I asked you in the last blog to read Mark 1-6 and to think about the question as to whether the church looks like what you read. If you read those chapters and thought, yes that was Jesus and He had power to do all those things, that would be true but if you also thought those miracles Jesus performed were only possible by Him and for that time, you have been deceived. I say deceived because many believe Jesus was God therefore He was powerful and could do all those miracles and they do not give it a second thought that others would be able to do as Jesus did, even though scripture makes it clear that disciples did do as Jesus did. Many have also been taught that even though Jesus did give power and authority to those first few disciples, that power would no longer be given to the disciples who followed as it was no longer needed to prove the authority of the Gospel. Most in the church have adhered to false teaching and have accepted powerlessness as normal in the church. Even though there is no power in the church, most will say they have been filled with the Holy Spirit but have not tested the spirits to see what spirits they are filled with. Now just to be clear, I am talking about non-charismatics and charismatics when talking about the lack of healing power in the church. Both say they are filled with the Spirit, yet neither side has the power to do as Jesus did. Yes, one side just has more smoke and mirrors. Don’t get me wrong, while some are fake, satan is very present and masquerading as an angel of light. Neither side looks anything like the Gospels.
As we talk about healing, bear in mind this question; why do so many teach against the gift of healing and miracles? Though charismatic nonsense is part of it, there is much more deception and delusion taking place as that movement is relatively new. Also keep in mind that no matter how eloquently someone can explain the scriptures, the bible states very clearly that healing and miracles are possible for today and should be part of the church, so then it is clearly satan behind these false teachers who ignorantly promote his doctrines. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” That is why you have to ask why there are so many volumes of works explaining away the power of God in the church. And remember God appointed disciples to do His work.
Our journey toward Pentecost is obviously about the power and authority the church is supposed to have. For most Christmas and Easter are the big two. Yes, some have Pentecost on their calendar, but it is just a yearly ritual. Pentecost was the powerhouse of the church, where the church would go out and continue to do as Jesus did. Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” You can easily put on a show at Christmas and Easter, but Pentecost is hard to fake. I say supposed to have because that power and authority has been taken away because the church rebelled against the word of the Lord even during the lifetime of Paul. I could stop right here and say this rebellion is why there is no healing and miracles in the church as seen in the Gospels and Acts. The church started off with power as we read in the appropriately named book of Acts. But the church quickly rebelled, and the words of king Josiah apply also to the church. 2 Kings 22:13 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” Josiah did what was right and the church should do the same. 2 Kings 23:25 “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” The church no longer acted in power as it should have. That is why Paul said 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” And ever since there have been false teachers teaching other gospels and the church continues to rebel to this day, thus void of power. The powerlessness the church has accepted as normal is the destruction that was / is caused by the abomination that causes desolation. The deception and delusion in the church is so extreme, that Sunday after Sunday people give glory to God, all the while God has turned His face from the church and they do not even know enough to turn and repent. Jeremiah 2:13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 32 My people have forgotten me, days without number. 34 Yet in spite of all this 35 you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’ But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’” As we talked about, false teachers and their gospels / doctrines of demons are everywhere in the church. This is not just an American church issue, but a global pandemic of falseness.
The lack of power in the church and the willingness to accept it is the result of deception and delusion. Since we just celebrated Easter, most will say hallelujah, Jesus lives! But most really do not believe it because they have accepted the false teaching that Jesus is now powerless to do as He did in the Gospels. Where is the power of the resurrection? And don’t answer salvation because that has to be questioned since God has turned His face from the church. Most people do not even check to see what they have been saved into. Peaching the Good news and miracles, signs and wonders, healing, casting out demons were a prelude to Pentecost and when the power from on High fell, the church went out and did as Jesus did, at least for a short time. It was a short time because the church did not listen and quickly followed a different jesus and other gospels. Paul had warned Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” Jesus had already warned about these wolves. Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” And they came in packs and deceived many. One of satan’s tricks is for a false teacher to point out another false teacher, thus taking eyes of the one doing the pointing. Always test the spirits and test what you are reading here. Jesus also said Matthew 24:4 “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” The church did not listen and the abomination that causes desolation decimated the church. The common denominator in the church today is following false teachers and the lack of power as a result. This is the only area in the church that is unified.
