Threatened By The Miraculous

This morning I felt like I should read from John 11.  The primary feature of this chapter is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  That is an incredible story and one worth of much reflection.  However, this morning I am going to look at the responses to this clear miracle.  Here are the verses - John 11:45-48 NIV:

[45] "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. [46] But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

[47] Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. [48] If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

It is amazing to me that after such a great miracle, that there would be those whose focus was on themselves.  These few people, after they witnessed the great miracle, went immediately to the Pharisees and told them about it.  It wasn't that His raising Lazarus from the dead was bad or anything, it was the fact that this was causing more and more people to follow Jesus.  This was a blow to the power base and position of the Pharisees, and they could not sit idly by and let it happen.  Their statement really says what the real issue was, they were afraid they would lose the people, and then "their" temple.

I find it interesting how they claimed the temple as "ours".  The temple was the Lord's and yet over time these people had come to think of it as theirs, as if God had bowed to them and given control and ownership over to them.  I have a feeling that this is the case with many in church leadership today.  They serve God, but the ownership and control of their church is in their hands, at least in their minds.  Any time power, politics and position start making their way into the church, there is a dangerous belief about the transfer of control and ownership going on.

The church universal is the Body of Christ, with Him as our head, and over every part of the body (Eph 4:15-16).  The Holy Spirit is in control, and provides leadership and guidance (as evidenced in the Book of Acts).  The church, and every congregation is the Lord's, first and foremost.  He has entrusted the shepherding of the flock to us, but it is His flock.  The following verse makes it all very clear - Acts 20:28 NIV: "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood."

I think that many of the attacks originating inside the church against ministries that see signs and wonders, healings and deliverances, are similarly motivated.  They see people flocking to these ministries, drawn by the opportunity to really experience the touch of God in their own physical bodies, and lives.  The attacking ministries will raise charges of cult-like behaviour, heretical teaching and the like, but the root cause is fear of losing control and power.  It is a sick individual who desires power and control over others, yet many pursue exactly that in the name of the Lord, but they certainly aren't representing Him.  The spirit of religion is running strong in these individuals for their religion is made up of rules of men, designed to control and give those in leadership power over those in their care.

Lord, help us to realize in our own hearts and minds any way in which this spirit of religion has invaded and set itself up.  Help us to recognize such an influence and help us to repent wholeheartedly.  Let us welcome miracles, signs and wonders, and deliverance as a normal part of the Body of Christ.  Let us give people the grace to recognize their unique place in Body of Christ without trying to lord over them.  Let us be grateful that each of us has a role and responsibility within the Body. Let us repent for any way in which we have misrepresented the Lord to the rest of the Body of Christ.  Let us not be threatened when we hear the Spirit of Lord is breaking out somewhere else, but rather rejoice that the Lord is being glorified.