Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples that didn’t accompany Jesus to the mount of transfiguration (those other than Peter, James and John) were unable to cast out this demon. Note that epilepsy in this case is caused by a spirit, and possibly also a self-destructive spirit (falling into fire and water). Mark 9′s telling of this story says that it was a deaf and dumb spirit that was doing this. A lesson to be learned here and also Luke 13:10-17 is that some diseases and afflictions, some times, have a demonic spirit connected with them, and don’t need healing as much as they need this demonic spirit to be sent away.

Second, It didn’t take a lot of faith to expel this demon spirit, because Jesus had spent the time praying and fasting, and knowing by his covenant who he was.

The word “faithless” here (apistos – Strongs 571) is the same word used in John 20:27 about Thomas (“be not faithless, but believing”). English Words used in KJV: that believe not 6, unbelieving 5, faithless 4, unbeliever 4, infidel 2, and two other words.

In chapter 21, verse 21-22 goes along with Matthew 17:20. This is the story of the triumphant entry, counterpart to Mark 11. Those from a WOF (Word of Faith) background know Mark 11:22-24 well. Verse 21-22 of Matthew 21 go with these, but emphasize more the “have faith”, “do not doubt”, “believing”, where if you look at Mark 11:23 alone, you see an emphasis on the “saying” (Kenneth Hagin points out that “say” appears three times, and “believe” appears once). We need both!

It is a good thing to read scripture aloud, and to make personal faith confessions from it. But that saying is helping build it in you, so that you can speak with authority when the time comes. But if you start speaking it to affect a situation without having done this faith-building time first, you may find your words hollow or ineffective. This is just like when Jesus said that “these things don’t go out but by prayer and fasting”, he didn’t stop and pray right then – he’d already prayed and fasted.

Leroy Thompson wrote about how some people are “echoes” rather than “voices” … they say the right words when they need a breakthrough, but it’s not down in their heart. You need to build this in you before tough times come, so that “out of the abundance of your heart” you speak (Matt 12:34). Otherwise you’ll find yourself struggling to speak positive Bible words when you’re challenged … you may start to waver … and James tells us that double-minded people shouldn’t expect much.

Doug

• Two things I saw in Matthew 4: when we pass through the temptations, tests and trials, the angels will be there to minister to us (compare Luke 22:43), and Jesus’ ministry was preaching, teaching AND healing (also Matthew 9:35). That is how His ministry STARTED, some churches never get there.
• Matthew 5: two thing stood out, first the number of times persecutors, enemies,etc came up and the consistent response towards them, second was to recognize that we are blessed, salt and light no matter what our circumstances are, and to not hide that light for any reason.
• It is interesting that Matthew 7 says Judge not, that you not be judged… But a little later talks about others being known by their fruit. How does one reconcile these?
• So much good stuff in Matthew 9 – the blind men, Jairus (named in Mark 5) and the woman, eating with “sinners” … But what struck me was verse 5-6. After he asked “Which is more difficult?” did he wait for a reply from the scribes before he continued speaking? What did they say?
  I would assume from what he said in verse 6 that they said “Telling a man to get up and walk, and him doing so, would be more difficult.” So in verse 6, he showed them he could do the more difficult, so he could equally do the easier (in their eyes). But to Jesus, one was as easy as the other. They are two parts of the same covenant.
• Two interesting things in Matthew 11: First, while Jesus calls John the Baptist the greatest of the OT-era prophets, he says that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater (verse 11). Second, in verse 20, he ties mighty works (miracles, healings, demons cast out, etc) and repentance (changed mind and direction). Not preaching only, but demonstration.
• Two thoughts from Matthew 12: Verse 25, a house divided against itself shall not stand – we shouldn’t settle for or accept a false unity based on compromise of core values, but we shouldn’t reject those that are of the household of faith that see some things differently. Work with others as you can without giving up your values.
  Second thought is verse 34 – out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Whatever is overflowing in your heart will come out of your mouth when circumstances or pressure push past your ability to contain it. So best to replace what is in your heart that is unfruitful, and strive that your message doesn’t change when tough times come, but instead increases with consistency.
• Matthew 13:58 Unbelief stops many of God’s great works on man’s behalf from happening with any consistency.
• Matthew 14:31 “why did you doubt?” Doubt was a choice, because Peter walked on the water until he looked at the circumstances. Compare with John 20:27 “Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (NKJV, KJV faithless, NIV “Stop doubting and believe.”). Think about the similarities between Peter in Matthew 14 and Thomas in John 20.
• Matthew 16:24 Deny yourself. Give up the choice of your own way if you know it’s not God’s way. Give up the right to correct others when you disagree and it’s not your place. Give up your ability to live a saved but ungodly life. Give up the desire to have the last word. Give up your right to hold a grudge.

Doug

http://newcovenantatlanta.com/Network/2012%20NT%20Reading%20Schedule.pdf

Thanks to Bishop Randy Morgan of Covenant Network for providing this download!

Doug

I believe that it’s ALWAYS God’s will to heal, as is revealed in His word (I will talk about some of the why/what if in another post).

First, if we look at Creation before the Fall. There was no sickness in the garden. God said that everything was GOOD. If you look at Deuteronomy 28, the “bad things” in verse 15 through the end are called “the curse”. The curse didn’t come on man and the earth until the fall in Genesis 3.

Second, we have the revelation of the Father’s will through Jesus’ teaching. If you go through the book of John, you’ll find verses like:

John 5:19-20 (NKJV) Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
John 14:7-9 (NKJV) “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Third, we have the revelation of the Father’s will through Jesus’ ministry. Jesus healed ALL that came to him. In Getting Past the Pie Mentality, I noted these verses, but they bear repeating:

Acts 10:37-38 (NKJV) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV) When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. 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.”