It appears that if something happens over and over again, people tend to accept it as normal and how it is supposed to be. People will say “that’s just the way it is,” “such is life” and my least favorite is “it is what it is.” Basically, people are saying, “There is nothing we can do to change or prevent the way things have unfolded or will unfold; this is just the normal way things happen.” Then there is a more sinister and deceptive aspect to it. If something is said over and over again to deceive people, people begin to believe it as true, even if it is not. If you want to see this at work, just listen to Donald Trump as he is very good at it (lying), but that doesn’t say much for those who buy into his lies because even though he has been fact checked thousands of times, people still believe him. And now people are shocked that he lies so much. He repeats lies like election fraud and fake news and even questions the integrity of the judicial system over and over and people end up believing, even though facts say otherwise. In each of those cases there may be a little fraud but not to the extent he is saying. When looking at this, I came across this information. “The illusory truth effect, also known as the illusion of truth, describes how when we hear the same false information repeated again and again, we often come to believe it is true. Troublingly, this even happens when people should know better—that is, when people initially know that the misinformation is false. Encountering repeated instances of false information like this can affect our judgments of truth, causing us to believe statements that we might have initially evaluated more skeptically.” “You keep seeing the same claim made over and over online—so it must be true, right? Not necessarily. It's also one of the ways that misinformation spreads.” I smiled with one example they gave where it was said "drinking pickle juice cures anxiety." You would end up being pickled yourself before anxiety went away. Also, some people are so naive that if they have not seen it, it must not be real and everything on the internet is true.
The same illusion of truth has happened in the church and there are many charlatans and snake oil salesmen selling their pickle juice. The church has been told over and over again, that what is happening in the church is how God intended it to be and they will go to great extremes, usually in a book they have written, to prove their point. 2 Corinthians 2:17 “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” Scripture is replaced with tradition, reason and experience. Many so called teachers / gurus will tell you God gave them a vision and a plan, and He is blessing them because they are successful. And many are very successful according to the world’s definition of success. So theoretically if you did the same, after buying into their plan, your results would be the same, but that rarely ever happens. What you end up with is more and more gurus and more people following them and, in the end, everyone smells like pickles. Yet, although they appear successful, there is no power from on High and the plan did not come from God because His word is the plan and it is complete. It is a little weird that they all teach the word of God is complete, yet they all add to and take away from scripture to suit their own needs. If you buy that their plan is from God, though it looks nothing like scripture, you are believing that God’s plan was somehow not complete as laid out in scripture. Thankfully these gurus came along and then God could fix His mistake of not including everything needed to build His church. These false teachers have added to and taken away from scripture to cover up the missing power of the Holy Spirit. But the truth is Jeremiah 23:21 “I (God) did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” This is why it is crucial to test the spirits. 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Over and over the church has been told that what was seen in the Gospels was Jesus and that was for then in order to prove the scriptures, yet accepting the lie that the powerless condition of the church is how it is supposed to be is deception and delusion. Again, even though it sounds like I am just talking about non-charismatics, I am talking about charismatics also.
What happens is that when people read scripture, they see it as an old, old story that is not really applicable to today, nor should they expect what they read to be possible for today. They read about the power of Jesus and it is such a wonderful story to listen to, but what a shame that He is dead and those things can no longer take place. That is basically what false teachers who say power is not available to the church today are telling you. When you read scripture, you see a completely different picture than the lies that have been sold as truth. If most people were honest with themselves, they want the power and authority we read about to be real in the church so that there is healing and miracles but the church you see today is not the church Jesus is the head of, as most are following a different Jesus. The disciples were told Luke 24:46 “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Jesus also said John 7:37 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” People talk about being filled with the Spirit, but the river is dried up and there is no life. When that power came at Pentecost, the very same power and authority we see in the Gospels, we see a river of life and Ezekiel 47:9 “where the river flows everything will live.” This is what that river looked like. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” This is the good news of the kingdom, yet what the church calls good news is powerless and completely different. The church has sent out disciples teaching about a different jesus and other gospels. Instead, the church should have continued to look like this , Acts 8:5 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.”
