|
||||
|
||||
|
Sabtu, 01 Juli 2017
The Fire Has No Power
John Fenn, How Jesus Heals Emotions #2
Hi all,
I've raised the issue that we don't see Jesus laying hands on someone for
emotional healing in the gospels, yet clearly the healing of emotions
is part of the work of the cross. So where do we find emotional healing
in the ministry of Jesus?
Foundational scripture provides a clue
Isaiah 42:1-4 is a prophecy about the Messiah, and says in v3-4: "A
bruised reed He will not break. A smoldering wick He will not snuff
out. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not fail nor
be discouraged until He has set justice in the earth..."
We've established
a person in need of emotional healing is compared here to a bruised
plant stem and a barely burning oil lamp, but I want you to see the
Lord's point of view, for it provides us the understanding of what the
Lord's purpose is when He brings forth emotional healing.
First understand "He will not fail nor be discouraged"
This
statement that the Lord won't be discouraged with us is huge and SO
gracious the Lord included it in this prophecy about Messiah. This is
because an emotionally bruised person, a person barely keeping their
light lit, feels discouraged, hopeless, and they feel they have
most certainly disappointed the Lord.
This says He won't be discouraged until He has '...set justice in the earth'. That
means He is moving in the direction of bringing you justice - He WILL
set justice, in your life. In your emotions. In your sense of right and
wrong and fairness in life. He won't be discouraged and will in fact
bring forth justice.
It
says He will do so 'in faithfulness'. He will be faithful to you when
no one else has been. He will set justice in your life when no one else
has been willing or able to do so.
He
will not further bruise you, nor will He extinguish your barely
burning light, but will in fact heal you by bringing justice into your
earth, your life....how does He do that?
You must remember this...
I
cannot emphasize this enough - everything we are about to see in the
gospels of how Jesus brought forth justice into an emotionally damaged
person's life can be traced right back to the above verse. This is
important because the natural man's way of viewing justice means whoever
hurt you will get theirs in the end. Whoever caused you the emotional
pain will pay for their sin. That is the first place natural man goes to
when we read 'He will bring forth justice."
What
if God's perspective on justice in your life is different than what you
imagine? Assuredly those who sinned against you will stand before the
Lord to give account, but that is off in the future. What about the here
and now? What will He do to help you heal of the damage? What if His
sense of bringing forth justice in your life involves not only making
sure that person who hurt you stands before Him one day, but also helps
you sort out what happened to you and provide direction?
Example #1: The woman at the well
In
John 4 Jesus is at a well and asks water from a local woman. She is a
'person of peace' towards Him, not yet realizing who she is talking to,
she is just interested in talking to the man. In
verse 16 Jesus asks her to call her husband, to which she replied she
doesn't have one. To this statement Jesus reveals that He knows (by what
we call a word of knowledge) she has had 5 husband and she is now
living with a 6th man.
At
this point we need to speculate a little. Think about people you know
around you about why this woman was married 5x and was living with a 6th
-for people are the same now as then. Why would she not want to marry
the man? Does #6 want to be married but she doesn't? Does she want to be
married but #6 doesn't?
Did
she bury 3 husbands and divorce or was divorced by 2? Did she bury all
5? Did she divorce or was she divorced by all 5? Did she bury 2 and
divorce 3?
You
see, if we are to believe as Isaiah 53 states, that our emotional
griefs, sorrows, and pain were carried by Jesus at the same time 'by His
stripes we are healed' then that means with every physical healing
there will be an emotional healing as well. The reverse must also then
be true: If there is an emotional healing then there will be a healing
in the natural world as well, either literally physical or maybe a
healing of circumstance, of relationships, of life in general. You
cannot separate the two for they are presented as one work by Messiah's
sacrifice.
She didn't need physical healing, but her emotional healing brought about healing to her life in the natural
No
matter the reason she had been married 5x and was living with a 6th
man, to have been married 5 times and now being single reveals she
had emotional baggage. There was a reason in that day and that culture
that she and #6 were living together.
She would later say to her neighbors in v29; "Come see a man who told me everything I ever did!"
