Coffee Talk

I was having coffee with my husband’s sister on Monday night when she mentioned that someone’s baby had died and that it was just one of those things that happens according to God’s will. It made me think about a book that I had read recently entitled Face to Face with God by Bill Johnson. (An incredible book by the way – pick it up if you want your life changed!)

Not everything that happens is God’s will:
Why did Jesus raise the dead? Because not everyone dies in God’s timing. We cannot have the God the Father choosing to do one thing and Jesus “undoing” or contradicting it with a miracle! God gets blamed for so much in the name of his sovereignty [sovereignty means that He has all power and all authority to do as he wills]. Now of course God can use tragedy for His glory. As people turn to Him for healing, salvation, and deliverance through tragic situations, they are changed, transformed, renewed by the power of His spirit - and thus He is glorified. That said, His ability to rule and have sovereign authority over bad circumstances was never meant to be evidence that those bad circumstances were His will. Rather, it is to display that no matter what happens he is in charge and will rework things to our advantage and to his glory.

I believe that many that call themselves Christians today have a distorted perception that God is angry and that He wants to punish His people at every opportunity. I also believe that the tendency to accept that concept of God being an angry father is in equal proportion to a person’s (or church’s) inability to demonstrate His power. Today many churches are crippled because people view God as one who longs to punish instead of save. The one who reminds them of sin, instead of forgiving. As Bill Johnson explains in Face to Face with God, there is a direct connection between our belief system (including religion) and what actually flows through us. If we don't see the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the ultimate illustration of the will of God we will continually undermine our ability to display it. He gave the example, sent the Holy Spirit and gave us His word for our commission [our assignment - our responsibility]. What else must He do? We own HIM miracles as a testimony that He is alive and that His face is turned toward us. The spirit of the resurrected Christ, that same spirit that anointed Jesus for His miraculous healing ministry lives within us.

Many people are content to live with the concept of the presence of God in their lives, but they fail to expect and receive the experience. When most people walk down the aisle they are not just interested in the concept or the theory of marriage. They usually want to experience marriage in all its privileges and responsibilities. The same can be said of raising children. We don’t go through all the trouble just because we like the concept of being parents... we want the experience ~ the “full meal deal” if you will! The fundamental difference between authentic Christianity and what we call “religion” is the issue of knowing and being known by God versus merely knowing about Him.

Powerlessness is so unacceptable that we will either seek for a fresh baptism in the Spirit until the power that was promised becomes manifested through us - or – sadly we create “doctrinal” or “religious” reasons to comfort ourselves in powerlessness. For instance, I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t perform miracles today like He did in biblical times. [News flash: God never changes. He is the SAME today as He was then and always will be]. People will say that the outpouring of the Spirit of God occurred on the day of Pentecost but that it doesn’t happen any more [Another news flash: check out the revivals that are going on around the world and within the US right now! Google: Asuza street revival. Google: Toronto outpouring Google: Lakeland Revival.] Come on! Seek His Face! Let’s stop focusing on the Christ who died on the cross and fix our eyes on the Christ who was resurrected and is alive!

I don’t want comfort. I want power. How many people came to Jesus for healing and left sick? None. How many came for deliverance and left with torment? None. How many times did Jesus withhold a miracle because the person who came to him had too little faith? Never. He often addressed their lack of faith, but always presented a miracle as a way to greater faith. Jesus perfectly illustrates the will of God. To think otherwise is to put the father and the son at odds and a house divided will fall - Bill Johnson Face to Face with God. He gave the example - we are called to follow it!

In closing: the kingdom of God is not all talk, beliefs and doctrine. The kingdom of God is power. Unlimited power has been granted to those who encounter Him over and over again. Each encounter works its way deeper into our hearts transforming us. The more that we allow the Spirit of God to work on us and within us, the more obvious it will be that the Spirit is flowing through us. It is nearly impossible to experience more of God and keep it to ourselves. As we face God ~ our very nature is changed into the likeness of His nature…and we are called to release His power and His love to those around us.