That is what happens when the true gospel is proclaimed. Mark 16:15 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Matthew says the same. Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Yes, Jesus is alive and that power and authority was supposed to be available to the end of the age. The word that the church is proclaiming is not being confirmed with power from on High. Yes, there are other gospels being confirmed with power, like very successful ministries and strange manifestations that appear to be God, but it is satan. Many have fallen for satan’s offer and did not answer correctly as Jesus did. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’
Just before moving on, true power and authority are not present in charismatic circles either. Although there are manifestations such as tongues and falling on the ground and lying on their backs and other nonsense, there is not the power and authority we see in scripture. Many have been deceived by satan’s masquerades. 2 Corinthians 11:3 “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Over the years many have witnessed the nonsense of the likes of Benny Hinn or the Toronto Blessing and many others since. This is not the power of God. But someone like John MacArthur and not charismatic, was just as much a false teacher as Benny Hinn.
Think about these two verses. Exodus 15:26 “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” The diseases entered the land but then Jesus came and Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” This is the power and authority that raised Jesus from the dead, the resurrection of which most say they believe. Ephesians 1:19 “His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead.” So keep those verses close, because there is a war on healing and miracles and there are many false teachers in the church who are willing to do satan’s work. Nowhere does scripture say that this power and authority is not available. So why don’t people believe the power and authority is still available? It is because of the false teachers who are teaching it is not available. It is also the false teachers who do say it is available, yet they also teach other gospels and a different jesus, so it is not the same power Paul was talking about. The false teachers are saying what satan wants them to say. Of course he does not want the church to have the power and authority to destroy his works. 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” The church was given power and authority to continue in that work because satan is still here. satan was defeated at the cross, not destroyed. Revelation 12:9 “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan, who leads the whole world astray. 12 Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” If he was you wouldn’t read verses like this. Acts 5:16 “bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 8:7 “For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.” 2 Corinthians 2:11 “in order that satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” Though the church was given power and authority to defeat him. These false teachers do not have that power and authority so they needed to teach that it was no longer needed. As always, satan wants you to curse God and die so that you will spend eternity with him. Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Cursing God is a rejection of His word, just like at the beginning with Adam and Eve. When we reject God’s word, we curse God, and we trample on Jesus. Hebrews 10:29 “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Over and over the church has been told that the church we see to today is the church Jesus said He would build, yet there is no loosing and binding. (Matthew 16) Let’s say you had plans for a new house and the builders built your house while you were away, yet when you return, the house looks nothing like the plans, and even worse it was not wired for power or piped for water. The builder would say, see we did what you asked and you would be dumbfounded. Luke 18:8 When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” After all these years, the answer is still no. When king Saul rebelled against God, he said that he obeyed. He was told, 1 Samuel 15:2 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.” Then we see God’s response. 10 “Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night. 12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.” 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” Just a reminder that the New Covenant changed a physical battle to a Spiritual battle, though someone like Pete Hegseth and others have no idea what that means. Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Notice Saul said he had carried out the Lord’s instruction, but he also built a monument in his own honor. The church says the same. After rejecting God’s word and following their own way and operating in their own strength, the church still has the audacity to say look what I built, I have done everything the Lord has commanded. But the church has not obeyed, but still thinks God is pleased with their rebellion. People who call themselves the church have become so content in their rebellion and powerlessness, they refuse to repent because they believe what they have been told is truth. Powerlessness has been so normalized that when you even suggest what the bible is really saying as opposed to what the church is saying, you a called a lunatic. If I say there is supposed (not here because of rebellion) to be power available to raise the dead and heal any sickness, most who call themselves Christians would label me out of my mind, even if they do not say it out loud. Most do not believe this is even possible. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” If you believe Jesus is alive, just repeat what He said and see the reaction you will get. Matthew 11:5 “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Even though that is not happening in the church, we should still believe it since Jesus is alive. If Jesus is dead, of course this is not possible in the church today. Most in the church have been so deceived and deluded, that even though they read these short few chapters Mark 1-6 which are filled with power, they will still not believe it possible for today and they remain blind and deaf to the word of God. The power and authority and availability to the church is clearly laid out in scripture. Isaiah 42:20 “You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.” The church like Israel and Judah will not listen. Jeremiah 44:16 “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!” The church is also like Adam and Eve who refused to listen to God’s word but gladly listened to satan’s words. Genesis 3:1 “He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” satan has been deceiving God’s people ever since.
