THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
The pastor was preaching away in the morning worship hour. He was praising the Lord in an excited manner about the wonderful heaven prepared by Jesus for Christians.
He stopped, looked intently at the audience, and said, "Raise your hand if YOU are serious about wanting to go to heaven!"
The pastor noticed one young man near the back, that didn't raise his hand.
After the service, he approached the young man and asked, "Sir, are you serious about wanting to go to heaven?"
The young man answered, "Yes sir."
Pastor, "Why didn't you raise your hand when I asked that question?"
Young man, "Oh. I thought maybe you were gettin' up a busload to go RIGHT NOW!"
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________SCRIPTURE__________________________________________________________
Matthew 17
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
KJV
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_______THOUGHT_________________________________________________________
I believe Matthew shows here the constancy of Jesus' ministry. No sooner had they returned from the mountain, than Jesus is faced with another portion of His ministry - healing the sick. The Gospels clearly show that from the inception of His ministry, Jesus was constantly working. Until sin is ultimately banished to the eternal pit, there is no rest with God. He is constantly ministering to mankind; spelling out truth, healing, tending, mending.
And, yes, there are those who are demon-possessed (see verse 18). Jesus immediately recognized the problem, and with a simple statement rebuked the demon and the young man was healed.
Note the statement, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?" As we shall see in the following verses, this was not a statement revealing unbelief in Jesus as Messiah. Instead, it pointed to their faithlessness in utilizing what Christ had already given them. Back in Matthew 10, Jesus had given them power to cast out demons (See Matthew 10:8)
Indeed, how long shall Christ allow the church to live in faithlessness, not appropriating the power with which He has endowed it? How long shall faithless Christians sit in comfortable pews and not go unashamedly proclaiming the Gospel?
See the next verses to obtain the answer.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? ,br>
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
(Matthew 17:19-21)
The answer to the two questions above are: until Christians get SERIOUS about being a genuine disciple of Jesus!
Seriousness in faith with Christ includes "prayer and fasting" often! It is our closeness with Christ through genuine worship that provides the power for proclaiming and ministering. Even when an average Christian genuinely spends time in Bible study, prayer and fasting, abnormal power for proclaiming and ministering is within him/her.
Reader, are YOU serious in your relationship with Christ?
Love ya,
Bruce