Category: Book Summary

Destined for the Throne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Paul E. Billheimer

In his foreword, Billy Graham wrote:

Every Christian who feels impelled to find a deeper dimension of Christian witness should not only read this book, but study it prayerfully, and apply its principles to his life.

Destined for the Throne is one of those books that is like a smoothie drink made from extremely healthy and delicious ingredients that not only satisfies the taste buds but also nourishes the body. It is packed with scriptural insights, powerful logic, and faith building conclusions. For the most part, I agree wholeheartedly with Billheimer’s statements and conclusions; although, I was uncomfortable with a few of his positions. I will summarize it chapter by chapter.

The Ultimate Goal of the Universe: The Church

In Chapter One, Billheimer convincingly shows that God has a definite purpose for his creation and that…

There is only one philosophy of history that makes sense and that is the Biblical philosophy. (p.21)

He argues that God created the entire universe to provide a suitable habitation for mankind, out of which he would choose an eternal companion or “bride” for his Son.

The church, then – the called-out body of redeemed mankind – turns out to be the central object, the goal, not only of mundane history, but of all that God has been doing in all realms, from all eternity. (p.22)

Using Romans 8:28, he argues convincingly that

As the Lord of history, God is controlling all of its events, not only on earth but in all realms, to serve his purpose of bringing to maturity and eventually to enthronement with his Son, not angels or archangels, but the Church, his chosen Bride. (p.23)

The author opines that the Marriage Supper of the Lamb pictured in the Book of Revelation is the culmination or goal of history. He concludes this thought provoking chapter by writing:

Up until then, the entire universe under the Son’s regulation and control is being manipulated by God for one purpose – to prepare and train the Bride. (p.27)

The ultimate goal is for the church to share Christ’s rule and glory for eternity. This is the theme of the entire book.

God’s Purpose for the Church: Supreme Rank

Billheimer further develops his thesis that the church is the focus of God’s eternal plan in Chapter Two.

Created originally in the image of God, redeemed humanity has been elevated by means of a divinely conceived genetic process known as the new birth to the highest rank of all created beings. (p.33)

He develops this idea by pointing out that angels are created beings, but not “generated” through divine conception, as born again humans are. The new birth elevates humanity to become part of God’s own family, having God’s “seed” and Spirit.

This is God’s purpose in the plan of redemption – to produce, by means of the new birth, an entirely new and unique species, exact replicas of his Son with whom he will share his glory and dominion, and who will constitute a royal progeny and form the governing and administrative staff of his eternal kingdom. (p.37)

It is no wonder that Satan hates the church so greatly. The church, through no merit of her own, but entirely according to God’s incomprehensible mercy and grace, has been elevated to such a high rank that we share in the nature of God and are part of his family.

By these means God has exalted redeemed humanity to such a sublime rank that it is impossible for Him to elevate them any further without bringing them into the inner circle of the Godhead itself. (p.38)

At this point the author introduces an important corollary regarding prayer. He posits that prayer is part of God’s training program to teach the church how to wield Christ’s authority to overcome evil in preparation to exercise sovereign rule through eternity.

The Mystery of Prayer

This chapter is worth the price of the book. The author begins by asking a question many others have posed: since God is sovereign, why did he set up a system that requires his servants to participate through prayer?

God’s promises to answer prayer are so sweeping… as to constitute a veritable carte blanche, that is, a blank card bearing the authority of His own signature. It is as though God handed us His scepter and begged us to use it. (p.45)

Billheimer shows how prayer is God’s means of training his church to participate in his sovereign rule.

Independently and of His own will God makes the decisions governing the affairs of earth. The responsibility and authority for the enforcement and administration of those decisions He has placed upon the shoulder of His Church. (p.46)

In heaven and for eternity, the Church, Christ’s “bride”, will co-reign with him. Here on earth we learn how to rule in our prayer closets. The author proposes that God will never “go over the head” of his church because that would abort the training process and stunt the church’s growth. Billheimer makes a wonderful analogy when he compares prayer to how a safe deposit box is opened. The bank holds a key and the owner of the box holds the other. Neither can open the box without the other. God’s promises constitute one key to the release of his authority and will on the earth. Our prayer is the other. When our prayers align with his will, God’s will will be done. (1 John 5:14-15)

Heaven holds the key by which decisions governing earthly affairs are made, but we hold the key by which those decisions are implemented. (p.52)

He concludes the chapter by stating that prayer has eternal consequences for the world and us. What a challenge to pray more fervently!

Christ’s Gift of Authority

I cannot fully endorse the contents of this chapter. It begins well with a quote of Luke 10:19,  but then Billheimer makes a big leap by stating the following.

This is the church’s Magna Carta in her conflict with Satan… It is clear from this and other passages that God intends the true church…to be the controlling factor in human affairs. (p.57)

Although the church is organically unified with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), has already been elevated to Christ’s throne (Ephesians 2:5-6), and shares in our Lord’s authority as his representatives (Luke 10:19), I cannot make the leap to our being the “controlling factor in human affairs.” I believe that is reserved for Christ and the Holy Spirit; even though he privileges the church to participate. Otherwise, the weight of responsibility would be impossible to bear. The government is upon Christ’s shoulders, not ours. (Isaiah 9:6) He is the King.

Quoting Wesley’s words, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer,” the author makes another unsupportable leap when he makes the following statement.

God will not go over the head of his church even to save a soul without her cooperation. If she will not intercede, the Holy Spirit, by his own choice, cannot do his office work of convicting and persuading [the lost]. (p.65)

I do accept that followers of Christ have an important role to play by praying for the lost, both for individuals and for people groups, but I can find nowhere in scripture that specifically says that God will only save those for whom the church specifically prays. How then were the very first disciples saved, since there was no church to pray for them? Is our salvation not because our Father God sovereignly chose us? (Ephesians 1:4-6) Every child of God was chosen by God before the foundation of the world. The Son came to die for those Father God chose. The Holy Spirit is God’s agent to seek out those who are called, chosen, and purchased by Christ’s blood. He works inside us to draw us to Christ. The church is privileged to work in partnership, after we come into our sonship, by preaching the gospel and praying for the lost.

We have a part to play, but our shoulders are not big enough the carry the weight of being responsible for the salvation of every human. Only Christ can carry that.

The Legal Basis for the Authority of the Church

Billheimer addresses what happened with regard to authority at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. He posits that when God gave Adam and Eve authority and dominion it was a bona fide gift in that it was theirs to do with as they saw fit. Sadly through disobedience they ceded that authority and dominion to Satan, becoming Satan’s slave in the process. This gave Satan the right to mistreat, oppress, and even kill his slaves, who now had no legal rights. In order to redeem mankind and turn this situation around, a man, a Second Adam so to speak, who was born of God so as to escape the terminal fault of having an inborn sin nature, had to perfectly serve the Creator / Father God with unblemished loyalty. This God-Man would also be required to make a perfect sacrifice for our sins in order to pay the just penalty for our rebellion against God. This is why the Incarnation is absolutely critical to our salvation.

The battle of the ages was between Satan and Jesus. Satan leveled all his malevolent power against our Lord in order to seduce him into forsaking his life of obedience to the Father.

The temptation of Gethsemane was to refuse to drink the “cup.” The decision He [Jesus] had to make was whether He would retain the fellowship which He had with the Father before the world began or whether He would accept this unjust, yet genuine identification with [our] sin. (p.78)

In his attempts to compromise Jesus’ obedience, Satan pressed our Lord all the way to the cross, where he died an innocent man while maintaining complete obedience to his Father. This was Satan’s undoing. He murdered an innocent man, which made him a transgressor of God’s justice and gave Christ a complete victory over his foe. (Hebrews 2:14) This victory also belongs to the church.

Christ’s Dynamic Victory

In this chapter Billheimer argues that for Christ to pay the just penalty for our sin he had to be sent to hell, as we would have been. He also points out that the immense cost paid by Christ to secure our salvation was shared by the Father and the Spirit, since they are one. He states that Christ in his “dead” state of three days duration was subsequently “justified in spirit” (1 Timothy 3:16) and “made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18) by the Father, after he was satisfied that his Son had fully paid our debt (Isaiah 53:10-11). When Jesus burst the bonds of death and rose again, it made him the “first born from the dead” (Revelation 1:5).

Death did its utmost to shackle Him, to keep Him permanently in its grip. All of the resources of the underworld were mustered to prevent his resurrection, but in vain. It was impossible for death to “keep its prey.” (p.87)

When Christ rose again and forty days later ascended to the right hand of God, through the miracle of the Incarnation and Resurrection, “an authentic human being [now] sits on throne of the universe, wielding all the authority of the Godhead.” (p.88)

What is perhaps even more remarkable is that God included his church in this exaltation.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4-6 (NASB)

We are not surprised that all things have been put under his [Christ’s] feet. What we have failed to comprehend is that as part of Him, His Body, all things are also legally beneath our feet… We have underestimated the supreme importance of the Church in God’s economy.  (p.89)

The author makes the case that Christ’s victory over Satan is our victory, since we are in him and seated with him on his throne.

When He (Christ) defeated Satan, it was our victory. He did not conquer Satan for Himself. The entire substitutionary work of Christ was for His Bride-elect, the Church…Instead of his (Satan’s) having power over us, we have been given authority over him. This is the meaning our enthronement with Christ. (p.91)

The final two chapters are an attempt to reconcile an apparent lack of congruity between Billheimer’s theology with unanswered prayers and unrequited faith. I always find these sorts of lists rather frustrating and tending toward legalism, but his points are worth pondering.

Destined for the Throne clearly lays out the importance of the church in God’s plan. Since we share in Christ’s victory and authority and have been elevated to become sons of God, we should live as if we believe it.

We are in training for co-ruling with Christ for eternity, an eternity which has already begun. It is entirely reasonable to believe that the church should already be engaged in every area of society, functioning as “salt and light.” It goes against our calling for us to retreat into our church “bunker” while ceding every natural realm of influence to Satan’s legion of followers, which is exactly what we have done by and large. Satan has done his level best to convince followers of Christ that we have no right to voice our opinions or take part as a Christian voice in government, education, or science. We are taught that we are descended from apes by a natural process called evolution, thereby stripping us of any eternal importance at all. Worse than that, Satan has convinced hordes of people that they have no significance apart from having pleasure and wielding power. Existentialism teaches us that life consists of experiences and nothing more, consigning mankind to a pointless existence. No wonder more and more young people are committing suicide. In addition, the Great Liar has convinced many that man is actually the earth’s worst problem, setting the groundwork to justify our eradication through depopulation schemes. We must reject these Satanic lies and, from here forward, fully accept who we are in Christ and start acting congruently with our position as God’s children and Christ’s representatives. This first and foremost involves preaching the gospel and making disciples who will go and do the same, but it also includes raising up sons and daughters who will enter the world of politics, education, the arts and media, finance, medicine, science, and society, including the family.

Until Christ returns, we must use our influence to expand God’s benevolent kingdom here on earth in anticipation of his glorious return.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (NASB95) —
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The Starfish and the Spirit

 

The Starfish and the Spirit

by Lance Ford, Rob Wegner, and Alan Hirsch

I put Ori Brafman’s book, The Starfish and the Spider, in my favorites list, where this one will go, too. The concepts found in it are foundational and of great value to the church. In summary Brafman’s book describes the genius of decentralized organizations as opposed to hierarchical ones. A spider can be killed by squashing the head from which its life and government flows; but, if a starfish is cut into pieces, each piece will reproduce a entirely new starfish. That’s because it has no central brain. It’s neurological system is located throughout its body. The early church could not be stopped because it was decentralized like a starfish, relying on the Holy Spirit more than human leaders. The leaders could be killed, but the movement kept gaining momentum because its leadership came from Christ through the Spirit. You can read my more detailed summary by clicking here.

When I saw this book for sale, I had to buy it and was not disappointed. In some areas I feel Ford and Wegner became overly analytical, especially toward the end, but that may be because of how I am wired. Otherwise, the book stimulates thought and brought me back to many of the foundational concepts that were behind the founding of LifeNet, our small group based church. In this summary, I will highlight some of the quotes that mean the most to me, interspersing my own comments.

The authors came out of mega-church environments, where they were disappointed with some aspects of how such institutions are governed.

Many faith organizations, particularly those in North America, have unwittingly imported the human resources manuals of corporate America straight into their day-to-day workforce policy. We have let systems that make no claim whatsoever of being informed by the Word and Spirit of God set the rules for us. Earthly thinking never creates heavenly results. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 106). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

They were looking for some way to bridge the gap between what they had been taught in their familiar church environment and the powerful disciple-making movements found in other parts of the world.

We live in an era of “missional movement” in terms of the global church. Currently, there are over 4,500 reports of active DMM/CPM engagement. Of those, 1,369 meet all four criteria! There are currently more than 76.9 million disciples in those 1,369 movements. From that total, 4.8 million churches have emerged, with an average size of 16.2 Microchurch is the “normal” church around the world. When you place that against the backdrop of “normal” in the New Testament, perhaps it’s time to consider the average church in the US as abnormal. These indigenous movements start with extraordinary prayer and fasting and focus on obedience-based discipleship, discovery forms of Bible engagement, and passionate and fearless sharing of the gospel. Authority is decentralized, so finding the “top leader” feels impossible, and the form of church is small, simple, and easy to produce. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 66). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

We found a “Rosetta stone” that overlapped the language of institutional church and movemental church, deciphering for us our experience of church as movement in places outside the West, like India and China, showing us the way to speak that language and create that culture here in the West. That “Rosetta stone” was The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch, which came out in 2006, the same year as The Starfish and the Spider. The combination of those books changed the trajectory of our lives. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 6). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

This book combines principles from Brafman’s book and insights from Alan Hirsch with the authors’ own thoughts, experiences, and suggestions.

Again, our end goal is to see the church as movement reactivated, where all six of the mDNA elements can be cultivated and catalyzed. In The Permanent Revolution, Alan describes it this way: In short, apostolic [missional] movement involves a radical community of disciples, centered on the lordship of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, built squarely on a fivefold ministry, organized around mission where everyone (not just professionals) is considered an empowered agent, and tends to be decentralized in organizational structure. . . . Apostolic movements require that we see church beyond its more institutional forms—as a movement of the whole people of God active in every sphere and domain of society. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 9-10). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The above quote pretty much summarizes the book.

Alan Hirsch: The idea of organization has been described as “the mobilization of bias.”5 In other words, every organization is formed to achieve certain outcomes that can’t be achieved individually. It is important for leadership to take responsibility for the re-biasing of the organization or church to achieve the outcomes that Jesus intended for it. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 10). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

When we restarted Liberty Church as LifeNet (Life Community Network), we worked to restructure the church around missional (disciple making) values instead of what has traditionally worked in the Western church. The church I love seeks to develop new people rather than showcase the most talented. It is no accident that Jesus chose very “ordinary” people to be the foundation of his worldwide apostolic movement. They became extraordinary when the Holy Spirit filled them and enabled them to follow Christ’s teachings and example.

The church literally exploded on to the scene on that first Pentecost after our Lord’s resurrection. It takes enormous trust in God to allow people to take initiative. The authors point out that what keeps things on track are common values, common mission, trust in God and one another, and great communication.