I was thinking about this verse and the unbelief associated with it. 2 Peter 3:3 “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” That is true as it has been a long time, but not for God. 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” But do not forget, you and I only have our lifetime to make the right choice. It really doesn’t matter if it has been 2000 years, you and I have only the length of time given to us. For some, their lives may be shortened and others live a long life but when you die, your eternal destination will already be decided because after you die it is too late to repent but most do not fear because of false teaching and they should be fearful. Luke 16:27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Life does go on and nothing changes as the church continues to be powerless. The church has become very good at living in powerlessness but as Isaiah said Isaiah 57:11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?” The church has accepted this powerless state and does not even know enough to call out for God’s mercy. Jeremiah 5:1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city. 2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ still they are swearing falsely.” Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” That is what deception and delusion do to people.
People are being struck down all around us and you yourself might have had hardship, disease or sickness. When Covid struck, the church proved itself to be unessential and its powerlessness was exposed big time. The charismatics who said the Holy Spirit was present were powerless and the non-charismatics who said they had the Holy Spirit were also powerless. People fought to keep the doors open so that people could come and do what they had always done and then go home, but that is not the church. That was just a gathering of people who have been deceived by false teachers who have told them that church is a gathering of people in a building where you sing and listen to someone speak and then go home and then repeat. Covid is just one disease that wreaked havoc, sickness and death on this planet and the church was nowhere to be seen. “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the top global causes of death are dominated by noncommunicable diseases, led by ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These conditions, along with lower respiratory infections and neonatal conditions, constitute the majority of global mortality, with cardiovascular diseases causing over 15% of all deaths. (2021/2022)” That is just the tip of the iceberg. There is also a mental health and addiction tsunami. Then there are all the incurable diseases that people have to manage or die because of. Then there are all of the potential diseases that could have global impact just like covid that are being monitored. These could break out at any time. You also have homosexuality, (There's no cure for HIV / AIDS, herpes) sexually transmitted diseases. Romans 1:5 “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Ask yourself where is the power of this verse? 1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” The world says no cure, but God says otherwise. So according to the false teachers, the church has no need for this power? Sunday after Sunday, the church sings praise while in their midst and all around them are the sick and dying. My word program just keeps turning pages and I could fill those pages with diseases and illnesses if I were to even attempt to write them all down. Or you could look at them on websites like one I looked at that had “A to Z list of common illnesses and conditions including their symptoms, causes and treatments” That is mind-boggling. Most in the church do not believe God gave power to the church to deal with this. Hopefully you do not believe that lie after reading these next verses.
Again think about these verses, and just a few at that, in light of all the diseases above, Exodus 15:26 “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” As we saw these diseases, and more are on the world. But then Jesus came. Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Now add Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and HEALING EVERY DISEASE AND SICKNESS among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Then add Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” Leprosy could be any nasty disease. Then add Acts 5:12 “The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” And Acts 8:6 “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” As we read in Mark, Mark 17:15 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” This can only be done with power from on High. 1 Corinthians 12:4 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another GIFTS OF HEALING by that one Spirit, 10 to another MIRACULOUS POWERS, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Healing and miracles were supposed to be happening in the church. James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
Scripture is very clear on this, yet false teachers say sign gifts such as healing and miracles were only needed at the beginning and no longer needed. Really? Scripture does not say that. Did you see the disease list? Everyone knows someone where illness has struck. Yesterday I quoted one writer who said, “We resonate and agree with Pastor Chuck Swindoll who said: "I believe in divine healing. I do not believe in divine healers. I believe in faith healing. I do not believe in faith healers. There is a great difference. I believe that God in His sovereign grace and power will in fact reach down in some cases and change a condition . . . . And I am of the conviction that God does that apart from any individual who claims to have certain powers" Chuck Swindoll is a false teacher who rejects what the word of God clearly states as you just read. Forget about the charismatic nonsense; what does scripture say?
