Last week I wrote an article titled, "Have We Made the Cross of Christ an Idol?" It got some great, well-thought-out comments, and I'd encourage you to check them out!

So has the cross become an idol? I think I've finally given this concept enough thought to finally define my stance.

First, what's an "idol?" When the 10 Commandments state, "You shall have no other gods before me," the original Hebrew actually implies this:

"You shall have no other gods (or anything else) between your face and Mine."

An idol, then, is anything that gets between our face and God's--anything that hinders intimacy with Him or distracts us from relationship with Him.

Given that definition, has the cross become an idol?

I've personally been thinking a lot along the lines of how the concept of the cross (rather than the symbol) may have become an idol to us. For instance, I know of many people who constantly go to God for forgiveness but never take the time to repent and allow the Holy Spirit to make them a "new creation" through His resurrection power.

The cross is great because it assures us that our sins have been paid for and ultimately rendered dead. We like to camp out at the cross because it's first of all a ministry to us. It's comforting. It makes us feel good. It helps us feel a release from our guilt.

But the resurrection--exciting as it is--is less comfortable because it requires action on our part. Being partners with Christ in His resurrection involves purposeful living, spiritual warfare, and public testimony. It requires that we be ALIVE!

If we never move on to resurrection life in Christ, then we can't participate in Christ's ascension. Ephesians 2 tells us that those who've been raised with Christ are also presently seated with Him in the spiritual realm at the right hand of the Father. That's the place of intimacy!

So the cross is meant to make intimacy possible. The cross renders sin powerless, which means we can now enter boldly to the throne of grace and have an intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. The cross--like the bronze snake--is a great thing!

It only becomes an idol when we get fixated there and never move forward. It becomes an idol when it is self-serving (fix me; forgive me; make me feel good) rather than God-serving (He is worthy; He is the only Way; He deserves my life and my all).

Granted, there are those of us who initially come to the cross for self-serving reasons and, while there, come to our senses. We lay down our pride and suddenly realize that life is all about Him. But that doesn't change the fact that there are still those who run to the cross whenever their guilt is too much to bear; and they do it merely for the purpose of feeling better--like some kind of drug.

Those who like to hang out at the cross without ever embracing the resurrection were never partners with Christ to begin with. You can't be a partner in His death without also being a partner in His resurrection. Such people typically embrace the forgiveness aspect but neglect the role of repentance.

So have we made the cross an idol? Well, I believe some of us have! Some of us have made the cross into an object for our pleasure rather than a means to intimacy. Some of us have turned it into a drug--running to it whenever we need our fix of forgiveness. We live like the world and bank on the cross still being there to wash away our guilt.

Try not to glaze over this scripture (no matter how many times you've read it):

Romans 6:1-14--What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace (NIV).

Have you made the cross an idol? Or have you used the cross to launch you toward intimacy with God? Maybe you're wondering right now how to actually do that (feel free to e-mail me: art@supernaturalblogger.com).

What is the cross to you?

Comments welcome.
--Art--

Hi friends,

Yes, it's been a while since I last posted. I'm married now! After 7 years of dating (and waiting for her to finish college), we're now happy to be husband and wife. I can't even begin to describe all the awesome ways God has blessed us during this marriage, but let's just say we have two working cars, a house, all the furniture we need, food on the table, no credit card debt, and plenty of love.

Okay, enough mushy stuff...

I had a thought today as I was reading 2 Kings. I confess that I haven't really had a lot of time to meditate on it or cross-reference things, so it's admittedly just a thought. I'm actually curious what some of you might think. Here's the premise:

In Numbers 21, God brought a plague of venomous snakes against the Israelites because of their disobedience. But Moses prayed for them, and God instructed him to make a bronze statue of a snake and hoist it up a pole. Then anyone who looked at the bronze snake would be healed and live.

Later, in John 3:14-15, Jesus said that he would be lifted up from the earth just like that snake so that everyone who believes in him could have eternal life.

So the snake and the pole, according to Jesus, is like Jesus on the cross.

Okay, here's where my pondering comes in:

In 2 Kings 18:4, we learn that King Hezekiah "...broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it..."

So I'm curious, are there any instances where we've made the cross or even a crucifix (depicting Jesus on the cross) into an idol? Or how about the cross as a concept and not just as a figure? Has the cross in any way become an idol to us? And if so, how? Furthermore, what should we do about it?

