We Do Not Ask
Posted: March 26th, 2008, 12:45 am
HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #123c Re-Written 26MAR08 http://groups.msn.com/AHealingShelter/welcome.msnw
No Wonder: Part Three—We Do Not Ask
by dave c
Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know (Ac 2:22; NIV). [Jesus is speaking] “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles [i.e., works] themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:11&12, NIV). Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Ac 6:8; NIV). Jesus was accredited to the people through great works of miracles, wonders and signs—the Lord tells us that anyone who has faith in Him will do even greater works than the ones He performed while on Earth—Stephen, who was not an apostle, but who had faith in Christ, did great wonders and miraculous signs.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name [the name of Jesus] they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mk 16:17&18; NIV). [Paul speaking] Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power [dunamis—miraculous power] they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (1Co 4:18&19; NIV). In the name of Jesus miraculous signs should accompany those who believe in Him—within the First Century Church there were arrogant people who were all talk and Paul was going to unmask them because he knew they lacked miraculous power from and through God, and the kingdom of God is a matter of miraculous/supernatural power through the Holy Spirit—not just talk.
It has occurred to me that if there are no miracles, no wonders, and no signs in our lives—or in the lives of our Christian fellowships—it is probably because we are not asking God for them. James, the Brother of Jesus, tells us in 4:2 ...You do not have, because you do not ask God (NIV). Or, if we are asking but not seeing miraculous fruit growing from our prayers, James continues in verse 3: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives (NIV). Or it may be a problem of lack of faith: But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (Ja 1:6-8; NIV). So, we are either not asking God for miracles, or we are asking for our glory instead of glory to God, or we don’t have faith in Christ that is even the size of a mustard seed (Mat. 17:14-20).
Please carefully read the following verses from the Gospel of Mark—6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith (NIV). While some of us highly regard miraculous healings as great evidence of the power of God’s presence, and others regard them skeptically as the fabrications of fringe element Christianity—Jesus regards the physical healing of the sick as minimal and requiring little faith.
Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown among His friends, family, and neighbors because they took offense at Him, because they did not honor Him, and because of their lack of faith. We are the temple of God...we are His family. In a very real sense we are His “hometown” in this fallen world, and we of all people should be keenly aware of His great love, power, and desire to grant us all we ask in His name. Yet, in our lack of faith and wrong motives we do not ask Him and we ridicule those who do. Paul describes us as “arrogant” because we believe that we do not need Christ’s active participation in our lives and in our religion—that we can do the work of the Church with talk and with our own efforts of mind and body. I fear Matthew 22:29 applies to us all, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power [dunamis] of God” (NIV). I have to wonder what great things Christ would work among us if only we were willing to ask and believe.
Jesus tells us, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lu 11:9-13; NIV). “Lord, please give us a heart to ask and believe. Amen.”
No Wonder: Part Three—We Do Not Ask
by dave c
Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know (Ac 2:22; NIV). [Jesus is speaking] “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles [i.e., works] themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:11&12, NIV). Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Ac 6:8; NIV). Jesus was accredited to the people through great works of miracles, wonders and signs—the Lord tells us that anyone who has faith in Him will do even greater works than the ones He performed while on Earth—Stephen, who was not an apostle, but who had faith in Christ, did great wonders and miraculous signs.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name [the name of Jesus] they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mk 16:17&18; NIV). [Paul speaking] Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power [dunamis—miraculous power] they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (1Co 4:18&19; NIV). In the name of Jesus miraculous signs should accompany those who believe in Him—within the First Century Church there were arrogant people who were all talk and Paul was going to unmask them because he knew they lacked miraculous power from and through God, and the kingdom of God is a matter of miraculous/supernatural power through the Holy Spirit—not just talk.
It has occurred to me that if there are no miracles, no wonders, and no signs in our lives—or in the lives of our Christian fellowships—it is probably because we are not asking God for them. James, the Brother of Jesus, tells us in 4:2 ...You do not have, because you do not ask God (NIV). Or, if we are asking but not seeing miraculous fruit growing from our prayers, James continues in verse 3: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives (NIV). Or it may be a problem of lack of faith: But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does (Ja 1:6-8; NIV). So, we are either not asking God for miracles, or we are asking for our glory instead of glory to God, or we don’t have faith in Christ that is even the size of a mustard seed (Mat. 17:14-20).
Please carefully read the following verses from the Gospel of Mark—6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith (NIV). While some of us highly regard miraculous healings as great evidence of the power of God’s presence, and others regard them skeptically as the fabrications of fringe element Christianity—Jesus regards the physical healing of the sick as minimal and requiring little faith.
Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown among His friends, family, and neighbors because they took offense at Him, because they did not honor Him, and because of their lack of faith. We are the temple of God...we are His family. In a very real sense we are His “hometown” in this fallen world, and we of all people should be keenly aware of His great love, power, and desire to grant us all we ask in His name. Yet, in our lack of faith and wrong motives we do not ask Him and we ridicule those who do. Paul describes us as “arrogant” because we believe that we do not need Christ’s active participation in our lives and in our religion—that we can do the work of the Church with talk and with our own efforts of mind and body. I fear Matthew 22:29 applies to us all, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power [dunamis] of God” (NIV). I have to wonder what great things Christ would work among us if only we were willing to ask and believe.
Jesus tells us, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Lu 11:9-13; NIV). “Lord, please give us a heart to ask and believe. Amen.”