For most in the church, doctors and the pharmacy play a huge role in their lives, and some would not be alive without medications. This has become acceptable and normal Christianity as the church is filled with and surrounded with sick people or managed sickness, whether it is mental health, cancer or heart problems just to name a few. What has also become acceptable is death as the cure. Sometimes the situation is so severe, people will pray for death to come. You will hear people who have had loved ones who are very sick and die say, now they are healed completely and at peace. In the process of healing a dead girl, Jesus heals a woman of her disease. Luke 8:42 “As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Jesus did not say go and die, then you will be healed and be at peace. He also said to Jairus whose young daughter had died before Jesus got there, Luke 8:50 “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” Have you ever seen someone walking hunched over? Luke 13:11 “A woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Just as there is today, the leaders opposed Jesus. When Jesus answered these hypocrites he said why she was crippled. 16 “Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” This is the kind of healing power I am talking about and it includes the words healed immediately.
Each of us have our own health journey and here is mine, the best I can remember. I have lived a pretty healthy life. I played sports a good part of it and have not had to take medications other than a few times. When I was young, I cut the tip off my baby finger with a toboggan, and they said don’t play with knives. I was side swiped by another toboggan on an icy road playing chicken. Why? I have no idea. As a teen, another toboggan took out my front tooth, of which this week I am having some work done on it all these years later. I’ve never liked toboggans! I always prided myself with having good knees, but I have sprained my ankles more times than I care to remember. But then as an adult I was playing pick-up hockey and tore my ACL in half and required surgery. About that time, I heard a prophet speak one time and he said he saw a vision of the blood of Jesus across the front, so I thought I just had to stand there and I would be healed. Although I was praying and believed for it to happen, it did not and yes, this was a false prophet. I was looking for the power of God but found what it wasn’t. I started struggling with weight gain and have battled ever since and yes I have prayed about that too. Over the years my weight just kept creeping higher and higher and ended up ballooning up to 350 pounds. I am 6’2” but not tall enough for that weight. About five years ago I started riding my bike seriously and put on thousands of kms and lost 125ish pounds. But then life was stressful and I don’t know how, but I tore my other ACL, but not as bad, but bad enough I could not ride and basically sat and did not exercise but kept eating the same. When I biked 5000 km in a year for a couple of years, it didn’t matter how much I ate, but sitting in a chair is a different story and I gained back 100 pounds, which is ridiculous, but it happens. I went to physiotherapy while waiting to see the surgeon, and they got me riding my bike and when I finally saw the specialist (1 ½ years later this last February) just recently, I did not need surgery. In preparation for that unknown doctors visit I lost 50 pounds. And that is where I am at now, except for my trip to ER the other day. I lost my appetite and had pain in my abdomen for 5 days, finally saw the doctor and thought it might be constipation (it was), take this and if the pain increases, go to ER. The next day I thought I was better and had the movement I needed and told them I don’t think I need to go to ER and then 4 hours later I was in ER for a seven-hour very pain-filled day. Just don’t be in a hurry if you are going to the ER. Everyone was great except I was in a tremendous amount of pain, and it wasn’t going away. I then had CT scan, and they found a large kidney stone. Then I see a specialist for next steps. Now I want to be clear even though doctors and medication are a big part of it, the power God gave the church is more powerful and the church should be seeking that power, not accepting the amazing technology and knowledge of man and being satisfied with this as the only option. Just because we have never seen it, doesn’t mean this is the way it is supposed to be. The word of God is clear on this subject. What the false teachers are saying is not the word of God. Don’t you want to find out what the power of God looks like in our day, but also pray for discernment because satan will be at work.