I'm curious what kinds of thoughts are out there, so feel free to click the "comments" button at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
--Art--

I've spent the past couple weeks ministering to people on a one-on-one basis, which is actually my preferred method (so if you have questions of any kind, feel free to e-mail me: Art@SupernaturalBlogger.com).

One particular person named Christynn (permission granted to use her real name and e-mails) has been asking some significant questions about physical healing that I thought would be good to publish. There is a lot of confusion about how God's healing power works, so I want to help clear things up with what the Bible actually says.

Christynn read my article about how the scars on my face were miraculously healed, and it struck a chord with her because of her own condition. The following are excerpts from our dialogue about her healing:

---

Christynn writes:
The story about your scars is amazing! God is awesome. I'd like to talk to you about it; I've been standing in faith for Him to take mine as well. And I believe He has. Sometimes it gets hard to keep the faith. I'd like to know what you did. Please email me back.

---

Art writes:
Great to hear from you! God can definitely heal your scars—I've met several people since I was healed who have also had scars miraculously disappear. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that the method is sort of irrelevant. Look through the Scriptures, and you'll see that Jesus never healed two blind people the same way, etc. I have yet to meet someone else who had a vision like mine and was then healed over a two or three week process as they laid hands on their scars and said, "Jesus, take the scars." (that's what I did, by the way).

Anyhow, the reason I say this is because what God longs for—more than anything else—is for you to trust Him and cultivate your relationship with Him. That's the one common thread I've found: people being healed as they draw near to the heart of God. So keep seeking His face more than you seek His hand—look for His presence more than His power, and the power will follow suit. The Lord once told me that the only thing necessary for a miracle to happen is the presence of God—so if we'll get into His presence and get to know His voice, everything will be in place. At that point, it's just a matter of talking to Him about your condition.

Also remember that faith is substance. It has a very real spiritual form. But faith is not merely "belief for the sake of believing"—that’s presumption. Real faith is relationship-based. If my fiancé, Robin, says she'll meet me somewhere, I have faith that she'll be there because I know her and trust her. I have faith in her. I could "believe" with all my might that she would be somewhere else, but that wouldn't be faith...it would be presumption. If she says she'll be somewhere, it takes faith to trust her. God is the same way. We don't change Him by merely believing something with all our might—but we can certainly touch His heart by drawing near to Him.

Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent forth His word and healed them." That's what happened to me—the Lord sent forth His word to me because I was desperate enough to cry out to Him and press in for a response. In my case, the Lord responded with a simple vision in my mind. For other people, they just receive an assurance that God has granted the healing, and they stand by it. For others, they may have some physical sensation. Whatever the case, the key ingredient is the fact that God Himself has spoken it, and so we grab onto that promise in faith. Until He speaks, we can "believe" all we want; but that is nothing but impersonal presumption—not faith. Faith is based on relationship.

So I don’t know where you're at right now, but check your heart. If you're struggling to see a healing manifest, think back and determine whether or not you've pressed into God's presence with persistent petition on this matter and actually received a word back from Him. If you haven't yet heard from Him, then you need to keep asking Him to heal you until there is some sort of response. Once that response comes, though, you can take it as an edict from the throne room of heaven and trust the word wholeheartedly! You can grab onto that word with full assurance that the Lord has spoken and it WILL happen! Apart from that word from God, your belief won’t accomplish much. But with that word from God, there is NOTHING that can stand in the way of your faith!

Remember: Romans 10:17 tells us that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Listen for His spoken word regarding your healing, and your faith will genuinely be evidence of a hoped-for healing and the substance of your healing even when it is not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). So spend some time in conversation with God. I don't know much about you from your e-mail, so if you'd like me to explain this further, just let me know—otherwise I'll assume that it makes sense to you.

Thanks for taking the time to e-mail. I’ll be praying for you!

---

Christynn writes:
Yes, Art that all makes perfect sense. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I'm 23 and married and saved and love God dearly. About 3 months ago my complexion started breaking out and not really scaring, but leaving marks behind. I've had skin issues since I was 12 and in the past few years it hasn't been too much of a problem, until recently.

The last few years I strayed far from Him. I did drugs, was addicted to porn, didn't go to church, and messed around with someone, other than my husband. I know God didn't put skin ailments/problems on me, only satan does that (John 10:10), but I think it happened to wake me up and realize I can't live without God.

