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Week of 4/20/97

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

There are many sound Scriptural reasons for belonging to a local church and fellowshipping with other believers. While He certainly moves in our lives as individuals, He really seems to enjoy pouring out his Spirit over large groups. Our praise and worship is stronger and our prayer more powerful when we're all linked together. The gifts of the Spirit are more in evidence because they were intended for use in this supercharged setting. The local church also provides the right place to bring our tithe, to be taught and to receive healing. But our verse today from Hebrews points out another reason that we often forget: to love and encourage one another.

While that may seem like a little thing, it isn't. Let me give you an example.

I was feeling rather down one Sunday a few weeks ago. Not anything really wrong, just sort of disconnected from the Body, so to speak, like I didn't belong. I really didn't feel like going to church (a sure sign that I needed to), but I went. When I walked into the church, a lovely woman named Maxine grabbed me by the arm and said she had something for me. She almost dragged me out to her car, all the while explaining that weeks before God had told her to do this and she had not obeyed Him because it didn't make any sense to her. She opened up her car and pulled out a small, but beautiful, koa wood mirror. She handed it to me and said, almost apologetically, that she still didn't understand why God would want her to give this to me. Immediately, however, I thanked her and told her it was absolutely perfect. Our downstairs bathroom needed the mirror replaced over the sink and this was just what we were looking for.

Needless to say I felt just great and went back into the church sort of shaking my head at how amazingly practical God could be. I needed something as simple and functional as a mirror for the bathroom and I got it. Now Chee wouldn't have to squint when augmenting her natural beauty. But it wasn't until I hung the mirror up that afternoon that the full meaning of this beautiful gift hit me.

After I adjusted the mirror on its hanger, I stepped back and saw my face framed in the smooth, dark koa. What I saw wasn't just a reflection in a wooden frame. I saw myself literally surrounded with the love of my church. And every time I see that mirror the same thought comes to my mind. I am not alone. I'm part of this. I'm loved. I belong.

God didn't come up with this concept of church just so we'd have something to do Sunday morning. He created us to need Him, and each other. I don't know why He arranged things that way, but He did. Every one of us has been given something special to share with someone else. Don't deprive God of the opportunity use you, even though what you have seems insignificant to you. It may be nothing more than the right word at the right moment that saves a life. It may be agreeing with someone in prayer that heals their sick body or restores a sick marriage. It may be your work with the kids that keeps them out of trouble years later. It may be your extra cash that gets a family through a crisis intended to destroy them. It may even be giving someone a koa wood mirror when it makes no sense at all.

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The Bottom Line

You're going to spend eternity with these guys, might as well get use to them now.

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Week of 4/13/97

There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.

loha and welcome back. If this is your first time here, be sure to check out the Back Issue section at the bottom of this page. We have also provided a link to a great Internet Bible (see bottom of page). And our Guest Book is now operational, so let us hear from you. Your encouragement to continue this ministry is greatly appreciated. Mahalo to those of you who have written.

In the opening verse for today's message we hear Solomon reminding the people of Israel that God had done exactly what He said He would do. Not one thing He promised them had failed to materialize. He promised to take them out of Egypt and He did it (dramatically). He promised to give them their own land and He did it (abundantly). He promised to prosper them materially and He did it (magnificently). He promised to heal them and He did it (miraculously). He promised to be their God and He did it (mightily).

See, the really great thing about God's promises is that He has the ability to keep them. When Moses led the Israelites to the shore of the Red Sea, with Pharoah and his army in hot pursuit, God didn't say, "Oops! Uh, let's see. Okay, everybody start swimming!" No, He just parted the sea for them. Promise kept. And He got rid of those pesky Egyptians, too.

These Old Covenant promises are really spectacular. Seeing God keep His word in such alarming ways makes for great movies and cool special effects. But we need to realize that we have something even better. The writer of Hebrews states, in reference to the ultimate fulfilled promise, Jesus Christ, He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). Better promises (plural). But if we don't accept those promises and act on them, we will not see them fulfilled.

Let's say you go to buy a new car. May as well make it a RAV4 (okay, so I'm giving the Lord a little hint). You pay as much as the GNP of your typical third world country and they give you a new car. You drive away without a care in the world because in addition to feeling really sporty, you have this thing called a warranty. This piece of paper promises that should any problem arise it will be taken care of. Now let's say the radio stops working. Do you sit there and wonder what to do? Are you afraid to bother the car dealership? Do you assume that the warranty doesn't cover radios? Heck no! You drive right up to the service department and say,"Fix it!" And two weeks later, they do, because you have a warranty.