For those in teams, the most important thing to remember is this: you are in a peer relationship with those around you. This means each member commits to be willing to both give and receive feedback, critique, encouragement, and opinion in the spirit of generous discourse among team members. The commitment is to actively view one another as peer mentors and for each person to broaden their view of their own responsibilities. Everyone vows to keep eyes, ears, and minds open to issues, opportunities, threats, and solutions. When people work together with freedom as an overarching premise, they are motivated not by a single charismatic leader but by the shared vision and goals that come from the mission itself. In a setting such as this, team members are peers, working together as such and holding one another accountable for the overall performance and results of the group as a whole. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

In the starfish expression, we see that every member contains within them a church, and every church contains within it a movement. Here in the West, we have a hard time conceiving of this possibility of power being so decentralized. Yet outside the Western world, this view is quite normal. The starfish is best represented by the viral spread of the underground organic church movements in China, India, and many other places around the world. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 20). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Small groups generally are the building blocks of organic church movements.

Imagine the church as a decentralized network of multiplying disciples, missional leaders, and microchurches, the smallest and most essential expression of church. Unlike a denomination or association of churches, which confers ordination and provides general accountability to church leaders through centralized structure, a starfish movement is apostolic—organized around mission breaking through in new contexts—and organizes as a network of networks, made up of families of churches with a common focus, minus the restrictive structures of a denomination.5 (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 19). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Martin Luther championed the idea of the priesthood of the believer, meaning that the New Testament church does not rely upon a professional clergy to mediate between God and the ordinary people. Jesus through the Holy Spirit makes every disciple a minister.

In the Harvard Business Review article “Understanding ‘New Power’,” authors Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms make the following distinction between “old power,” what we call the spider, and “new power,” what we call starfish: Old power works like a currency. It is held by few. Once gained, it is jealously guarded, and the powerful have a substantial store of it to spend. It is closed, inaccessible, and leader-driven. It downloads, and it captures. New power operates differently, like a current. It is made by many. It is open, participatory, and peer-driven. It uploads, and it distributes. Like water or electricity, it’s most forceful when it surges. The goal with new power is not to hoard it but to channel it.12

Alan Hirsch: In every group of people—and this is particularly true of God’s people, the body of Christ—intelligence is not focused in one or two people but is laced throughout the organization (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:12–27; Eph. 4:1–16). Every part has a role to play in the success and maturity of the whole. This is called distributed intelligence. I invite you to compare your church with that of the New Testament, and be willing to rethink your own structures in the light of Jesus’ original design. New power gains influence from growing other’s capacity and increasing their influence to move beyond consumption and join in as cocreators. God’s design for the Body is clearly one of new power: From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Eph. 4:16 ESV) (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 23-24). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Could it be that the reason that many leaders unconsciously seek to supplant Jesus’ role as leader of the church is because of a lack of faith in the Spirit’s capacity to administrate the church? Giving ordinary people permission to minister and take initiative can feel as if we are losing control. Exactly!

We aren’t designed for old power, which is built on institutional hierarchy, but new power, which flows and feels like organic systems: a body, yeast, seeds, trees, living temples, and vines. Let’s consider again the old power models. Heimans and Timms describe it this way: Old power models tend to require little more than consumption. . . . But new power taps into people’s growing capacity—and desire—to participate in ways that go beyond consumption. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 25). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The focus shifts from developing your own leadership to multiplying and developing the influence of others, decentralizing the power and authority out to them while activating their gifts, their dreams, and their kingdom assignments. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 28). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Coaches don’t want to be the hero, but bosses often do. Coaches find their joy in making heroes of others. By the time they return to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas are peers. When we allow our organizations to be ruled on the Spirit’s shoulders, governance happens regularly, distributed throughout the organization. No longer does it rest on one single leader but becomes a key process shared by many. It changes the way we function in leadership by changing the way we view our roles. Distributed leadership means that “functions that traditionally reside with a CEO or executive team (move) into processes that are enacted throughout the organization, (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 116). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Family and freedom are as important as anything for those who hope to perpetuate movemental endeavors. Leaders who trust their teams like family show the greatest trust in God because God is in the people that make up those teams. Developing cultures of freedom is the proof of trust and belief in the Spirit of God to do his work through his people. Any team member should be able to talk to anyone about anything relating to the organization and its endeavors. Freedom in our workplaces is the most natural and efficient way to operate. God has even designed our neurology so freedom within the safety of family environment is sought and rewarded. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 112). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Just as there is the full potential of a forest in every seed, so too is the task of leadership to help every disciple to be a movement in the making.17 (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 27). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

When we launched LifeNet, our goal was to simplify church so that our members could devote more time with their friends and neighbors in the hope of influencing them toward the kingdom of God.

The gospel presence of an extended spiritual family on mission is, in the authors’ opinion, the most compelling witness to be offered to our current culture. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 202). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The idea is that we are to be salt and life wherever we are and in whatever roles we have in society. God wants the church to impact the world.

Alan Hirsch: The true following of Jesus (discipleship) requires some form of profound conversion, one that implies engagement of our whole being with the whole of reality, with God at its center. More specifically, conversion requires that we give the whole of ourselves irrevocably to the whole of God in a way that involves the whole of creation. Everything changes! (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 172). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

That’s the end game of the movement starfish: to fill everything every way with the fullness of Jesus. The movement starfish is designed to embody, in a practical and measurable way, the end we are seeking—a missional movement. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 37). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The book devotes a lot of pages to discussing how to multiply through disciple making, which is the main mission of the church, according to the Great Commission.

Outside of mission, disciples harden and become souvenirs sitting in services and small groups, at best dim reminders of what they were meant to be—agents of mission and healing. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 208). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Furthermore, mission is not something outside of God. Mission is woven into his very nature. Mission is the heartbeat of God. This is the reason God left his throne on mission. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 209). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Mission is not meant to be a category of activity that we try to fit into the discretional time slot in our lives as a “volunteer” who serves on the weekends or a “member who brings a friend to church.” It is all of life. When volunteering or bringing a friend to a weekend service is the overflow of a mission-fixated, incarnational lifestyle, it’s beautiful. When it is a substitute, we’ve settled for a domesticated version of Christianity that will never change the world. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 211). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Therefore, the degree to which they are fixated on mission is the degree to which effective disciple-making happens. It is a necessary ingredient for intentional disciple-making. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 209). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

When we launched LifeNet, our goal was to become more effective at making disciples instead of mere church goers. We have not yet succeeded, but we are still moving in that direction. Disciple making requires instruction, modeling, and participation in the ministry, not simply listening to a talking head download information to us.

In the Western religious experience, content and doctrine are king. Much of what is labeled “discipleship,” “confirmation,” or “training” in the church is just a data dump. We are content focused, fueled, and fixated. The emphasis is on transferring content, with little concern for whether people are actually transformed or multiplying. Content-codependence is the diagnosis. Our addiction to “content” enables immaturity and underachievement in disciple-making. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 215). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The church that aims at mission will have to do ministry, because ministry is the means to mission. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 208). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Clearly making disciples is the greatest challenge we face as the church.

Discipling—which involves coaching and mentoring—is never simply a transactional program; it includes an offer of some level of life together. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 114). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The authors believe that imparting a missional core to small groups so that their central purpose is to multiply is essential.

The microchurches set entire oikos ablaze with the grace of God, like wildfire igniting an entire relational network with the gospel. By now you might be sensing how different this is from what most churches call small groups. Unlike traditional small groups, microchurches are a pure missionary endeavor, where the gospel is planted into a network or neighborhood and disciples emerge and form a new community. These groups are proximate and incarnational in that neighborhood or network, unlike traditional small groups in which professionals usually organize people from many networks and neighborhoods into groups. Because microchurches are embedded into a particular neighborhood or network of relationships, daily discipleship and gospel community become the norm. This is vastly different from most small groups, which are typically formed for assimilation and content delivery to churchgoers. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 46). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Imagine if every street had at least two people who said, “I will bless the people on this street! I will begin in prayer for each neighbor. I will listen deeply to the story of my neighbors and my neighborhood. I will eat with them. I will serve them. I will share the good news.” As the gospel is planted in that context, Jesus draws people to himself, disciples are multiplied, and a house—a new expression of the church—emerges. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 49). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Multiplying Disciples Disciple: a person who hears and obeys Jesus. The movement starfish begins with developing disciples, people who hear and obey Jesus in all of life. Then those disciples make other disciples. The critical starting point of any faith movement is the flourishing and multiplying that happens when individuals become owners of the faith. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 50). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

As we look at the inspiring stories of phenomenal apostolic movements in history, all are first and foremost disciple-making systems. On this, Alan remarks, “The rather funny thing is that they never appear to get beyond this—they never move beyond mere disciple making. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 154). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Disciple-making isn’t about being the expert. It’s about learning and adding back in the basic key ingredients any cook can find, which the people of God have known and practiced for centuries. It doesn’t require an advanced degree, a lot of complex preparation, or complicated skills. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 167-168). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Multiplying Leaders Leader: a disciple who has made disciples. As people begin to multiply disciples, they become leaders, often without knowing it. As each disciple becomes one who makes one, who can make another, then all followers are invited to be leaders. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 50-51). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Multiplying Houses (Microchurches) House: an extended spiritual family, led by ordinary people, who live in everyday gospel community and own the mission of Jesus in a network of relationships. Also known as a microchurch. Some call these missional communities or organic churches. As we multiply missional teams and microchurches, we start filling neighborhoods and networks. These usually range from ten to fifty people who can meet in homes or second and third spaces while living in daily gospel community. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 51). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Multiplying Hubs Hub: an apostolic team using a shared space to fuel and equip a network of disciples, leaders, and microchurches in a city or region. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Multiplying Networks Network: two or more hubs/churches intentionally and collaboratively working together in a city or region around a shared kingdom mission. In the New Testament, we witness the power of networks. A microchurch is a network of disciples that make up a new spiritual family on mission. The church in a city—like Jerusalem, Rome, Corinth, or Ephesus—is a network of microchurches. The churches/hubs in a city network work together with other churches/hubs in other cities, forming a regional network. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 54-55). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

From this point on, the authors devote almost three-fourths of the book to measuring movements and developing strategies for multiplying disciples and leaders. Below are some notable quotes.

Rank-based concepts create a hierarchy. At the top are leaders, a select and privileged few. Below them are followers, the vast majority.6 This type of thinking quashes the collective intelligence of an organization. It shuts down creativity, heart, and drive under the mindset that only a small group of “gifted” ones contain the competence for decision-making. Sadly, leadership like this slams the door on the unlimited potential of most of our team members. Even more tragic is that the gifts God wants to give our organizations via the silenced majority are summarily rejected by the upper echelon. When this happens, we aren’t playing with the full deck God has dealt us. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 88). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Jesus alone can bear the weight of headship. Yet many, if not most, churches see the lead pastor or a handful of leaders as the “head in residence” in lieu of Jesus. This happens subtly and subversively, not so much intentionally, because church leaders have inherited a centuries-old social contract that must be actively deconstructed in order for Jesus’ rightful headship to become apparent to all. Whereas this model of false headship is characterized by a crushing weight and level of difficulty that is hard beyond bearing, the headship of Jesus offers us a refreshing and radical alternative. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30) (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 94-95). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

When we view church and faith-based organizations as typical businesses, we end up viewing those who should be our yokefellows and peers as employees and subordinates. As we will show later, this is not to say everyone has the same role or ability. Different giftings and talents equip us all for different roles. What causes us to go off the rails—through the sin of lording over others—is the tendency to rank the rarer gifts and talents of a few servants above the more common gifts and talents held by others. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 98). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

The starfish goal is not to give everyone the exact same volume of power. The quest is to make everyone as powerful as possible. This means we let go of the overwrought identity of leader and embrace the roll of a catalyst. The catalyst shapes culture and DNA but is happy to cede control in the moment to the members of the team. In letting go of the headship role, the catalyst transfers deep, shared ownership and responsibility to the circle under the leadership of the Spirit of God. The results are freedom for creativity, greater buy-in, lasting stability, mutual respect, and deeper community. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (pp. 123-124). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Making the titular shift from senior leader to coworker is not a negative change in status unless the leader feels the need to leverage his or her title or seniority. The starfish effect is not a demotion of any one leader. It is a promotion for everyone! It unleashes the servantship spirit throughout the organization. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 124). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Starfish thinking “does not mean that we are all interchangeable, or that we are all the same—with equal talents, experience, needs, ambitions, and so forth—or that we even make equal contributions. But what it does assert is that all members of the organization have equal standing.”11 This paradigm is rooted in the belief that the answers to our problems or opportunities are not relegated to top-tier leadership but can be found at any place within the circle. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 126). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

Self-management, and the green pastures of freedom it brings, is an appealing proposition. But higher degrees of freedom last only with greater degrees of responsibility. Entering these meadowlands means we can no longer hide in the barns of blaming bosses for our own mistakes, laziness, or indifference. To be treated like an adult requires acting like one. (Ford, Lance; Wegner, Rob; Hirsch, Alan. The Starfish and the Spirit (Exponential Series) (p. 145). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)

I hope you will take time to read this book. I highlighted some of the more meaningful passages from my perspective. Perhaps you will gain other insights because of your unique perspective, gifting, and calling.

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Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage

 

Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage

by Jay E. Adams

I well remember when a young divorced woman requested a meeting with our elder team many years ago. Anticipating that one day she might wish to remarry and knowing that our church’s stance on the issue forbade that, she requested that we seek the Lord about the matter. She was willing to submit to whatever conclusion we might reach, but she was wise enough to ask us to reconsider before the matter might arise. Her request proved to be a pivotal point in the development of our understanding on the matter.

My father, who was the pastor of the church at that time, did some research and found the book that is the subject of this summary. He asked all of us on the team to read it, and then we discussed its contents. The result was that we changed our policy. That is why I put it in my list of important books. I have referred to it often and have reread it at least twice. Here I will summarize some of the main points chapter by chapter.

Part 1 – Marriage

Chapter 1 – Some Basic Considerations about Marriage

In this chapter Adams examines the nature of marriage. The first point he makes is that marriage was instituted by God, unlike divorce. Even though the state “regulates” and records marriages, it has no authority to define it, since it is not a man-made institution. The second point is that marriage is foundational in that it produces a family, the basic unit of society. Thirdly, marriage cannot be reduced to a legalized and responsible means of mating and producing children. Procreation is indeed a sub-purpose of marriage, but its primary function, according to God, is to provide companionship. Chapter 2 explores this in more detail. Fourthly, marriage cannot be equated with sexual relations. Marriage authorizes sexual relations, which do not per se make or break a marriage.

Chapter 2 – What Marriage Is All About

Genesis 2:18 gives us God’s evaluation of the single life, in most cases.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18 (NLT)

Except for those single persons especially gifted by God to live a single life (Matthew 19:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 7:32-34), most of us will find fulfillment in marriage. Combining insights from Proverbs 2:17 and Malachi 2:14, Adams defines marital companionship as a “close, intimate relationship” that eliminates loneliness. (p.12)

Next the author looks at the Old Covenant concept of engagement, which was a contract to marry. Even though no sexual relations took place until after the marriage ceremony, the engagement was binding and could only be broken by divorce. This shows that marriage is fundamentally a contractual or covenantal arrangement that becomes binding even before the sexual consummation.

“Marriage is a formal (covenantal) arrangement between two persons to become each other’s loving companions for life.” (p. 13)

The contractual element is very important. An unmarried couple may be informally “committed” to one another, but publicly and formally declaring that commitment is integral to marriage. For the Christian, water baptism corresponds to some degree as a public acknowledgement of our allegiance to Christ. Adams points out that ”forsaking the companion of one’s youth is paralleled with forgetting the covenant of God.” (Proverbs 2:17)

Adams explores companionship further.