This
tells us there was much more to the conversation she and Jesus had then
what John was led to write down that became our John chapter 4
- obviously Jesus shared more details of what He knew of her life than
what John 4 states - He told her everything she ever did.
Healing method #1 - Acknowledge where you are right now
Notice
the Lord simply said, "You've told the truth, you've had 5 husbands and
the man you're now living with isn't your husband. This you have spoke
truthfully." (v18)
There
is no judgement, no condemnation, no opinion expressed at all - He
just acknowledges where she is right now at this moment in time. This is
the first step, to be brutally truthful with yourself and God about
where you are right now. There is no opinion nor emotion attached -
Jesus simply stated the truth and got her to do the same. We will see
this pattern in the gospels over and over with Him - first step, He and
they acknowledge where they are right now, no veneer, no explanation of
why - just truth.
Healing method #2 - Reset history by the Holy Spirit
This
woman went through her 5 marriages and was living with a 6th man,
clearly at this point of her life not concerned about God's thoughts on
her living arrangement. We can conclude therefore she felt rather alone
in losing to death or divorce husbands 1-5, perhaps asking where God was
when she was going through relationship after relationship only to find
each end. She had lived through 5
husbands and entered into a 6th relationship apparently unconcerned
about God, and that was her perspective.
That
was her reality. God was no where to be found in those first 5. All she
wanted was to be a wife and mom, and man after man, marriage after
marriage ended. She wanted stability, peace, and she had questions - so
much so that after Jesus initially revealed that He knew about her 5
marriages she changed the subject to a spiritual one. She was deeply
spiritual, but confused, Jesus telling her point-blank that 'you worship
you know not what'. (v22)
Her
understanding of her life was that she had made it through on her own.
She was tough. She was inwardly strong. She had soldiered forward in
spite of what life had thrown at her. Where was God? Who cares, I like
man #6 so I'll move in with him. God has demonstrated He isn't
interested in my life.
Reset - Jesus saw all, Jesus was there
Jesus
gave her revelation that reset her understanding of her own history: He
knew what she was going through. He was there. He proved it by telling
her of her 5 marriages and all she ever did. He brought her to this point for a reason. She had to change how she thought about her life, about how she thought God wasn't there. The bruised person must have an experience with the Lord by His Spirit where He is allowed to reset their idea of their history. A history that reveals He was there after all.
We
will see this pattern throughout the gospels in various applications -
Jesus revealed to the emotionally bruised person facts which reset their
ideas of their own history. And I'm out of room for today so will pick
it up there next week - until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series
There
is a common thread woven throughout the kingdom of God yet most
Christians have never heard of it. In fact any study of the kingdom of
heaven is incomplete and misses the point without it. This element of
kingdom culture permeates everything from ‘God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son’ to ‘Jesus…went about doing good and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil’ and all that Jesus did and
said. It is the way the Father is, the reason we love one another, the
reason we open our lives and homes to others, and even why we give to
others. This study will fill in some big blanks in your understanding of
the Father and the kingdom of heaven in many ‘oh that is why’ moments –
a must have!
Just a word about our On-line Video Bible School
- these classes, so far; Old Testament I & II, Righteousness and
Our Authority in Christ - are a go-at-your-own-pace, no test, investment
in your own faith and understanding of the Word and Lord. Once
registered, your password is good for a whole year so you can take your
time, but as I'm hearing from students, once they start they have a hard
time stopping! Each class is about 45-55 minutes long, so they are in
easy to receive segments...consider investing in a deeper study of the
things of God!
|
The Absolute Best Discussion Question You Can Ask in Small Group
The Absolute Best Discussion Question You Can Ask in Small Group
1. Never ask a question where the answer is Yes or No. “Is this verse saying that God is good?”
2. Never ask a question that is so blindingly obvious that no one will want to answer it: “Who loved the world so much that he gave his only Son?”
3. Never ask multiple questions: “What has God said he will do for his people in verse 7, why will he do it and what will be the result, and what horse won the 3.30 at Kempton Park Racecourse?”