When you were born again, you got a brand new spirit, and this new spirit came with a warranty called salvation. But like any warranty it's not much use if you don't know what it covers. The word 'salvation' is from the Greek soteria and it means much more than not going to hell. It means deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. That's coverage. And this warranty, this promise, is backed up by Someone even bigger than Toyota. Someone who never goes on strike. Someone who never runs out of parts. Someone who always keeps His promises.

So the next time you're in need of help, don't forget that you're covered. Drive right up. And if you can't get there He has 24 hour roadside service. .
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The Bottom Line

Bump to bump coverage.

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Week of 4/06/97

Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.

Understand that what David is asking God to do in this verse is to deal with a very real and present situation. The hope he is referring to here is not of Heaven or some future revelation of God's glory, but for God to meet an immediate need. He's asking God to keep the promise He made concerning his life (like keeping him alive for starters) and punctuates this plea by asking God not to let him be ashamed of his hope. The Hebrew word for ashamed here actually means disappointed and embarrassed. In other words, he's saying, "God don't let me down and make me look stupid." Really.

As Christians, we should have this same hope in us (even more). We should be as bold as David in expecting God's help. But be warned. There are people who are going to do everything they can to kill that hope in you and attempt to make you ashamed of it.

Recently I saw a special CNN did on Benny Hinn. Now Benny is an unusual guy, to say the least, and has a very different ministry. He dresses weird, talks funny and sings (badly). He makes a lot of money. He fills auditoriums. He sells books and tapes and Benny stuff. But do you know what all those Christian watchdogs get really bugged about? He fills people with hope! They say this as if hope were the equivalent of heroin. Of course they usually refer to it as false hope (can believing the Word of God be false?). I even saw a man yesterday (again on CNN) who compared Benny's congregation (and indeed ALL charismatic Christians) to the Heaven's Gate cult. This wouldn't be so terribly surprising (or surprisingly terrible) except that the guy has the most popular Christian radio program in the country and he uses this God-given power and opportunity to blast peoples' hopes to smithereens. (Wonder if anyone has ever been healed by his ministry? Just a thought.)

But is this hope real? Back to Benny for a minute. A woman from my church developed a lump in her breast. It grew from a little lump to a gigantic mass. X-rays were taken and surgery scheduled. At the same time a Hinn crusade was coming to the islands and she determined to go. She was full of hope (a sure sign of cult indoctrination). While driving to the crusade, she was healed. She got up on the stage and said as much, then went home. When she went in for surgery she demanded another X-ray, much to her doctor's protests. Hey, giant tumors don't just disappear. But her's did. Completely. Instantly.

Was it Benny Hinn who healed this woman and restored her to her family whole and happy? Nope. He never even prayed for her healing. He just got her hope up. And not in him, but in the power of God's Word.

I see this all the time, even at my own church. People start hearing the Word preached with power (1 Thess. 1:5). Sure enough signs and wonders start confirming it. Before you know it, everyone is full of hope. It's the craziest thing! They start believing for healing, deliverance, happy marriages and kids, prosperity and every other blessing God has promised them. Then they start getting results and just go off the deep end believing that anything is possible with God. All because somewhere along the way someone built their hopes up.

I guess what confuses me is what the possible alternative to this lifestyle of hope might be. How should we live? Hopelessly? Are we somehow putting too much pressure on God by expecting Him to honor His Word? I don't think so. Sure, there's always going to be times when we go a bit overboard, but come to think of it, that's just how Peter walked on the water. .

The Bottom Line

That's where your hope is supposed to be: Up.

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Week of 3/30/97

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here."

This being Resurrection Sunday, the words "He is risen" will be be repeated at virtually every Christian church around the world. Good thing, too, because those three little words are the most glorious and powerful ever heard by human ears. But here's something you might not hear everywhere you go: You are risen.

I know it doesn't feel like it most of the time. It's hard to see yourself as resurrected when you're standing in line at Walmart, but it's true nonetheless. Paul confirms this in his letter to the Colossians when he says that that we were, Buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Col. 2:12). We were not only crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6), buried with Him (Romans 6:4) but we were reborn with Him. The very Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us (Romans 8:11). That is the power of the Resurrection to us who believe.

Aside from the Easter message this Sunday, sermon after sermon will deal with the tragedy we've seen this week when people fail to realize the truth of the Resurrection. Thirty-nine people died needlessly trying to achieve something that had already been accomplished and was freely available to them. They wanted to go to the level "beyond human." They thought they had to physically die from this world to find peace and power and joy. They were horribly (and eternally) wrong.

We've already reached the place they were so desperately seeking and no space ship was necessary. God, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6). We're already seated with Jesus. Right now. And there's still more to look forward to in the future when our dual citizenship expires.