I've turned my life around, got baptized and serve Him completely; at first it was to get Him to heal me, now I crave Him all the time. He spoke a word to me a while back as I was reading Gal. 3:13 and He said, "I became a curse for you, so you don't have to live with one." And back in Deuteronomy 28 it talks about the curse of the law and how skin ailments are part of that. I've been standing on that ever since. And I found the story of you and it gave me such hope that He cares for us so much that he wants to take away small ailments like acne/skin problems and scars. Things that aren't life or death, but things that bother His children.

I bought the little healing prayer book called, "God's creative power for healing" by Charles Capps and I read it everyday--2-3 times a day--and plea the Blood of Jesus, His Word, His holy healing power and faith into every pore of my complexion so there is no room for satan to infest it. Where God is, the devil can't be. I'm fully persuaded that He has healed me, but it's hard to look in the mirror or at people. But I know it's a lie from satan and it will soon reflect my new inner self.

It's hard to look my husband in the eye sometimes, but what you said, "…you can take it as an edict from the throne room of heaven and trust the word wholeheartedly! You can grab onto that word with full assurance that the Lord has spoken and it WILL happen! And with that word from God, there is NOTHING that can stand in the way of your faith!"

I want to know what you did when things looked hopeless while your scars where still there. Would you look in the mirror and still see them and get down? What did you do then?

---

Art writes:
I didn't do a whole lot during those two or three weeks while the Lord was healing my scars. I didn't pretend they weren't there or believe they were already gone—some people call that "positive confession," but I personally feel like it's just "denial." The way I see it, it's one thing to believe that my healing is already purchased and certain; but it's another thing to act like it already happened when it still hasn't. If I had cancer, then it wouldn't do me any good to pretend I didn't have it—as a matter of fact, that would be dangerous!

So for two or three weeks, I looked in the mirror every morning and acknowledged my scars. I would sometimes speak to them: "You don’t belong here anymore." Then I would put my hands on my face and say, "Jesus, take the scars," because that was in line with the vision God gave me. In your case, you can ask Him to "take the curse" because that's how He spoke to you. Picture Him on the cross and remember that your condition was completely paid for there.

What matters is that you stay realistic. If you're "already healed," then why are you still asking for healing? On the other hand, if your healing is already paid for by Christ and you're not yet experiencing it, you have an awesome reason to be asking for it! You still have a skin condition that has not been healed even though Jesus Christ paid for it. That's an injustice! Call it what it is! Then go to the King of all creation and plead your case, asking for righteousness and justice to reign through your healing!

Don't be afraid to acknowledge earthly reality and command it to be subject to the superior reality of God's Kingdom. No one has skin conditions in heaven, and Jesus taught us to pray that our Father's Kingdom would come and that His will would be done on earth just as it is in heaven! The Kingdom of Heaven is a superior reality; but until it is manifested on earth, we need to be willing to acknowledge the earthly reality—otherwise we won't press in with prayer in the way we ought to.

Another thing is that I would purposefully look for even the slightest inkling of improvement and worship God for it. I remember the first time I noticed a little corner of one of my scars had some pigment in it—I immediately dropped to my knees and started thanking God. So try to maintain a heart of worship and adoration at all times.

In everything, remember that we need to also be content in all things. It's okay to settle in your heart the idea that whether you're healed or not, God is still worthy of all your adoration. Keep your focus more on Him than on your physical condition. I only dealt with asking for healing in the morning and spent the rest of my day focusing on Him, building our relationship, and praying for revival in my church. I didn't let my physical condition consume me. Be persistent in your prayers, but also keep your priorities set. If your physical healing begins to occupy all your prayer time, then the devil has won—keep your focus on matters of the kingdom and don't let yourself get wrapped up in one little thing.

---

After this e-mail, Christynn and I spoke on the phone, and she recognized that she had been allowing her condition to occupy most of her prayer time. At the end of our conversation we prayed, and I sensed the Holy Spirit pointing to a root issue in her heart that immediately resonated with her. We prayed about her need to forgive herself, and here's what she wrote later that day:

Thank you Art, so much for your prayers and time; you have no idea how much that meant. I pray I'll be as good a witness to others as you were to me. We are only vessels to God. I looked in the mirror after we prayed and I saw some small improvement! Praise God! And praise Him for the complete manifestation!

