Mark's Letters

Yes, I am a terrible person. I dislike exhortations to love others more. I am even annoyed when people pray for God to make us more loving. I have heard this prayer for years. It tries my patience. But it gets worse, I dislike most prophetic exhortations to follow God more passionately, share our faith more fervently, and walk with Christ in greater intimacy.

I dislike such exhortations for three reasons. First, it seems that we all agree with them. We all shout “Amen!” loud and long, but little changes. It’s like saying, “We should all be healthy.” No one disagrees as they waddle to the church potluck. So often we all say the right thing, but nothing changes. Talk is cheap.

Second, such exhortations seem like a book’s title. People read the title, close the book, and shout “Amen!” Exhortations about where we need to be spiritually miss 90% of the message. Imagine someone says, “We all need to go to Washtucna!” The Spirit moves and everyone exclaims, “Amen! Let’s go to Washtucna!” The prophets and elders confirm it: we need to go to Washtucna.

But in a corner sits the teacher who sneaks up his hand and asks, “Where is Washtucna? How do we get there? Do we go east or west? How long is the trip? How much will it cost? How long are we staying? By what criteria will we decide when we are done in Washtucna? With disdain people glare at the teacher and shout more loudly, “Hallelujah, we are going to Washtucna!”

This leads to my real reason for disliking vague exhortations—I am a teacher. And even worse, I am an English teacher. So when someone says we should be more loving, I want to know what we mean by “loving.” Does these mean acting friendlier? More big smiles, back-pats, shoulder-hugs before and after church services? When someone says, “We need to trust God more,” I ask trust God for what? (I often get a blank look.) Can I trust God that all my children will be saved? Well, no. Can I trust God that my heart won’t be broken by the untimely death of those I love. No. Can I trust in the goodness of God and His perfect love for me? Yes and amen!

Definitions are important to teachers, but we also want to know how to get from point A to point B. If we aren’t as loving as we need to be, how do we become more loving? What does love do? What steps do we take to become more intimate with Jesus? People like the vague exhortations because they require nothing. But they also take us nowhere. Prophetic, teaching, and pastoral ministries need to work together so that a congregation can move in the direction God is leading. Otherwise, we never get to Washtucna—or the full stature of Christ.

So really I don’t mind the exhortations if we just treat them like the book’s title or table of contents. But I am an English teacher; I want us to read the whole book.

I have spent enough time in the weight room over the years to know that it’s the last few muscle-burning lifts that lead to progress. Those straining to do these last few lifts often ask someone to spot them. A person doing the bench press especially needs a spotter because if the arms burn-out or buckle, the bar and weights can come crashing down on the lifter’s neck or chest. Often a lifter will attempt his maximum every week or two so  he can measure his improvement. Here again the lifter will ask for a spotter. Without spotters lifters can do enough to stay fit, but  it is hard to make much progress alone.

I know more about lifting than gymnastics, but I know that gymnasts train as a team and that they spot each other. The beautiful aerial acrobatics we see would be impossible without the spotters who carefully watch teammates master dangerous and beautiful feats. Without spotters, they would either stay earthbound or risk serious injury.

In the church we have a shortage of spotters. Men are especially reluctant to ask other men to spot them as they try to grow spiritually. We do enough spiritually to maintain some degree of fitness, but often don’t make real progress because we are working-out alone. Spiritually, we may find ourselves lifting the same weight now we were lifting ten years ago. To make progress, many men need a lifting partner who can spot them—who can encourage them to attempt more than they think they can do. The best spotters don’t just watch, they yell encouragement as the lifter attempts a new personal record.

The lack of spotters is one reason that spiritual gifts are so often undiscovered and undeveloped. Gifts operate by faith and faith is like a muscle that gets stronger the more we use it. But stepping out in faith is scary. Like the gymnasts, we need spotters to keep us safe—ones that encourage us that we are hearing from God. We need a safe place to fail and spotters who will encourage us to try again. Most of all we need the humility to say to another, “Spot me.”

My Sunday school class studied Matthew 10:1 last week. We focused on one simple question. Does the commissioning of the apostles apply to believers today? Are we given “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness”? Does the command in verse eight to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” apply to us?

In this and past discussions two common answers have emerged. Those from a Pentecostal background have essentially said, “Yes, God heals today and we have authority to cast out evil spirits. Hallelujah!” Usually this person goes on to recite a couple times they saw someone get healed—or even tell when they prayed for someone who got better. These folks aren’t troubled by Matthew 10:1 and 8 because we have this authority and are using it. All is good.

The second response is from the wounded who have grown skeptical. These people have encountered the Pentecostal believers who prophesied stuff that didn’t happen and prayed for people who didn’t get healed. Sometimes these believers were told that their unbelief was the reason their loved ones weren’t healed. These people aren’t too troubled with Matthew 10:1 because based on sour experiences, they have concluded we don’t need this stuff. But there is another way—one which I think is biblical.