As his counterpart , the woman completes or fills out the man’s life, making him a larger person than he could have been alone, bringing into his frame of reference a new feminine dimension from which to view life that he could have known in no other way. Then, too, he also brings to his wife a masculine perspective that enlarges her life, making her a fuller, more complete person than she could have been apart from him. This marriage union by covenant solves the problem of loneliness not merely by filling a gap, but by overfilling it. More than mere presence is involved.” (p. 16)

This fact comes out even more fully in Genesis 2:24-25 where marriage is descibed as a cleaving (clinging or adhering) in which a man and his wife become “one flesh”… to become one person. (p. 17)

God’s revealed goal for a husband and wife is to become one in all areas of their relationship – intellectually, emotionally, physically. The Covenant of Companionship was designed to fill this need. (p. 17)

Chapter 3 – The Place of Marriage

In this chapter Adams points out the centrality of marriage in life. The primary relationship is husband and wife, not parent and child. There is no contractual relationship between a parent and child to provide companionship for one another. The nature of the parent-child relationship changes dramatically over time. Eventually, if all goes as expected, children will leave the home to establish their own families, but marriage is permanent and must not be broken. Anything that breaks the covenant of companionship is sin. Husbands and wives should put one another first, thus modeling a proper marriage to their children. By so doing, parents give their children security. No child was designed by God to be the center of attention. No parent or child should take priority over the marriage relationship.

Blood may be thicker that water, but it should not be thicker than promise. (p. 20)

Adams encourages couples to cultivate companionship to insure marital success and happiness.

Part II – Divorce

Chapter 4 – A Biblical Attitude toward Divorce

Adams opens this chapter by stating that divorce is biblical, where it is recognized and regulated.

To begin with, let us be clear about the fact that neither is the Bible silent on the subject of divorce, nor does it always, under all circumstances, for everyone, condemn divorce… While God  emphatically says, “I hate divorce” (Malachi 2:16), that statement must not be taken absolutely to mean that there is nothing about divorce that could be anything but detestable, because He, Himself, also tells us… “for all the adulteries which faithless Israel has done, I sent her away and gave her a divorce bill.” (Jeremiah 3:8) (p. 23)

It is altogether true that God hates divorce. But he neither hates all divorces in the same way nor hates every aspect of divorce. He hates what occasions every divorce… He hates the results that often flow to children and to injured parties of divorce… And he hates  divorces wrongly obtained on grounds that he has not sanctioned. (p. 24)

The author asks us to examine our attitude toward divorce, since that will affect how we come across to divorced persons. If people sense that we are judging them, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to help them. 

Chapter 5 – The Concept of Divorce

Adams opens this chapter by pointing out that even though the Bible recognizes, permits, and regulates divorce, God did not institute it. Instead of recognizing that divorce is part of God’s divine order, Jesus pointed out that divorce alters God’s original plan.

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. Matthew 19:8 (NLT)

If Moses “allowed” divorce by regulating rather than forbidding it, we must never get the idea that God merely winked at divorce. He neither ignores it (hoping it will go away), nor in toto (as a practice) denounces it, but, rather, takes cognizance of it and does something about it (1) to see to it that divorce is permitted only under certain circumstances, and not under others (cf. Deut. 22:19, 29), (2) that when it is done it is done in an orderly fashion, and (3) that those who obtain a divorce are fully aware of the possible consequences. (Deut. 24:1-4) It is certainly correct to say that in the Scriptures God acknowledges the existence of divorce and carefully regulates it. (p. 28)

Adams reminds us that God hates divorce and did not institute it, but he does recognize and regulate it under certain biblically prescribed circumstances. He hates divorce because sin is always the cause, but that does not mean that every divorce is sinful.

The Christian’s stance, then, is that divorce is never desirable, and (among Christians) it is never inevitable. Reconciliation… is always possible for believers under the care and discipline of the church. While permitted for Christians in cases of sexual sin, divorce is never required… Every legitimate effort, therefore, ought to be made to help persons contemplating divorce to reconsider the alternatives, and to assist divorced persons to become reconciled to one another (whenever possible) before they remarry another and it is too late to do so. (p. 31)

Chapter 6 – What Is Divorce?

A divorce…is the repudiation of…(the) covenant (or agreement) in which both parties promised to provide companionship (in all its ramifications) for one another. A divorce is, in effect, a declaration that these promises are no longer expected, required, or permitted. (p. 32)

As Adams will endeavor to prove, divorce is intended to free both parties to make the same commitment to someone else. That was certainly the case in the passage previously cited from Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

The author observes that separation, as a precursor or alternative to divorce, is not a biblical idea. When the Bible uses the words “leave,” “send away,” or “separate,” it is always speaking of divorce, which renders the persons unmarried.

Chapter 7 – The Two Groups in 1 Corinthians 7

Adams believes that chapter 7 of First Corinthians is the perfect place to start because it addresses two groups of marriages – those between two believers and those in which only one spouse is a believer. Adams stresses that Paul applied Jesus’ teaching on marriage in its proper context, a marriage between two believers. Paul addresses the issue that arose as the gospel penetrated the pagan world when one spouse came to faith but the other did not. He believes that applying the principles Jesus intended for the first group to the second group can have bad consequences. The author believes this clarifies, not diminishes, the power of Christ’s words.

Adams says this distinction is true in matters of law as well. Believers are not to sue other believers because we have the resources within the church to settle such matters outside of court. However, when it comes to unbelievers, this does not work. The same is true for marriage. Believers should be able to reconcile via the resources found in God, the Bible, and the church. A marriage between a believer and an unbeliever may not be able to work things out in the same way.

Chapter 8 – Divorce among Believers (Preliminary Considerations)

In this chapter, Adams does not yet address the “exception clause,” which allows believers to divorce with God’s permission in the case of sexual infidelity. Instead he looks at the cases where believers disobey Christ’s clear command and divorce without proper cause. He states that in this and every case divorce actually dissolves the marriage, whether it is a sinful or permitted one. The divorced couple is not still “married in God’s eyes,” as some teach, but are “agamos,” that is, unmarried. The obligations and privileges of married couples no longer exist for them. Two new obligations exist for divorced believers, however.

  1. They are required (again by command – 1 Corinthians 7:11) to remain unmarried (i.e., not to marry another) in order to
  2. be able to be reconciled.

Their chief obligation is reconciliation.(p. 43)

When a divorced person remarries, reconciliation to the first spouse is not allowed by God. (Deut. 24:4)

Chapter 9 – Divorce among the Unequally Yoked

In this case, Paul addresses a group of people to whom Jesus did not refer. As previously mentioned, believers have resources available to them that unbelievers do not – the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the church.

Rather than commanding the believer not to divorce his unsaved partner, regardless of what happens, he (Paul) requires something less: he (or she) must not divorce a partner who is willing to make a go of their marriage. (p. 46)

This has a two-fold purpose: to hopefully lead to the salvation of the unsaved spouse and to protect the children.

Under circumstances when the unbeliever wants to get out of the marriage, Paul says, “let him separate.” (1 Cor. 7:15) The clause (literally) reads, “if the unbeliever is separating [chorizo – to separate by divorce], let him separate [chorizo]. (p. 47)

According to Adams, this in the one instance in which divorce is required.

According to 1 Cor. 7:15, when a believer divorces an unbeliever at the unbeliever’s request, it completely frees both parties from all marital obligations, rendering them free to remarry. The author wrote that Paul did not want any “loose ends” attached to these situations, but wanted the matter resolved. God wants peace. The New Living Translation captures the idea.

(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 1 Corinthians 7:15 (NLT)
Chapter 10 – The Exceptional Clause

This chapter addresses Christ’s exception for divorce mentioned in Matthew.

You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ 32  But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. Matthew 5:31-32 (NLT) 

And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.” Matthew 19:9 (NLT)

I used the New Living Translation for these two passages because it simplifies the meaning without doing damage to the intent of original language. It is important that we accept the link between divorce and remarriage in the exception clause. Divorce in the case of unfaithfulness frees both parties to remarry without committing adultery.

Adams examines the different Greek words used in this passage – porneia and moichao, which can be translated fornication and adultery. Fornication refers to any sexual sin, and adultery, of course, is a violation of the marriage covenant. Some argue that the two verses above, therefore, only pertain to the breaking of the engagement, not the actual marriage. However, in the Bible, porneia can refer even to adultery. (Jeremiah 3:1, 2, 6, and 8, using the Septuagint translation, which is a Greek rendering of the Hebrew scriptures.) Adams points out that adultery is a broader term than the sexual act. It refers to allowing a third party to breach the covenant of companionship. (p. 54) The author quotes an interesting extra-biblical passage that joins the two words. Sirach 23:22-23 records that an unfaithful wife “committed adultery by fornication.” (p.54)

Adams makes the case that Jesus permits divorce based on the act of fornication that breaches the marriage, which is adultery.

The word porneia (fornication) covers all forms of sexual transgression: incest, bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism, as well as adultery. That is the reason why many translators render porneia as the more inclusive “sexual sin.”

Adams dismisses the engagement thesis by listing several arguments, beginning with that Jesus and Pharisees were discussing marriage, not engagement. I will leave it to you to check these out on your own, if you are interested. (p. 55-56) He concludes by writing that the standard, historical Protestant interpretation is that a believer may divorce his spouse for committing fornication. However, even though divorce is permitted, it is certainly not required. Adams goes a step further by stating that if forgiveness is granted after repentance, the marriage cannot be terminated. (p. 56) I am not sure I agree. Forgiveness does not necessarily reestablish trust. One may forgive without remaining married. However, it is hoped that repentance can be made, forgiveness granted, and trust reestablished. That would be the best possible outcome, in my opinion.

Next the author addresses the case when the offending spouse refuses to repent. In that case, when possible, church discipline must take place. Using the paradigm given to us by our Lord, the faithful spouse should personally confront the unfaithful one. If this does not bring about repentance, one or two others should be asked to make the confrontation. If this does not have the proper effect, church discipline resulting in excommunication must be brought to bear. The result will be that the unfaithful party will then be rendered as a “heathen” practically speaking. At this point, if there is not repentance and reconciliation, the faithful party is now able to relate to the unfaithful spouse as an unbeliever, according to the principles set forth in 1 Corinthians 7. The effect will be the resolution of the matter, since believers are not permitted to marry unbelievers. God does not want things held in “limbo” for long periods of time. (pp. 57-58) Of course, if the offending party repents, reconciliation may become possible.

Chapter 11 – Christ, Deuteronomy, and Genesis

In this chapter, Adams compares passages from Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18 and 21-25, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Matthew 5:32-32, and 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-12, and Luke 16:18. He attempts to properly interpret Jesus’ words regarding divorce by placing them in their proper Old Testament context.

I will not go through the author’s entire argument regarding the “defilement” of the divorced wife in Deuteronomy 24. Instead I will quote his concluding paragraph.

The wife of Deuteronomy 24, then, was not defiled by sexual relations with the second husband, but by her involvement in marriage and sexual relations because of a divorce (though legal) that was sinful, and so was the second marriage. Because  the divorce was for some flimsy reason, it was sinful, and so was the second marriage. (p. 65)

Jesus said that a wife divorced for a sinful reason was caused to commit adultery. (Matthew 5:32) Adams states that if she had been free to remarry, she would not have committed adultery when she did (remarried), and she would not be considered defiled. (p. 66) Adams then asks the obvious question.

The sinful divorce (based only on an erwath dabar [something indecent or repulsive to the husband short of adultery]) truly broke the first marriage; the sinful adulterous marriage to the second man was a genuine marriage, though adulterous… (p. 67)

Adams reminds the reader that “adultery always involves a violation of the marriage covenant in such a way that a third party is introduced into the picture claiming the right (or privilege) to do for one of the parties what they have contracted to do for one another.” (p.67) He states that even though the first marriage is broken by divorce, the former spouses have no right to be in that state and are required by God to reconcile the first marriage. Adams “redefines” adultery by saying it is “sexual sin with someone other than the one with whom one ought to be having sexual relations.” (p. 67)

Adams closes the chapter by reminding the reader that Jesus did not consider Deuteronomy 24:1-4 to be the defining passage on marriage and divorce. Rather he considered it to be God’s way of regulating a practice already in existence, similar to concubinage or polygamy. (p. 68) From the beginning (Genesis), it was not that way. It was not what God had in mind.

Chapter 12 – The Origin of Divorce for Sexual Sin

This chapter is difficult to summarize and needs to be read in its entirety. However, I will attempt to give you the main points.

Adams explains that the origin of divorce for sexual sin came from God himself, who taught us that by “both precept and example.” (p.71) He points out that God refers to his relationship with Old Covenant as a marriage. (Ezekiel 16:8, Jeremiah 2:2) The New Covenant uses the marriage analogy to describe the relationship believers have with our Lord. (Ephesians 5:22-30) Regarding God’s relationship with Israel in the Old Covenant, the Bible points out that Israel was unfaithful “lay down like a harlot” (Jeremiah 2:20), “went after other lovers” (Hosea 2:13), and “committed adultery” (Jeremiah 3:8). In the last passage, God declares that he “put her away and gave her a bill of divorce.” Isaiah and Hosea also mention God’s divorce of Israel (Isaiah 50:11 and Hosea 2:2). Nevertheless, God still loved Israel and called her to repentance, which would be the grounds for his taking her back. (Hosea 14:1-2) In that same book, God took the initiative to woo Israel back to himself. In Isaiah, God tells Israel that he will take her back as if she were never guilty of adultery. (Isaiah 54:6-7) Adams states:

The very least we can say is that in these prophets, by His (God’s) recognition, adoption, and (implied) endorsement of the practice, God placed his approval on it [divorce]. (p.73)

The case in the New Testament when the Bible says that Joseph, being a just man, decided to divorce Mary quietly for her apparent infidelity further corroborates this. There Adams concludes:

If from no other source, Joseph and Jesus might easily have derived their view of divorce for fornication – just as we have here- from the example and words of God himself. (p.74)

Adams observes that God did not always follow the “letter” of what he calls “case law” in exacting punishment for capital offenses, such as with David regarding his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband Uriah. It seems that God made room for mercy if repentance were present. When Jesus acknowledged that Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of our hearts, it was a concession to the original creation ordinance. Adams points out that Jesus did not elaborate on the basis of the concession and it would be mere speculation to try to determine it. In any case, the exception was one of long standing practice, which gave room for Joseph to take this direction without being rebuked by God.

Part III – Remarriage

Chapter 13 – Remarriage

Adams begins by acknowledging that remarriage of widows and widowers is allowed and even encouraged. He next addresses the issue of whether a remarried man can serve as an elder. He believes that interpreting 1 Timothy 3:2 and 12 and Titus 1:6 to mean a prospective elder must have only married one time in his life is incorrect. Rather, Paul is prohibiting a polygamist from holding the office. In other words, an elder must be married to only one woman at a time.

But in the NT, while a polygamous convert was allowed to enter the body without putting away his wives (on the principle stated and reiterated in 1 Corinthians 7:17, 20, and 24), he could not become an officer. (p.81)

Adams cites various sources to prove that polygamy among the Jews existed in Paul’s day and up to the eleventh century.

