Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
Luke 5:24-25 (emphasis added)

This should be the rallying cry of the church across the world. We should be having a service a week (minimum) with this as the core message. We should be renting coliseums, and hotel banquet halls, and community centres. Letting people line up in droves. We were told directly to preach and heal (Matthew 10:8-9). We were told indirectly when Jesus told us to do like He did. “I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Jesus came to set free those who were in bondage and heal the blind – full healing is found in both those concepts (Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:17-21). We were tasked to do this to (1) bring the Father glory and (2) so people would know by this VISIBLE thing that Jesus could so the INVISIBLE thing of forgiving their sin. Nowhere in scripture does it tell us to STOP.

When DOES the church stop its ministry? I’m talking the entire so-called five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11), the general layman, the believer not connected to any formal church, the Jew or Gentile believer, the ENTIRE Body of Messiah Jesus. When does it stop? I for one don’t see that it ever does. Surely in heaven, you may say. But look at the wording of many of the verses. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life—water as clear as crystal—pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life producing 12 kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5). Worship. Healing. Face to face with the Father. Lit by the Glory. No more curse. But it doesn’t say no more WORK.

Toil is part of the curse, but not work. Not productivity. Jesus BROKE those cursed altars and restored our productivity and ability to work. Work was one of the first commandments we got. “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:26). Be fruitful = be productive. Multiply = work mixed with productivity and harvest. Multiply your resources. Multiply your prosperity. Multiply your accomplishments. The words don’t ONLY refer to having children. He could have specified the single thing only. But Adonai didn’t. He referred to our WHOLE lives. It’s also why we are supposed to worship Him will all our hearts, minds, and RESOURCES (Mark 12:30-31; Deuteronomy 6:5). Our strength is not just muscular. It is our absolute strength, power, might, force, and ability bent toward overcoming immediate resistance. It can be physical, financial, emotional, political, or anything else. Think of how we refer to each other. He’s a man of great might, of great resources. She has great financial strength. That kid is an emotional powerhouse. It goes on. All of that is included. When we get to heaven all those things will be perfected. They’ll still be part of who we are. And worshipping Yahweh will still include those things. There is no STOPPING. Our God is a God of growth (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Expansion. Ever-increasingness (Isaiah 9:7). He is the Father of Eternity – above and outside eternity (Isaiah 9:6-7). He isn’t going to ‘stop’. The Body of Messiah Jesus isn’t either.

Healing isn’t some flashy ‘lookit me’ endeavour. It is to glorify the FATHER, not us. It is not US who do the works but the Father THROUGH us. We should be doing what Jesus did and always pointing to the Father. We do it by pointing at Jesus who points to the Father. In fact, Ruach HaKodesh within us guides us to point to Jesus who points to the Father. We are barely a footnote. In ourselves we are nothing, but in Him everything because HE is everything (John 15). This is something to share because we can ALL partake of it.

We are supposed to be LIGHTS shining into the darkness (Matthew 5:14-16). Salt that they notice (Matthew 5:13). We should be VISIBLE so Jesus can be visible and they can see that Jesus means what He says (Colossians 1:15-17). It isn’t a dusty book full of rules. It’s a love story with a passionate Adonai way beyond our league who wants us anyway and blesses us bountifully starting with our spirit and working outward (Song of Songs). We are filled with the raising from the dead power of Adonai. “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:10-11). Why aren’t we letting Jesus use it? Why aren’t we letting Him perform miracles with it?

Peter didn’t pray and beg Adonai for healing (Acts 3:6-7). He commanded it because Peter understood believers in Jesus who are humbly submitted and obeying Him have a right to use His name the way He intended (Matthew 10:8,Luke 9:2,Luke 10:9,Luke 10:19). It is the sign of His authenticity to a world who doesn’t understand the Kingdom. Paul didn’t pray and beg Adonai for healing (Acts 14:7–10). Paul didn’t pray and beg Adonai for help with the spirit of divination either (Acts 16:16-18). They COMMANDED because Jesus told us to DO IT, not ask Him about it. We’re to TRUST that Ruach HaKodesh will send into the person to be healed the healing power Jesus released through His suffering on the cross. No matter if we SEE any evidence of it beforehand or have a ‘feeling’ or anything. We are to TRUST and COMMAND. As long as the person (or yourself) isn’t doubting, there is NO REASON to expect anything less than what Jesus got when He did it.

It is recommended in scripture that we follow Paul’s example because Paul followed Jesus example. So follow Jesus’ example. Be submitted to the Father in ALL THINGS. Read the Word and meditate on it. Pray and fast. Spend TIME seeking the Father. Seeking Jesus. Communing with Him. Love Him so that you’ll obey Him. Trust Him enough to love Him. Keep your trust active through regularly reading the Word and submitting to what you find there. Walk with Him. And let Him shine through you in every interaction you have with every person you see because He is the Light of this World (John 8:12). Seeing Him move through you is the proof of Jesus’ authenticity. The proof He can do what He says He can do: cleanse people by forgiveness of their sin. It is the Good News that EVERYONE needs to hear.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 9:6

“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called Wonderful Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Messiah would be a newborn child. Talk about humility. The One through whom ALL things were created (John 1:3). A newborn. Gurgling, spitting, drooling, pooping Himself. Crying like a maniac when He was hungry. Snorking and snuffling trying to get a latch on Mary’s breast. Flailing His arms and legs in weird ways because He couldn’t get them to do what He wanted them to yet. A baby. Like EVERY OTHER BABY. There was ZERO evidence He was special. It took real trust for Mary to hold to the words of the angel. “Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). Jesus was just like you and I are – but with a righteous spirit. He was sinless while helpless as a babe. We were not. Mary held these things deep in her heart (Luke 2:19) and reported them accurately to Luke and John later in her life. Like MANY mothers, she never forgot the experience and circumstances of her first child’s birth (it’s hard to forget a birth). There is no way around the truth. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b