Spiritual Encounter Part 3

New Abilities

1 Cor 12:7-11

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 

8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Understand Healing (cure) ~vs~ Miracles (power)

Causes of Sickness 

• Original Sin; fall of man:  Not caused by sin in the individual, but because we live in a fallen world, where sickness and disease lives.  Ex. Viruses, bacteria, carcinogens
• Rom 5:12.  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

• Sin, directly – in the individual – Matt 9:2 NLT
• Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven."

• John 5:14.  But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, "Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you."  NLT

• Unforgiveness – Matt 6:14-15

• Not discerning the Lord’s Body – 1 Cor 11:28-30
• But let a man examine himself… For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

• Dishonoring Parents – Eph 6:1-3
• Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

• Disregarding Principles – Prov 4:20-22
• My child, pay attention to what I say.  Listen carefully to my words. 21 Don't lose sight of them.  Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

• Generational curses, i.e. Sin (John 9:2-3), DNA, genetic traits, etc.

• Not taking care of your Body – bad eating habits, lack of exercise, nicotine, drugs

• Emotional state / Stress – Prov 17:22
• A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.

• Environmental factors, poisons, medical treatment, etc.

Jesus came to reverse the effects of sin 

1 John 3:8.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Isa 53:5.  He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Ps 103:3.  He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

He gave His life for our freedom from sin and sickness 

Jesus wants us to be healed! – It’s His Will!

It’s also His will that we do what He did!

Mark 16:17-18

These signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

Healing is not just to you, but through you

          You have New Abilities to do what Jesus did – HEAL

Different practices for healing:

•        Laid hands on, or touched the person – Luke 4:40, et al
•        Used spit – Mark 7 (tongue) & 8 (eyes)
•        Commanded the person – “stretch out hand” Lk 6:10
•        Spoke to the condition – “rebuked the fever” Lk 4:39
•        Sent His Word – Matt 8:5-10; Ps 107:20
•        Made new eyes – John 9:6
•        Addressed the sin first – paralyzed man Matt 9
•        Separated from spectators and faithless (controlled environment) – Mark 5:35-43
•        It took more than once – Mark 8:22-25   So He took the blind man by the hand… out of the town. He spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  ²⁴ He… said, "I see men like trees, walking."  ²⁵ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

•        Anointing with oil (Disciples & Elders) – Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15
•        Prayer cloths (Paul) – Acts 19:11-12
•        Shadow (Peter) – Acts 5:17

Sometimes, healing takes time

Isa 38:1. Hezekiah was sick and near death…   5. God promised him healing.

2 Kings 20:8.  It took 3 days for his healing, after the application of medicine

Sometimes Jesus operated in His gift of healing

• “Take up your bed and walk” to the man at the pool – John 5
  • The man’s healing was not based on his faith

Sometimes, it was the person’s faith

• Woman w/ issue of blood – Matt 9:22 “your faith has made you whole”
• Blind Bartimeaus – Mk 10:46-52 “be it unto you according to your faith”

Or lack of faith

• Mark 6:5.  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

Retaining Healing

Thanksgiving & Testifying finishes the process

Luke 17:12-19 – Ten Lepers

He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed (cured), returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  ¹⁸ Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 

¹⁹ And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well [whole]."

Testimonies

1. Increase Faith
2. Rev 19:10.  For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

• What Jesus has done is a testimony to what He will do

1. Jesus comes to where He is honored

Increase happens with proper use of what I’ve been given

To the healed & the healer:

References to medical treatment in the Bible

• ·       Matt 9:12
• ·       Col 4:14
• ·       1 Tim 5:23
• ·       Prov 17:22
• ·       Is 38:21
• ·       Jer 8:22

James 5:14-16

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save (make whole) the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

Spiritual Encounter Part 2

John 14:12.  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.

Because you have His Spirit…

John 16:13.  When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Acts 2:17.  And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.

He tells you things – – – – – – to tell others 

Prophecy: “Saying what God says”

1. 1.     Foretelling, predicting (Seer)
2. 2.     Forth-telling (Divinely inspired utterances) – Creating the Future

1 Cor 14:1-3

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

New Revelations

1 Cor 2:9-12, 16

But as it is written:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (Is 65:4)

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep (secrets) things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?"