4. Always ask open questions that get people to think about what the Scriptures are actually saying: “What is the big surprise in v. 15?”
5. Ask not just about facts (what) but also about motivation (why) and connections (how): “Why do you think Jesus asks this question the way he does?”
But I’ve discovered over the years that, as the title says, often the best questions are not questions at all. Here’s what I mean:
You’ve asked one of your finely crafted questions, and Janice, a young Christian who doesn’t usually say very much, gives a hesitating answer that shows she’s on the right track. You can tell by the wrinkled forehead that she has got a lot more thoughts in her mind but is unsure about her first answer so has not said any more. So now is your chance to deploy the finest two words in Bible study history.
Are you ready for them?
Take a deep breath and repeat after me:
“Go on.”
Say these two words out loud now—they will change the face of your home group forever!
“Go on.”
These words say loads of things to Jittery Janice or Shrinking Stephen or Hesitant Hannah or Timid Trevor. They tell them:
1. You’re on the right track.
2. I’m interested in the thoughts that are in your head—please share them around so that other people can be encouraged by them.
3. The stage is yours…
It’s the equivalent of what some books call an “extending question”—but without the need to think of another question. With the right tone or even prefacing it with “I think you’re on the right track here, go on…” or “That’s an interesting idea, go on…” you are encouraging them to speak so they can encourage everyone else.
Try it at your next home group meeting, and you will be astonished by the power of these two little words to transform your group.
But a word of caution. Don’t tell your group to read this article. Word got back to a group I once ran about a training session I ran where I talked about these magic words. From that time on, all they did when I said “Go on” was laugh at me…
4 Ways Confrontation Must Happen in Christian Community
4 Ways Confrontation Must Happen in Christian Community
The “If you see something, say something” message was clear, concise and catalytic in causing people to be more alert and report suspicious behavior. After all, the stakes were and are too high not to “say something if you see something.” The safety of people is way too important to shrug off saying something, to delay addressing an issue. The same must be true in community that is Christian.
We need confrontation.
In Christian community, we live and labor alongside broken and struggling brothers and sisters. We ourselves, no matter how long we have walked with the Lord, are broken and struggling with our own issues. All of us are prone to wander and fall, so we need people around us who “if they see something, say something,” who care when something in our lives is left “unattended.” We need people around us who are loving enough to confront us when our hearts are unattended by His truth, when our marriages are unattended by our affections, when our relationships are unattended by forgiveness, and when our decisions are unattended by His agenda.We need to confront.
If sin goes un-confronted, the community can self-destruct because the community loses the commitment to the values and beliefs that make her distinct. If you are in Christian community and you see something in a brother or sister’s life, if you see hearts unattended by His grace and truth, say something to the person. After all, what good is community if it fails to confront? But as we confront, we must confront in the following four ways:1. Restoratively (Proverbs 27:6)
Confrontation within the confines of a trusting relationship is much more likely to be received. When we know someone loves us and wants the best for us, we are much more likely to hear and respond to the confrontation. The goal of confrontation must be restoration, not merely unleashing frustration.2. Privately (Matthew 18:15)
No one wants to be embarrassed, and confronting privately gives the best opportunity for a restorative conversation. It is a blemish on community when people talk about people rather than to people. Just as you want people to come to you, treat others with the same love and respect you desire.3. Quickly (Ephesians 4:27)
Quickly confronting builds trust because people learn you keep a short account and move on. Quickly confronting prevents seeds of bitterness from growing and destroying relationships.4. Gently (Galatians 6:1)
The best confrontations result in people knowing they are loved, knowing that the best is desired for them, and knowing that the relationship can be stronger moving forward. That kind of confrontation does not happen without a gentle spirit.Throw yourself into a community where if people see your life or heart unattended, they will say something. And by God’s grace, offer the same gift to others.
If You Want People to Grow Spiritually, Quit Telling Them to Study the Bible
If You Want People to Grow Spiritually, Quit Telling Them to Study the Bible
This is what happened. I was teaching a class on how to study the Bible and in preparation I decided to look at what the Bible itself has to say about Bible study. I was jarred by what I discovered. The Bible says almost nothing about studying the Bible! Very often we are told in the Bible to obey and meditate on Scripture, and there are many passages that tell us to remember and not forget God’s word and God’s acts. But study the Bible? It’s almost never mentioned in all of scripture.