Chapter 14 – Remarriage after Divorce

Adams begins the chapter by stating that remarriage of divorced persons is allowed in the New Testament. He quotes the following passage.

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28  But if you marry, you have not sinned... 1 Corinthians 7:27-28 (NASB)

The word “loosed” clearly refers to divorce, not the death of a spouse.

To call “sin” what God expressly says is not sin (v.28) – wittingly or unwittingly – is a serious error… Nothing in the Bible forbids the remarriage of divorced persons without obligations, except to priests, who were exceptions to this policy. It is assumed in the Bible that wherever Scripture allows divorce, remarriage is also allowed… All persons properly divorced may be remarried. (pp.85-86)

Adams cites John Murray’s exegetical work to conclude that all persons divorced under Christ’s exception clause are free to remarry “in the Lord” (to another believer) without committing adultery.

Next the author begins to examine more complicated cases that arise in the aftermath of sinful divorces (those done for biblically unsanctioned reasons). Adams admits that this gets complicated, due to the fact that sin complicates life. The first such issue he addresses is the hypothetical case where a believing man divorces his unbelieving wife against her will. If the man later repents, he is not able to remarry his wife because she is not a believer; that is, unless she becomes a follower of Christ.

Next he address the complication that can arise if the church does not do its part in trying to reconcile partners who are considering divorce.

Many of the difficulties that result could have been avoided if the church had done what it ought to do at the outset. (p.88)

Here is a summary of his thoughts and conclusions. I encourage you to read the chapter in its entirety because I am omitting a lot of good information below.

If a one married partner pursues a divorce that has no scriptural basis, the church should intervene to stop it. If the one pursuing divorce will not be persuaded using standard church discipline procedures (Matthew 18:15 and following), he or she should be excommunicated and regarded as a “heathen.” This turn of events will grant the “innocent” party permission to remarry, since functionally the one pursuing the divorce is now regarded as an unbeliever. If an unbeliever desires a divorce, the believing spouse is to let them go. If church discipline is not pursued, if the couple gets a divorce, neither party is free to remarry as long as the other spouse is unmarried. They have an obligation to reconcile.

Chapter 15 – Persons with a Past

In this chapter Adams addresses how to handle situations that arise when persons with an ungodly past desire to marry or remarry. His writes that people who are born again are washed clean from the past sins. ( 1 Corinthians 6:11) He points out that King David’s union with Bathsheba was initially adulterous, but later was sanctified through forgiveness. She became part of the lineage of the Messiah, as did Rahab the harlot. Without minimizing the sins of divorce and adultery, we must acknowledge that Christ’s blood cleanses us from these sins. Therefore, when a person truly repents for his or her sin(s) of adultery and/or divorce, we must no longer consider him or her the “guilty” party. They are forgiven and declared “not guilty”.

Citing the case of David and Bathsheba, Adams writes:

If this marriage, which at its inception was knee deep in sin (David didn’t repent until after the marriage.), could be blessed by God…, why do we say that persons who are forgiven and cleansed before marrying, cannot expect God to bless their marriage because of sin in their past? (p. 95)

Adams concludes:

…remarriage after divorce is allowed in the Bible and… the guilt party – after forgiveness – is free to remarry. (p.95)

Next Adams asks if people who wish to (re)marry should be examined to see if there are any hindrances that must be first addressed. The author answers “yes” in some cases. Here are things he believes must be addressed.

  1. Has the person freed himself or herself from all past obligations?
  2. Has the person sought forgiveness from all parties hurt by the previous sinful divorce, etc.?
  3. Has every effort been made to reconcile if possible?
  4. Has every effort been made to right all wrongs such as repayment of unfairly-obtained monies from a divorce settlement or back alimony or child support?

In addition, anything that contributed to the first failed marriage should be addressed so that it will not sabotage the future marriage. This should happen in pre-marital counseling.

Chapter 16 – Dealing with Divorce and Remarriage

This chapter is a summary of the principles presented in this book with the acknowledgement that everything has not been covered. In his conclusion, Adams writes:

My prayer is that God will use this book to bring balance and blessing to His church

I have found it to be very helpful in navigating complex issues that arise while seeking to help people who have done sinful things in the past but who wish to participate in the God-given blessing of marriage going forward. I hope this summary helps you and inspires you to read the book for yourself.

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Breaking Intimidation

 

Breaking Intimidation

by John Bevere

Everyone struggles with something. Many pastors wrestle with feelings of intimidation that the devil can use to paralyze and manipulate us unless we learn to overcome them. Bevere’s book is an excellent expose of how intimidation works and how to conquer it. I think it belongs on the top ten list of any pastor who may have this struggle.

“Often those who are intimidated don’t’ realize what they’re fighting. As with most of Satan’s devices, intimation is camouflaged and subtle. We feel its effects – depression, confusion, lack of faith – without knowing its root.” (p.21)

The second chapter establishes the authority believers have positionally in Christ.

“If Satan can steal or cause individuals to lay down their position of authority, then he once again has authority to operate.” (p.28)

Chapter Three deals with two extremes that must be confronted: the pursuit of power and false humility. He points out that a fear of confrontation makes us an easy prey for intimidation. (p.41)

The second section of the book focuses on exposing intimidation. Bevere points out that “intimidated believers lose their authority in the spirit.” (p.59) He states that “intimidation wants to overwhelm you with a sense of inferiority and fear.” (p.60)

“An intimidating spirit unleashes confusion, discouragement, and frustration. It’s goal is to cause you to lose your proper perspective.” (p.62)

When we are intimidated, we give up our position of authority. Consequently, the gift of God to serve and protect lies dormant. We end up unintentionally furthering the cause of the one intimidating us.” (p.68)

“An intimidated person honors what he fears more than he honors God. With or without realizing it, he submits to what intimidates him.” (p.73)

The Spirit of Intimidation

Here is an interesting quote that should make us ponder.

“In order to recognize and deal with intimation we must be settled on two issues. First, fear, or timidity, is a spirit, and second, it not from God.” (p.83)

Bevere quotes 2 Timothy 1:7, pointing out that the Greek word translated “spirit” is pneuma, which is normally translated “spirit.” This being the case, the author insists that intimidation cannot be conquered merely on an intellectual or soulical (will power) level. It must be addressed as an evil spirit in the same category as a spirit of witchcraft. He states that evil must be confronted, or it will grow ever stronger.

Bevere makes a strong case that pastors and other church leaders have a responsibility to confront persons with a wrong spirit who are attempting to control or influence the congregation. Otherwise, we are actually indirectly supporting them. The goal of intimidation is to steal the leader’s authority and use it for evil, just as Jezebel used King Ahab’s authority to do harm. Ahab had to move aside to give her room to operate.

“People who have strong personalities will use intimidation to make a lie look like the truth. You must stay in the spirit to overcome the strength of such attacks.” (p.100)

We can see these tactics operating in the political realm, too. Consider.

“Usually intimidation will accuse you of the very weakness it seeks to hide. Those who act pure outwardly but have an impure heart will always attack the pure in heart… in order to… maintain control.” (p.101)

Chapter Nine deals with the root of intimidation, which Bevere claims is the love of self. (p.119)

“The boldness it takes to break the power of intimidation must be fueled by our love for God.” (p.122)

“God does not want us running from our areas of weakness. He wants us to face them fearlessly.” (p.127)

Bevere insists that the only way to conquer fear and intimidation is to “walk” in the fear of the Lord. (p.142)

“The root of the fear of man is the love of self. When you love your life, you seek to save it. You will be intimidated by anything that threatens it.” (p.155)

The concluding chapters give practical advice for conquering the enemy of intimidation.

“We need to treat discouragement as an enemy. We underestimate its power to prevent us from obtaining the high calling of God.” (p.199)

This book will help anyone who has experienced being intimidated and used by manipulative people and spirits.

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The Starfish and the Spider

 

The Starfish and the Spider

by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom

This is one of those books that I put in my top ten because it crystalized principles that we continue to put into practice.  Our church, called LifeNet, morphed from being a centralized spider organization called Liberty Church into a decentralized starfish. We did this at the leading of the Holy Spirit before I ever read the book, but reading the book helped me to connect the dots.

Most successful starfish organizations were started with what seemed at the time to be a radical ideology.  Brafman, Ori; Beckstrom, Rod A.. The Starfish and the Spider (p. 206). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

The “radical ideology” behind LifeNet is the notion that churches work better as small groups. I use quotation marks because this is how the church began in the Book of Acts, but because the institutional church drifted so far from its beginnings, it seems radical today to many. For us it meant jettisoning our building and launching into the uncharted waters of existing only as a confederation of small groups, which we legally named Life Community Network, or LifeNet for short.

The overall concept of the book is quite simple: centralized hierarchical organizations can be “killed” by taking out the head, as with a spider, but decentralized organizations only morph and multiply when attacked, as with starfish. You can cut off the arm of a starfish and another starfish will grow out of that arm. The authors compare the Aztecs, a centralized nation, to the Apaches, a decentralized group. The Aztecs were easily conquered by the Spanish by defeating the central government in the capitol city, but the Spanish could never defeat the nomadic Apaches, who did not have a central government, followed charismatic leaders, and could vanish into the wilderness when their villages were attacked. Interestingly, the church in China has thrived under persecution because it too is a decentralized network of small groups.

As might be expected, the book extensively compares centralized organizations to decentralized ones. It praises the advantages of decentralized starfish organizations, while acknowledging that both have their place. The authors even examine the advantages associated with combining elements of both to form hybrid organizations, such as eBay and Toyota. This echoes the ideas found in another important church book entitled And: The Gathered and Scattered Church, of which I have written a summary.

The principles contained in the book are readily transferable to the church setting, as was the case with other business books I have read over the years. (Eg. The Answer to How Is Yes by Peter Block is one of the best books on faith out there. You can click on the link above to read my summary.) Small group based churches, such as LifeNet, can profit by understanding the nature of being an effective starfish organization. I believe this was part of the genius of the early church.

Centralized organizations rely heavily on top-down decision making. Everyone beneath “upper management” must obey the directives coming down from the top, ensuring uniformity. Decentralized organizations disperse decision-making authority among multiple people or departmental teams. Individuals at a “lower level” approve decisions and then report them to personnel in “upper” management.

Decentralized organizations rely heavily on everyone buying into the same vision and maintaining open lines of communication. However, unity at the vision level does not guarantee or expect unity at the application level.

That is part of the genius of the decentralized organization. Great freedom is given to “lower” leaders to experiment and implement innovative ideas.

At LifeNet, we see ourselves as a decentralized network of small groups, which are led by, in our case, elders. As we grow larger, not all small group leaders will be elders, but they will all be pastors or shepherds – people who care about people.

The board of elders generally oversees the entire network without dictating to each small group leader exactly how to implement the vision.

Each leader has been given freedom to lead his or her group within the overall vision of the Great Commission – sharing the gospel and making disciples. How this is done varies from group to group, but the Great Commandment – loving God, one another, and our neighbor – is always at the forefront. We rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide us and to keep us from veering off into some form of legalism. We depend on the Bible to keep us from error.

We realize that true discipleship is a result of individuals making a personal commitment to follow Christ. The church exists to inspire, equip, and encourage such people on their journey.

Understanding the difference between the role and function of CEOs, catalysts, and champions is important. Catalysts are perhaps the least understand and most important. They are the ones with the vision and are critical in the creation and success of starfish organizations. The champion is the person most visible to those on the outside. Usually they are the public “face” or “mouth” of the organization, the one best equipped to share the vision and rally others to the cause. People on the outside see champions as the true leaders, not realizing that the catalyst is actually the “heart and soul” of the group. CEOs are the people gifted to bring a minimalist type of structure to the organization that will allow it to grow without losing the genius of decentralization. (See my summary of Organic Church for more on this concept.)

Most decentralized organizations become increasingly centralized over time.

This is also true for the church. History records how the early church grew and gradually adopted centralization, which was the beginning of its deterioration, which became so great that it required the Reformation centuries later to get it back on track.

The more power, authority, and wealth accrues to those who govern the overall organization, the more difficult it becomes for them to distribute decision-making authority.

The Methodist movement, which began as a decentralized organization, eventually became a top-down denomination that has gone off the rails doctrinally – too much power in the hands of the wrong people. The nation of Israel began as a decentralized confederation of tribes governed by Holy Spirit appointed judges who ruled for a season, but a desire to be like other nations drove the people to adopt a centralized government run by a dynastic king. This was because they grew weary of trusting God to raise up new judges. They wanted a permanent institution. The United States also began as a decentralized confederation of states but over time granted more and more power to a strong federal government which basically stripped the states of their original autonomy and power.

I believe their is an inherent drive in mankind to move toward centralization. I call it the Babel Principle, about which I have written elsewhere.

The motive behind this bent is that we do not like being continually dependent upon God for direction. We would rather build a system for self-government, even though it always tends toward corruption. Relying upon the Spirit to give direction continually and raise up new leaders to replace ones we have looked to in the past is challenging and exposes us to uncertainty, but that is exactly the environment in which we grow in our relationship and faith in God.

This may be the most important reason why decentralization is so good. It requires us to always rely on God.

This book is challenging, fascinating, informative, and practical. I hope you will take time to read it and ponder its message.

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Divine Healing Made Simple

Divine Healing Made Simple

by Dave Hayes, The Praying Medic

Misconceptions and Myths about Healing

Dave Hayes was formerly an atheist EMT filled with skepticism. He describes how God drew him to himself and began to teach him about divine healing. He addresses some objections raised by some in the church who would argue that healing is not for today. In the process, he discusses the difference between the “gift” of healing and the authority to heal that is tied to the gospel. He also explains that Christ’s disciples were told to heal the sick as part of their mission. God enables us to heal, but followers of Christ are tasked with healing people in Christ’s name and authority. He points out that everyone who came to Jesus for healing received it.

No one is outside the reach of God’s grace for healing except those who don’t want to be healed.

Medic, Praying. Divine Healing Made Simple (The Kingdom of God Made Simple) (p. 32). Inkity Press. Kindle Edition.

Another key point is that since healing is meant to confirm the truth of the gospel, it does not always require faith in the receiver, but is intended to spark faith.

Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. John 14:11 (NLT)

 

The Biblical Basis for Healing

Over the years I have read much about the biblical basis for physical healing. F.F. Bosworth’s book, Christ the Healer, is one of the best for understanding what the Bible says about this subject. Hayes’ book, however, inspired the most faith in me to continue on the journey toward becoming more proficient in this area. I found that the verses with commentary that he used were excellent.

The first point in this chapter that he makes is that it is God’s nature to heal or part of who he is, as revealed by the compound name – Jehovah Rapha, found in Exodus 15:26.

“If God’s nature was to heal then, it is still His nature to heal today.” (p.37)

Hayes believes that healing is available to all, which stands to reason since Christ carried our sicknesses and diseases on the cross, according to Isaiah 53:4 (NET), as interpreted by Matthew.

That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT)

(Sadly, most translators do not use the best words for the corresponding verse in Isaiah, due to translator’s bias. Matthew removes all doubt that Isaiah 53:4 should be translated as is done in the New English Translation.)

He points out that everyone who came to Jesus and asked to be healed received their healing. One of the great limiting factors when it comes to healing is a lack of confidence or desire on the part of the one who is sick. God never forces healing upon anyone.