---

At this point, a couple days passed, and I received this e-mail:

Christynn writes:
Last night I found this church out in Dallas called the Healing School. I was curious and called them. I also sent those pictures of my face that I sent to you. The first thing they asked was how my marriage was. I told them it was fine, my husband doesn't go to church as often as he should, but he believes in Jesus and loves Him. He just is going through a hard time with questions about the church. (Thankfully God's putting people in his life to answer them.)

And the pastor basically told me that's why I'm not healed, because my husband is being disobedient. I asked him were in the Bible does it say that and he couldn't back it up. He just told me to read the whole New Testament with my husband and go to church every Sunday and tithe and then I'll be healed.

But I said back to him, in Isaiah 53:4 it says "He took up our infirmities and carried away our diseases." No where in there does it say, but only if you don't tell a lie or only if you make your husband go to church. No, it says point-blank He took them! In Titus 3:5 it says "He saved us, not because of any righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy." And I'm healed because of His merciful sacrifice! He also said that no one in the Bible got healed by Jesus until they repented and walked holy, even the woman with the blood disease. The way I read it is she only believed Jesus could heal her and He said her faith healed her, not anything else.

Now I know that one needs to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness like it says in James 5:16, and I have done that and have completely turned my life around for Him. And I'll tell ya Art, my skin is improving! Every morning I thank Him for taking the curse and even the slightest improvement I thank Him over and over. And people are noticing the difference and I say "Thank God, all glory to Him!"

My mom, who's a strong women of God, was listening to the conversation I was having with the pastor and she was shaking her head and said tell him goodbye. Then after I did, my mom, my dad and I all prayed and broke any spoken curses over me that that pastor said, and thanked God for healing my skin once again.

The thing I noticed that I told my mom was when I talked to you; you were encouraging and uplifting and prayed for me regardless of whatever. This pastor didn't pray for me, he just told me I was wrong and I couldn’t be healed unless whatever. I believe the more Christ you see in a person, the more Christ sees in us. Thank you Art for being Christ-like to me.

If you could give me some feed back on what this pastor said and your thoughts on the matter, I'd appreciate it. My mom told me a true story of a married couple, she was Christian and he was Muslim, and her prayers were getting answered and his were not. That's how he became saved to Jesus! So there, it doesn't matter what your spouse is going through, God's relationship with you is based on you, no one else. Praise God!

---

Art writes:
Wow—yeah, your mom was completely right. As far as spouses go, I see two big issues with that pastor's logic and theology. #1, your husband does indeed believe in Christ—he just has questions and is going through a sort of "desert time" right now. That's totally normal, and many Christians experience this—I went through such a time myself. #2, even if he didn't believe in Christ, Paul said that "the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse." God's power is stronger than sin and cannot be limited in your life by someone else's condition. It's silly to think that God's power would be overcome by your husband not attending a weekly meeting. If we were made sick every time a relative questioned the church or "didn’t tithe," NO ONE would be healthy! Tithing, by the way, is another issue I have because it's a law that gets heaped on people and makes them feel unnecessarily guilty. Believe it or not, the Bible actually doesn't tell us to tithe, so that's not part of the problem either (you can read an article I wrote about tithing and how Christians should actually give titled The Truth about Tithing if you're interested).

The scriptures you quoted were absolutely right, and your discernment on the matter was right too. I sincerely believe that we already got to the root of the matter when we prayed about self-hatred and forgiving yourself. I felt the Holy Spirit was bringing it up, and it resonated with you right away; both of these are evidence that it was the right thing to address. So a big part of your continued healing will be continuing to walk in self-forgiveness and reminding yourself of your inner freedom through Christ. That, in my opinion, is the most important word you've received from God yet regarding your healing!

Let me know if you have further questions. I'm looking forward to your complete healing!

---

Finally, we come to today's e-mail...

Christynn writes:
I hate to keep bothering you with questions. Sorry if I am. What do you think about me going to a doctor for my skin condition? I mean if God has healed me, should I go to one? And if I believe He is my healer and great physician, is it an insult to Him if I go and seek medical help for my skin?

---

Art writes:
It's totally fine. Like I said on the phone, it's okay to use "crutches" while God is bringing the healing.