First, exalt God’s Word above our bad experiences, lack of experiences, and personal history. Almost all the arguments I have heard against these verses applying to us are based not on Scripture but on negative experiences. But the answer to abuse, must not be no use, but instead right use.

Second, admit that even in Pentecostal and charismatic circles we only do this stuff at a very low level and have been guilty of theatrics and emotional manipulation to hype our anointing. Admit that the blind, deaf, and lame are coming to meetings and leaving meetings unhealed. I’ve spent years in both charismatic and non-charismatic evangelical churches and seen about the same number of people healed in each group. Both are barren when compared to the ministry of Jesus and the early church.

Third, honestly admit how barren the church is and with humility and brokenness devote ourselves to intercessory prayer until God restores New Testament power, holiness, and authority. In many churches, including the charismatic, there is no alarm over our failure to do what Jesus commissioned his disciples to do. We are content to muddle along with powerless ministry and an exhausting array of programs.

Fourth, in humility and thanksgiving move faithfully in all the power and authority God has now given to us without exaggeration or sensationalism. We must recognize that those who are faithful in little will be entrusted with more. But if we don’t admit that what we have is little, we won’t seek God for more. And if we are not honest about how little we have, we lose credibility and destroy people’s hunger for the full power and authority God promises the Church.

So why do so few congregations and leaders take this third way? Some answers are obvious. Proclamation of one’s barrenness and failure to manifest the ministry of Jesus does not attract people. Most Americans want to join a winning team. Triumphalism that inflates low level prophecy and ministry whips up the people for a while. The key to these kinds of ministries is to keep new people coming in at higher rate than the disillusioned and wounded are leaving. Honesty about the barrenness of the Church usually results in something unpopular—the call to passionate and persevering prayer.

I believe, however, in this media saturated culture people are hungry for reality. Talk is cheap and everything is hyped. People want shepherds who are honest and humble; who don’t pass off dried grass for green pastures. At the same time we recognize that we need our proclamation of the gospel attested to by the powerful ministry of Jesus. We need to be healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, and casting out evil spirits. We need to be doing what Jesus did.

Whenever I start lacing up my hiking boots and reaching for my day pack, our dog Mira gets an intense look. Her ears prick up and her eyes are full of “Go with?” Another Doberman owner referred to her pet as a Velcro dog. Mira is like that. When I go upstairs for prayer, Mira clomps up the stairs after me. If I tell Teckla I am taking her for a walk, she jumps up at the word “walk”. Her abundance of“Go with” delights me.

I suspect God would be delighted if I had more “Go with”. Regarding God I have a lot of “Come with.” I want God to come with me all the places I go and be in all the things I do. I’m nice that way; I always let God tag along.

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with having a lot of “Come with” toward God. When God told Moses He would not go up into Canaan with Israel because of their rebellion, Moses said, “If Thy presence does not go with us, do no lead us up from here.” God relented and agreed to go with them. We certainly want God to come with us to the places He sends us.

Sadly when the Israelites were at the edge of the Promised Land, they lacked the “Go with” needed to take the land. So we need both: God with us and us with God. I think, however, the more difficult part is us going with God.

“Go with” is hard because it requires we pay attention. Jesus explained this to his disciples, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” John 5:19. Later in the same chapter Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own initiative” (v.30) Instead of just inviting God to bless what we are doing (which is okay), we should also be listening and seeking to discover what God is doing.

I want to be as attentive to God getting ready to go somewhere or do something, as Mira is to me when I am getting ready. I want more “Go with” in my heart so I can be where He is.

Perhaps I have been too immersed in home repairs recently, but it occurred to me that as we minister to people we encounter people who need both nails and screws removed. The nails are those things that happen: giving in to temptation, getting wounded by an unkind word, taking offense at someone. To these we can apply repentance and forgiveness like a hammer’s claw and pull them out swiftly.

Pastors and the church generally are good at nail removal. And we like problems that have a quick solution. Over this last year, I have pulled many nails from the planks that were once the garage floor. I have developed some nail removal skills. Unfortunately, many Christians have screws that need removing.

A screw is a lie and point of bondage that has slowly been twisted into the very being of a person. Sometimes it has been screwed in by a parent or authority that has repeatedly told a child they are stupid or a worthless. Some people have screwed lies into themselves by cursing themselves for not being all they dreamed of being. Some have let bitterness, jealousy, and anger get screwed into their hearts.

If we yank out a screw like we would a nail, we rip a hole in the wood. It takes time and patience to remove screws without tearing a hole in the soul of a person. A screw needs to be backed out through the constant application of truth and love. Although God can dramatically apply his power drill to such screws, I believe he usually chooses to back the screw out in the context of a loving community that faithfully speaks God’s truth to the afflicted person.

We all need to recognize what has been screwed into our lives by the enemy, our bad experiences, and our sins. Go it alone Christianity must be rejected if we are to get “unscrewed”—we need the ministry of others. We must also be those who have patient and tenacious love to back out the screws that pierce the hearts of so many.