Hayes also addresses the objection that it is not God’s will to heal everyone who asks for it. A proper understanding of Isaiah 53 proves that Jesus dealt with sickness and disease the same way he dealt with our sin. He carried both. If you wish to read more about this, click here. Citing Mark 2:9-11 and James 5:14-16, the author points out the link between forgiveness and healing.

Jesus healed all who came to Him. No one was turned away. As long as people were willing to be healed, He was willing to heal them. He didn’t heal all who were sick, but rather, He healed all who were willing to be made well. Some who were sick, did not want to be healed, so they were not healed. The will of man is always honored by God, who gives to us according to our desires. (p.41)

Hayes believes that healing often is connected to the faith of the healer rather than an unwillingness on God’s part. He uses Matthew 17:14-17 as an example.

The author concludes the chapter by emphasizing our authority over the enemy in the realm of sickness and disease.

In the same way that police fight crime, we are commissioned to fight sickness. Healing is a matter of enforcing God’s will here upon the earth as His representatives. (p.43)

Identity

When Jesus walked the streets of Galilee, His acts of healing created division among those who watched Him. Some rejoiced at the miracles they witnessed, while others criticized Him. The same attitudes exist today. Healing, deliverance and miracles are ways in which the kingdom of God is made manifest through us. When we bring the kingdom of God to earth, we invite criticism, because wherever the kingdom goes, it destroys belief systems that are opposed it. The greatest criticism of healing during the first century came from religious leaders. They had followers who admired their shallow spirituality. The miracles of Jesus drew people away from them and turned their hearts back to God. The kingdoms these men had built were beginning to crumble. Their response was to criticize the new thing God was doing. Little has changed today. Most of the criticism of healing today comes from religious leaders who are building their own kingdoms. (pp.47-48)

It has always appalled me how the Jewish religious leaders could witness supernatural healings without their having any effect upon them, except to stir up their hatred for Jesus. Fear and spiritual pride can blind us to what God is doing right in front of us, simply because it does not fit our theology or somehow threatens our security. We should be wary of being as they did today. I have heard it said that the greatest enemies of the new move of God are those who were part of the previous one. We tend to shape our theology around our experience, often nullifying God’s Word in the process, instead of letting the Bible shape us. God help us not to do this!

Hayes believes that an important key to becoming more proficient in healing is to believe that God wants to use us in this arena.

True humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself exactly the way God thinks of you; not more and not less. The key to operating in the power of God is in knowing your identity in Christ and knowing how He wants to work in you. You must shed the false identities you’ve accepted from man and receive the identity given to you by God. (pp.50-52)

Dreams and Visions

Dave Hayes receives many dreams and visions from God. He believes the Lord taught him a great deal about healing in these dreams. He is careful never to elevate such personal revelation above the Scripture, but he does ask the reader to be open to God’s speaking to us in this manner. He points out the many times in the Bible that God used dreams to communicate to his people.

Some people take the view that where Scripture is silent we should remain silent. Since I began having dreams from God about healing, I’ve realized that He wants us to know more than what is contained in the Bible. This is why He gives us dreams. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the Spirit of Truth, who leads us into all truth (see Jn. 16: 13). As you read about the dreams God has given me, I’ll ask you to discern if there is truth in them or not. (p.58)

Healing and Relationships

The author often prays for strangers he meets in public places. He calls this “street healing.” This chapter is about the the things we can do to create relationships quickly with the people we meet, so that they will be more likely to accept an offer to pray for them. This is something we at LifeNet have striven to do for many years. We have found that people surprisingly usually are open to receive prayer, if they sense that we care about them and do not have a hidden agenda. Convincing them that this is the case often begins with initiating a conversation.

And I came to this conclusion: ministry flows through relationships. We must learn how to develop bridges of relationship with people if we hope to minister healing (or anything else) to them. (p.62)

We never know where a conversation may take us. Many people are facing big challenges in life and perhaps have been asking God to send someone to help. Perhaps that someone is one of us.

Hayes is a paramedic; so, he has had countless opportunities to pray for healing for people who truly need it. Here is his advice.

My suggestion is simple. Take a few minutes. Get to know the person you want to see healed. If they have an obvious injury, ask how it happened. Ask about the weather or their children. Ask about anything you might have in common with them. If you see sadness, ask what it’s about. If you sense fear, ask what they’re afraid of. Listen to what they say and respond out of compassion. Take time to establish a bridge of trust before attempting to minister to strangers. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. (p.64)

Motives for Healing

It’s possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Healing, which in itself is a good thing, can be done out of questionable motives. I’ve had to check my motives more often than I’d like. When I began this life of healing, it was at the prompting of God. He kept after this reluctant, unbelieving skeptic until I finally got in the flow and saw people healed. I’m glad He was more persistent than I was. As time went on, I stepped out and laid hands on the sick more often because it was finally working. People were actually being healed. (p.65)

This chapter deals with an issue most of us are not yet encountering – feeling driven to pray for people to be healed. Hayes began to feel guilty if a day went by in which he had not effectively prayed for someone to be healed. He had to work through this, and, if we become more effective healers, so may we. Here is his conclusion.

Go out and heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the kingdom. But do it for only one reason. Your motive should be an overwhelming love and compassion for those in need. There is no other legitimate motive for healing. (p.68)

Faith for Healing

This chapter deals with the common understanding among many charismatics and evangelicals that healing is mainly a gift given to a few, not something that we should expect God to do every time we pray. If it is only a gift that operates occasionally, we have no basis for expecting a healing every time we pray, but if God has given us authority in Christ to heal the sick, that is altogether different.

Healing is something we do by faith. In contrast to traditional medicine, which is a function of what you know and how skilled you are, divine healing is a result of who you know and what you believe. Simply put, if you know Jesus and you believe He is still healing people today, He will heal the sick through you. Once your relationship with Him is established through the operation of the Holy Spirit, growing your faith in God’s ability and desire to heal is the next step. (p.69)

Hayes relates that when he first started praying for the sick almost no one was healed, which was very discouraging.

In one of the kingdom parables Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, explaining that it grew into a large tree; so large that the birds of the air came to nest in it (see Mt. 13: 31-32). Here is the key to how mustard seed faith acts – it grows. A seed bears no fruit until it germinates and grows into a plant; the larger the plant– the more fruit it bears. Faith that heals the sick may start out small, but it must grow before it produces fruit. When I began praying for the sick, almost no one was healed. I became discouraged and I wanted to quit. I had almost no faith. All I had was a promise from God; “You pray and I’ll heal.” I had a seed of promise from God and nothing else. But as we’ve seen, the kingdom of God is about growth. (pp.70-71)

Perhaps this is the most encouraging chapter in the book. Anyone who has prayed for the sick on a regular basis has experienced a lot of apparent failure. We come up with a theology that makes it acceptable to us. We may excuse our lack of results by saying that a perfect healing will come after death or that we simply do not understand why God heals some and not others. The latter of course is true, but should not be used to explain away an absence of healing. Jesus never used that excuse. To know that the author, who now claims that around eighty percent of those for whom he prays are healed, began his ministry by experiencing failure, should encourage the rest of us to plow forward.

The kind of faith that heals isn’t a belief that God wants to heal the sick. Many Christians believe that God wants to heal the sick and yet the sick are not healed when they pray for them. Faith that heals is different from this. Faith that heals consistently and predictably is the belief (confidence) that when you are presented with an opportunity to heal someone who is willing to be healed, that God will in fact heal that person of the condition they have through you. Faith that heals consistently is not general. It is specific to the person who is sick, the problem at hand and the one who is praying. (pp.71-72)

The author points out that, when he began his healing journey, he had general faith that God could heal the sick but specific doubts that he would heal a particular person of his or her specific condition. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

One of the big changes in Hayes’ success rate came when he understood that we have authority in Christ to command people to be healed, as opposed to our merely asking God to heal.

When we begin our journey in the kingdom, most of us have small faith. Our bank account of faith upon which we can draw out the resources of heaven is small. But as we walk with God and get to know His ways, we begin to trust Him more. As our faith in Him grows, so does the balance in our account. The more we step out and exercise our faith, the more we get to watch God at work. The more He works the more reason we have to trust Him. And trusting Him brings more faith into our account. Unlike the balance in our bank account, which decreases the more we use it, the balance in our faith account increases the more we use it. Those who have great faith are those who exercise it often. Many of us underestimate what is possible with the faith we now possess. It’s good to know that whatever level of faith we have today, it will increase if we exercise it. (p.76)

In my own faith-for-healing journey, I rationalized failure with a theology that Jesus paid for our healing (1 Peter 2:24), giving us the right or authority to claim it. Since not everyone I prayed for received healing, I reasoned that God does not always heal, despite Jesus’ having purchased it. Since, barring receiving a revelation from God, we do not know who will be healed and who will not be, we simply always ask for healing, leaving the result to God. Hayes asks us to make a huge leap to believe Jesus will always answer our prayers and respond to our faith. My father was moving in this direction in the year before his death, which I chalked up to his realizing that he needed a miracle to stay alive. Necessity often drives us to press into God more than we would have otherwise. Now I think he was indeed on to something. He kept the faith right up to the end, which was very God honoring. Of course, no matter how much faith for healing we may have, we are destined to die, due to the judgment upon Adam’s sin. Nevertheless, we can and should experience healing this side of eternity. This book has helped me to move beyond an intellectual grasp of knowing Christ purchased our healing into having greater faith that God will honor my faith to heal people when I pray for them. In the last few weeks I have seen people instantly healed when I prayed for them. As you may imagine, this is intensely encouraging to keep going. Healing is wonderful tool for evangelism and ministry and reveals God’s amazing love for people. The next chapter goes into more depth about our authority to heal.

Power and Authority for Healing

Hayes believes, and I agree, that one of the keys to healing is recognizing that it is a matter of authority. Jesus commissioned his disciples to heal the sick as a demonstration of the kingdom of God. (Matthew 10:7-8) In Luke 10:19, Jesus gave them authority over “all the power of the enemy.” Hayes believes that faith for healing must be linked to our using the authority delegated to us by Christ in order to release the power of God. I believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s enforcer. We proclaim a command in Christ’s name, and the Holy Spirit enforces it with his power. This is how I handle casting out evil spirits and how we should approach healing, too.

We must understand that the power to heal resides with us. It is true that the power does not originate in us. It comes from God. But it comes to us and is released through us by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us. We are something like portable power stations walking the earth. How marvelous it is that He has placed His treasure in these very earthen vessels. (p.84)

It takes faith to believe that we have authority in Christ. This faith comes from understanding God’s Word and acting upon it. We should act as if we believe until we do. (The last sentence are my thoughts, not the author’s.)

God’s Healing Presence

In this chapter, Hayes addresses the phenomenon of God’s “manifest” presence, the times when we are aware of his being with us in such a way that inspires worship, awe, and faith.

The Holy Spirit is a person. He inhabits us and never leaves us… God’s glory (or presence) comes and goes, though His Spirit does not. When people refer to God’s presence being “everywhere” they’re speaking of God’s awareness of all that is happening in creation. But there is a different aspect to His presence, which is purely relational and it has to do with worship. It’s this presence (His glory) that appeared in the temple. The presence of God as it was manifested in the temple, and which is now manifested at different times in different places, is not present everywhere or all the time. It is reserved for places and times of worship. This aspect of His presence is manifested wherever the sincere worship of God takes place. It is there for the express purpose of entering into a relational experience with Him. God’s glory brings healing, deliverance, creative miracles, and much more into existence. Wherever God’s presence is manifested in this way, heaven touches earth. (pp.93-94)

I would not have worded the above paragraph as he did, but I believe his point is valid. God does “manifest” his presence, and, when he does, amazing things happen. I remember my first encounter with God’s manifest presence in 1971, the night when God showed up and revealed to me beyond a doubt that Jesus is who the Bible says. His presence transformed me on the inside, and I have never been the same. Another time in Honduras, we were praying for God’s Spirit to fall upon the congregation and for Jesus to baptize those who came forward in the Holy Spirit. The manifest presence there was very strong. Later that night I realized that I had been healed of a sinus condition without even praying for it or being aware of it.

If we want to have victory over sickness and we want people to recover faster with fewer complications, we should invite God’s presence to come and make Him welcome when He arrives. God’s presence can do the work of healing, deliverance and restoration that we need. I’ve read dozens of testimonies of people who were healed merely by resting in the presence of God in worship. Although healing is a tremendous blessing to those who receive it, the greater need we all have is to draw closer to God and to know Him in a deeper way. Healing is one way to bring people into a greater experience of His presence. (p.98)

Freeing the Prisoners

This chapter deals with the somewhat confounding issue that some people do not want to be healed.

When you ask strangers if they want to be healed, you will on occasion be turned down. I often wear my paramedic uniform because I’m either praying with people at work or on the way home from work. When in uniform, I rarely get turned down. But in street clothes, I get turned down more often. The funny thing is – some of the people who don’t want me to pray for them are Christians. When they say no, they usually tell me about the church they go to and how many people are already praying for them. (p.99)

We at LifeNet have experienced the same thing when out doing what we called Mobile Ministry. Religious people are usually the most reluctant to receive prayer. The conclusion the author makes is that we should honor the choice some people make not to receive healing prayer, whatever their reasons may be. But those who wish to be healed are the ones to whom we can minister.

Healing 101

The first point in this chapter on the practicalities of developing a healing ministry is the necessity of working in cooperation with God’s Spirit.

To operate successfully in healing it’s imperative to establish a strong, active relationship with the Holy Spirit. All that we do must be led and powered by the Spirit of God. (p.103)

Hayes advocates learning to hearing the voice of the Spirit, something Jesus said all his “sheep” can do. (John 10:27)

The Holy Spirit is like a quiet voice bringing wisdom and revelation to you. His role is to “lead you into all truth” but a teacher needs a willing student. You become a disciple when you allow yourself to be taught His ways. You can learn many things about God by reading the scriptures, but the only way to know God himself is through the experiences you have with Him personally. I would encourage you to ask questions of the Holy Spirit and listen for His answers. This is how you develop a relationship with the living God and grow confident that He is truly guiding you. (p.104)

Hayes advocates seeking specific instructions for each person for whom we pray. He also stresses the importance of studying the Scriptures to give the Spirit something with which to work. His next piece of advice is to associate with those who have had success in healing to learn from them.

He stresses how important it is not to give up until we experience success, including praying for people over and over again. Recently I prayed for my wife to be healed from a headache. When I was done, I asked her if it were gone. When she said that it was still there, I prayed again. The second prayer did the job. I would not have repeated the prayer immediately without the encouragement from this book. Hayes also encourages praying at a distance. Our Wednesday night Zoom prayer group has seen three instantaneous healings the last couple of months. Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant at a distance. He can and will heal us that way, too.

Hayes encourages us to pray specifically for specific answers. We should not hesitate to ask if those for whom we pray have experienced relief or not. We cannot be worried about “looking bad,” if nothing seems to happen. People want results, not spiritual platitudes or pretend religion.

Among my friends who have the highest success rates in healing, there is agreement on one approach that seems to work best. It involves commanding sickness or pain to leave and commanding healing to take its place. Don’t beg or plead with God to heal anyone. The most common mistake people make is begging God to heal. The second is quitting too soon. Persistence brings breakthrough. You’ll have to get used to a little embarrassment. You may look a bit foolish repeatedly commanding a broken leg to be healed when there is no outward sign that it’s helping. Yet the vast majority of healings I’ve seen came because I stood there looking like an idiot, repeatedly commanding an injury to be healed until it finally was healed. (pp.107-108)

Next the author addresses the need to confront and cast out any evil spirits which may be the underlying cause of sickness. Sicknesses can be healed, but spirits must be cast out. The author agrees with what I teach, that the Bible does not say anything about being “possessed” by an evil spirit. The Greek word is daimonizomai, which means to be demonized. I prefer to use the word oppressed. Possession implies ownership, which is impossible for evil spirits to do to a Christian because God owns us. However, even Christians can be oppressed by evil spirits.

