To Be Continued…

By Marv

I came across something while listening to a Bill Johnson message, from Bethel Church, titled Extreme Living (part 2), recorded in 2007, and it so encouraged me, so specifically touched me in areas that I’ve been thinking and praying about, that I thought I’d share them with you. Actually, just about anything Bill Johnson is a supercharge of faith-building vitamins. But I especially appreciated these few paragraphs about how the Spirit speaks to us and we listen.

You can tell when someone’s been hearing from God. I mean hearing; I don’t mean reading. I mean hearing. Because they’re alive. I mean really alive.

I’ve got bread to eat, and I’ve got seed to sow. That’s my whole life: eating and sowing, sowing and eating. And I love eating. And I love sowing. And that mark of prosperity of soul is the sign that we’ve heard from God.

This whole countenance thing, that is sucked up in depression. Y’know. You just… Jesus had more joy than all his companions. Everyone around Him, He exceeded them all. And now that you have the same Spirit of Christ living in you… I have the same Spirit of Christ living in me. It’s the same prosperity of soul. My heart is linked to heaven. There’s an endless supply of life, of word.

He just talks. All I’ve got to do is sit down this afternoon and just listen. And it doesn’t have to be word for word. It’s the Spirit Himself who comes upon me. And if I come with, with… See, my job is to recognize when He speaks. His job is to talk. Sometimes it’s off the pages of Scripture. Sometimes it’s somebody else talking. Sometimes it’s the words of a song. Sometimes it’s the language of the Spirit–unusual coincidences. I have stuff happening constantly that is so encouraging to me that would be absolutely stupid to anybody else.

By Marv

So what about walking on water? I’m sometimes asked why this miraculous act is not repeated today if whoever believes in Jesus really will do the works that He did (John 14:12), as we repeatedly assert.

It’s actually a reasonable enough question, especially if you consider John’s admonition and take it rather on the literal side:

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.(1 John 2:6)

I do have an answer for this question. But first, let’s put the matter into perspective. An awe-inspiring miracle, this event without question defies both gravity and physics. What it doesn’t defy is the power of the God who made the earth and sea and everything in them. Yet, let’s be clear, it was never in the top ten of frequently-performed miracles.

As far as we are told, it was done by exactly two human beings: One who exectuted it flawlessly, and another whose showing can barely be called a success. Our Lord, the God-man had no difficulty whatever hiking across the waves. Still, the fact that Peter did it at all, however poorly, shows us that it is a case of divine power mediated through a human being. It’s what I call a human-level miracle (God’s power manifested though man).

What’s a God-level miracle, or display of divine power?

 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

He upholds the universe by the word of his power.  (Hebrews 1:3)

 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)

A walk on the lake, then, is… a walk in the park…

No mere human is ever said to do what Christ does through His own divine power. This is rather obvious. Yet, during his time on earth, we do see Him performing amazing miracles, but like walking on water, something that a mere man can do as long as “God is with him.”

And this is exactly how Christ’s miracles are described:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

This is what it means that He was “anointed,” though He Himself is the Second Person of the Trinity (infinitely powerful in His own Person), according to the divine plan, carrying out His mission as a human being, He is empowered through the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

This is entirely deliberate, since the plan entails rasing up many brothers and sisters who can likewise carry out their mission through the power of the Third Person. Unlike Jesus–again obviously–they have no innate divine power of their own. Thus He did what He didn’t have to–operate under the Spirit’s power, so as to later cause us to share in His ministry as His Body.

So, what are we saying? That when Jesus walked on water He did so through the power of the Holy Spirit. So did Peter, though his faith was weak: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

Aha! So it’s a faith deal! Clearly. So can we manage to do it if we have enough faith?

Herein lies a misunderstanding. It is true that Peter failed due to lack of faith. But he suceeded to the degree that he had a measure of faith. But we need to understand that one thing was absolutely indispensible or else Peter could have had no faith at all.

Faith is not positive thinking, pumped up self-confidence, banishing doubt from your mind. It’s not any kind of ego-quality. It is other focused. Specifically, it is reliance on the promise of a reliable person. That person says X, so X it is. We consider the person reliable, faithful, and so we trust, rely on what that persn says. And act on it. Apart from a promise, there can be no faith.

Our confidence in that person’s reliablity can be weak or strong, and this can make a difference. It did so in Peter’s case–and so the failure.

Of course this person’s reliablity can also be weak or strong. In the case of God, it is absolute–and so the measure of success in Peter’s water walking. He couldn’t do it at all, not a single step, if he didn’t have an absolutely reliable promise that it would work.