Perhaps, like me, you immediately think of the passage, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…” (1 Timothy 2:15, KJV). But this is a poor translation of the original Greek. All modern translations render this better, as the New King James version does, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God…”
The key emphasis in the Bible itself on how we are to relate to it is not to study it, but to meditate on it, delight in it, ponder it, obey it and not forget it. If you don’t believe me, do a quick word search on the words “study,” “delight,” “meditate” and “obey.” You will be shocked, as I was.
In other words, the problem isn’t that we are stupid. The problem is that we are forgetful. Or to put it another way, the issue isn’t that we need to learn more Bible, the problem is that a lot of us know quite a bit of the Bible. But we don’t enjoy it and let it soak in, so we forget it or don’t apply it. So we often miss the abundant life that it is calling us to.
The key passage in all of the Bible on how we should treasure God’s word is Psalm 119, the 176-verse acrostic on why and how we should love Scripture. Have you ever noticed that it does not mention studying the Bible even once. But 17 times it talks about obeying Scripture and eight times speaks of meditating on God’s word and his works. Notice, for example, verses 97-101:
Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
The problem with telling people to study the Bible is that most people hate studying. In fact most people heartily agree with Ecclesiastes 12:11: “Much study wearies the body.” So when we tell them to study Scripture, we are implying that it’s a textbook and people are repulsed. Who likes to read textbooks?
I recently asked on Facebook, “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘study’?” I was hoping that at least 10 people would respond and was shocked that over 100 did. Some people reported feelings of joy when they heard the word study but many offered words like, “ugh!” “stress,” “boring,” “dread,” “anxiety” and “exhaustion.”
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that Bible study is bad. It’s a wonderful thing. But the word “study” repulses most people. And careful Bible study itself reveals that study is not the primary way we are supposed to absorb and respond to God’s word.
Instead, we are invited to ponder, to meditate, to delight in and obey it. If you want some fresh ideas on how to respond to Scripture in life-changing ways, consider the simple Discovery Group and three-column approaches that are being used around the world in the rapidly growing disciple-making movement.
I hope you have a delightful time meditating on and responding to God’s word today!
This article originally appeared here.
His Government
|
||||
|
||||
|
Friends Letter June, 2017
Dear Friends
I
do not know who first used the phrase "compassion fatigue" but it is a
reality that we all face. With constant news of all the disasters,
famines, wars and suffering of this world and with the constant appeals
to help this cause, this organization and this person doing good work,
the compassion does run low. We simply cannot deal with all of the
needs and so we turn off the compassion and watch the ball game.
Then
cynicism kicks in when the stories of incompetence, corruption and
staggering abuse of relief funds by government and also charitable
organizations hit our news feed. Why even try?
Exactly.
But
in every disaster zone and in the midst of every sea of need you will
find someone doing something with very little and making a big
difference!
That is our friend Alexandr in
Istanbul. He is from Kazakhstan where he learned to speak Turkish while
seeking to share Jesus in Turkish villages near Almaty and then came to
Istanbul with his wife and four children to serve Jesus there. He is
learning Kurdish to share with the many Kurds there and he is now
learning Arabic to share with the many Arabic speaking refugees there.
Yes,
Istanbul is hosting refugees from Syria, Iraq and Iran. Many have
nothing and their children have no opportunity for school so Alexandr
and a few friends began a school for the children of Syrian refugees.
Yes, it is giving schooling to only a few dozen out of thousands of
refugee children but it is making a huge difference for those kids.
That
is the only way to deal with compassion fatigue- do what you can with
friends you trust. You cannot do it all but you can do something!
We
are grateful to be able to partner with Alexandr in his disciple making
work in Istanbul and in his school for Syrian children.
We are grateful for those of you who partner with us so we can partner with Alexandr.
Your brother
Steve
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)