I’ve had a number of experiences where I commanded a knee or ankle to be healed and nothing happened even after five or six attempts. In some cases, I closed my eyes and God showed me a spirit that needed to be removed and in other cases I assumed a spirit was there and commanded it to leave. In almost every case, the next command brought complete healing. Remember that when the disciples could not heal the boy with seizures, Jesus removed the spirit that caused the sickness. Once the spirit was evicted, the boy was healed. If healing is going poorly consider the possibility that a spirit is present that must be removed. (p.108)

Next Hayes introduces a concept new to me, but which I have already found to be quite effective.

Don’t be discouraged if nothing happens the first time you command healing to happen. Do it again. Don’t be discouraged if nothing happens the second time. Do it again. Don’t give up if nothing happens the third time. Do it again. Keep commanding the affliction to leave and command the sick or injured body part to be healed. If the individual you are praying for is willing to let you continue praying, by all means – keep going. But be sensitive to their comfort level and realize that they may not have the time or desire to have you continue after a few attempts. Be courteous and consider that they may have a busy schedule. If it seems like they are uncomfortable having you continue, respect their wishes and allow them to go about their day. When I started seeing people healed, most of it came after four or five times of commanding healing to happen. Be persistent and don’t quit. If you see any change in symptoms or severity of pain after four or five times, keep going. You’re making progress. If you see any change at all, you can eventually get it to go away completely. (pp.108-9)

This runs counter to what I was taught early on in my spiritual journey – that we should never ask for something twice. Just believe that God heard us the first time. Even Jesus prayed twice for the blind man, who after the first prayer only saw partially.

The Word of Knowledge

The author devotes a chapter to the gift of the Spirit called the word of knowledge, which is often connected to healing. God often reveals to the minister a specific condition that He wishes to heal. This not only identifies what God wants to do but also can spark faith in the healer and the one needing to be healed.

A word of knowledge may be given to encourage us to pray for a condition we wouldn’t normally have faith to heal. (p.118)

Hayes stresses that we can increase in our sensitivity to the Spirit in this area by spending more time with God.

Healing: A Tool for Evangelism and a Gift

Interestingly, Hayes believes that the gift of healing, one of the nine spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, is for the health of the church and is given under the specific direction of the Holy Spirit; whereas, the authority to heal in connection with preaching the gospel is always resident in the believer.

Healing is not only for evangelism, but also for the building up of the physical and spiritual health of believers.” (p. 126)

Street Healing

I found this chapter to be fascinating in that we at LifeNet have espoused “street” ministry for years, mainly aimed at the neighborhoods in which we reside. The principles laid out in this chapter mirror what we have learned and attempted to put into practice.

Jesus was the original street healer. He traveled the streets of Israel on foot, staying wherever He found lodging. During His travels He told people the secrets of their hearts, healed all who were sick and demon-possessed, raised the dead and shared the mysteries of the kingdom of God. This was His lifestyle and it could be yours. (p. 127)

Hayes suggests two ways to find people who need healing. The first is to be observant as we go about our business during the week and be ready to engage people in conversation who show any signs of needing healing. At LifeNet we teach people to seek to engage friends, neighbors, and even strangers in friendly conversation, with the hope that it might lead to building new friendships and opportunities to share to love of God. For example, if during the conversation a need is mentioned, such as a health or other issue, we can offer to pray for them. Hayes recommends boldly engaging people with health issues with the hope we will be given the opportunity to pray for them. Usually this requires us to have some social skills in conversation, show genuine interest and concern, and be bold enough to ask to pray for them, should it be appropriate. Practice makes perfect. The more comfortable and relaxed we are, the more success we likely will have.

Another method that some use to engage people is by first receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit. During times of “seeking the Lord,” God may reveal that he wishes to heal a certain person or a specific condition. If so, we can look for the person or the condition. Naturally this requires us to grow in our ability to hear God and our daring to step out in faith on that intuition.

Hayes suggests operating in teams when possible, which is good advice. This accomplishes several things. Two can combine their gifts and abilities. One can pray silently while the other speaks, and it is always good to have a witness in case misunderstandings occur or false accusations should fly.

The streets and shops you visit are full of people who desperately need to know that God cares about them. All around you, crippled people struggle to cope. The blind are robbed of experiencing the abundant life Jesus died to give them. You are the one who can release the power that changes those circumstances. Street healing is easy; it just takes a little compassion, a little boldness, some faith, and a desire to see God’s love in action. This is the model Jesus gave us. And if a skeptic like me can be used to heal the sick, so can you. (p. 136)

Healing in the Workplace

The author gives some tips for ministering in the workplace, which can be hazardous due to rules set in place by employers.

As we minister in the workplace, we should remember a few things; Jesus healed all who came to Him, but many chose not to come. As badly as we may want others to receive God’s healing touch, we must always ask permission and respect the wishes of those who say no. If we show honor and respect, it will be shown to us, even from those who disagree with us. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (see Prov. 16: 7). Another thing to keep in mind is that employers hire us to work and they have a right to expect us to be productive. We should want to make our employer successful. If we spend too much time engaged in ministry at work and it interferes with productivity or proficiency, they may need to take corrective action. We should treat customers and co-workers well and be diligent in our duties. When we’re good employees, we fulfill the command to “do all things as unto the Lord.” A generation ago, it was common for people to talk about their faith in the workplace. Today, separatists and secularists are trying hard to ban public discussions of faith. Workplace discussions about God are becoming a risky proposition. In some parts of the world discussing Jesus puts you at risk for harassment, punishment or termination. Many people believe we have no right to engage in religious discussions while on the job. Make no mistake; if you hope to be an outspoken disciple of Jesus, there will always be a cost to consider. (pp. 138-9)

Hayes relates that “I had to choose obedience over what others thought about me.” (p. 139)

There seems to be a trend toward more restriction on workplace discussions of faith. This trend needs to be challenged and the responsibility falls on us. If you work in a place where you aren’t free to talk about God, it’s your responsibility to engage in discussions with management to have the rules changed. If our attempts to bring Jesus into the workplace cause customers to go elsewhere or co-workers to file complaints, perhaps we should rethink our strategy. After years of “witnessing” to people on the job, and having no fruit come from it, I began to offer healing prayer instead. In all the time I’ve used this approach, I haven’t had a complaint from anyone. Many people have been healed, and those who were not healed were grateful that I offered to pray with them. There are many ways in which healing can be brought to the workplace. I keep my eyes open for anyone walking in a way that shows they’re in pain or suggests they are disabled. I tune in to certain conversations and tune others out, listening for medical words. After a bit of practice you’ll become more perceptive to the needs of others. It’s surprising how many people discuss their health problems in public. When someone discusses a surgery, a chronic painful condition or even something like insomnia, there’s a need for healing standing in front of you. All you need to do is politely ask about the condition, maybe share a testimony of healing and ask if they’ll let you pray with them. After a few people are healed, your co-workers will begin to talk. As word gets around, you’ll find more opportunities. As more people are healed, your faith will grow and you’ll probably see more miracles. One day you’ll realize that asking a stranger if they want prayer is no longer considered “risky behavior” but a normal activity. (p. 140)

Healing in Health Care

This chapter deals specifically with praying for the sick in the healthcare workplace. As an EMT, the author had numerous opportunities to pray for patients during emergency situations, always with their permission. He relates a specific case.

Can we expect a few complaints? I suppose we should. Not long after I began praying with my patients I was called into my manager’s office. A nurse in one of the emergency departments saw me praying with a patient and filed a complaint with her manager. Her manager and mine had a talk about it. I found it a bit ironic that this happened at of all places, a Catholic hospital. I work for one of the largest private ambulance services in the country. In asking his supervisors what he should do about the complaint, my manager discovered some surprising news. None of the managers in our company could recall ever dealing with an employee caught praying with a patient. In our meeting, I explained that God asked me to pray for the people I transport. I told my manager I always ask permission before praying and I always respect the wishes of those who say no. He said our company had no policy regarding prayer on the job and there were no plans to change that. My manager’s position was very reasonable. His only concern was that I avoid behavior that might generate complaints from our customers. He respected my convictions about prayer. He said I would be allowed to continue praying for patients under two conditions; first, I had to ask permission and second, I agreed to confine it to the back of the ambulance. In practice, the second one is more difficult to do as the following story happened a few weeks later: I transported a patient from one hospital to another for a risky procedure. When a doctor inserted a tube in the patient’s chest, he accidentally punctured her lung and the tube became embedded in the lung tissue. She developed a pneumothorax and rapidly declined. She was sedated, intubated and placed on a ventilator. We transferred her to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery. During the transfer between hospitals I asked if she wanted me to pray with her and she nodded in agreement. We prayed in the ambulance. But when we were on the elevator inside the hospital, with two firefighters and two nurses looking on, she suddenly grabbed my hands and made a motion as if we were praying. I asked if she wanted to pray and she frantically nodded her head. So I had to pray with her in front of them. I told my manager about it. He smiled and told me not to worry about it. (pp. 151-2)

I don’t advocate a militant or defiant attitude toward prayer in health care. Romans chapter 13 tells us to respect the authorities placed over us and that includes supervisors at work. Humility and a spirit of cooperation will go a long way. God opens doors and changes people’s hearts. I do a lot of prayer in the area of asking God to grant me favor with people as I step out in faith and pray for the sick. If God wants you to heal your patients, He’ll make the way safe, though you’ll almost certainly encounter a little opposition. (p. 153)

Deliverance

When Jesus healed people in the New Testament, sometimes he simply healed them and other times he cast out spirits of infirmity. We extrapolate from this that some sicknesses have a demonic component or origin, and, for healing to take place, the evil spirit must be removed.

Apparently demons have the ability to mimic or induce sickness, disease, and pain. They are expelled by using Christ’s authority, which is enforced by the Holy Spirit. That is the easy part. The more challenging thing is to discern their presence and how or why they were able to oppress the person. It is always good to seek to close any “open door” through which they may have gained access to oppress. This is done by repentance and renunciation of whatever the person did to provide access. Sometimes it is not the oppressed person’s fault. Demonic oppression may have entered through sin or trauma committed against the person or by being passed down in the family. I have written extensively about deliverance elsewhere, which can be accessed on this website.

The author gives some practical insights he gained through experience.

When praying with someone, if they suddenly experience pain they didn’t have before, or if a present sensation of pain moves to another part of the body or becomes worse, it’s a sure sign that an evil spirit is manifesting. (p. 163)

The presence of a demon in a person can be recognized in a number of ways, which I wrote about in another article, which you can reach by clicking here. Hayes gives a simple checklist to get rid of a demon, to which I personally subscribe.

  1. Identify the root cause. (Through spiritual discernment, analysis, experience.)
  2. Once the root cause is identified, replace it with the truth from God’s Word.
  3. Assist them in embracing God’s truth, renouncing agreements with the enemy, and repenting of any attitudes stemming from the root cause.
  4. Remove evil spirits by operating in the authority of Christ. (pp.170-1)

Hayes states that people often still need healing after the spirit is commanded to leave. If this is so, it should be obvious.

The Bible makes it clear that demons must do as commanded by a disciple of Christ and reinforced by the Holy Spirit. When I encounter resistance to my command, I assume that some “hook” or other means of access still exists that needs to be identified and renounced. Once all such “hooks” have been removed, the demon must leave. It is God’s mercy to allow them to stay until the reason for their presence is properly removed; otherwise, they will likely return.

Raising the Dead

If we believe the Bible, we know that God raises the dead and that Jesus told his disciples to do the same. This chapter examines the topic with the clear understanding that the author has never done it. I personally have talked to people who raised the dead in Africa, but I have never witnessed it. It stands to reason that God may do this where we live in the last days.

Proclaiming the Kingdom

Divine healing is not primarily about physical health and wellness. The main objective of healing is to confirm a message from God. The message is that God wants to re-establish a vital and living relationship with mankind. (p. 190)

One reason that I am excited about gaining greater success in healing is that it will offer a perfect way to ask people if they would like to know that One who healed them.

Making Disciples

This chapter also tracks with our mission at LifeNet, which I found very encouraging.

The kingdom is not a set of precepts we agree to, it is the transformational power of God working in the lives of believers, changing them into the image of Christ. In a span of three years, Jesus took uneducated men and transformed their lives by using frequent demonstration and teachings on the kingdom…This is the goal of making disciples; it’s the replication of the kingdom of God in the lives of others. One of the problems of our Christian culture is that it’s easy to live as a part-time Christian. Many of us have little interaction with other believers outside of Sunday church services. We tend to compartmentalize our Christianity, bringing it out only when it’s convenient. On Sunday we put on Jesus, but He remains hidden the rest of the week. (p. 202)

This chapter dovetails with the one on Street Healing. Both encourage the reader to get out of the house or church building into places where we can connect with people, especially those who do not yet know the Lord.

Persistence Pays Off

In this chapter, Hayes stresses the importance of persisting in prayer over the long haul in some cases, if we are going to see results. The following quote references a mentor, Todd White.

I think Todd was proposing the real reason why more people aren’t healed. It’s not because God doesn’t want them healed. It’s because we don’t want them healed enough to spend hours, days, weeks or months praying if that’s what it takes. We often blame God for not healing people when the blame probably belongs to us. We expect immediate results and if we don’t see an instant change, we give up. If you endeavor to operate in healing, you’ll eventually find a person who requires prayer over a long period of time. They may have multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s, autism or Lyme disease. Whatever their illness is, they will find you. And when they do, your persistence in prayer is the only thing that will get them healed. I believe many more people would be healed of such diseases if we would learn to persist and not give up so quickly. (pp. 208-10)

Receiving Our Healing

This chapter looks at the importance of properly receiving healing, or any other gift, from God. The steps the author gives are almost exactly the ones I use when explaining to people how to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

  • Ask for healing
  • Expect to be healed
  • Receive God’s healing power
  • Believe you are healed
  • Be thankful for your healing (p. 217)

Hayes gives several examples of attitudes that may need repentance before healing can be received, such as the following.

  • Previous negative experiences when being prayed for
  • Lack of trust due to prior abuse
  • Being obsessed with our medical condition
  • Thinking the sickness was put on us by God
  • Demonic oppression
  • Fear
  • Doubt or unbelief
  • Seeing ourselves as being sick even after prayer

Importantly, the author does not make the reader feel condemned or discouraged in this chapter. Rather, he gives practical tips for receiving our healing. Overall I found it quite helpful.

Keeping Our Healing

This chapter is really part of the previous one. The author looks at attitudes and beliefs that seem to allow sickness to return after a person is healed. He tells of a person who became sick again after deciding he was afraid to live as an able-bodied person no longer on the government dole for disability. He thinks that people who refuse to keep talking about their sickness after being healed stay healed.

Later in the chapter, the author tells of a demonic attack that mimicked a real medical condition, in his case, a herniated disc.