Next, we have healing as part of redemption. The words for salvation (soteria) and saved (sozo) not only speak to our receiving eternal life, but include deliverance, health, protection and “be whole” as well (Strong’s Concordance, G4991 and G4982).

Galatians 3:13 (NKJV) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).
Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

You’ll find the same thing true of the Hebrew word “shalom”, which means peace, prosperity, wholeness, well-being and success (Strong’s Concordance, H7965). Jesus is the Prince of Shalom!

Finally, we have the revelation of what heaven is like – there is no sickness there, there are no tears there, our bodies will be resurrected, transformed and whole. Jesus said:

Matthew 6:9-10 (NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

He invites and instructs us to pray that the way things are in heaven would be so in earth as well.

I will write about some of the reasons why healing is delayed – or doesn’t come – in a future post.

Doug

Acts 10:37-38 (NKJV) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Matthew 8:16-17 (NKJV) When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. 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.”

How many believers do you know that have said “Pray for him instead, he’s so much worse off than I am” Or “She deserves healing more than I do”? This comes from “pie mentality”… that the power of God is rationed out, like a big pie. When one person gets a larger portion, then another must get a smaller portion, or do without. Some volunteer to give up their portion of healing.

But that’s not how healing works! In the two passages above – along with other readings – we see that Jesus ministered to ALL that were sick. We see that God was WITH Him – that healing everyone that came to him, regardless of circumstances, didn’t violate God’s plan! We see further that healing for all – just like salvation for all – was in the plan of redemption, for Matthew 8:17 refers to Isaiah 53:4-5:

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

There is no pie for salvation – it is for all. Neither is there a pie for healing, for they’re wrapped up together. Receive your healing by faith in God, without this hindrance!

Doug

Paul wrote about this in his first letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 12:12-21 (NKJV) For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

God puts us in our place. He had enough sense to not call me to childrens’ ministry or trustee office in my church, for example. He set me in a church in Cortland, Ohio. He has other people to preach in other cities, and has called or is calling other people to do the ministries that I’m incapable of doing well. He has also raised up people that can do ministries that I AM capable of doing, but should not be if they detract from my primary callings.

We are all special, wonderful and unique – just like the right pinky differs from the left hear, the left pinky or the right index finger. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are one body in Christ, and that we need each other in order to fully function.

Doug

The author of the book of Hebrews starts off with this statement:

Hebrews 1:1-4 (NKJV)
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

There’s a lot of words in there, but there are a few key points that help it make sense:

• Whatever we knew of God in the past, we now have to look at in the light of Jesus’ ministry and teachings. In John 14:9, Jesus said this himself: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” – In other words, that Jesus came to demonstrate God’s true nature. What we saw recorded in the Law and the Prophets is incomplete – for every recorded judgment (and there weren’t that many, even if we focus on them), we have no idea how many undocumented blessings and acts of love God did for Israel.
• God has put all judgment in Jesus’ hands, when he turned the world over to Jesus. See John 5:26-27 for more on this. Note that God didn’t send Jesus to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17)
• Jesus has purged our sins. Compare this with Colossians 2:14, which various translations read “blotting out” (KJV), “wiped out” (NKJV), “having canceled” (NIV), “obliterating” (NAB). The cross is completely sufficient to make us right with God. Anything added to it is “grace plus”, and doesn’t match with Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
  

  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

When you want to see what Abba (Daddy) God is like, look at Jesus!

Doug

Having said that, let’s look at three verses that speak of God’s will. This is a VERY brief overview of these passages, each is worth significant study on its own.

Matthew 6:10 (NKJV) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

This comes from the Lord’s Prayer. Many churches (including mine) pray this each week. We are asking that the way things are done in heaven should be done in earth as well. There is no sickness in heaven. There is no lack in heaven. There is no sadness in heaven, but rejoicing and thanksgiving. Do we realize what we’re asking for? Do we mean it? Do we believe it can happen? Are we willing to cooperate with this? (For a detailed exposition of this, see Bill Johnson’s book “When ,Heaven Invades Earth”).

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The calvinist would say “Not all men are repenting, not all men are being saved, this scripture does not actually mean that it is possible for all to be saved.” (There’s a lot more to calvinism than that). The universalist would say that “Because God’s will is that all would be saved, all will be saved.” I don’t hold to that view, either. God wants the church to be an instrument of offering His reconciliation to the world, telling them that He’s not holding their sins against them, but welcomes all people to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Too many churches instead are busy vehemently denouncing sin and sinners, rather than offering a better way.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How many people that claim Jesus as their Lord spend their time grumbling, murmuring and complaining? They sound like the Israelites in Numbers, rather than people that Jesus died for, resurrected for, and is now praying for at God’s side. God is for us; no-one can be against us, except our own attitudes.

There’s a lot of food for thought there. Pick one of those passages and run with it.

Doug

What is God’s way for the church to learn?

First, He’s sent the Holy Spirit to teach us.

John 14:26 (NKJV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26 (AMP) But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

The Holy Spirit will remind us of Jesus’ teachings. He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17) and will guide us into truth (John 16:13), and help us recognize truth and error in other teachings. He will give us wise words when accused or testifying (Matthew 10:19-20). He will give us wisdom, revelation and understanding (Ephesians 1:17-18), if we allow Him to lead us and listen to His instruction. Other references to His instructor role may be found in 1 John 2.

The other guide that God has given to us is church leaders. In Ephesians 4:11-15, we find that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are given to equip the saints, build up the church, and help us move into Christian maturity, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (verse 14). We also see the teaching responsibility in overseers (some translations read this “bishops”) and deacons (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1).

With the assistance of the Holy Spirit and godly church leaders, we can grow up into a glorious Church!

Doug

Notes in MS Office doc format and Adobe Acrobat format

Audio download

Doug