I recently took my bicycle to the shop for new tires. The threads in the sidewalls were fraying and I’ve had two flats in the last couple weeks. While he had the bike up on the rack, the repairman spun the tires and noticed a wobble in the wheels that made the tires rub the brakes a little. He tightened a few spokes and made some adjustments to balance the wheels. He got the wobble out.

A wobble can slow you down because the back and forth motion absorbs energy. I have noticed that when I am laboring up a steep hill, the bike will wobble if I don’t keep up my speed. Pedaling harder reduces the wobble.

Those of you who are parents probably remember how wobbly our kids were when they first rode a bicycle. That first time we probably ran alongside our child, keeping one hand on the bike. Usually we yelled, “Pedal! Keep pedaling!” We knew that pedaling was the key to not wobbling or falling over.

Both new and old Christians can struggle with wobbles. With some new Christians, it seems that we are forever running alongside them yelling, “Pedal. Read your Bible, pray, and worship! Please pedal!” Often new Christians wobble because they are trying to coast up the hills.

For new Christians who are less passive and more passionate, the wobbles come from bouncing back and forth between spiritual fads or doctrines. They may wobble between diligently seeking God through prayer, study, and service and resting completely in the grace God has given.  All the wobbling slows their progress and exhausts their spiritual energy.

Older Christians can wobble on the hills if they don’t pedal hard enough. There are times when we must pedal through or over obstacles: times when more prayer and faith will mean less wobbling. I have asked God to take the wobble out of my ride with Him: to tighten my spokes and balance my tires so there is no friction slowing my progress. I go further faster if instead of coasting, I shift and pedal even going downhill. I need to seek God hard in times of prosperity as well as adversity.

A friend of mine rides a recumbent trike. He says the stability offered by the three wheels eliminates the wobble while pumping up a hill. I suppose we could make some point about the trinity and how the ministry of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit combine to stabilize us and propel into God’s calling and holy purpose. But let’s not.

In Sunday school I am teaching on Matthew 8 through 10 which record much of the healing ministry of Jesus. The question arose, “Should we be following the example of Jesus in healing and does the commissioning of the disciples to heal, cast out evil spirits, raise the dead, and cast out evil spirits apply to us today?” When someone said, “Yes, we should be doing the same works Jesus and his disciples did,” the discussion, as it often does, veered into gentle ad hominem attacks that ignore the real question. This happens a lot.

Someone will usually say, “I don’t need to see miracles to believe in Jesus! His Holy Word is good enough for me!” The implication is that those who think healing should still be part of the ministry of Church are so weak in their faith that they need to see miracles to avoid falling away. It ignores the possibility that they are motivated by a desire to be faithful to God’s Word, by a compassionate desire to end the suffering of the afflicted, and by a passion to see the name of Jesus lifted high.

Another will say, “I think it is important for us to be thankful for all the other wonderful blessings of God—like spiritual healing, salvation, and sweet communion with Him.” Perfectly true and perfectly missing the point. The subtle implication is that asking for the Body of Christ to have the healing hands of Christ is somehow a failure to be grateful. A lost and starving man stumbling into town from the desert can be ecstatically grateful for the sandwich and yet still ask for water. When one of our kids is walking with Lord, it is not ingratitude to pray passionately for the others. We can multitask.

And always someone will remind us, “It is God that heals, not us. All the glory must go to God.” Again perfectly true and completely missing the point.  In Matthew 10:1 Jesus commanded his twelve disciples to go out and heal the sick? Would they have been more spiritual if they had said, “No. Only God can heal. If we heal the sick, someone might mistakenly glorify us instead of you. How do we know it is God’s will to heal? What about God’s timing?” However, the gift of healing is given to the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12) so that we might continue the ministry of Jesus. God has ordained that his ministry flow through His people, the Church. Yes, God should receive all the glory, all the time, but in Scripture he still used people. We can’t get off the hook regarding healing by professing a fear stealing glory from God. Sitting on our healing hands is more likely to rob God of the glory He deserves.

Another person will chime in with a timely exhortation to love people and to value the fruit of the Spirit as much as the power of the Spirit. Yes. Yes, and Yes. But the subtle implication is that we have failed to value both gifts and the fruit of God’s Spirit. Clearly God desires us to have both. And honestly, I fail to see how loving someone and seeking their healing are incompatible. I can’t imagine one of my sons being sick and being content to love him without seeking his healing. Jesus healed because he loved. We should too.

All of these subtle attacks have something in common; they assume the issue of healing is about us. But it’s not. It isn’t about our need to see signs, a failure of gratitude, a desire for glory, or failure to value the fruit of the Spirit. It’s about the glory of God, the faithfulness of the Church to do Christ’s works, and suffering of the afflicted.

To all questions raised I answer, “Yes! Certainly. Of course. Right.” But now can we get back to the real question? Please? How are we going to obey Jesus command, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give?” Did only the twelve receive?  What about the 70 mentioned in Luke? Does this commission apply to us? What about the miracles of Stephen and Philip who weren’t apostles? What does it mean to be faithful to God’s Word and to faithfully manifest the full ministry of Jesus?