Out of all the teachings of Christ one statement haunts me more than any other. Jesus said that we would do greater things than He did. Is the church doing greater things than Jesus? Maybe if we are looking at the amount of money, or how big are buildings are, or how many TV shows we have; then yeah sure maybe we are doing greater things than Jesus. But somehow I don’t think that’s exactly what he had in mind.
If we want a clear picture of what I think Jesus was talking about we need to look to Luke 7, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one the were waiting for. Jesus simply responded in verse 22, “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” This stuff was happening and on a regular basis! When was the last time you saw a dead person alive? Sure these kinds of things happen in different movements around the world where God moves in amazing ways but they happen far and few between. When they do happen the Church deifies the movement and flocks to the location desperate for a move of God but only end up worshiping the man/women and half the time the movement is inseparably locked in controversy. Why aren’t these things happening everyday inside and out the church walls?
A few months ago I was watching TV late at night and every so often my curiosity makes me see what’s on the Christian channels. I came across a strange sight that caught my attention. There was this fat guy with tattoos on stage doing some sort of healing service in a Benny Hinn like style, so I watched for a while. People were claiming to be healed left and right. The preacher was taking his time with each person pushing them down and picking them up over and over again. I grew up in the Pentecostal tradition so this was nothing new to me. I was a little skeptical but I was truly hoping that the people were really being healed. As I was thinking this, a boy was carried on stage that changed everything. He was visibly crippled; his legs and arms were all bent up and gnarled. My first thought was alright preacher man lets see if you’re the real thing, sure this probably wasn’t the best attitude to have but never the less. The preacher walked up to the boy touched his head and said, “Lord continue the healing that he wants” and then he walked to the other side of the stage to pray for the next person. By the time the camera got back to that side of the stage the boy was gone. I got angry.
My spirit was so grieved I wanted to weep. I wanted to weep for the unhealed boy, for the preacher, and for everybody in that civic center who forgot about the boy moments after he was on the stage. It broke my heart. I will never forget it.
Why wasn’t he healed? Why is the Church living below par of what we are capable of? These were the questions that plagued me for the weeks following the night I saw the boy on TV. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
I don’t trust Jesus.
I have never really had to trust Jesus. If I was sick I went to the doctor or took medicine. If I were hungry I would go to my refrigerator filled with food. I have never really needed Jesus to provide for me because I could get it myself. The majority of Christians in America have never really had to trust Jesus. My friend Chris used to visit the elderly at a retirement home. He used to visit this one lady on a regular basis and she told him a story about a time she almost cut her hand off. They had no access to medical care so her mother grabbed a cloth and a bible. Her mother prayed and read a verse out of revelation and her hand was absolutely healed. She said this was a regular occurrence in their house. They were forced to trust Jesus and He came through for them every time. I don’t even come close to knowing what it is like to have to completely trust God for provision. If I’m hurt, hungry, or need money… I have hundreds of options. The questions is:
Is our comfort, our security, and our safety standing in the way of what Jesus has called us to do?
To do the great things that we are capable of requires great risk and trust. Think of Peter when he asked Jesus to help him walk on the water. Before anybody or I can trust Jesus we have to ask some fundamental questions.
Do we believe that God is good?
In C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles the children hear about a lion named Aslan and they asked a crucial question, is he safe? They are answered with a, “no he isn’t safe but he is good”. The good news of the gospel isn’t safe but it’s good. It is called the narrow road for a reason… the Christian life is not a life of ease. Oh but it is so easy to get sucked into the world’s idea of good. It’s so attractive that it has been entwined with the western version of the gospel.
We have to believe that His better is better.
What is it that is stopping us from trusting Jesus? What are we holding onto that is stopping us from stepping into the power that Jesus promised his disciples on his last few days on earth?
We are not alone. He is among us and He is alive.
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
1 comment:
Over the summer, I had the same exact conflict. I was angry because I felt that we, as Americans, have sold our dependency to Jesus away and replaced it with our easy access solutions. We have made the miracles of Jesus obsolete. An abomination.
However, in my hunger and dire need to see the workings of the cross in my every day life, it has driven me to be more passionate about missions in 3rd world countries. Amazing that they have nothing, so they must trust Jesus. After His miracles, they don't try to find a solution, they turn straight to Him for provision. I desperately want to see miracles when I go back to Cambodia and I never want to stop seeing them.
I'd rather have nothing and trust Jesus to provide than have everything and never see the hand of Jehovah Jireh work in my life.
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