Remember when I told you how I threw my back out last year and couldn't walk for two weeks? Well, before God healed me, I was going to the doctor and to physical therapy for those two weeks. It wasn't accomplishing much—especially compared to the complete healing God gave me—but when I walked into PT the next week perfectly fine, I got to share my testimony with the Therapist, his assistant, and three people who had seen me barely moving for the past couple weeks. It was a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel because the miracle was so obvious.

Likewise, my mom had a hysterectomy about six years ago—never actually received a divine healing, except that she is still cancer-free. Anyhow, she did everything she possibly could to have people pray for her and experience a healing before the surgery date, but nothing happened. Then, while she was in the hospital being prepped for surgery, she got to pray with two young ladies who couldn't believe how calm she was (they were also there to go through procedures). My mom prayed for the Holy Spirit to give them supernatural peace, and it worked! If my mom hadn't gone in for surgery, those two women might never have encountered the power and presence of God like that.

So seeking medical help is only a sin if you are "giving up on God" and leaving Him behind. But if, on the other hand, you are getting medical attention and welcoming God to come along with you, you are not in sin. It's just another opportunity to get around people who may never have heard the Gospel before. Look for opportunities to plant seeds in the waiting room, with the doctor, at the pharmacy—wherever! Just use it for the glory of God.

Lastly, I know many many people who have been healed of a condition for which they were presently seeing a doctor, so this obviously doesn't hinder a healing. The only way it slows you down is if you believe it will slow you down. But as long as you recognize that our Almighty God is not limited by us getting medical attention, and that He can still miraculously heal you, you have nothing to worry about. There's nothing in the Bible that says to avoid doctors—actually, Luke, who wrote the third Gospel and the book of Acts (all about miracles and healings) was a physician himself. And I've heard it taught that when James 5:14-15 says to have the elders of the church pray for you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord, the "anointing with oil" was culturally a medicinal practice rather than a spiritual one in this case. Notice how verse 15 says it is the prayer offered in faith that makes the sick person well; not the oil. If you have to take some sort of medicine, take it in the name of the Lord. Dedicate it to Christ's use. And keep trusting God to bring such a complete healing that you won't need the medicine anymore. He can do it, and I believe He will do it.

Don't feel bad about all the questions—this is my ministry, so I welcome it :-)

---

Closing Thoughts:
When seeking to know what the Bible has to say about healing, it's important to consult the Bible first. There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of books out there with wacky ideas that are neither healthy nor true. A good book on healing is hard to come by. I've found that the people who understand healing theology the best are the ones who have been personally healed in the name of Jesus Christ several times (not just once) and have applied that faith to seeing others miraculously healed. The bizarre ideas come from people who were healed once many years ago because everything in the Bible gets interpreted through the filter of their one experience. When you've been healed several times, however, you discover that God never does it the same way twice!

We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus!

God bless!
--Art--

Yesterday I watched another hour of the Lakeland Healing meetings with Todd Bentley (A re-run of Thursday night). I was actually very impressed for a good long time, and I feel it is only fair for me to report this. For most of the time I watched, Todd was speaking in Jesus' name and declaring many diseases healed. He told people that Jesus was healing them and to expect Him to touch them deeply. Granted, it was very emotional, but I can overlook that--God made our emotions, so why not use them?

But after the ministry time, when Todd had people get up on stage to testify, things took an ugly turn and Todd fell right back into the very things I've been speaking out against for the past week and a half.

Over and over, Todd reminded people of the "word of knowledge" he had that brought each person their healing and even once asked, "Do you know why this man is healed?" I waited in anticipation for a presentation of the Gospel, but Todd answered himself: "He got healed because I had a Word of Knowledge..." No mention of the Gospel. No mention of Jesus. But he did say that when he gave the Word of Knowledge, the healing angels of the Lord visited the man.

It grieves me to keep seeing these things because so much of it was on-track and opened wide such huge doors for a presentation of the True Gospel. But Todd Bentley keeps doing such subtle things that completely squash the revival-potential of this movement. I'm reminded of the popular sermon illustration in which the kids tell their dad that they want to watch a PG-13 movie, arguing that "there's only a little bit of bad stuff in it." The kids come home from school, and the dad has made brownies. The kids rush to the brownies, and the dad stops them. "Before you eat them," he says, "You should know one thing: I put a 'little bit' of dog poop in them...but it's only a little bit."