We've gone way "beyond human." We're totally new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). We have been given power (and authority) through the Resurrection of our Lord to cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents (literal and figuative), be immune to poison (murderous or accidental) and heal the sick with the very touch of our hands (Mark 16:17-18). Not only is that kind of power a step up from the average earthbound Joe, it's also big time fun. There should be nothing tedious or boring about having the power of Christ's Resurrection living in us. It ought to make us so happy we can hardly stand it.

Of course knowing these things and acting on them are altogether different. But the sooner we start putting the power of Christ's (and our) Resurrection into action in our daily lives, the better off this whole crazy world will be. What if we showed people that Jesus really is alive? Maybe if people saw Jesus working through us they would be less inclined to look for Him in a UFO. Maybe if they saw the reality of this Resurrection power manifested in signs and wonders in the Church they wouldn't be so easily led astray by theories and nonsense. Maybe if they felt the love of Christ in our presence they wouldn't run from us to the first pretender to offer them a sense of belonging. They would run right to Jesus. .

The Bottom Line

Jesus already unlocked Heaven's Gate.

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Week of 3/23/97

Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

This verse from Acts is very revealing. First, in what it reveals about the continuing healing ministry of Jesus Christ, and secondly, what it reveals about us and our religious tradition. Isn't it interesting that more people use this verse to prove the poverty of the disciples than to prove the healing power resident in the name of Jesus? I don't want to get sidetracked from the purpose of today's message but let me get this nonsense out of the way first. If you keep reading into the next chapter of Acts (a whole two pages!) you will see: Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need (Acts 4:34-35). Peter was not broke. He probably just left his wallet in his other robe.

The important point of this miracle (the man was known to everyone in Jerusalem as crippled from birth and was over forty years old) is that what Jesus told the disciples to do they were actually doing (Mark 16:17-18; John14:13-14). They were using His name to continue in His work.

Today we have some difficulty with this concept in that to us a name is just something we're called. It doesn't mean much more than that. But when Jesus told us to use His name to accomplish the humanly impossible He was saying that all the authority and power that is His would be behind that name, backing us up. My Spirit-Filled Life Bible compares this to "power of attorney", the use of another's name to declare legal rights. This is just what Peter did. He commanded the crippled man to get up and walk, just as if he were Jesus.

I'll venture out on a dangerously narrow theological limb here for a moment. When Peter told that man to get up and walk, He was, in a sense, Jesus. Peter couldn't heal chapped lips on his own. He put a demand on the name of Jesus and Jesus showed up. Jesus lifted that cripple off the ground and sent him dancing and leaping down the street on a new pair of legs, praising God at the top of his lungs. He just used Peter's willing body. Peter reveals as much himself when he queries, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" (Acts 3:12). Peter doesn't even take credit for the faith to make the miracle happen. He goes on to say, "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him (emphasis added) has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:16). It wasn't just Jesus' power but also His faith working through Peter that instantly changed that man's life.

If you grasped the significance of this, you might want to jump up, too, dance around the room and shout to the Lord, unless you're at work where people would assume you've finally gone totally out of your mind (they would be right, of course). But this really is worth getting excited about. It takes all the pressure off us. All we have to do is act on the belief that Jesus is who He says He is. He will do the rest. Peter had no more natural healing ability than you or me, but he acted on the name of Jesus.

Let me give you another example. Last week we looked at the raising of Lazarus from the dead. An interesting conversation takes place between Martha and Jesus on the way to the grave. Martha tells Jesus that if He had been there her brother wouldn't have died, but even so she believes that God will give Him anything He asks for (John11:21-22). Jesus responds by telling her that her brother will rise again. She misses the point, thinking He is speaking of the final resurrection. Patiently, Jesus explains to her that He is resurrection, He is life, and asks her if she believes this (not whether He could raise Lazarus from the dead this afternoon). Martha answers, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world" (John 11:27). That was all Jesus needed to hear. He went to work. Martha still really didn't have a clue as to what Jesus was about to do, but she believed in His name. Still, I can't help wondering if she had acted on that belief four days earlier, would Lazarus have been dead when Jesus got to Bethany? .

The Bottom Line

Aren't you glad Peter didn't have any spare change?

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Week of 3/16/97

And they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

Yes, we're still talking about healing. Try to imagine, if you will, the ministry of Jesus without it. Take away the cleansing of the lepers, the healing of the blind, crippled and demon-possessed. Forget about the woman with the issue of blood. Leave Lazarus dead in his tomb. What would we be left with? Would He still be remembered today? Probably not.

