Called To Give It Away

Transfiguration       

Matt 17.1-21  Mark 9.2-29  Luke 9.28-43 (Read one or all of these)

"Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white."

Jesus called his friends to go up the mountain with him. Climbing can be hard but when Jesus invites us, we do it. At the top Jesus is transfigured, shining in all his glory, and speaking with Moses and Elijah. Great men of God.

The Glory  

Peter wanted to stay in it.

The church, you and I, can be like that, wanting to remain in the glory when we are at a special meeting: maybe Spring Harvest, New Wine or any other church meeting where the Spirit touches us wonderfully. Perhaps you went to Bethel or somewhere that you had heard that the Spirit was moving and you wanted to experience it for yourself. There can be something in us that makes us want to soak up the glory, feel his presence and to stay in that place. How often have we said; “if only church could be like this?”

Then the Father spoke; “This is my Son, listen to him.” The Father affirmed his son.

What did Jesus say? He said come back down the mountain. He knew that the glory was wonderful but not the place to remain in, so down they went.

At the bottom of the mountain there was another father, another son, and they needed help. The glory was not present where they were. The father’s love for his son wanted him free from demonic hold, throwing fits and spoiling his life potential. “Help us, if you can” cried the father. If I can? Jesus asked him, “anything is possible if a person believes”

The Father wants to affirm you and I, his sons and daughters, yet he knows that our place is not to remain on the mountain top, in the presence of his glory but our place as his children is down where the people are, where the needs are for hurting humanity.   Too often we can experience the wonderful presence of God, a place we want to enjoy and where we feel secure and filled with his love but our purpose is to take that infilling into the dark places, to those in need.

But do we? How many of us look to others to be the ones who reach out, to pray for healing, for deliverance in the name and authority of Jesus, just as he told us to do? How often do we block the work that God has for us through fear and self doubt?

It seems to me that we long and love to be filled but that we have a “plug” that we let remain firmly within us so that the glory we experience remains but of course it soon disappears. And we wish it didn’t.

The channel for the free flowing of the Holy Spirit gets blocked and we permit no outlet for the Spirit. Maybe this is why we don’t see the marvels that we read about in our bibles?

We doubt our son-ship, our commission from God to “do even greater things than these”.

Jesus’ disciples could not cast out the demon and bring healing for the boy and Jesus berated them for having such little faith. Do we want to have this said of us or would we rather hear him say; “Well done good and faithful servant?”

Here in Turkey just 5 years ago a young Muslim man came to faith in a miraculous way. As he knelt to receive Christ as his Saviour he was saved, healed, delivered from the hold of drugs and filled with the Holy Spirit. Over the next two years he led 42 of his Muslim family to faith in Jesus. What is even more interesting is that the people didn’t have a local church to go to so they met in homes, a fluid church that met frequently as they ate together and worshiped. No-one had told them how to “do” church, no-one had told them they needed a pastor, a worship team or a service plan. They just met together and were led by the Spirit as he wanted; one shared a scripture, another began to sing a worship song and others joined in. The Holy Spirit led them. As they shared Jesus with their family and friends, no-one had told them that these healing scriptures were not for them, no-one told them that they couldn’t see cancer healed, broken bones mended, demons cast out. They simply believed what Jesus said in the scriptures and did it. They expected healings and saw them. They expected to see the oppressed set free and they saw it. They had no knowledge of a “plug” that prevented them doing all they had been told to do in scripture. They just did it. Because Jesus had told them to.

John 14.12 “Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works because I am going to the Father”

Luke 4,18-19: (Jesus’ manifesto)

What is yours? The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon you and he has anointed you (with his spirit) to do . . . even greater things in the power of his Spirit and the authority of his name which he gave to us to be used. To bring healing, freedom, to open the eyes that cannot see and to set prisoners free.

Do not block the free flow of the Spirit but be a conduit to others around you.

John 7. 37-39 Streams of Living water

We are filled so we can pour out

The church (you and me) too often has a “plug” of unbelief and doubt that prevents this.

Get back down that mountain, reach out to the lost and the hurting, cast out your fears and doubt, bring deliverance to a needy world, set people free!  That’s the glory of Christ in us - Our hope and the hope of the world.

Take that plug out.  After all, Jesus has told you that if you believe, you can do it, and he is relying on you to obey.

Blessings

Paul

Our thanks to Paul for this month's Blog contribution