I learned a great deal from this experience. I learned that we may have the symptoms of a condition that perfectly mimic the condition itself, with no actual injury or disease process in our body. A demon can create a near perfect imitation of a real medical condition. I also learned that a key to victory over the enemy lies in what we believe and what we say. I refused to believe or admit that I had a herniated disc, even though the symptoms felt exactly like it. I also learned that although we might see complete removal of the spirit and symptoms once, it doesn’t mean they won’t return. And if the symptoms return, the strategy that worked the first time can be used again as often as needed until the spirit realizes we aren’t going to allow it to afflict us. I’ve used these principles in my own life many times since then. Today, when I pray with someone who has been healed, I always try to spend a few minutes teaching them what to do if the symptoms return. (p. 228)

The author also addressed the importance of conquering fear.

When we fear the return of sickness, we do so because we doubt that God has really healed us or that we will remain healed. We may also doubt that He truly loves us. Fear and doubt about God’s goodness allow the enemy to bring sickness back. When we live from a place of faith, we walk on ground that God has given us as our possession. It is our inheritance and our refuge. Faith is our place of strength. The enemy is at a disadvantage when we walk on the ground called faith. When we walk in doubt and fear, we walk on the enemy’s ground, which allows him to keep us in pain. Where we walk is a choice we have to make. The choice we make determines the outcome of our healing. Fear will keep us in sickness. Faith will keep us healed. This is why we must close our account with sickness and choose never again to entertain these thoughts. (p. 229)

When People Aren’t Healed

No book on healing would be complete without this chapter. Sadly, for may Christians, this is their biggest chapter. I like the way the author approaches this subject.

I’d like to dedicate this chapter to the friends who have come to me often for prayer and are still not healed. I want you to know that I haven’t given up on seeing you healed. You’ve received prayer from so many people and you’re still not well, but you refuse to quit. Your persistence is remarkable. I’ve learned some things by talking with all of you and it’s my hope that eventually you’ll get the breakthrough you’re looking for. Thanks for being patient with God as He teaches us about healing. Thank you for not giving up on us. We’re on a journey of discovery. That journey is a progressive revelation of eternal truths that have existed in the mind of God and upon which His kingdom was built long before Adam walked with Him in the cool of the day. On this journey, we’ll find many things that have been hidden, waiting for us to find them. For in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom. (p. 233-4)

Hayes provides a list of possible reasons why people do not experience healing.

  • Lack of faith in the one praying
  • Some spiritual obstacle – evil spirit, fear, bitterness, etc.
  • Holding the minister in poor esteem
  • An underlying issue which requires emotional or inner healing. This would fall under the ministry category of what I call “personal prayer ministry” or biblical healing and deliverance, about which I have written extensively.

The wisdom of God may allow our physical healing to manifest only after the spiritual and emotional problems are dealt with as a way to assure that in the end, we are completely healed. What good is a healed body connected to a bitter, unforgiving heart? What benefit is a sound tummy to someone plagued by a spirit of fear that dominates their every thought? I think what these people need most is not more prayer over their physical symptoms, but the completion of their emotional and spiritual healing which, if it were to happen, would result in their physical healing being completed. Many of us need some degree of deliverance and others need inner healing to take place before any long-term physical healing will happen. (p. 238)

The remainder of the book includes chapters on fasting and the future of healing.

I have put this book in my top ten list because it inspired me to pray and believe for healing. I have already seen some significant healings and plan to keep moving forward. I hope it has the same impact on you. May God release his healing power through the church in a greater and greater way. Amen.

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The Seven Mountain Prophecy: Unveiling the Coming Elijah Revolution

 

 

by Johnny Enlow

Thanks to Covid19 and the recent election and the turmoil that has followed, I have become more aware of a “stream” within the river of God called the Body of Christ that has captured my attention. It seems that the prophetic voices that have been most hopeful and full of faith almost always come from what is called the “seven mountains” movement. Time will tell if they are right in their assessment of where we are in this nation regarding God’s timetable and plan. In the meantime, I thought I would look in more depth at the teachings coming from a significant leader in this movement, Johnny Enlow. No one person of group has complete understanding, especially when it comes to current events and eschatology; however, some leaders seem to be more “in tune” to what God is saying and doing. I just completed Johnny’s book, which was written in 2008. I find his insights extremely relevant for right now, which is amazing, considering how much water has gone under the bridge since then and how much was then unforeseeable to the natural mind. I have summarized below what I consider to be some of the highlights of the book. I hope that what I have written will make you think and maybe even rethink about your views of these remarkable days in which we live.

The Introduction lays the theological framework for the book. The author quotes Revelation 5:1-12, which says in part: “You…have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

The “seven horns” represent seven foundations of power that the Lamb has because of His awesome act of redemption on the cross. It is why Jesus said after His resurrection, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (See Matthew 28: 18.) He had now paid the price not just so souls could be rescued from hell, and not just so a few could receive healing— but He had proven that He was worthy to recover all ground that had been lost in the Garden of Eden. …That is why He followed His “All authority is mine” declaration with the great commission to “make disciples of all the nations.” (See Matthew 28: 19.) The Great Commission has always been about much more than what most of us have imagined. (pp.8-10, Kindle Edition)

I believe that it is not necessary to accept that the seven horns represent Christ’s power and authority on the “seven mountains” of influence in the culture. What seems irrefutable to me, however, is that Christ’s mandate to disciple the nations is much more than cultivating the best and brightest in our churches to understand the Bible better, live moral lives, and serve in the church in some capacity. While we have been discipling our converts to be better churchgoers, Satan has been wielding influence in the cultural and governmental power centers and discipling entire nations and directing world events. This is not surprising, since Paul called him the god of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4) I believe the church, in general, has “dropped the ball” by retreating into our Christian enclaves and by default leaving government, education, the media, the arts and celebration, and the economy and business largely to the devil. Instead we have focused mainly on the “religion” mountain and the family, while wondering why our culture is going down the drain. I believe the Lord is waking up the church to our responsibility to be salt and light and to be “players” on the mountains of influence to whatever degree the Lord allows. This will fulfill the mandate issued in the Garden so long ago that was reiterated in the Great Commission.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

It is Enlow’s position that a lack of vision and a faulty eschatalogy are behind the church’s failure to embrace her mission.

Enlow believes that a mighty tsunami like movement has been released in the earth by God which he calls the Elijah Revolution. The reason for using this descriptor is because Malachi prophesied that Elijah must return before the coming of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5-6) Enlow wrote

…this Elijah Revolution tsunami will sweep through both the world and the church, and it will leave no doubt as to who God is. (p.18)

He believes prophecy will be a major thrust which will clarify things that seem ambiguous now.

It will…

…eradicate stagnation and the status quo. Things will never be the same again… it will bring about a “drastic and far reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.” (p.20)

This is extremely interesting to me in light of the last year and a half. The draconian measures taken by governments around the world have altered how people think about many things, especially in the church. I have heard it said by more than one person that things will never be the same. The essence of repentance is to “change the mind,” to move from being self-absorbed and self-directed to coming under the lordship of Christ. Enlow says that…

The tsunami will either resurrect churches of bury them. (p.20)

We are seeing that play out before our eyes.

Enlow believes this Elijah Revolution will precede the Lord’s Second Coming. He quotes Acts 3 as his theological base.

"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20  and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21  whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. Acts 3:19-21 (NASB)

His understanding of this passage may be different from yours, but it is worth considering.

That word restoration— apokatastasis in the original Greek text— is very powerful. It means “restoration of a true theocracy” and “restoration of original intent.” The implications of this scripture are, of course, huge. Jesus is retained in heaven until Elijah’s Revolution. Even as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus to come, the Elijah Revolution will prepare for His final return. We know John the Baptist’s revolution didn’t go far enough because it brought repentance but not a restoration of all things. His and Jesus’ deaths, however, became the seeds for the coming restoration of all things that will precede Jesus’ return. An original plan and design of God will triumph and will establish Him as Ruler of the nations. Exactly how that will look is debatable, but it clearly entails the crushing of Satan here on Earth before He returns for His bride. (p.23)

Previously I always assigned such things to after the Second Coming. Enlow has introduced me to the possibility that some of it may happen before Jesus returns. If that is the case, the doom and gloom scenario of an impending “great tribulation” may be premature. We may be in for something spectacular from God that will be so momentous that it will create the spiritual tsunami Enlow prophesied. Interesting, years ago more than one person in our church saw a vision of a coming great wave that will bring many people into the kingdom of God. Could we be on the verge?

Enlow believes Jesus is…

… coming for an overcoming, conquering, love-motivated bride who has made herself ready by fulfilling her mission. (Revelation 19:7) The Elijah Revolution is the catalyst for all these things. (pp.24-25)

He believes the church must transition out of its survival mode of thinking, as if we were Israel in the wilderness, into a overcoming mode, as when Israel entered and conquered the promised land. The church has yet to conquer as Jesus intends. This leads to quite a different mindset from the passive acceptance of the dominance of evil that many Christians have adopted.

Another key idea Enlow floats is that we should differentiate between what he calls a gospel of salvation and the gospel of the kingdom. He believes the church has reduced the gospel to only being about the salvation of individuals, without embracing the larger mandate of extending his lordship over all creation. Once again, many believers have relegated this expanded rule of Christ to after the Second Coming; but, what if we are to be engaged in that now? That would change everything!

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 (NASB)

The Great Commission was to “make disciples of all nations.” It was not to “make disciples of all souls.” God is interested in the nations— a word mentioned over three hundred times in the Scriptures. (p.40)

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Revelation 11:15 (NASB)

History won’t conclude, then, until Matthew 24: 14 is fulfilled: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” All nations will have to hear and see— to witness is to see— this gospel of the kingdom before Jesus returns. The gospel of saving souls will not suffice— it’s the gospel of the kingdom that must get out. That means the message of His Lordship over everything must be followed by a demonstration of His Lordship over everything. (p.41)

Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3  And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3 (NASB)

Enlow believes that the church has a very important role to play in extending Christ’s rule in a practical way in the nations. This means disciples of Jesus will have to get involved in practical ways in all aspects of society in order to be salt and light. (Matthew 5:13-14)

This approach, of course, is a radically new concept for most Christians. We have long assumed that evangelistic crusades and mass conversions are the key to taking a nation (if the thought of taking a nation even occurred to us). We have ignored entire mountains, or sectors of society, because they’re “of the devil.” But the Lord is now saying, “You must take these mountains.” This revelation is an earthquake that the Lord is releasing into His body. The shock waves of the revelation are beginning to sweep through Christian society, creating the tsunami waters upon which the Elijah Revolution will coming crashing upon the nations. (p.45)

Beginning in Chapter Five, Enlow addresses each of the “seven mountains.” He gives an explanation of what they are, how Satan has dominated, and what must be done to effectively displace his influence and rule. I will not take time to go through each of these, but let me assure you that each chapter is loaded with insight. Please do not fast forward through these chapters. The order he covers these “mountains” are as follows: the news media, government, education, economy, religion, the arts, and the family. What he wrote about the family was very good and helped me see how Baal worship is destroying the foundations of society through alienation, sexual perversion, and abortion.

The last chapter begins with a quote from Deuteronomy.

The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, Deuteronomy 28:13 (NASB)

IT IS IMPORTANT that we, God’s blood-bought people, realize that it has always been His will for us to be at the top of the mountains in a place of preeminence and blessing. He is not a sadistic God who loves seeing His people struggle and barely survive. Nothing could be further from the truth. He has always sought to motivate us with a promised land of unlimited abundance— body, soul, and spirit. He wants to give us that for two reasons. First, He is a great and loving Father who loves to shower His kids with blessings. Second, His blessings are His ultimate demonstration before principalities and powers of the conclusive truth that love never fails. All He has ever demanded in return is that we obey His commandments. (p.181)

Enlow does not espouse the prosperity gospel nor any kind of false dominionism. He approaches things from a place of humility and emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing our devotion to Christ over everything else.

The great work to be accomplished for people holy to the Lord will be intimacy with Him. God’s great desire is for the peoples of the earth to see how good a God He is to those who serve Him. (p.185)

The brevity of the book did not allow Enlow to share his eschatology in depth, but it is clear he believes that the antichrist will have his day, but only after there is a massive global ingathering. But now the church has a job to do. Let me end this summary with the following quote.

This isn’t over until we reign on Earth. Genesis starts with, “Have dominion over everything,” and Revelation ends with, “We shall reign on earth.” The Lamb that was slain provides the seven spirits of God that bring the seven horns of power over the seven nations greater and mightier than us. That’s why it’s incidental that they are greater and mightier than us. He has released the seven horns of power to topple every rebellious spirit that has exalted itself against the Creator. The seven eyes release the prophetic vision to understand that this is our inheritance on Earth. The earth will continue to shift and quake with expectation and birth pangs. It will cause a series of tsunamis that will totally transform the face of the earth. All destructible structures will come down. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. But the sons and daughters of the kingdom will be on the mountaintops and will receive the unshakeable kingdom. Then will be the end of all rebellion on Earth. (p.188)

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Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe

by Voddie T. Baucham, Jr.

I have long been a fan of Dr. Baucham, having found him to be a clear thinker and a truth warrior. Since I have been deeply troubled by evangelicalism’s embracing of the presuppositions and conclusions connected to critical race theory and intersectionality during the past year, when I discovered that Dr. Baucham wrote a book addressing these hot topics, I was eager to read it. He did not disappoint.

The author clearly articulates the gravity of our situation in society and the church. In his own words:

The current moment is akin to two people standing on either side of a major fault line just before it shifts. When the shift comes, the ground will open up, a divide that was once invisible will become visible, and the two will find themselves on opposite sides of it. That is what is happening in our day. In some cases, the divide is happening already. Churches are splitting over this issue. Major ministries are losing donors, staff, and leadership. Denominations are in turmoil. Seminary faculties are divided with some professors being fired or “asked to leave.” Families are at odds. Marriages are on the rocks. And I don’t believe the fracture in this fault line is yet even a fraction of what it will be. (Kindle, pp.6-7)

Baucham describes the errors of critical race theory and shows how and why well-intentioned evangelicals fall prey to these arguments.

The problem is not ethnic tension, but the fundamental assumptions that drive our assessment of and subsequent approaches to it. (Kindle, p.4)

Baucham goes on to write:

Those belonging to the social-justice crowd present themselves as the only ones pursuing justice, to the exclusion of all who disagree with their assessments— who, by that definition, are pursuing injustice. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the current struggle is that it mischaracterizes Christians that way too. On one side are “compassionate” Christians who are “concerned about justice.” On the other are “insensitive” Christians who are “not concerned about justice.” This is wrong. I have pursued justice my entire Christian life. Yet I am about as “anti– social justice” as they come— not because I have abandoned my obligation to “strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12: 14), but because I believe the current concept of social justice is incompatible with biblical Christianity. This is the main fault line at the root of the current debate— the epicenter of the Big One that, when it finally shifts with all its force, threatens to split evangelicalism right down the middle. Our problem is a lack of clarity and charity in our debate over the place, priority, practice, and definition of justice. (Kindle, p.5,  underlining mine…)

Baucham states that the antiracist movement is a false religion with its own cosmology or narrative of beginnings, a new version of original sin (racism), a new law (the work of antiracism), a new priesthood (non-white people), a new form of revelation (what Baucham calls “ethnic gnosticism” – special knowledge conferred on minorities), a new version of truth (narrative), a new extra-biblical canon of sacred writings (approved reading lists of CRT/I books and articles), and a new way to be saved (unending repentance and reparations).

