25th Anniversary of RVWC

Who or What will we listen to?

The new god of this age is experience. If I can't feel it I don't want it but if I feel it, then it must be right.
As Christians we bemoan a culture that is basing its basic beliefs about life on very personal experiences. Everyone feels quite free to say what God is like or what God is about, not necessarily based on His Word or His Revelation to us but based on very subjective opinions.

A "christian" husband begins to feel that his marriage is not what it should be and there is a lady at work who seems to be everything his wife is not. So, he begins to believe that God would not want him to be unhappy and this other lady can make him happy. So he leaves his wife and moves in with his lady friend, all the time believing that God would not be opposed to this but would, in fact, based on feelings, want him to do so for his personal happiness. This is certainly based on subjective experiences rather than the plain or straightforward teaching of God's Word.

But before we get too harsh or tough on him and others, let's ask ourselves have we done the same thing. Have we built our beliefs on experience or on God's Word?

This is absolutely critical because we have a mandate from God to disciple the nations of the world into obedient followers of Jesus Christ. (Matt 28:19-20)

You have been witnesses of the journey we have been in for the past four or five years. I think it was the fall of 2008 on our 20th anniversary that I called us to a time of prayer and repentance and seeking the Lord. We have been doing that for these past 5 years. You have watched and listened as the Lord has been revealing greater depths of insight into the nature of His Kingdom and our identity and what we should be experiencing as followers of Jesus.

One of the critical passages for me in this journey has been John 14, especially verses 10-14...

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 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. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:10-14 NIV)

Now, we can read this passage and allow our experience to help us understand and interpret it. We can develop theological convictions based on what has happened when we have prayed for miracles and for healings in peoples lives and had results that were less glorious than we would have believed they should be. So, we have adjusted our beliefs to fit our experience. Since God does not appear to heal everyone then we begin to believe that not everyone should be healed.  We even try to find the good in our diseases and our battles with weaknesses of the flesh or body. We say things like it must not be God's will for us to be healed. Or our faith is too weak. Or some other reason for why things are not happening as we think they should be based on Jesus' words. So we adjust our beliefs so that we get some peace mentally.

It is not just John 14 that inspires me and challenges me to believe that everyone should be healed. It is also the Lord's Prayer and James' teaching in his letter to the churches. "Is any among you sick, he should call for the elders of the church and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."  How often have we prayed in faith and not experienced healing. So, what do we do? We adjust our beliefs.

I would like to issue a challenge to us today. I have already accepted this challenge for my own life. I am going to continue to believe the Word of God even if my experience does not seem to match up with the simple declarations. I am not going to adjust my expectations downward because I am not seeing the results I believe we should be seeing. Now, we are seeing some wonderful examples of God's healing grace and power, of His deliverance and freedom, and other miraculous interventions in our lives.

I was talking with a brother yesterday who suggested that he looks at things scientifically. And we should do that. There is nothing wrong with examining the way this world works and trying to figure out how to make things work better. But, we are not limited to science.  There may be laws of science that we can count on but we serve a Lord who has proven that His ways are superior to even the natural laws.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:40-42 NIV)

Diseases flee at a word or touch from Him, demons leave at His command, bread and fish multiply at his blessing, water holds Him and Peter up on a stormy lake, and the winds and waves obey Him.

Now, let's not become chasers of miracles and healings. Let's be chasers of Jesus. It is clear from His own teaching that our relationship with Him is the determining factor in all of life. We will not experience the fruit of His Kingdom if we do not "abide" in Him. The focus of our whole lives should not be what He does through us but who He is in us and who we are in Him.

So, here is my challenge:  Will you join me in a journey into the supernatural workings of the Kingdom of God where nothing is impossible, no disease too devastating, no circumstance too difficult, no person too far gone spiritually, no city too wicked, and no nation too atheistic. God is able to turn this world upside down. And we need to believe in His Power as well as HIs Presence in our lives.

So, will you join me in the journey and will you refuse to adjust your beliefs to fit your experience but seek God for understanding and insight into how we can make His Word our standard for life and experience.

For me this means that if I pray for a thousand people to be healed and not one is, I will continue to pray for healing. If I ask for His help with my finances and experience challenges, I will continue to seek His help. If it looks like our city is getting more desperate and more wicked every day, I will still believe that He wants every man, woman and child in this city to be saved.  "For God is not willing that any should perish but that everyone should come to repentance."  When Jesus taught us to pray we learned  this....

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven....

On Earth as it is In Heaven!  "Help us to believe and act on this O Lord, in Jesus Name we pray. Amen."

Back to Blogging

2009 was the last time I blogged anything and it seemed to me like that may be okay but maybe I should be using this forum to express some ideas or thoughts. However, is anybody reading these things these days? Do I have the time for the interaction that engagement would expect? So, I guess I will just post this brief message to see if there are any responses.  Responses or the lack thereof will have some impact on any future blogs.  Hmmmmm......