Today, just as it was 2,000 years ago, health is the most precious commodity we can possess. You can be many times a billionaire and if you get a disease beyond the reach of our medical knowledge all the money in the world won't save you. That's why Jesus' ministry of healing was (and is) so powerful. He was giving the sick and dying something they could get nowhere else. He was giving it to them free of charge, and they in turn were giving glory to His Father God. This is what drew people to Him. Ironically, it is also the reason the religious leaders wanted to have Him killed. Had His ministry been without power they wouldn't even have paid attention to Him.

However, it was impossible not to notice Jesus. News of what He was doing spread amazingly fast for a civilization that had no sophisticated communications system. Nothing better exemplifies this than the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

When Jesus entered Bethany that historic day Lazarus had been in the tomb four days. There was a crowd of mourners at his sisters' house. When Jesus asked where they had laid Lazarus, they took Him to the tomb, with this whole pack of wailing mourners in tow. I imagine they even picked up some of the idly curious on the way (there probably was never a whole lot going on in Bethany). Before long Jesus was standing outside the tomb, surrounded by Lazarus' family, friends and neighbors. Martha saw this as an excellent opportunity to remind the Lord that Lazarus probably wasn't smelling too nice by now. Apparently the word "Duh" wasn't in Jesus' vocabulary because He simply said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Of course we all know what happened next. Jesus called Lazarus forth alive from the tomb.

For many of us, the story stops there. That's all we remember. But that isn't where the story ends. This event caused a tremendous commotion thoughout the land, as you can imagine. People that had previously assumed Jesus to be, at best, a prophet, suddenly saw Messiah written all over Him. The Pharisees saw their tenuous hold on the people slipping away. Lazarus had become something of a celebrity and a terribly powerful witness to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God.

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus (John 12:9-11).

Nothing convinces the skeptical of the reality of Jesus more than healing. It proves His Lordship like nothing else. You can tell people how wonderful Jesus is until He returns in glory but when they see you healed, or they receive healing themselves, the arguments cease. This is why Jesus told us to keep it up (Mark 16:15-18).

Unfortunately, nothing more is recorded of Lazarus. Legends abound, but the Bible is silent. I like to think, however, that he stood at the foot of the Cross as Jesus breathed His last breath. While all the others wept and wailed and saw their hopes of a glorious kingdom die, Lazarus knew something they didn't know. I think he nodded, smiled to himself, and said, "See You soon, Lord." .

The Bottom Line

Guaranteed to catch fish.

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Week of 3/09/97

And by His stripes we are healed.

Two weeks ago we started a series on healing. This is a subject I have some very strong feelings about, and if you've read the past two weeks' articles, you know I can get downright belligerant on the subject. Even my wife, who I'm sure God put in my life to keep me from being a total maniac, has questioned the tone (at least) of the past two articles. As usual (she will be reading this) she's right. So let me apologize if I have come across heavy-handed on such a beautiful subject and allow me to explain myself a bit.

First of all, I am not opposed to doctors. God regularly uses their skills, and an increasing number of them are aware of this. There are also many Spirit-filled Christian doctors doing wonderful work all over this planet. I just believe that God is the ultimate Healer and, doctor or no, your faith must be in Him. Secondly, I feel gut-wrenching compassion for people who are suffering, as well as those who are lost. At the same time I get very frustrated (and angry) with the religious leaders (not the sick people) who tell them that healing has passed away or that God Himself made them sick. To me this is akin to running around the neighborhood and telling everybody that my father is a child molester or serial killer. And when you lie about my Heavenly Father, who sacrificed His Son to take away our sins and our sickness, I admit I do get upset. Not because you're disputing my doctrine, but because you're calling the Blood of Jesus inadequate.

This brings us to probably the most-quoted verse on healing in the entire Bible, our verse for today. This passage in Isaiah tells us unequivically that the crucifixtion of Jesus Christ not only wiped out our sins but provided healing for our bodies and minds. Let's look at the entire passage. I will add the literal Hebrew meaning of some words in parentheses.

Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (pains); yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, He was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes (blows that cut in) we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).

The first thing I notice about this prophetic passage is the word surely. That little word performs one big job. It turns the following words into a promise, a promise of healing and forgiveness, something God always intended to go together.