Did he have such a promise? Yes. Note the exchange:

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. (Matthew 14:28-29)

When it comes from our Lord, a command is a promise. Peter did not step out on the surface of the lake in bold self-confidence, thinking ”if he can do it, I can do it.” He knew enough that if Jesus said it, he could do it. And that what He commanded, Peter could put his total confidence in, and do it. And so he asked for a command.

For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:9)

Excellent theory, and good practice for a few seconds, at least. Then he got weirded out.

But you and I can walk on water, too, no problem–if Jesus commands us to do so. That’s an industrial strength IF though. Because He apparently doesn’t work that kind of thing in very often. It would have come in handy for Paul, who otherwise mangaged raising the dead, inflicting blindness, handling snakes, that sort of thing:

Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea. (2 Corinthians 11:25)

So that the Lord will give us that particular command may be unlikely. Though if He ever does, your potential to water-walk is 100%, if you can believe it.

On the other hand, he commands us, instructs us, intends for us to do many, many other things–acts which are not uncommon in His Kingdom. But they all likewise flow from His particular communication to us. Understand, He’ll glorify Himself in many, many ways in answer to our prayers, even if we have no particular command. But to act in faith requires a promise which is a command or a command which is a promise.

This is how Jesus operated, during His ministry. He makes this crystal clear:

 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.” (John 5:19-20)

 And nine chapters later:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

This is why the reality of ongoing communication from Christ to us His servants, through the Holy Spirit, is absolutely vital to our carrying out His works and our mission. He has made us for works and prepared works for us to do (Eph. 2:10), and we are to do them in full confidence, faith, in His power. And if he tells us to, we can, and we will.

By Marv

The question is “How do you know?” We contend, based on the Scriptures, that God’s Spirit continues to communicate with believers today, as He has throughout history, and even more so, since Jesus prophesied and commanded his disciples to be led by the Spirit after He returned to the Father (John 14-16).

Okay, so given this instruction, how do we know when the Spirit is speaking? Does “speaking” equal an audible voice? If it is non-audible but internal, how it this communication to be distinguished from our own thoughts?

How do you know? The question comes both from skeptics of “modern-day” revelation–the classic “maybe it’s just last night’s pizza,” as well as a sincere learner, seeking practical understanding of the ways and means of this ministry that our Lord has called us to. It’s a fair question either way, and I want to touch on a few shreds of how it can possibly be answered. Largely, it depends on exactly what is being asked.

If “how do you know?” means “by what means does one arrive at absolute certainty,” I think the answer is–rather obviously–you don’t. If it is a matter of objectively verifiable assurance or nothing, then, I admit, we will be stopped before we begin. Very freqently a friend of cessationist persuasion puts this kind of chalenge to me.

It’s a strange notion though–because in no other area of life may we depend on this level of knowledge. I mean, I wish engineers and architects to have their facts and figures straight, and doctors and pharmacists to exercise care and precision every step of the way.

But for the most part, we go through our day, sensing and approximating and relying on unconscious recognition and “good enough” knowledge. When I was learning to drive, I recall my instructor asking how we know when we are in the center of the lane. I imagined some mental calculus about lines on the road and the position of the hood ornament or some other practical measure. His answer was none of these. Essentially, one learns just to know–to do it by feel.

Generally, we do the same with spelling and grammar, using the “sounds right” and “looks right” principle. These are far from fool-proof, of course, and accuracy varies from person to person, but unconscious awareness is a powerful tool, and we use it far more than we do conscious calculation.

Some people object to the notion of the Spirit speaking through an “impression.” What we experience as a “hunch” or “impression” is an extremely common mental phenomenon. That “I’ve forgotten something” feeling often happens when I’m walking out the door, and experience has shown me that I ignore it to my own regret. It usually reflects reality, though the specifics don’t rise above the surface of awareness. It is a very real, useful, and valuable part of our mental processes.

We perceive many things without that awareness achieving the precision of “knowledge.” Recognizing voices is another prime example. When my wife calls me from across the house–as she does not infrequently–though I cannot see her, though the sound is muffled, and though I may not make out the words–I know it to be her though I cannot begin to prove it. Likewise in a crowd at the park or at church, it is usually possible (though not infallably) to identify which call for “Dad” coming from behind is for me and which is not.

