10/15/11
Greetings, As I was reading the Bible the other day I was absolutely struck by something that Jesus did. While reading this particular passage God confirmed some of the things that have been burning inside of me. In this letter I am going to communicate this understanding along with its relevance to unity.
Before we get into what Jesus did, imagine a situation with me. It’s an average Monday. You wake up feeling groggy but nonetheless it’s time to get up and get ready for work. You roll out of bed, put your slippers on and walk to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom you shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. Hopefully, you remember to put on deodorant! As you go downstairs to grab breakfast your spouse’s call catches your ear. “Honey, can you start the coffee, I forgot to set the timer last night.”
You respond, “Sure, I can start the coffee.”
In this scenario nothing out of the ordinary has happened. There is nothing that seems off kilter, nothing that seems to go against what the average person could experience on any given morning. Granted, not all of us are married, but unless you don’t ever brush your teeth the scenario should read as a regular, average experience.
Let’s consider another scenario. Imagine again that it’s an average Monday. You wake up feeling groggy but nonetheless it’s time to get up and get ready for work. You roll out of bed, put your slippers on and walk to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom you shower, brush your teeth, and comb your hair. Hopefully, you remember to put on deodorant! As you go downstairs to grab breakfast your doorbell rings. Your neighbor is at the door and he says, “My son has just been diagnosed with an incurable cancer. In addition, he just got hit by a car and he’s lying in a bloody heap on the sidewalk where I just dragged him. Can you help?”
You respond, “Sure, I can get him healed right away.”
In this scenario nothing out of the ordinary has happened. You may be thinking; of course something out of the ordinary has happened! The man’s son was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and then run over by a car. Moreover, who in their right mind just says, “Sure I can get him healed right away!”
Here is the fact of the matter. People are diagnosed with life threatening diseases every day. This is not an out of the ordinary situation just because it doesn’t happen to everyone on a daily basis. Also, not a day goes by that someone, somewhere, is not getting hit by a car. Tragedy strikes regularly. It is simply a part of living in a fallen world. In this scenario, cancer and getting hit by a car represent a vast array of terrible things that can happen to people. It is not tragedy that is out of the ordinary.
If we are willing to accept that tragedy is not out of the ordinary, is it possible to accept that the response to it (from our scenario) is not out of the ordinary as well? Being realistic, who in their right mind would respond to the scenario with the words, “Sure, I can get him healed?” If your “right mind” is the mind of Christ, I propose that you would respond as such. The Bible says we have been given the mind of Christ, but we don’t automatically operate according to it.
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
The mind of Christ means thinking Jesus’ thoughts as opposed to thinking our own thoughts. Now let’s take a look at what Jesus did, which reveals to us how He thinks.
“As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him, And saying, Lord, my servant boy is lying at the house paralyzed and [c]distressed with intense pains. And Jesus said to him, I will come and restore him.” (Matthew 8:5-7 AMP)
Imagine a run-of-the-mill Tuesday. Jesus wakes up early to pray, eat some breakfast and journey to the next city on his schedule. As he is walking into town, possibly considering whether to go to Burger King or McDonald’s for lunch, the Chief of Police meets him in the middle of the street. He explains to Jesus that his servant is terribly sick. There is no cure and no hope for his servant apart from supernatural intervention. Jesus shrugs his shoulders, winks at Peter and John, looks back at the man and says, “Sure, I’ll come and heal him.” McDonald’s can wait a few minutes.
I know that there were no Burger King’s or McDonald’s when Jesus walked the earth, but the point is to establish how casual Jesus was about the miraculous. The whole point of being Christian is to become Christ-like in our thoughts, attitudes and actions. Thinking like Christ doesn’t just mean refraining from sin and living lives of repentance. It also means seeing the supernatural as something that should be a natural part of our lives.
I don’t want to oversimplify the miraculous because I am well aware of the various factors that come together when the miraculous takes place. In addition to the attitude that Jesus had, the centurion had great faith. Spiritual warfare through prayer had to be done for the area prior to that type of ministry. Furthermore, in order to operate certain gifts of the Spirit, we have to first receive them according to 1 Corinthians 12. Nonetheless, walking on the level of power that Jesus demonstrated begins with our ability to see its potential for becoming our lifestyle… not just His.
How does this relate to unity? Unity can promote the proliferation of supernatural activity among the saints until it becomes natural. If the people of God are agreed upon the move of His power it will become a defining characteristic of our daily lives. On the flip side, if those that know Jesus reject the proliferation of supernatural activity, God will not work on this level in their midst. This is illustrated by the people of Jesus’ hometown. They all knew Jesus. Unfortunately, they rejected Him and His ability to work supernaturally in their midst. Thus it is written that in their city Jesus did not do any great works because of their unbelief. What is your Christian community agreed upon?
“When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:54-58 NKJV)
Discussion
1. When was the last time you prayed for someone and truly expected God to do the impossible?
2. Does your Christian community witness the supernatural regularly?
3. Does your leadership train you to live practically or miraculously?
4. What steps can you take today to begin to position yourself to see greater works from the hand of God?
5. Can you find several other believers in your sphere of influence that are willing to begin seeking the miraculous as a lifestyle?
