Tag

demonstration

Apr 29 2016
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But In Demonstration

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“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:1-5).

 

Many Christians want to hear practical messages from scripture that teaches how to have health and prosperity and how to live successfully in our society. The preachers who master how to preach and teach these things as if that is what the word of God is all about, are the most popular preachers. The better they can do that, the bigger their churches are and greater is the number are those who follow them. Look at Joel Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, the largest Protestant church in America. The sanctuary seats 16,800 people. They estimate that over 45,000 people attend Lakewood Church every week. Joel is a master at making people feel real good. He is a bestselling author and has written many books. Here are the names of some of them. “You Can, You Will, The Power of I AM, Your Best Life Now, and Become a Better You” (emphasis added). Is there anything that stands out to you in these titles? I helped you see it by emboldening some of the words so they would catch your eye. Do you understand that these titles are all about YOU? All four of these books seem to focus on man and what is best for him. How is it that Christians who read the Bible, which is all about Christ, then go and write books that are all about man? I do have to confess that I have not read any of these books, and have no interest in doing so. The titles alone tell me what is in the pages of these books. When I first heard the title, “The Power of I AM,” it made me shudder. When I saw “Become a Better You” at the book store my immediate response was, “I don’t want to be a better me, I want the ME to die.” All the problems God ever had with me is the ME. I need to get ME out of the way.

I suppose if we could ask Christians, who regularly attend church, what they expect their pastors to preach and teach, some would say they would like more expository teaching. Some would say they want messages that apply to everyday practical living. Others may say they want the pastor to search out all the Hebrew and Greek words so they can get a better understanding of the scriptures. Others may want a fiery message with the preacher raising his voice. Some like a well-outlined teaching with worksheets to fill out. None of these things are necessarily wrong, but none of these are the answer to what is missing from today’s preachers. There is an incredible high regard for the teachers who are intellectuals. Our society is enamored with smart men with degrees. I think many Christians think that of all the men who have searched out all the Bible doctrines, that if anyone knows what they are talking about it has to be our intelligent Bible teachers. I have nothing against intelligence, even though I am not intelligent. You might not want to read anymore articles after I tell you this, but I only graduated from high school. I am just a dumb construction worker turned preacher.  However, I see far too many preachers and teachers trusting in their intellect and ability to articulate than in the power of God. The greatest thing we need from our preachers today is for them to preach with a demonstration of Spirit and power.

People get tired of talkers after a while. They especially get tired of preachers who talk, but never say anything with substance. They are tired of preachers who talk and lack authority in their words. Worse than that, people get offended when preachers talk and then live a life contrary to what they preach. Our society does not need talkers, our churches don’t need a speech; they need a demonstration of Spirit and power. Did you notice in our scripture text the word “Spirit” is capitalized? This indicates to us that the demonstration is from God (and not from our own human spirit) which results in man being a spirited preacher. We need preachers who demonstrate through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our generation needs a demonstration not a hollow message. They need powerful messages, not just good ones. They need a message that is authenticated by the Spirit of God.

Those who listened to the Pharisees week after week and year after year, were greatly moved when Jesus spoke. “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). There was another time when the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Jesus. When the officers came to Him and heard Him speaking, they returned back to them without arresting Jesus. When asked why, “The officers answered, Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46).

The devil has mastered clever speech. The devil even used scripture when he was trying to tempt Jesus. Satan has a counterfeit for a lot of things. The devil can do a lot of things, but there is one thing he cannot do and that is speak with the power and anointing of God. It is only we believers who have such a privilege. Motivational speakers can speak to and move the emotions of men, but the Holy Spirit deals directly with the spirit of man. Feelings and emotions can, and often do follow, but feelings alone do not prove a message has authority.

The Apostle Paul was a highly trained and educated man, so again you don’t have to be stupid to be used of God. God uses the “whosoever.” However, God doesn’t call, “…many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble… (I Corinthians 1:26), but that doesn’t mean He doesn’t call any. So if you are highly intelligent, give God the glory for it and use it for His glory, just like Paul did. When it came down to it, Paul said his effectiveness wasn’t in being a Hebrew of Hebrews or in his great learning at the feet of the Pharisee Gamaliel. Paul said, “In mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). I remember coming upon this verse back in 1999 as I was preparing for a message. I read it and said, “Where has this verse been all my saved life?” Well you know it has always been in the Bible. Maybe it never stood out because few seem to believe it anymore and few dare preach it.

Saint of God, there is nothing more our preachers need then to once again preach with a demonstration of Spirit and power. There is nothing more this world needs from you as well than to preach with a demonstration of Spirit and power.

Nov 12 2015
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Eyesalve: Spoke and Lived it

By | Eyesalve

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Ph’p 4:9

Paul’s preaching had the one two punch. He spoke it and he lived it. If the people couldn’t understand the words he said they could see a demonstration of it in Paul’s life.