But we have the mind of Christ.

We can minister the mind of Christ 

How can we do that?  Because Isa 55:8-9 says: 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,"

⁹ "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

He raises us up and elevates our thinking 

Col 3:1-2

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

•        Eph 2:6. He has made us sit together with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places.

New Abilities

You can Prophesy – say what God is saying

          Because you have Holy Spirit

John 16:7.  Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper or Comforter (parakletos: beside – to edify, exhort & comfort) will not come to you. 

1. Desire it 
2. Have faith for it 

• I have His Spirit – He tells me things
• I have His mind – I know things
• God wants us to know His thoughts about various situations
• The greater your faith, the stronger the manifestation

1. Pray for boldness to prophesy

What you don’t understand, let the Spirit lead you into Truth & understanding

To prophesy doesn’t make you a prophet – that is a calling & an office 

It makes you a New Creature manifesting Holy Spirit

4 Levels of Prophesy: 

¹Manifestations                              

²Gift of Prophecy (ministry),

³Office of the Prophet (gov’t)        

⁴the Spirit of Prophecy

Why we need the Prophetic

To bring out the best in people – find hidden treasure

•        Edify – Build Up
•        Exhort – Strengthen
•        Comfort – Cheer Up

To transform you into the person God designed you to be

1 Sam 10:5-6

After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.

6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

1 Sam 10:9.  So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

The prophetic releases destiny in you

The prophetic tells us what season we’re in and what to do in the specific season

Seek to manifest His Spirit, by hearing what He says

Then, saying what He says.

Take the Risk – Leave your Comfort Zone

Spiritual Encounter Part 1

New Creature

1. You are of this world; I am not of this world.  - Joh 8:32
2. My Kingdom is not of this world - John 18:36
3. He got his directions from the heavenly realm – John 12:49; 5:19
4. His food was from another world – John 4:32, 34
5. He taught the principles of the other world
6. He demonstrated the power of the other world

Jesus leaves & returns to the heavenly realm

He sends His Spirit back to live in us

John 16:7.  It is to your advantage that I go away; when I leave, I will send Holy Spirit to you.

1. But I chose you out of the world - John 15:19
2. You are a New Creature - 1 Cor 5:17
3. He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit in us – Ezek 36:26
4. We are to renew our minds – think from another world – Rom 12:2
5. We are to live from our heavenly position
6. We are to act from our heavenly position

New Realities

You are a Spirit Creature:  You are born of the Spirit

That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit – I can do what He can do

We have quenched the Spirit – 1 Thess 5:19  limit work in our lives

These are the answers given for having Holy Spirit

14:26. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name,

1. He will teach you all things,  (Kingdom Truths)
2. and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 
3. (16:8) He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, & of judgment
4.  (16:13) He will guide you into all truth;

16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth (reality), has come, He will guide you into all truth (reality);

for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and make it known to you. 

Deal from the reality of heaven – See & do what others can’t

ex. Elisha; 2 fish & 5 loaves; Peter’s shadow

New Revelation

1 Cor 2:9-16  NLT

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared for those who love him."  (Is 65:4)

10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths.

14 But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

"Who can know the Lord's thoughts (mind)?

Who knows enough to teach him?" (Is 40:13)

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 

New Abilities

John 14:12.  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Eph 3:20.  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

Know the power

Eph 1:15-21

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

I have the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead

Peter & John to the lame man  (Acts 3:1-8)

“Silver and gold I do not have, But what I do have I give you”

1 Cor 12:7-11

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 

8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Matt 27:39-40

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!

Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"  NIV

There will always be voices tempting you to not fulfill the plan of God 

          Jesus could have been saved from suffering – but chose to do the will of God

Wherever there’s potential for suffering & difficulty – save ourselves

          That’s why many people stay away from church

                    Avoiding suffering… whether a bad sermon or hurt feelings

Why you should never stay away from church:

You must know who He is and who you are and what His plan is

You are of this world; I am not of this world.  (17:14)

1. He got his directions from the heavenly realm – John 12:49; 5:19
2. His food was from another world – John 4:32, 34
3. He taught the principles of the other world
4. He demonstrated the power of the other world

Jesus leaves & returns to the heavenly realm

He sends His Spirit back to live in us

But I chose you out of the world

  Now, we are Creatures from the Heavenly Realm

1. He gives us a new heart and puts a new spirit in us – Ezek 36:26
2. We are to renew our minds – think from another world – Rom 12:2
3. We are to live from our heavenly position
4. We are to act from our heavenly position

As Creatures from the Heavenly Realm, we are multi-dimensional

We are His Church:

Matt 16:18.  On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Ekklesia “called out ones; to assemble together; to congregate”  

If you don’t come when Jesus calls, what are you?

