danny you are always welcome to come here and post questions and statements any time!