Everyone’s story is different and some are so much worse and some don’t get sick at all. But like the sicknesses we all face, there are just as many differing beliefs on the subject of healing. I doubt that there isn’t anyone not calling out to God to help them or heal themselves or a friend or a loved one and many have suffered greatly. But disappointment is a word Christians are taught to get used to, although some move from disappointment to anger towards God for not hearing their cry and turn away. I found it interesting when people would say God healed them but for the most part the others in the church had no such joy. Yes, I prayed that the pain would go away. The lady beside me and young man were calling out to Jesus and God in the ER. Curtains are thin! The problem is most do not get an answer and just end up being disappointed or mad at God. They say why would a loving God allow such pain and disease? Some even turn away from God, while others just accept the fact that healing is not going to come and death is the ultimate healing. They have been taught to persevere. What they have not been taught is to call on God to turn His face back to the church so that power and authority returns.
When I went to the ER, I knew I would be there awhile as there are many people with varying degrees of sickness and in need of emergency care or just care in general as they may not have a family doctor. In our area, getting a family doctor can be difficult. You also had mental health situations with security guards and a real issue in London. From their website - “London Health Sciences Centre Emergency Departments (University and Victoria) serve more than 140,745 patients per year.” “LHSC’s 10,000 physicians and staff provided care for more than one million patient visits last year, including 139,612 emergency visits, 795,697 outpatient visits and 39,126 inpatient admissions.” I didn’t see what year that was. This is just the ER and not the inpatients and clinics. Plus, there is another hospital, walk-in clinics, doctors’ offices and more. This is just one city. According to the Ontario website, “there are 444 municipalities in Ontario,” and like London are filled with sick people. Plus, all the numbers of people who are sick or maybe died and did not go to the hospital. This is just Ontario, then Canada then the world and the numbers of sick are astronomical. Some diseases that are not deadly here, are deadly in other parts of the world.
Now I was very thankful when the doctor came up to me and said they found the cause of my pain, and prescribed me pain killers, although I am not sure I am looking forward to what happens next. Some people like another person in the ER beside me got news they do not want to hear and some people who come to ER do not go home. Everyone I am sure can share their own health journey and like me are thankful for a diagnosis and eventual repair, but as the doctor told one patient, what they had was not curable, but manageable. Now just to be clear I am in no way saying do not go to the doctor or you do not have enough faith. What I am saying is all this healthcare / medication is not normal Christianity, even though after all this time of rebellion has become normalized. In an absolute refusal to repent, the church has accepted the opposite of what God said about the diseases of Egypt and have rejected Jesus our healer of infirmities and diseases. Many will say they needed it back then, but we are so much more advanced. Really? The million people who came through this one system says otherwise.
Unfortunately, most in the church have accepted doctors and medicine as the solution and don’t even believe anything can be different. Even worse many Christians have bought into Buddhism as the solution. 2 Chronicles 16:12 “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.” The problem is that means they are not accepting what the bible is actually saying, but believing that the words of the false teachers are true. So instead of seeking God to turn His face back to the church, they continue as if the diseases of Egypt are normal. This acceptance of false teaching does not lead to repentance. God said Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” satan does not want you to return. If you think back to Peter and those who say, “ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” The same is said about healing. People have accepted this condition of powerlessness as the way it is, but scripture says otherwise. Even so, most refuse to repent. People will say God uses the physicians but what about the incurable diseases or the times they can’t figure it out. What about the mental health disease where medication is the only answer? “Most chronic mental health conditions are considered incurable but treatable, meaning they cannot be permanently eliminated, but symptoms can be managed to allow for a functional life.” People say but there is some healing in the church like freedom from cancer but that happens outside the church.
It seems most are content to put their life in the hands of doctors but not in the hands of Jesus. One thing is for sure; there are millions of people who need to be healed and the church is powerless to do a thing about it and unbelief is why. The one thing that stopped healing from Jesus was unbelief. Mark 6:2 “Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Luke 4:21 “He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. 23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” 24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.” Matthew 27:39 “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Today the church is filled with unbelief when it comes to healing and miracles. This unbelief comes from false teachers like Dr. David Jeremiah who is a long-term survivor of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Because he survived does that mean he is right that only God heals and not through disciples. Chuck Swindoll’s wife battles dementia. They have their own stories of health scares that continue but they remain steadfast in their belief that if God chooses to heal, He would, but no longer through disciples. David Jeremiah talks about those charismatics who say you do not need a doctor and if you had more faith, you would be healed. Again, this is pointed at the charismatics and is true, at least in the state of rebellion the church is in. At this point it doesn’t matter how much faith you have, until God turns His face back to the church, things will continue as they have been, but never say “that’s just the way it is, or “it is what it is” and be satisfied. Continue to seek God until He does turn His face back to the church. The problem with these false teachers is they do not teach people to return to the word of God. They continue to teach their beliefs that God no longer heals through His disciples. Can you imagine standing before God in judgement and you are asked why did you reject Jesus. They will respond we did not reject Jesus, then God would say but you rejected My word. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Matthew 17:5 “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Also, just because ministers have Dr. or MDiv in the front of their name does not mean they are teaching truth. Or if they have written a thousand books or commentaries, it doesn’t make them a servant of truth. Even those who say they believe in healing, don’t because what is happening in their midst is not what happened in scripture and they do not inquire as to why what they are seeing looks so different from scripture.