Recently our cat went missing. After several days, my presumption was that she had been accidentally killed and I was resigning myself to the idea that we would not see her again. But arriving home one evening, when the neighborhood was still and quiet, I heard the faintest sound of a meow. I would not have thought it possible, but instantly I “knew” it was our cat. Though I could offer no objective evidence, I also had no real doubt, and was convinced enough brazenly to wake my neighbor and ask him to open his garage door. I suspect she (the cat) knew the sound or our car, as we somehow mangaged to discern our pet’s voice from all the nearly identical sounds in the neighborhood.

So the answer, much of the time, is you don’t know–even if you do “know.” We are made to operate on perception and awareness that are perfectly elusive and hardly able to be objectified or proven. So it is, much of the time, with the Spirit.

Practically, then, once we are convinced that the Spirit of God does communicate to our spirit, we do ask ourselves the same question “How do I know” all the time. Frankly, I have noticed something about perceiving something prophetic for someone–my typical reaction is to feel fairly certain that it is “just me.” In this case I’ve learned–paradoxically–that when it “feels” as if it is “just me,” very often it turns out to be what I later conclude to be genuine communication from the Lord. I can be much more certain afterward, when my “word” correllates strongly with several others from other sources, ties in with, say, something the person was reading or what he/she was recently praying, or some other connection, and ends up giving significant upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. These kinds of “impressions” are often well-verified after the fact, but all-too easy to dismiss ahead of time.

What is the Lord liable to use, to bring an idea to our attention? When I was still a cessationist, one day I was chatting with a missionary friend, a lady who struck me at the time as–well, rather “spacey” in this regard (though I changed my opinion and honor the memory of this saint who served the Lord even to martyrdom.) She told me once she was praying in a room where several boxes were stored. One of these had “chain saw oil” printed on the side. Her thoughts were immediately carried to a brother back on “the field” whose name was Chang So. “And oil represents the Holy Spirit” she told me. My first reaction was that the notion was a bit silly–the Spirit speaking by a play on words and a simple coincidence. I wish I had a great story of precise timing–the beloved national Christian being plucked from danger at the precise instant my friend’s prayer rose to heaven. But I have nothing to prove anything here. I just know that one way or another he came to mind and she prayed for him.

Was that the Lord? How do we know? We don’t know. But I’m pretty sure of a couple of things: it was sufficient to cause my friend to pray for the man. Why should the Spirit disdain to employ a “silly” method such as this, if it effectively brought the result it did, to one open to it? Second, given my disposition at the time, I would have missed it, the idea being altogether too “silly,” and it is I who would have missed an opportunty of service to the Lord.

But is this Biblical? Consider the Lord’s communication to Jeremiah, at the very beginning of his prophetic career, when he was just learning to hear the voice of the Spirit:

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:11-12 ESV)

I’m afraid that the mechanics of what is happening in this brief exchange is obscured in translation. What Jeremiah sees (either in a vision or physically) is the branch of an almond tree, in Hebrew shaqed. Upon which the Lord replies with a pun: “I am watching (shoqed) over my word.”

Now, here’s a bit of something I definitely cannot prove, and even has the virtue of being a bit “silly.” Even the apostles would have had to know when the Lord was indicating He was about to act. Jesus Himself said He only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19).

Peter said to the lame man “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6) How did he know he had healing available for that man at that time? The text doesn’t tell us.

Paul “saw” that a man had faith to be healed (Acts 14:9). How did he see? How did he know? The text does not tell us.

Peter prayed for a woman named Dorcas or Tabitha and raised her from the dead. How did he know this woman would be raised? I’m not sure he did know, but someting about the circumstances may have struck him as almost déjà vu.

Once Jesus healed the daughter of a man named Jairus. Mark records the incident this way:

But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking. (Mark 5:40-42 ESV)

Now here is Luke’s account of Peter raising Dorcas:

So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. (Acts 9:39-41 ESV)

Now the Dorcas event had to recall the raising of the little girl by Jesus. But there is a “silly” coincidence of Dorcas’ Hebrew name Tabitha (both mean “gazelle”). It differs by one letter from “little girl”: talitha. Is this significant? Maybe. Maybe not. But, though Luke does not tell us the Aramaic, the words Peter spoke would have differed from Jesus words on that previous occasion by that same single consonant:

• Jesus:  talitha kumi (“child, arise”)
• Peter: tabitha kumi (“Tabitha, arise”)

Is it possible, that as the Lord was using Peter to continue the works of Jesus, and as Peter was learning to trust the voice of the Spirit, that He used coincidence and a play on words to direct Peter’s prayer? I don’t know, but it certainly looks to me as if Peter consciously imitated Jesus at that moment–building on the similarity of two words.