But maybe, despite the literal Hebrew definitions of griefs and sorrows, you still think the Holy Spirit is speaking of purely spiritual healing. Take a look at what Matthew had to say about Jesus' ministry: And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matthew 8:16-17). We are unquestionably talking physical healing here. This is reaffirmed in 1 Peter 2:24, with one little change. That always aggressive fisherman declares, "By whose stripes you were healed." Only Peter (of course inspired by the Holy Spirit) would have the guts to do a rewrite of Isaiah. But he understood something powerful. He was standing on the other side of the Cross from Isaiah. The promise had been fulfilled. He was standing in it and so are we.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus died for the sin of all humanity. He did it once and He's not going to do it again. Jesus doesn't have to be re-crucified every time someone is 'saved'. We consider His work done in this area. But let's not stop there. Let's accept everything His suffering, death, burial and resurrection purchased for us. Every punch He took, every lash of the whip He endured bought your healing. As He stumbled under the weight of the Cross, He wasn't just carrying your sin on His bleeding back. He was bearing your sickness and your pain so you wouldn't have to. You don't have to talk Him into doing it. He's already done it.

This is a very expensive gift Jesus bought for us. It cost Him everything He had. Accept it. Thank Him for it and use it. If you are sick, keep these verses we've studied today in your heart and in your mouth. Tell them to your body. It will respond. Repeat them for the devil. He will run. You can even recite them for your doctor. He might surprise you and agree with you. .
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The Bottom Line

Unwrap every present Jesus left under the Tree.

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Week of 3/02/97

For I am the Lord who heals you.

Most Christians, and even many non-Christians, have no difficulty saying things like 'God is love'. That is because we see love as not just something God is capable of; we see it as His very nature. It's who He is. When the Lord declared to Moses and the children of Israel at the waters of Marah that He was their healer, He wasn't just telling them that He had the ability to heal them. He was saying, "I am healing. It's My name. It's not just what I do, it's who I am."

Why is this lost on so very many of us these days? Why do we believe that God unconditionally loves us and yet wants us to be sick when His very nature is to heal? Why do we argue about whether healing is His will when it's His very name? Did God name Himself for something He just does part-time or when He's in a particularly good mood? Maybe Jehova Rapha, The-Lord-Who-Heals, is just His DBA and when He's not on the clock He's The-Lord-Who-Gives-You-Cancer?

Silly and pretty darn close to blasphemous, I admit, but not far from what too many Christians believe if you listen to them talk long enough. I had one Christian friend try to tell me that death was God's cure for cancer. Nice, huh? Thank God I don't go to that church! Yet I'm sure everyone there believes in salvation. They would think nothing of walking in to a maximum security prison and preaching the Gospel. They would confidently (and correctly) tell every mass-murderer there that Jesus loves them and that God's forgiveness has already been bought and paid for with His precious Blood. They would tell these sinners par excellance that eternal life in Heaven was nothing more than a prayer away. They would be right, of course, too.

This strikes me as very odd. When you think about it, eternal life should be a lot tougher to believe for than simple physical healing. Besides believing in Heaven, someplace most of us have never seen, look what you're asking God to do: Take some total scumbag who has done unspeakable evil, forgive him, change him, make him the righteousness of God in Christ, raise him from the dead and give him an eternal home in the unimaginable, glorious presence of God. I would think healing someone of cancer would be a card trick for God compared to that.

Now of course I do believe in Heaven. I plan on going, and as a former scumbag, I am constantly thankful for this Promise. However, He's never shown me Heaven or even my name inscribed in the Lamb's Book of Life. I have to trust Him on that one. But I have seen Him heal countless people, myself, friends, members of my family and total strangers included. So what's the deal? Why do so many people believe that God is still in the salvation business but assume He's retired from medical practice?

Beats me. He says very clearly in Malachi 3:6, I am the Lord, I do not change. Jesus, years later, showing us the Father in action (John 14:9), healed everybody that asked Him to. That's almost all He had time to do (see last week's message). This continued even after Jesus left the earth, and not just with His eleven close friends, but with hundreds of other followers. And it continues to this day all over the world, from giant metropolitan cities to little villages of mud huts, people are being healed in vast numbers.

Still, you will be told over and over by some apparently learned religious types that healing has passed away, like everything else Jesus told us to do (except tithing) and you shouldn't get your hopes up. At best, if you catch God when He isn't busy inflicting natural disasters, He might, if you're lucky, zap you with a healing miracle, but you never know. Besides, they knew someone who tried it once and it didn't work (the operative word here is knew). This is where you decide who you're going to believe: God or your all-knowing Aunt Mildred; God or your all-powerful, all-seeing drinking buddies; God or some guy with a Doctorate of Theology that thinks the Bible is nice, but allegorical?

Which reminds me of something I heard Pastor Brian Houston from Australia say once. I am not going to bring my theology down to the level of my experience. I'm determined to bring my experience up to the level of my theology. A good way to start doing this is to believe that God really is The-Lord-Who-Heals you. .

The Bottom Line

God is the only true MD (Medical Deity).

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