2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ has reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
I'm unsure when and how it began, but the Super-natural Church (Body of Christ) has become a mostly secular religion, to the world. As I reviewed the Word of God, I discovered how even those who weren't born-again, went out in the power of God, with healing and miracles following. Jesus was speaking to seventy of His disciples and followers in Luke 10:8-9 (Amplified). These people had witnessed the working of His ministry and He said to them, "Whenever you go into a town and they receive and accept and welcome you, eat what is set before you, And heal the sick in it and say to them, The Kingdom of God has come close to you." These people had only "come close," but today, God's Kingdom has come into being in the Church by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Jesus' Sacrifice.
The seventy returned from the task Jesus had given in Luke 10:17-19 (Amplified) which says, "The seventy returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name. And He said to them, I saw satan falling like a lightning (flash) from Heaven. Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and (physical and mental strength and ability) over all the power that the enemy (possesses) and nothing shall in any way harm you."
God's Word tells us that the Church was born from the Super-natural. While reading through the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, we can't help but see the Super-natural working in and through the Church. We see the power of Super-natural prayer in Acts 4:31-32 (Amplified) where Peter and John had been arrested and temporarily jailed for healing the man at the gate of the temple. The rulers and the members of the Sanhedrin (the Council) gathered at the gate, after hearing about the Super-natural healing of this man and said, "In order that it may not spread further among the people and the nation, let us warn them and forbid them with a stern threat to speak anymore to anyone in this Name (or about this Person)."
When the people heard about this declaration, they devised a prayer that comes straight from God's Word, saying, "And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage." When was the last time you saw a "place shaken," by prayer?
As we read further, we see the Super-natural power of God working through His new creation Church, as they walked in His Spirit. Acts 5:12-13,14-42 (Amplified) says, "Now by the hands of the Apostles (special messengers) numerous and startling signs and wonders were being performed among the people, and by common consent they all met together (at the Temple) in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon's And none of those who were not of their number dared to join and associate with them, but the people held them in high regard and praised and made much of them."
Verses 14-42 show us how the disciples continued in the Super-natural, even in the midst of threats and punishments being made towards them. Not everyone wants to walk in this Super-natural Presence of the Father and many will dismiss it, because it interferes with their own agenda. It's beyond me, how we will ever come to the place where the Presence of God is being manifested. One would think the Church would not only embrace this, but that we would seek after it with everything we have.
Today, though, we seem to pacify the flesh, by not speaking about the Spirit. We've become like the Sanhedrin in the above scripture, without even noticing. Jesus said that we are "In the world, but we are not of the world." We are called to abide in the flesh and walk in the Spirit. We can't leave our fleshly bodies and remain here on earth, but we can stay in the flesh and bring Heaven here. Jesus had a flesh and blood Body, but He was led by the Holy Spirit. He was in the world, but not of the world. Jesus told His disciples and those who believed and followed Him, in Mark 16:17 (Amplified), "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe in My Name."
Why do many call those who teach the things Jesus preached and taught, "fanatics?" What has happened to us over the last years, that makes us so "superior" to the early Church and the world, that we no longer need the Super-natural intervention of God to build His Body? Have we arrived to a place, where we think we can change the world without Him? Don't we recognize and understand that we are dealing with the dark side of the supernatural in today's world? Do we really believe we can defeat the power of darkness, with just another new "program?"
Let's return to what the Church is and what we're called to in this world. Without the Super-natural power of God, we're just another organization that meets on Sundays or just another social club that pays it's dues, in order to keep the lights on. I'm not writing these things, in order to make you angry, but to propel you into seeking God and His Presence for yourself.
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