|
Home
Archive
January
December
November
Comments
and/or Questions
|
Tuesday, January
1, 2008
Bad Medicine
John 5:1-4 After this there was a feast
of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by
the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda,
having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of
blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel
went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water:
whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made
whole of whatsoever disease he had. (KJV)
When reading these verses one needs to
understand that the writer John was giving an account of what was taking
place at this pool and what the belief was among the people that were
gathered around it. John was not giving credence to the fact that an angel
was actually coming down from heaven and troubling the water, but his own
eyewitness account of what the people were believing. To this day we have
many who hold to this same belief. Having watched a documentary last
evening concerning this, there are many springs around the world that are
considered to have waters that produce special powers, holy water if you
would, which many swear by. For every different denomination they have
their own watering hole, which shows you where they are at in their walk.
Like so many they look to the outward realm for something to cure their
inward sickness, which in the end results with many being left out. These
verses in John are an example of many of today’s so called churches and
religious organizations who have a bunch of weak spiritually diseased
followers waiting for someone or something to come along and get things
stirred up. Rather than go to the source, accessing the Father through His
Son Jesus Christ, many jump at the opportunity when some so called prophet
or evangelist comes to town; someone they think is sent of God who is
coming to get things stirred up.
John 4:12-14 Art thou greater than our
father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his
children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting
life. (KJV)
What well are you drinking from today?
Are you looking to the spiritual well of life to find the eternal healing
waters, or are you sitting around some stagnant polluted pool of man’s
doctrine waiting for something or someone to stir you up? Are you looking
to quench your spiritual thirst, or are you still seeking some outside
source that many think will provide them some quick fix? The devil would
like nothing better than to see God’s people sitting around being idle
rather than taking hold of the blessings afforded His people; many are like
passengers at an airport, always on standby and never taking off.
Psalms 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun
and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man
that trusteth in thee. (KJV)
God is no respecter of persons. He
doesn’t play favorites and all of His promises are there for the taking to
any and all that are willing to walk in the Spirit. Rather than sit around
all week waiting for Sunday to come so that you can go to some building and
wait for someone to get you stirred up again why not spend your time in the
word of God seeking the Lord for yourself; building up your own confidence
and assurance so that you can get out of your stagnant lifestyle and walk
in the newness of life that is rightfully yours. Instead of lying around
hoping something will happen, get up and walk uprightly in the Spirit and
get back on the path of life.
John 5:5-9 And a certain man was there,
which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and
knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt
thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when
the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed,
and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. (KJV)
If you notice, the Lord himself didn’t
give credence to their belief about an angel showing up and stirring the
waters. Neither did the Lord wait around for this so called angel to show
up so that he could push this man into the water first. Rather He was able
to give the truth to a man that had been afflicted for so many years. The
Lord set a perfect example for us of how we should be ready always to give
an answer of the truth to those that we encounter who have been caught up
with a false belief that something in the outward would bring a healing and
restoration to the inward. Only the truth can set one free. And only the
word of God is able to provide the healing and make one whole; spirit,
soul, and body. Our purpose in life is the point those that we come in
contact with on a daily basis to the Father through His Son Jesus Christ so
that they can access the One true healer and not be afflicted with the
bondage of sin and sickness again. Many of us have spent time in the past
afflicted and spiritually impotent; not able to walk a consistent path in
the Spirit, but falling short because of sin. But now, having been set
free, it is time to get up; arise from your spiritual slumber and sickness,
and walk the path of life Father has for you. Walk in the blessing of
healing and restoration.
John 5:10-11 The Jews therefore said unto
him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to
carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto
me, Take up thy bed, and walk. (KJV)
Watch out and beware, because just as
quick as the Lord gets you back on your feet, the devil and his workers
will be right there again to get you to fall back to your old ways. Many
today are still so caught up in the letter of the law that they miss the
blessing of the Spirit. And rather than continue in the restoration they
end up weak and on their backside again; the latter worse than the
beginning. So beware of man-made stagnant doctrines that keep many in
bondage to physical laws and religious regulations rather than accessing
the One spiritual healer that actually makes house calls free of charge and
is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
1 Corinthians 11:27-30 Wherefore
whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily,
shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and
sickly among you, and many sleep. (KJV)
We still see to this day many who are
weak and sickly because they don’t know the difference and do not take the
time to discern what is of God and what is not; and so they end up drinking
from polluted wells instead the pure living waters. Many do not take the
time to dig deep enough into the well of life to find pure living waters.
Instead they settle for easier to reach stagnant pools that are toxic and
unhealthy.
2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us
able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit:
for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (KJV)
The sad thing about reading the account
in John 5 is that many of those around the pool (as many are still today)
were actually believers, those that were seeking the answer. But as so many
believers today, many are still being knocked down, ending up on their
backside again, because they look and hold to the letter of the law rather
than the Spirit to find true life and peace. So be ready Church, that when
you get a spiritual 911 call from one of God’s people in distress you can
follow the example the Lord gave to the man at the pool and give the right
spiritual medicine; to all those that have been miss diagnosed and have had
a bad reaction to mans doctrinal medicine.
|