It's that "little bit" of problems I have with the Lakeland meetings that make me so disenchanted with Todd and everything going on there in Florida. I find it hard to rejoice that they have rented the "Joker Stadium" to house the thousands of people now flocking to the meetings from around the world. Why? Because it's only catering to the flesh.

Jesus performed many signs and wonders, but it was always to confirm His word--same thing with the apostles. If you are performing signs and wonders--especially at the magnitude of Todd Bentley--then you have an intense responsibility to speak the truth along with them. Yes, Todd is leading people in "God, save me" prayers, but there is nothing happening in the areas of exposing sin or inviting people to repentance. Physical healings fix the body and bless the soul. They are an external work. Preaching the full Gospel of Jesus Christ (including the need for repentance) is where the internal application comes. Unless there is an internal work, the event is nothing more than carnal and fleshly.

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul addresses the church of Corith by saying that they are carnal and worldly because of their quarrelsome focus on following mere men. This is the same Corinthian Church about whom Paul said, "...you do not lack any spiritual gift..." (1 Cor. 1:7). They had the gifts, but they were earthly-minded. They focused on human leaders and how to meet the needs of their flesh. Yes, they believed in Jesus, but their focus was misplaced.

I see the same thing happening in Lakeland, Florida, with Todd Bentley. People are looking at Todd for an "impartation" and for the "10 anointings" he promised them (whatever those may be). There is a tremendous external application, but barely any internal application. It's carnal. It's fleshly. It's earthly-minded. And it is focused on a mere man instead of the pure, holy, and righteous Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

1 Corinthans 3:21-23--So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God (NIV).

Keep your eyes fixed on the Son of God, and don't be distracted by big names and external miracles. Seek God for the internal application of His Word.

JESUS IS ALIVE! Not only that, but Jesus IS resurrection personified:

John 11:25-27--Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world" (NIV).

After saying these words, Jesus went to Lazarus and raised him from the dead!

Those of you who follow this blog are probably aware by now that I like to spread around stories about the dead being raised to life in Jesus' name. As of 2005, there were documented cases in 52 different nations of the dead being raised to life by Christians. In some of these countries, there are hundreds of cases--for instance, Mozambique, Africa, where Rolland and Heidi Baker minister the love of Christ to thousands of children each year. Heidi has been known to hold dead babies and children in her arms, sobbing over them and praying until God gives them back their life.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life! Jesus didn't just die; He rose to life! And that means He is physically seated at the right hand of our Father in Heaven right now! Furthermore, through the Holy Spirit, we have access to that same resurrection power both for ourselves and for others.

Romans 8:11--And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Matthew 10:8--Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

My challenge to you this Easter Sunday is that you would seek the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit on a personal level; and do not be afraid to demonstrate His power and love on a practical level! Jesus is the resurrection and the life; and it's about time people in America and abroad start truly realizing it!

The pictures attached to this post are of a couple friends of mine who my girlfriend Robin and I got to baptize in bathtubs recently. Our small group has been blessed to be leading people to Christ on a regular basis. These pictures were taken a couple months ago (a few weeks apart), and the man and woman being baptized are today radical followers of Jesus who come every week to our small group and have seen multiple miracles happen in and through their lives since coming to Christ. In fact, the young woman who was baptized only a couple months ago got to help guide another girl to Christ last week as she drove her home from our small group meeting!

I want to encourage every reader--if you have not already--to be baptized. And not only that, but I want to encourage you to feel free to baptize others! Philip did it in a little pool of water (Acts 8:36-38); and John did it in the desert region--specifically the Jordan River (Mark 1:4). And you don't have to be a member of the clergy to perform a baptism:

John 4:1,2--The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples (NIV).

Jesus put the ministry of baptism in the hands of the disciples! And who are the disciples?

John 15:4-8—[Jesus said:] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My TRUE DISCIPLES produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father (NLT, emphasis added).

You are Christ's disciple if you remain in intimate relationship with Him as evidenced by the "fruit" in your life. "Fruit" is simply evidence of the life within. If you are demonstrating the power and nature of Christ through the Holy Spirit in your life, then you are His disciple!

Today's post is all about baptism--specifically the spiritual and supernatural dimension that's involved.

---

Ever heard of "water baptism?" This tends to be a matter largely disputed among denominations--one group says you can baptize babies; another group says the person must be old enough to make a conscious decision to follow Christ. One group says all you need to do is sprinkle the person with water--another says they must be fully immersed.

