Know-Be-Do

      The knowledge of God's righteousness leads to the development of religious affections from which pour out gratitude to God and compassion for our neighbors. Worship and prayer become a driving force. Yearning for more of God makes for a yearning for revival. I seem to have received as a spiritual gift the desire and ability to know how revival worked across ages and cultures [see 'Heroes' page].
   Worship and prayer is everything now, the font of what we say and do, and I am so glad that God shows us how 'to do' future. Doing the future is doing the kingdom, which only happens, and only advances, spiritually. If we are to advance and take ground from the enemy, we need spiritual gifts. We need a revival, it has already begun, the question is, "Do you want to be part of it?" I believe God is waiting for a few more people to get on board before the train leaves the station, that is, out of a real yearning to be of service to God, pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

   Why the need? It's Biblical. Jesus commands it! He expects it! At the end of his Gospel Mark writes, "Later Jesus appeared to the eleven as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation." Go is a command. That is not in doubt. Our failure to keep the command may have something to do with what comes before it, our lack of faith, and therefore we perhaps need to be upbraided, also. But I do not think that is our particular problem as a people. That is not to say that all here have perfect faith, but as a people I think we show great faith. But I think our lack of advancement has to do with failing to be taught about the need for spiritual gifts.

   Therefore, back to what Jesus was commanding, and if we were to hear what follows his command to "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation," we will see that Jesus expects us to have and practice spiritual gifts. Listen carefully, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues?" Stop. For those who want to hear what Jesus himself says before they make up their mind, Jesus says we will speak in tongues, which is connected to exorcising evil spirits. Jesus continues, "They will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it. Mark 16:14-20

   For the most part, I do not think that we fail to realize the necessity of practicing spiritual gifts because we are afraid that if we do so we will also have to pick up snakes during the worship service, or one day be asked to drink poison. We've all heard of the Pentecostal worshipers in Appalachia who actually do handle snakes. I believe these words' spiritual meaning is the point here. Clearly they mean we have nothing to be afraid of in evangelistic ministry when the Spirit of Jesus is with us. As an aside, we may need to repent of some of the things we have thought those people who handle snakes, if we think the same of those who speak in tongues. However, the main point, the first proof of the necessity for desiring to practicing spiritual gifts is that Jesus commands it and expects it.

   Our second point is that Paul concurs. It is clear from the gospels that Jesus did his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit anointed Jesus while he was in prayer after his baptism in Jordan, drove him into the wilderness for a period, and when Jesus began his public ministry he quoted Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." It is also clear from the gospel of Luke that Luke expects the kingdom will be advanced through believers who are baptized in the Holy Spirit which Jesus sent upon them at Pentecost, and still sends today. In Acts, Paul teaches that we must receive the Holy Spirit if we are to believe and worship, if we are to be in fellowship with one another, and if we are to take ground from the enemy. He writes, "I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ ... Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:1-5

   That is the last point. We must not only believe that there is a spiritual realm which includes evil, we must practice spiritual warfare. This is assumed by some of you and practiced and for others of us, it is a huge leap of faith. I want us to be in agreement on this point, because if one of us were to declare war, wouldn't it be a good thing if we all knew there was a battle? We need "divine power to destroy strongholds," therefore we need to discern what it means to "destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ." That means you must pray in the Spirit, which means that you must have the Spirit which implies that you have been born-again in the Spirit sent by Jesus from above, which means that you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If that is the case, and you have renounced the devil and all his empty promises, have renounced all sin including unforgiveness and genuinely harbor ill will toward anyone, you are ready to practice whatever spiritual gifts that by God's grace you receive.