Many like to do with Paul as they did with Jesus when they said, “Physician, heal yourself!” They will say that Paul no longer had the power to heal because he did not heal Trophimus. Honestly, that’s just stupid. 2 Timothy 4:20 “Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left sick in Miletus.” They also talk about Paul not being able to heal himself of his thorn, but it doesn’t say it was sickness. The passage actually doesn’t say, but can you imagine being responsible and standing there giving your approval for the killing of Stephen. satan can use that in a big way. They also do not talk about Galatians where the result of the power is not talked about. They just reject it and say that was then not now. Galatians 3:5 “So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?” All those miracles are not talked about. They don’t talk about it because Paul is still calling them foolish. Not every miracle or healing was written down as John said. John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” Wouldn’t it be amazing if the volumes of books written as to why we shouldn’t believe in miracles or healing were filled with accounts of healing instead. It is amazing how much effort goes into trying to prove that healing should not be expected through a disciple but only by God and when He desires. Meanwhile there is very little healing.
There is a ridiculous amount of opposition to this verse. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Sure, let them believe it was just for the twelve, but do not accept their false teaching that it cannot be for today. The minimal healing we see in the church should be the answer that something is wrong with that thinking. The type of healing that most in the church accepts, also happens outside the church. What we saw in the gospels was not seen outside the Gospel. Matthew 9:1 “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.” Notice how the man’s sins were forgiven and he was healed. God does desire and that is why power and authority were given to disciples so that they could also do as Jesus did. Jesus is alive and still appoints and anoints disciples.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if the church spent as much time believing what the bible said instead of telling you why what it said is not possible. If you are hearing that kind of nonsense don’t ignore it because they are teaching you a different jesus and other gospels; have nothing to do with them. 2 Timothy 3:1 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” Instead, they validate their own doctrines by labelling them sound, then repudiate the scriptures because scripture doesn’t line up with their doctrines. They look for any verse that enables their own doctrines and ignore the sound doctrine of scripture. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” The church has replaced the word of God with volumes of books as to why the bible doesn’t mean what it says about healing. It amazes me that they say the word of God no longer needs to be validated with power but as they say that, Christianity as it has become is fading away.
Yes healing / miracles did change after the time of Paul but not because they were no longer a necessary part of the church but because the church rebelled against God’s word and went their own way almost immediately. Rebellion caused God to turn His face from the church and the church became powerless. We are told that Mark 16:20 “the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” The reason many say this was only for then is because their words are not being confirmed, which means they are following a different jesus and other gospels. Their doctrines then justify this lack of confirmation. Instead of turning back to God’s word and believing what is clearly said about healing, the church bought into these doctrines of demons and refused to turn from them. These doctrines of demons are preventing people from turning from their wicked ways because they have been taught that there is nothing to turn from and the powerless church they have come to know is normal Christianity. Most of the church have come to expect that sickness, disease are just part of life.
The good news is that this time of desolation will come to an end. Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” Then the true gospel will be preached to the nations and God will once again confirm His word with signs that will follow. Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” If you have fallen for other gospels and a different jesus, turn and repent as the end is coming. For some it could be minutes away and for others it could be years. Ezekiel 30:1 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!” 3 For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near— a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.” Matthew 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” You do not want to hear Matthew 25:41 “‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” But you do want to hear 21 “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
