Yesterday I was thinking about healing ministry and how it would to be out speaking and sharing about the things God has done. I find myself sometimes going to what I call "vain imaginations" like that occasionally, as I do want to make a difference in this world and in the church and yet the imagination has more to do with me than Him. I try not to get crazy ideas in my head nor allow myself to wander down paths that lead to spiritual pride, but I also think that the Lord doesn't mind us dreaming big dreams, hoping to have an impact on our world, for He thinks much more highly about each of us than we likely think about ourselves. He wants us to listen to Him regarding what is possible, rather than be limited by what we think is impossible.
Anyway, as I was thinking about this I felt like the Lord gave me some direction:
1) My sharing of stories of faith and such should make it clear that is is not about me, but rather all about Jesus. There is something refreshing about being a normal person, myself being a telecom sales guy who loves God and who could be used in extraordinary ways, that should be encouraging. It is not about me, it is about Jesus in me.
2) Sharing stories from other people helps to divert any prideful or unhealthy reliance or expectations on me, or from me.
3) God is the one who must be glorified in all things shared, and He must always be seen as the source of the power, as well as the gift.
4) God does want to be glorified in our lives, and for that to happen, we need to point to Him continually, not in some special anointing kind of way, but as the natural source of all we have to give.
5) There is something real that needs to be communicated, some way for us to be given freedom to be ourselves and step into God, right where we are and see Him move in and through us in such a way as to encourage each other. We need to demystify the supernatural because it is not just for the super-Christian, but instead it is for us all, in our day to day lives.
I was just reminded of the real-life story of a house-wife who just watched birds in her back yard, and over several years documented their behavior in a journal. Somehow her journal came to be shared with some ornithologists, and they recognized that her journal was the most authoritative and insightful thing ever written about these particular birds. She was just an ordinary house-wife, writing what she saw, and yet she was exceptional in what she accomplished.
That is what I think the Lord's heart is for us, to be normally exceptional, normal because we are human, exceptional because He inhabits us and operates through us. God wants us all to step into His call to be His witnesses, His followers, His representatives. If that is the case, then it must be possible for us to do that in our present situations and circumstances, right where we are in life. We don't need to have a degree, or extensive studies, or even have walked for years with the Lord. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of stories of God working in and through the lives of people that don't know Him, have just met Him, or are brand-new Christians. God loves to show Himself strong, to reveal Himself in our lives.
I am reminded of three stories from Scripture, first the story of the Gerasenean demoniac (Mark 5:1-18), second the Man Born Blind who was healed (John 9:1-38), and the third being the Samaritan Woman at the well (John 4:1-42). In each of these cases, we see Jesus interrupting each person's life, and then they immediately become a witness to His workings, and representatives of Him going back into their own surroundings.
The Gerasene demoniac, after leaving Jesus goes back and shares the story of his healing with the surrounding 10 towns. Here is the end of that story - Mark 5:18-20 NIV: "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. [19] Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [20] So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."
The man born blind goes back to his neighborhood and people immediately ask him what happened, some even doubting he is the same man, because obviously he can see! As soon as he returned home he had the opportunity to tell what happened to him. He didn't have time to follow Jesus, hadn't even really come to faith in Him yet, but could relate his experience. Here is that story - John 9:6-11 NIV:
[6] "After saying this, he (Jesus) spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. [7] “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[8] His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
[9] Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
[10] “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
[11] He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
Finally, the woman at the well was immediately changed in her heart and mind, for instead of fearing the people of the town because of her reputation, she went immediately back to town and told everyone what she had encountered in Jesus. He loved her in spite of her sin, accepted her and had mercy and compassion on her. Her change is immediate and complete, and she goes right back into town and tells everything that happened, as we see here - John 4:25-26,39-42 NIV:
[25] "The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
[26] "Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you---I am he.”
[39] "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. [41] And because of his words many more became believers."
[42] "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
These three people provide great examples of people who were normal humans, needy and wounded, sinful and struggling. In each case they were immediately changed, and although they were the same people, they were now exceptional, they were filled with an assurance that God was real, and had visited their lives with real results. They bore witness to Him, and through their testimony they gave Him glory.
I believe this is what the Lord wants for each of us, a witness of His interaction in our lives and the lives of those around us. He wants us to be normal people living our normal lives, now with exceptional stories of Him. My prayer is that one day these exceptional stories will become common-place in the church, for we will all have our testimony of how God has changed us. I think that one of the best parts about all of these stories is that these people were free to speak into the lives of those around them. Jesus didn't require that they followed Him for 3 years before they were released to speak of Him! They were normal, and yet they had exceptional testimonies to share, and people listened and were amazed.
Oh Lord, that we could all walk in the reality of Your touching our lives, and feel the freedom to share what You have done for us!
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