>>Faith, real faith, is a power. When activated things
happen. Faith was lost, miracles were few in later times.<<
A lot of people claim that the reason miracles ceased is because
people if today do not have enough faith.
If we honestly hold to that then even Paul - lost faith because
he could no longer heal in the later part of his ministry.
That is something I can not agree with at all
Sidney what is faith?
1. A gift from God granted to some men
2. Something men must conjure up in their flesh
I can't believe anyone would actually accuse Paul fo failing to
conjure up in his flesh something he had done earlier in life - can you?
True faith - is a gift of God and it is "not of ourselves"
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Faith is "the gift of God"
Actually - in ourselves there is nothing good even as Paul has said:
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me;
but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Paul openly confessed that in the flesh dwelleth no good thing
Isaiah said the same thing:
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities,
like the wind, have taken us away.
Those "filthy rags" actually refers to a woman's time of month rags.
Isaiah teaches that what we do in our flesh as acts of righteousness were filthy.
We can not 'work the works of God' in our flesh.
A verse that is commonly misused is the following:
Matthew 13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Some men dare to teach that Jesus COULD NOT DO miracles
because the "unbelief" of others stopped Him.
Now that is a curious teaching because even God ends up being
overpowered by faithless men - how foolish.
Besides that is it not the one DOING the miracles that has to have the faith?
Jesus did not many mighty works their because He chose not to do them
in the midst of such faithlessness - not because he could not.
The verse does not say He could not but rather that He did not.
The verse also does not say that He did NO miracles there
- which would have to be the case if their 'lack of faith'
actually had anything to do with it.
Jesus often asked men 'if they believed He could heal them'
most answered they did but they obviously thought something was
possible or they would not have asked.
Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out,
and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
In that verse we see a man who realizes that He both has faith and has not faith within himself.
I do not think we can assume that - if they did not believe - that Jesus would become unable to heal them.
If it was in fact the faith of the receiver that activates healing then
they are really healing themselves through faith found in their flesh.
Saving faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit - it is not an act of the will of man.
Think also about those whom Christ healed who did not even realize who He or the apostles were - here is an example:
Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried,
whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is
called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none;
but such as I have give I thee:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
This man was expecting nothing more than hopefully a few coins
Peter did not ask that fellow if he wanted to be healed or
if he had any faith - Peter merely used the POWER of GOD
and healed the man.
Look what Peter says about the healing:
12 ¶ And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people,
Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?
or why look ye so earnestly on us,
as though by our own power or holiness
we had made this man to walk?
It was not Peter's faith - Peter after denying Christ KNEW that his faith
was not going to be coming of or from himself.
Peter was displaying the GIFTS that God had granted for that
time as a witness to the FACT that Peter was ORDAINED of God to preach.
Peter was a fisherman - no doctorate of divinity - not ordained in any church !!!
16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong,
whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him (Jesus) hath
given him (the lame one) this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
The lame man did not know who Peter even was - he looked when
Peter told him to look because he thought he would get a coin.
Now it is TRUE that many verse state "your faith has made you whole"
but simply because it is called "their faith" does not negate
the truth about where that faith was coming from.
In John Jesus talks about being "born again" the King James bible
put in the margin "born from above" as an accurate translation.
Look at this account as well:
John 5:5 And a certain man was there,
which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time
in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him,
Sir, I have no man,
when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool:
but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole,
and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
In that record we see the lamb man address Jesus as "Sir"
- he had no idea who Jesus was -
how could that man have had any faith in Christ if he did not
even know who Christ was? When Jesus asked if he would be whole
the man was still hoping to be healed of an angel in the water.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee,
Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was:
for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
The man still did not know who Jesus was even after
being healed by Him.
Let me share a little story with you.
My sister had a daughter that was just turning 2 years old
when she caught menigitis (sp?) anyway someone came to the hospital
and told her that *IF* her daughter died it would be because my sister
failed to have enough faith - or in other words - it would be
my sisters fault.
That is a cruel and evil message if I ever heard one but let's
just think for a moment.
If the dead were raised by Christ and the apostles and others
then could we not then say that the only reason anyone dies
is because of a lack of faith on the part of either that person
or others that could have healed them.
Just think - if all it takes is faith on our parts - then
death itself in the flesh should have been overcome by the apostles.
No one should have ever died or been sick again :-)
The apostles also had the power to strike men dead:
Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
I wrote you this message because I wanted to try and cause
you to see that faith - is first a gift - and that it is not
a lack of that gift that is the problem today.
I will write to you again very soon about just
'how the gifts of the spirit' actually worked when they
were working.
This message however is already getting a little long and I do
not want to scare you off with many words - something many
have complained about concerning my posts.
Brian |