While I personally favor the idea that you should be fully immersed in water (and only when you can make a decision based on personal conviction), I do not believe I have the right to dictate whether or not God honors other forms of baptism--actually, I think He does for the most part.

In the book The Heavenly Man, Brother Yun recounts one of the times he was in prison for his faith. Long story short, through a miraculous course of events, the Holy Spirit used Yun in such a way that his cellmates (there were many prisoners in a cell) started coming to Christ all at once--falling on their knees and repenting! And since their water was strictly rationed, they only had a few drops of water available to baptize each one. Yun reports that their lives dramatically changed that day, and for days they all walked around with tears in their eyes. From then on they shared the Gospel in the prison yard and many prisoners came to Christ! Can you rightly argue that their "sprinkle" baptism is any less valid than someone who was fully immersed in water? I can't!

The method of baptism is less important than the spiritual dynamic behind the ritual. However, the full symbolism is only seen in total immersion: dying with Christ, being laid in the grave, and then being raised back up in new life.

Baptism is all about new life. According to John the Baptist and Jesus, baptism with water is a baptism of repentance. "Repentance" means to utterly change direction--a 180 degree turn. It is to dramatically change your way of life, your way of thinking, and your way of acting. It is not just to "turn away" from sin; it is also (most importantly) to "turn toward" God. Baptism with water is often called "the baptism of repentance" (Mark 1:4).

But righteousness comes by faith, not by baptism; so why do we need to be baptized? Well, why do you need to pray? Why do you need to fast? Why do we need to do anything? It’s a matter of relationship with God. Peter seems to imply that baptism is a form of prayer—an appeal to God.

1 Peter 3:21b—Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is AN APPEAL TO GOD from a clean conscience (NLT, emphasis added).

Maybe that’s why Luke’s account of Christ’s baptism reads like this:

Luke 3:21—When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And AS HE WAS PRAYING, heaven was opened…(NIV, emphasis added).

I believe water baptism is a form of prayer designed by God as a prophetic declaration to the kingdom of darkness that "this person belongs to a different King!" Baptism is a form of spiritual warfare!

Do you need to be baptized in order to be saved? Well, the thief on the cross next to Jesus didn’t get baptized, yet Jesus responded to the man’s faith and conviction by saying, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Salvation comes by faith, not by baptism.

But if you’re going to start living as an ambassador of the Kingdom—helping "God’s will" happen on earth—then you should be baptized. Baptism gives you authority over Satan and his demons. Come to think of it, the Orthodox Church has an icon (picture) of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist and demons fleeing from the water. There is a very real spiritual dynamic to baptism--it's not just a symbol as many people believe.

Water baptism is a public confession of faith done in submission to the order of God. Not only is it a confession before man, but more importantly it is a confession of faith before the entire kingdom of darkness! We are often taught that baptism is for the church's sake and therefore must be performed with the church present. I don't see this anywhere in the Bible--in fact, I see the opposite. I see John baptizing in the desert (Mark 1:4) and Philip and the Ethipoian stopping at a pool of water by the side of the road (Acts 8:36-38)--who knows, it might have even been a puddle left over from the rainy season! Grated, there were always people present to witness the event, but there does not appear to be any requirement as to who those people were. The Ethiopian was baptized in front of the people in his procession, but it does not appear that any of these people were Christians! Nor do they appear to be repentant or else Philip might have baptized them too!

In a very real spiritual sense, a person does receive a certain grace from God when they are baptized.

On the other side of the coin, the more you question baptism and whether or not it’s necessary, the more you are questioning God’s order. The enemy will go to town on that one! They’ll know you’re not in line with the heavenly King or His authority.

The word "Kingdom" literally means "King’s domain," and the King’s domain is everywhere that His authority is expressed. Jesus told His disciples, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." And Jesus said that we should pray for God's Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth just like it is in Heaven. Water baptism is the first step of submission to God’s authority and is therefore the first stage of His Kingdom coming to the earth through you! The question is: Are you helping the process or hindering it? Are you submitted to His authority or arguing against it? Are you looking for every reason not to be "baptized" in the way we've discussed here, or are you excited about the opportunity to publicly demonstrate your love and obedience to Christ?

