“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” II Thes. 2:9
Satan can imitate signs and wonders and gifts of the Spirit. He can masquerade as an angel of light, but there is one thing he can never imitate and that is God’s love.
“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Jn. 11:32
Mary believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus, but Jesus wanted her to believe He can raise him even from the dead. God is always busy revealing to us just how great He is.
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Mt. 10:34
When we minister the word by the Spirit we will minister the same way Jesus did. Jesus came to bring the sword. This means that the words He speaks will cut to the heart. There are many preachers today that don’t like that so they do the best to eliminate the sword. I don’t especially care to see the negative reaction and rejection when the gospel is preached, but if we are going to preach with the same authority that Jesus did, we too will bring a sword.
“Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.” II Ki. 5:14-15
Too often the church decides if the final outcome of something is good only if people are blessed by it. However, there is no greater outcome of a matter than when God is glorified and when men will say, “now I know there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel” (the church). Naaman did get healed, but God received the glory.
“And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” II Ki. 5:3
What confidence this little maid had of the God of Israel. She was convinced that if Naaman could get to the prophet in Israel, he would be made clean. Lord, let it be that we too can have such confidence that we can tell those that need a touch, need a miracle and needing a cleansing that there is a prophet in Israel. Lord give us confidence that we can say there is a church, a people in the community, where God’s presence and power abides.
“And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.” II Ki. 5:3
Though Naaman was a leper, the little maid did not despise her master. In fact, she had great compassion on him and desired for him to see the prophet in Israel so he could be healed. Saints, we must never despise the lepers in this world, after all, we were once a spiritual leper (sinner) ourselves. We must have compassion on the lost souls in this world, hating their sin because it is destroying their soul, but loving their souls enough that we would pray for and preach Christ to them.
“Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” II Ki. 5:1-2
This little maid from Israel is a type of Christian, in that Christians have a call to serve. She was in the enemy’s home yet she served Naaman, the leper’s, wife. We are called to serve God and man. There are three levels of priority in this life of service.
1. Like the greatest commandment to love God first, we are servants to God first.
2. Next, we are servants to the household of faith. Just as Jesus washed His disciple’s feet, we are called to serve our brethren.
3. And last we are called to serve our fellow man. Yes, even if they are not Christians. We may not obey everything they say, but we are to serve our neighbor.
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” Rev. 1:5
When I was in the construction business, I often gave my customer a bill when I completed their job. After they would write me a check I would write on their bill, “Paid in full.” However, you could look at that receipt and still see what the charges were before they paid me. The blood of Christ does much more than write over our sins “paid in full,” “it washed us from our sins.” When something is washed, the dirt and stains are completely gone. Hallelujah for the blood of Christ.
“That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. 59And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: 60That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 61Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” I ki. 8:58-61
I will not deny that if the church would display power like the early church did that she would get the attention of society. However, there is another way that the church can prove to this world that the “LORD is God.” We do that when we “incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments.”
“That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. 59And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: 60That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 61Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” I Ki. 8:58-61
I will not deny that if the church would display power like the early church did that she would get the attention of society. However, there is another way that the church can prove to this world that the “LORD is God.” We do that when we “incline our hearts unto Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments.”