Mar 05 2015
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What is the Anointing

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“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;” II Corinthians 1:21

I would have to say that one of the more misunderstood and misrepresented topics in the Bible is that of the anointing of the Spirit of God. Some Christians don’t really know what the anointing is and how to have it. Others have been introduced to a counterfeit anointing, or even an anointing of the demonic kind which has caused fear and doubt in a segment of the body of Christ. Though I can’t give you a brief concise answer on what the anointing is, I do understand some things about the anointing I can share with you. I have experienced the anointing of God through the years. I can tell you, it is real and God still anoints His people.

The first thing we must understand about the anointing is that we cannot be effective for the Kingdom of God without it. Far too often I have taken the anointing for granted, and because of that I have lacked it and have been far too ineffective. The church today seems to have little effect here in America. This testifies to her lack of anointing. God’s ingredient to reach a fallen world is still the same as He ordained back when the church was birthed. It is the combination of Spirit filled believers preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

We desperately need the anointing of the Spirit in our generation. We have had our fill of men’s techniques, talents and tricks to try to introduce a society, which is deceived by sin and loves sin, to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Have you ever considered the story we preach? It is a story that says, a God, who created all there is, came in human form to die for those that hated and rejected Him. That is an irrational, illogical message that cannot be believed or understood by pure human reasoning and intellect. We, who have been commissioned to preach such a message, need help of the supernatural kind. That help comes in the form of the anointing.

Too often, men’s abilities and achievements are mistaken for God’s anointing. Therefore, many Christians think they are anointed because they have graduated Bible College, or have great natural abilities and talents. Our generation has forgotten that the anointing is something that comes from God and is given to all that ask for it. The anointing comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13). The anointing is not something someone can receive apart from the Holy Spirit. The anointing is in the person of the Holy Spirit. If He is not present, the anointing is not available. If the Holy Spirit is downplayed, so will be the anointing. Paul preached, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” but he never did it without a “demonstration of Spirit and power.” The anointing doesn’t make us smarter or more talented, it makes what we say and do more powerful.

Some Christians, flat out, don’t believe there really is an anointing of supernatural proportions. Though they cannot deny the power and authority that was given to the early church, they have somehow concocted a reasonable argument why our generation is not privileged to demonstrate such power. All I can say is, well thought out arguments on why the anointing that the early church had is not for our day does not rebuke doubt, it caters to it. When unbelief rises up in us, we need to ask God to help our unbelief, not come up with a teaching to support our unbelief.

Another thing that has happened to us Christians here in America is we have grown so accustomed to being a self-sufficient people, that we think we really don’t need any help. We have our workshops, seminars, and oodles of books, along with plenty of money to accomplish anything we want for God, so we think. That self-dependency has also resulted in some Christians becoming skeptics of our God’s supernatural power. They conclude that since some things are being accomplished for the kingdom of God through the efforts of the flesh, then that is all that should really be expected. They then go on to be satisfied with a church that has lost her supernatural effect that has very little impact on society.

Salvation is not just a person changing their mind, salvation is a genuine miracle. It makes a saint out of a sinner in an instant. It makes a person a brand new creature. No workshop or book or clever presentation can accomplish a miracle. Only a supernatural God can bring forth such increase. When Christians get back to depending on God, then the anointing will be there to accomplish supernatural conversions.

Then we have those that have turned the anointing into fanaticism. They make the anointing out to be something it isn’t. The false signs and wonders they do, they say are from God, and that they do them by the anointing of God. Therefore, many Christians have grown so fearful about the anointing that they would just as soon avoid the whole topic. That is exactly what the devil wants. You can be sure if there is the fake, there is the real. Don’t let the false talk you out of the real. The Christian that is anointed is who the devil fears the most.

If you have that anointing, it is important to remain devoted to God and not be overcome by sin if you are going to remain anointed. Sin and disobedience to God rob us of God’s anointing. His anointing is something that must be maintained on a daily basis by seeking after God. Careless carnal living promotes the carnal life, not spiritual life

Some Christians may think that someone has the anointing only when the results of their preaching is positive. I know at one time I thought that when I say something, and it is rejected by men, I was therefore lacking the anointing. However, there was no one with as great of an anointing as Jesus Christ, yet many rejected Him, even after great displays of power. Jesus ministered to thousands, yet after His resurrection there was only 120 in the upper room. Jesus never once lacked the anointing. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach…” (Luke 4:18). This Spirit filled anointed Jesus pierced the hearts of all who heard Him with the two edged sword of truth. He never let up, even when attempts were made to kill Him. It might be that many of us really don’t want this anointing after all.

Finally, the anointing is like any other attribute, quality and fruit of God; it must grow in us. It is not one dose and you’re ready to go. You may be ready to go for that moment, but as I said earlier, the anointing must be maintained and allowed to grow in the true man and woman of God. I have found myself getting comfortable in the pulpit to such a point that I didn’t realize I had developed confidence in myself. This can happen to any preacher; so preacher, be on guard. I know the saints in my church aren’t coming to hear what I have to say, they are coming to hear “thus saith the Lord.” Without the anointing it is “thus saith” Terry Fischer.