May 26, 2013

End times church count down: Repent for unbelief

When Jesus came down from the mountain (after He allowed the three disciples to have a glimpse of His true divine status as the Son of God in the heavenly realm), He was confronted by a huge wave of unbelief, even among His disciples.
Unbelief is the only hindrance to human living the abundant life given by God, through Jesus, the Son of God. The human father of the epileptic boy cried out and said with tears to Jesus in desperation, ” Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24
How did Jesus describe the unbelieving world? “O faithless generation” Mark 9:19; “O faithless and perverse generation” Matthew 17:17.
Who were addressed in this ‘harsh’ comment? The disciples who could not cast out the evil spirit which tormented the boy.
The same description was used in Philippians 2:15 “a crooked and perverse generation”. 
Today many ‘disciples’ of Jesus do not believe in divine healing, divine health, and God’s will to heal all. Yet Jesus did heal all who came to Him. He saved all and healed all who believed.
Those who choose not to believe in the power of God working in them have opted out of the kingdom of God living. Why? If Jesus is your King, you live by His rule. He has given authority to the disciples and they did perform according to His command and authority then. They failed in the above incident when they did not believe.
After Jesus was resurrected He spent forty days teaching them about the kingdom of God living before He ascended into heaven. The disciples obeyed His command and waited for ten more days. On Pentecost Day the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as Jesus had promised. They were filled with power and went out and preach the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus Christ, healed the sick, cast out demons and made disciples just as Jesus had commanded.
It is easy to accept half the Salvation message, to take the ‘forgiveness of sins’ (and go to heaven one day in future) and ignore the part that clearly declared, “By His stripes/wounds you are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24). Why? Because salvation of the soul/spirit is unseen. No one needs to take responsibility for such a teaching.
On the other hand, if you are not spiritually discerning, when you pray for someone and the person is not healed, you may incur losses: shame, loss of respect, guilt, self doubt, loss of self-esteem, credibility, blame, litigation, and perhaps an exodus of your church membership. Jesus knew this would happen to many.
Even His disciples failed. For example, Peter. He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 9:33
Only those who are spiritually discerning know the things of God (Who is Spirit). No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Those who believe have received the Spirit who is from God and have the mind of Christ. (Read 1 Corinthians 2)
As Jesus Himself had commented, which is easier to do? forgiving sins or healing the sick? In the physical realm, it is obviously easier to say, “your sins are forgiven.” In the spiritual realm, both are parts of the same power, the power of God.
Being saved and born again is a spiritual matter. it takes the power of God to give birth to you and transfer you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. The Holy Spirit is involved.
In the healing of the sick (physical and mental) the same power of the Holy Spirit works.
Jesus never gave a command that could not be carried out. In fact He gave the salvation (the power for forgiveness of sins and supernatural healing) command to all who believe. Mark 16:15-20
What you choose to believe is your own responsibility. Jesus said, you cannot choose God and choose the world (represented by the word ‘Mammon’).
How can one believe as supernatural healing deals with the unseen realm?
Today’s message mainly from Philippians chapter 2 deals with this unbelief:
  1. the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 1:19
  2. let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by the adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 1:27-28
  3. fellowship in the Spirit. 2:1
  4. being like-minded, of one accord, one mind. 2:2
  5. in lowliness of mind. 2:3
  6. look out for the interests of others. 2:4
  7. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” 2:5
  8. seek the things that are of Christ Jesus. 2:21
  9. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 2:12
  10. “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” 2:13
  11. “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” 2:15
  12. holding fast the word of life. 2:16
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve all things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” 1:9-11

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