1. The first thing the new creatures did was meet continually, with their own kind – Acts 2:46

Excuse:  I don’t have to go to church to be saved

You’re supposed to BE the church, connected to other called out creatures

          Or why go to heaven?

If you don’t go to church because of an offense or hurt…

You’re trying to ‘save yourself and avoid suffering

       Rather than submitting to His will

We are His Building – on another dimension

1 Peter 2:5.  You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house

Can you imagine a building without all of the construction material?

         No one would want to use that building

We are His Body – Not “like” a body

Rom 12:5.  We, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

We are supposed to be a functioning member in the body

          Connected to each other

He is the head – How can we be connected to the head

        But disconnected from the other members?

1 Cor 12:25-26

There should be no division in the body, [and] the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

How can you care for other members without being connected?

Well, they don’t care for me!

We don’t exercise the principles of the heavenly realm

          Forgiveness, longsuffering, patience, aggressive love

We are His Army

He is a warrior – Ex 15:3

Eph 6:11-12

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We cannot fight this enemy alone

        We must stand soldier-to-soldier, and shoulder-to-shoulder

Endure hardship like a good soldier.  2 Tim 2:3

          Be able to go through something

Protect the church – that Jesus died for

Protect your members – members of us and members of His body

Who’s voice is it saying, “You don’t need to go to church”?

          The same one that told Jesus to come down from the cross

Be a contributor, not just a consumer

Finish Pt 2

Over the past days we have been diligent to watch the weather

            Planning ahead — preparing with purchases

Often there’s just a brief window to make decisions, i.e cancellations

Yet, as Jesus said, we don’t pay attention to the spiritual climate

Matt 16:2-3

He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red';  3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Why is Jesus so harsh about discerning the spiritual time and season?

            We are spiritual beings…

How do I know what spiritual season it is, or what to do in this season?

We don’t know meteorology or understand Doppler Radar

            We trust the weatherman…

Also, many times we must act within brief moments

There are certain actions that go with certain seasons

We can be doing the right thing at the wrong time

We must also realize that what we do now, effects the next season

• ·        

He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

The spiritual season, like the weather, is going to change

Whether we’re prepared or not

Too many of us won’t reap the benefits & blessing of the next season - Year

Because we haven’t finished this season - Year

If we’re going to make 2014 different we must finish 2013

There is no way I want to be doing the same thing this time next year.

The reason we have to repeat the same things is we never finish 12 months: 

            We come to the end of the year, but we haven’t complete the whole year

                        Around November, we lose focus on our goals and objectives

We must FINISH 2013!

• ·         What did you start in January?
• ·         What did you vow to do this year?

Jesus was a Finisher…

• ·         “My meat is to do the will of the Father and Finish the work”
• ·         “It is Finished”

Heb 12:1-2

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

*        Doesn’t mean that Jesus completes our faith. 

It means that Jesus awards the prize to those who are faithful to finish. 

Only those who Finish receive the Prize

We don’t Finish because we don’t Focus

We like to quote the verse that says, “He’ll never leave you nor forsake you”

1 Chron 28:20.  And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God — my God — will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

Joshua:  “Sun Stand Still”

“There has been no day like that, before it or after it.”  (Joshua 10:14)

The Greatest Day Ever

            Happened out of the Focus to Finish

Look at what God does when we Finish…

Ex 40:33-35

[Moses] raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled* the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

First, God’s glory fills the work

*        to fill, to be full, to be complete, to finish

vs. 36.  Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys.

Secondly, God gives you direction “onward” when you Finish

I don’t want to repeat the same cycles next year

            I want to experience the “Glory of God”

            And get God’s directions for moving forward

It only happens when I Finish