In case you’re wondering about its soteriology, there isn’t one. Antiracism offers no salvation— only perpetual penance in an effort to battle an incurable disease. (Kindle, p.67)

“Without confession to the sin of white racism, white supremacy, white privilege,” contends Sojourners magazine founder Jim Wallis, “people who call themselves white Christians will never be free… from the bondage of a lie, a myth, an ideology, and an idol.” 23 This sentiment is an affront to the Gospel. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8: 2, italics mine). And again, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8: 36, italics mine). But this is the gospel of antiracism, where there is no freedom— at least, not for white people. (Kindle, p.77)

Baucham counters the false claims of CRT/I with truth coming from secular sources and his biblical perspective. He also illuminates the logical fallacies CRT/I debaters use. Anyone who reads this book with an open mind should come away convinced that we are in the midst of a tremendously critical fight for the integrity of the gospel, the truth of the Bible, and the existence of our nation.

The author reveals that the principles of CRT were  first developed by members of the socialist Frankfurt School in an attempt to re-package communist / socialist principles in a more appealing format for those living in Western democracies. Communism had not been able to gain traction in Western nations because of our strong middle class. There was not a sufficient divide between the haves and have nots. Some other way to divide and conquer was needed, which led to the adoption of the principles of CRT/I. Rather than pitting the proletariat against the bourgeois, CRT/I identifies all white people as racist oppressors and seeks to divide people of color against them.

The demonic cleverness of the CRT/I position is that it sets itself up to be the sole arbiter of truth. In Baucham’s words, the critical social justice view is both “unfalsifiable and unassailable.” (p.155)

If black people know racism, and white people cannot know racism (and are racist by default as a result of their white privilege), then the only acceptable response is for white people to sit down, shut up, and listen to what black people have to say on the matter. (Kindle, p.103)

…the idea that there is special knowledge or revelation available to some and hidden from others by virtue of their race or position in the oppressor/ oppressed scheme is unthinkable— and unbiblical. (p.111)

Baucham points out that antiracism tenets offer no hope for salvation for oppressors.

White people are not called to look to God for forgiveness. They are not told that Christ’s blood is sufficient. No, they are told that they must do the unending work of antiracism. And this work must be done regardless of their own actions since the issue at hand is a matter of communal, generational guilt based on ethnicity. (p.129)

The author also makes a strong argument that CRT ignores a large body of evidence that supports other reasons for the plight of the black community apart from systemic racism.

Chapter Nine addresses what to me was an extremely disturbing development just prior to the recent election when several prominent evangelical leaders used CRT arguments to back candidate Biden against Trump. To offset the claim that was made that Christians should not vote for Trump because Democrats were stronger across the board on human rights issues, Baucham writes:

Whether it is Platt, Dever, Wallis, Seitz, Keller, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden, or Pope Francis, my big problem with this entire line of argumentation is that “single-issue voting” is a straw man. I am not, nor have I ever met, a single-issue voter. Issues like same-sex marriage, school choice, and religious freedom, to name a few, are all very serious issues to Christian voters. And these voters are more than narrow-minded fundamentalists being led around by the nose for the sake of a single issue. Moreover, this line of argumentation makes light of the vast chasm between the platforms of the two parties on major moral issues while extoling the virtues of sophisticated black voters who carefully weigh important (yet unnamed) issues that white voters apparently do not comprehend. (Kindle, pp.189-90)

When I read that the eminent John Piper came to the conclusion that President Trump’s moral deficiencies and behavioral lapses were more serious in God’s eyes than murdering the unborn, I realized that people I formerly trusted and respected had crossed over into error, having been duped by unbiblical social justice arguments. For me it was a sad day indeed. Baucham goes on to write:

However, even if abortion were an example of single-issue voting, I reject the idea that murdering the unborn can be subjugated in favor of social issues that are being promoted through the lens of Critical Social Justice. (Kindle, p.190)

Baucham concludes by making a plea to the church.

This book is, among many things, a plea to the Church. I believe we are being duped by an ideology bent on our demise. This ideology has used our guilt and shame over America’s past, our love for the brethren, and our good and godly desire for reconciliation and justice as a means through which to introduce destructive heresies. (p.204)

Racism is real. Injustice is real. No matter how many times I say those things, I still will be accused of turning a blind eye to them— not because I deny them, but because I deny the CRT/ I view that they are “normal” and at the basis of everything. But there is another way of seeing. “The history of the USA is neither purely wicked and racist, nor perfect,” writes Thomas Sowell. “Correlation is not causation, disparity is not necessarily discrimination. Complex problems require complex solutions.… To make racism the driving force behind slavery is to make a historically recent factor the cause of an institution which originated thousands of years earlier.” (p.222)

Baucham adds:

Black Lives Matter is a Trojan horse. The movement has a name that Christians find attractive because we love God and our neighbor and have a desire to see justice done. (p.222)

He wrote that “for many white Christians, it is the opportunity to assuage their guilt.” (p.222)

I have heard a mantra lately that rings hollow in my ears: “There can be no reconciliation without justice.” When I hear that, I want to scream, “YES! AND THE DEATH OF CHRIST IS THAT JUSTICE!” All other justice is proximate and insufficient. It is because of Christ’s work on the cross that that we can heed the apostle’s admonition: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4: 31– 32). Who am I to tell a white brother that he cannot be reconciled to me until he has drudged up all of the racial sins of his and his ancestors’ past and made proper restitution? Christ has atoned for sin! Consequently, the most powerful weapon in our arsenal is not calling for reparations: it is forgiveness. Antiracism knows nothing of forgiveness because it knows nothing of the Gospel. Instead, antiracism offers endless penance, judgment, and fear. (p.229 – underlining is mine)

Thanks to Voddie Baucham for writing this much needed book. I hope this summary whets your appetite to read it carefully in its entirety.

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Door of Hope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Jan Frank

I first read Jan Frank’s book many years ago when I began to work with women who had suffered sexual abuse. It is an eye opening account of the devastation and pain caused by this all too frequent travesty. It is estimated that one in three women have experienced some form of sexual abuse. Many men (boys) have, too.

Door of Hope was written by a survivor of such abuse who wished to help others find freedom. Its greatest service is exposing the long lasting effects of abuse that can wreck lives and marriages while offering a “door of hope” and a pathway for gaining freedom and healing through Christ.

I almost always encourage victims of abuse and their spouses to read this book because it helps people acknowledge the depth of pain, hurt, and devastation in their lives, which is necessary before moving forward into healing. Too often victims either blame themselves or minimize what was done to them. No true freedom can be experienced until the reality of the sin against the victim has been exposed, acknowledged, and forgiven. When we whitewash the offense, it sabotages forgiveness and keeps us in denial.

Frank gives some concrete steps for gaining victory.

  • Face the problem. This is huge. Most people repress or deny the severity of the damage done to them out of fear, denial, or an unwillingness to “go there.” Until we honesty own up to what happened, no progress can be made.
  • Recount the incident. Many counselors and pastors, unfortunately, do not see the value of going through what happened, telling victims to forget about it and move on. This is the kind of thing well meaning people say, but can be extremely destructive to the victim. Until the incident, which has often been repressed in some way, is remembered and expressed, with the associated emotions, it is doubtful that one can really get to the bottom of the problem. (Here let me interject principles I use in Personal Prayed Ministry that Jan Frank does not specifically mention. When people are abused as young children, they experience traumatic pain and lies are planted in their hearts and minds. In addition, there may be associated demonization. As we allow the Holy Spirit to bring back the memories of what happened, we can ask Him to speak truth and healing to our hearts. This is a very important step in finding freedom. If you wish to read more about this, please click here to go to my series on this subject.) Frank points out: “Recounting the incident allows the victim to begin to release some of the emotions around her experience and brings to light that which has been hidden so long.” (p.35) She uses Nehemiah 2:11-18 to justify this process, pointing out how Nehemiah first surveyed the devastation of the walls of Jerusalem before beginning the restoration process.
  • Experience the Feelings. Many times abuse victims have deep wells of anger bubbling beneath the surface that have never been allowed to erupt. When they begin to more fully grasp the level of destruction that the abuser brought to their lives without any denial or minimization, it many cause a great deal of anger and bitterness to surface. It was always there, but never acknowledged or allowed to vent, causing problems beneath the surface. Emotions of fear, anger, depression, etc. can point to where the pain and lies reside in the heart, like red flags warning us of hidden land mines. We do not build our lives around our emotions, but we do acknowledge their importance in helping to identify the problem. It is important to invite the Holy Spirit into these emotions when they surface and ask him to speak to our hearts about where they came from and what he wants us to know regarding them from God’s perspective. She quotes Dr. Cecil Osbourne’s book, Understanding Your Past – the Key to Your Future.

“Feelings do not age. Feelings about past events are in us now… Time does not diminish childhood hurts… They do not erode or disappear.” (p. 49) Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, is able to liberate us from the bondage of unresolved hurts from our past.

  • Establish Responsibility. Abusers routinely blame their victims, which young children easily accept and often carry into adulthood. The adult aggressor must bear full responsibility, no matter what he or she may tell the victim. Some victims seek to absolve their abusers from having meant any great harm. This is just another form of deception and must be overcome. In this chapter Frank addresses how various family members may share the blame, such as when the mother turns a blind eye to her husband’s abuse of her daughters. The author explains how many victims feel that they are caught in a double bind, feeling guilty and being afraid of tearing apart the family by exposing sin. In this chapter, Frank asserts: “As you are able to establish the responsibility of your offenders, the door that has held you captive for years will begin to crack open ever so slightly.” (p.73)
  • Trace Behavioral Difficulties and Symptoms. In this chapter Frank helps us learn how to identify unwanted behavioral responses, trace how they became established as a pattern in lives, and adopt a disciplined approach to correcting them. My approach for handling such in Personal Prayer Ministry is to approach the Lord in prayer and ask him to speak his truth into the life of the victim. We have found that a “personal” word from the Lord has amazing liberating power. The use of Scriptural truth to reprogram faulty thinking is also very important.
  • Observe Others and Educate Yourself. In this chapter, Frank writes of the “therapeutic factor of universality,” which means that it is liberating to discover that others have gone or are going through what we have experienced. She also points out that observing others helps us better understand our own responses and behavior.
  • Confront the Aggressor. This chapter is will help the victim understand how and when to confront the one who abused him or her, if that is still possible or advisable. It is very important not to do this prematurely, as it can set a recovering victim back, if he or she is not prepared for the attempts of the abuser to deny, deflect, or accuse.
  • Acknowledge Forgiveness. Not every victim can or should be reconciled to his or her abuser, but all of us must forgive. In my opinion this chapter is more about reconciliation. Forgiveness needs to happen at the beginning of the healing process, immediately following coming to terms with what really happened. I have written a lot about this topic. You can read more by clicking her. Just because we forgive or release a person from our own personal demand for vengeance, it does not mean we should trust them. Reconciliation is a two way street built on trust and mutual desire for the process to go forward. Sometimes this is possible between victim and abuser when there is true repentance, but not unless trust is reestablished.

The remainder of the book has plenty of useful information. If this is a subject you wish to pursue, please read my own writings on the subject. I also highly recommend Biblical Healing and Deliverance by the Kylstras.

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Christ the Healer

by F. F. Bosworth

Fred Francis Bosworth (January 17, 1877 – January 23, 1958) was an American evangelist, an early religious broadcaster, and a 1920s and Depression-era Pentecostal faith healer who was later a bridge to the mid-20th century healing revival. He was born on a farm near Utica, Nebraska and was raised in a Methodist home. His Methodist experiences also included salvation at the age of 16 or 17, and a spontaneous healing from major lung problems a couple years later. Bosworth’s life after that was one that followed Christian principles, though his church affiliation changed several times over the years. Several years after his healing he attended Alexander Dowie’s church in Zion City, Illinois, then came into Pentecost and attended Pentecostal services. Most of his later ministry was associated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance church.

When Bosworth came into a Pentecostal experience in 1906, he had an intense desire to preach the gospel, leaving his business pursuits and stepping out in faith for his subsistence. Approximately 1909 he moved to Texas, and in 1910 he started a church in Dallas which was loosely affiliated with the Alliance church. He was one of the founders of the Assemblies of God in 1914 and was with them until 1918 when he had a disagreement on the initial evidence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit and withdrew. He then started another church in Dallas, affiliating with the Alliance church again, and his revival meetings in the 1920s were sponsored by the Christian and Missionary Alliance church. During the 1920s he was known for his “big tent revival” and large auditorium meetings and his advocacy of faith healing, with people from all denominations attending. He was with the Alliance church until around 1934, then affiliated with them again in 1944. Starting around 1930 he began one of the early successful gospel radio ministries. Today he is best known for his book Christ the Healer which went through seven editions in his lifetime and now has over 500,000 copies in print.

Christ the Healer is an easy to read and inspirational book that comprehensively covers what the Bible teaches about physical healing. In his opening paragraph, the author states what motivated him to write.

Appropriating faith cannot go beyond one’s knowledge of the revealed will of God. (p.5) …Until the person seeking healing is sure from God’s Word that it is God’s will to heal him, he is trying to reap a harvest where there is no seed planted. (p.6)

In Chapter Two Bosworth shows convincingly that physical healing is included in the benefits earned by Christ through his suffering on our behalf. He also makes a case for believing that God’s compound name, Jehovah-Rapha, indicates that God is committed to being our healer. The author’s exposition of Isaiah 53 is worth the price of the book. This important chapter of Isaiah is the foundation of the doctrine of healing.

Chapter Four shows how being convinced of Christ’s compassion helps us to expect him to heal us. Our Lord not only provided the basis of our healing and is able to heal, he also is more than willing, even earnestly desires, to heal us.

Physical healing is an expression of Christ’s love and mercy. This is one reason why it is so important for believers to pray for unbelievers who are sick. Doing so provides our Lord with the opportunity to display his kindness to those who do not yet know him.

Chapter Five shows how we can appropriate the healing Christ died to provide for us. Here are the steps Bosworth gives us.

  1. Be convinced of what the Bible teaches about physical healing.
  2. Be right with God. Here I digress from Bosworth. I do not believe we earn anything from God; although, I agree that walking in harmony with God’s Spirit and will is absolutely the best way to live and surest way to have faith if his faithfulness. If we are struggling with a sense of guilt or conviction, it can be quite difficult to have simple childlike faith until we first repent.
  3. Be sure to take steps of faith and not remain passive. God wants us to act out our faith. In other words, act as if you believe you are healed before you see any evidence. Offering thanks and praise before we see any evidence of our healing is strong evidence that we believe.
  4. Hold fast to God’s promises without wavering.
  5. Expect to receive our healing.
  6. Maintain a confession of faith. This is not magical talk. We simply say aloud what we believe God will do (has done) in agreement with God’s promises.
  7. Rely on the Holy Spirit to make it happen.

In Chapter 13, the author begins a list of twenty-two reasons people are not able to receive healing. Although most of the points are valid, if we are not careful, focusing on what’s wrong can morph into legalism. Too often people come away from teachings on faith with the belief that failing to experience healing is somehow their own fault. They somehow are falling short or not measuring up. I believe this is harmful. Sometimes people do not experience physical healing for reasons known only to God. Our job is to believe in God’s promises and leave the results to him.

In conclusion, the first twelve chapters are phenomenal. I highly recommended reading, studying, and believing what Bosworth has shared in this amazing book.

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