Are you like the rich young man (Mark 10:17-23) who counts the cost of repentance and decides it is too much trouble? Or are you like the Ethiopian Eunich (Acts 8:6-40) who was still in the process of hearing the Gospel when he said to Philip, "Look! There's some water! Why shouldn't I get baptized?!" Apparently the man didn't need to be taught any further because when he came up from the water, Philip disappeared as the Holy Spirit miraculously transported him to Azotus!

The emphasis the Bible places on baptism should give us a clue about how important it really is! So go get baptized and start to live in the authority you're given! And furthermore, look for opportunities to baptize others!

Matthew 28:18-20--Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"(NIV).

As January 1 approaches, a lot of us start making all sorts of promises for the next year. And yet, the running gag year after year seems to be that no one ever succeeds at a "new year's resolution." The will-power seems to last for a week or two (if that) and then we're right back in the same old rut we were in.

And this doesn't just happen at the onset of a calendar year. We've all tried--on any given day--to change something about ourselves and failed. We try to break habits, addictions, sinful thoughts, and more...but guess what? In no time at all, everything comes crashing back down.

So what's the deal? If the cards are stacked so violently against our success, why do we bother to continue making New Year's Resolutions year after year? If we're doomed to failure, why do we keep believing it's so possible?

Because it is...just not the way we would expect.

You see, God is very clear on the fact that we are meant to change and be more like Christ. But He is also very clear on the fact that "will power" is not the answer. Actually, it's the opposite: We must abandon our own will and start serving the will of God. We must come to terms with the cross of Christ and put our sinful nature to death so that the Holy Spirit can birth new life within us.

Want to be free from addictions? Start by asking the Holy Spirit what issues in your past might be the root issue. He'll likely show you one or more instances in which your subconscious came to believe something that was not true. He'll show you inner wounds. He'll show you bitterness.

And when He reveals these things, it's your job to respond. A good friend of mine recently came to Christ and a few weeks later was set free from her addiction to smoking. Completely, 100% FREE! How? The Holy Spirit showed her some areas in her life in which she was holding bitterness and resentment against her dad. And as soon as she forgave him, the addiction lifted. She was occasionally tempted in her mind for a while, but she was no longer ruled by it. She even had a friend smoking near her who offered her a cigarrette, and she was able to refuse without any struggle.

Jesus is the answer! It's not about how much you "make up your mind" to change--that will never amount to anything! But the power and presence of God are transformational and revolutionary! It's time to stop making meaningless New Year's Resolutions, and start jumping into the New Life Revolution!

Ask God for the ability to repent and put your old life to death with Christ. Then ask Him to give you new life by raising you up with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then start walking in victory by fostering your relationship with Father God, which Jesus made possible through His ascension into heaven.

This year, don't waste your time with another powerless New Year's Resolution. Rather, ask the Holy Spirit for a New Life Revolution! HE WILL ANSWER!

Seeker-Sensitivity Strikes Again

Tonight I went out to dinner with some friends, and someone mentioned how displeased they were with the Christmas performance at a local "mega church" they attended recently. If you're not familiar with the term, a "mega church" is an organized Christian fellowship whose membership has reached into the thousands. Unfortunately, this is often because something gets compromised. (By the way, I've posted a video about the ineffectiveness of seeker-sensitivity on this site).

As it turns out, this friend of mine said that the Christmas play was amazing and had some powerful scenes. It even included a crucifixion scene that brought her to tears. But when it came time for the pastor to pray at the end, he gave a very watered-down "altar call." Something like: "If you want to be happy and get out of your bad circumstances, come forward."

Jesus never promised happiness and peaceful circumstances. Rather, He offered us joy (which is a state of being that transcends emotion) and comfort in the midst of trials. Jesus said, "In this world you WILL have trials and tribulation; but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world!"

The true "Good News" (or "Gospel") is not one of health, wealth, and happiness. It is indeed one of inner peace; divine love; supernatural power; uncompromised purity; and radical, unshakable faith. But it nevertheless includes trials, temptations, persecution, and sacrifice. According to Megashift, by James Rutz (see book reviews for more info), some 25,000 Christians are murdered every month as martyrs for refusing to deny Jesus Christ.

Real Christianity is not something to be taken lightly or toyed with. We need to present the truth. The more the Church at large lies to people about these false "results" of salvation, the less people will look for the true results: freedom from sin, freedom from self, freedom from the devil, and freedom from the world.