Matthew 11:4-5
Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see and the lame walk. The lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them."
The mandate of the Kingdom of God.
Not to preachers....although they are counted among the those called.....
Not to deacon's and elder's.....they too are counted.
Not to Television or Radio Evangelists......yep, them also.
But to everyone....
And what falls under "Everyone"?
Everyone who is a follower of Jesus.
The call to carry on the mission of Christ.
To be a part....
To be a vessel through which the presence of God...
And the POWER of God may flow to those who stand and live outside the salvation God has made available to all who believe.
We are called to engage the kingdom of Satan and the darkness he spreads by being salt and light.
In other words...we take the weapons of warfare that God has raised up, and confront through our love and prayer the works of the devil we see in the lives of those around us.
As John Wimber used to say...."We get to do the stuff!" Such a mindset and a reality should not be limited just to Sunday mornings and night. It should flood the marketplace and the work place. Not in a religious get-on-my-soapbox type of delivery, but in a quiet, loving almost undercover kind of work. You pray for people because that is just what you do. You don't do because you have to, or because you think Jesus expects it of you. You do it because you want to. You love to see God come and heal and change people as He ushers them into a new way of living.
Wimber was the first person I'd ever heard tell me that I could actually pray and see people healed. That I could participate in the breaking off of demonic spirits from people who had suffered under their control. He was the first person who seem to say, "Hey, God trusts you with the keys to His Kingdom. In Wimber's eyes, and understanding, everyone got to play. He felt that the church had relegated power to just a few who were in leadership. Such a mindset usually resulted in a congregation who felt that their call was to simply support the leadership in what they were doing. But the model left a lot to be desired. Number #1--- what happens when you encounter a situation where ministry is required but there aren't any minister's around? Do you tell that individual that they need to wait until an appointment can be arranged and the church leadership is available to come, like a fire brigade, to put out the spiritual "fire?" Or do you realize that the Spirit that lives in you is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead? That you, as a follower of Christ, have been given authority and power over the kingdom of darkness.
Wimber taught us how to pray....more over...He taught us how to listen when we pray. Listen and follow what God is telling you.
This was hard for me at first. I felt awkward and like a fish out of water. I was so use to filling the air with words as I prayed. Filling the air with words, hoping that something I was saying got God's attention, and that He would move on my prayer. I was doing that and, at the same time, trying to beg Him to do something on the behalf of the one we were praying for. "Oh God! This woman has worked thirty years in the nursery of your church. She has taken care of countless little ones on your behalf. If anyone ever qualified for healing, it is this woman!" Funny though...I never read anywhere in Scripture where Jesus had to qualify anyone to His heavenly Father before they could be healed. IN fact, I don't read where it mattered if they were saved or not. Jesus prayed over them all. Jesus' desire was to simply do what the Father had called Him to do. Maybe we ought to consider this.
John taught us that the great commission was a call to do what Jesus started. To save those who stand outside the grace and mercy of God. Standing and living in spiritual darkness and under the control of Satan. IT is war. But it is a war of truth. The truth of God versus the lies and half truth's of the devil. But as we move through our day, we need to be aware that the truth God has given to us is backed and demonstrated through the display of His power in our prayers.
We no longer get to stand on the sidelines and watch others.
God has called us to enter into this realm of authority and power by actually "Doing the stuff"
How cool is that?
Way cool.
God on you..
mb
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