Are you hungry for the reality of the Kingdom of God to invade earth? I
often ask God for a gift of hunger for the things pertaining to His
Kingdom. I used to weigh 375 pounds. I was constantly eating. I lived
for the next meal or trip to McDonald’s. It’s funny that I sat all
those years and ate fast food--whether a Big Mac, large fries or a
chocolate shake--yet I never morphed into one of those things I was
eating. My waistline began to increase, but that’s another story
itself.
This story can be compared to church life. Just because I may go to
church, I still may not be a born-again believer (John 3:3-8).
Attending church could just make me very religious. But we know that
religion does not save. It is our Savior Christ Jesus who saves.
When we receive Christ, we receive a new identity and are no longer
sinners but saints! We step out of darkness and into the light. I
believe that God wants to give us a fresh revelation of who He is in us
as the Church, and who the Church is in Him.
The normal Christian life is to live life in the supernatural. God
is not looking for a vessel of gold or silver to use, but is simply
looking for willing vessels (I Sam. 6:7), young or old. He looks at our
hearts.
From the revelation that we are sons and daughters of Christ, we can
walk and do what He said we could do. In this article, I want to talk
about living in the supernatural where signs and wonders become normal.
Years ago, I thought that we had to have a special gift on our lives to
see people healed, so I never prayed for the sick. Then I began to be
bothered by a passage from the book of Mark in the Bible:
And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not
believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: in
My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will
take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:15-18).
These verses say that believers will lay their hands on the sick and
that the sick will recover. I began to think to myself, "Something is
not right here, and I know that God’s word is true." Then I began to
have righteous anger rise inside of me. I knew that I was a believer,
but this sign of healing was not evident in my life. I would tell
myself over and over, "Chris, you are a believer and you are going to
lay your hands on the sick and see them recover!"
Even though I did not see breakthrough at first, it did not change
God’s word in my mind. If someone would ask me, "Chris, how many people
have you raised from the dead?" I would say, "None, YET, but I have
only prayed for three to be raised."
If we create our theology and doctrine around our personal
experience of discouragement, we lower the gospel to a humanistic
mentality of words that can demonstrate no power. One of the greatest
sins in the Church is doubt and unbelief. As Bill Johnson has said,
"The Holy Spirit is imprisoned in unbelieving believers." He wants to
use us more than we want Him to use us. It is not wrong to dream about
being used by God. When we go to the movies, there is usually a sneak
preview of a new movie to be released soon. What does that have to do
with anything? It’s almost been seven years since I first began to
dream about being used by God in the realm of the supernatural. I can
even remember quoting Mark 16 and John 14:12 over my life. I had begun
to think about the "greater works." If we can see the "greater works"
and believe in them, they will become reality.
I would go into the secret place because He is in the secret place.
I would see myself on the street praying for someone’s hurt knee. Then,
while I was still in my prayer closet, I would act it out as if it were
reality. I would place my hands where the knee would be and then
command the pain to be gone, and he would be healed! Although this was
not taking place in the natural, I knew it was my inheritance as a
believer.
Signs and wonders are not for entertainment but are to lead us into a
deeper revelation of Christ Himself. To expect a life of powerlessness
is to accept a lower-grade gospel. If Jesus had done all the miracles
only as God (not as man), then it would be impossible for us to do the
same. It’s not good enough for us to only display one side of
Christianity like good character and fruit of the Spirit. That’s
absurd! The Kingdom of God is not just in words but in power.
The first time I was in South Africa, I had my first chance to go on
a safari at Krueger Park. As a team, we did not know how to get there
even though we were very close. So we began to look for signs and
finally spotted a sign that led us to the park. In the same way, signs
and wonders point the lost to His Kingdom. When someone gets physically
healed of sickness or a disease, this sign will point the person in the
direction that Christ designed before the foundation of the world. It
will point him or her to a soul-saving relationship. Stay hungry for
the things of God. What you feed on will feed others around you.
Intimacy is the foundation of Christianity.
The supernatural lifestyle is an outer flow of an inner commitment
to Christ. If we desire to be used by God through miracles, signs and
wonders, we desire His heart. We are a generation that is calling on
Heaven to invade earth. In Heaven there is no sickness or disease. That
must also be our mindset here on earth because in the school of prayer,
He taught His disciples to pray that His will be done on earth as it is
in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). Reach and touch someone. If you can see it,
you can believe it, and it will become reality.
Over the last thirty years I have watched as the church has
emphasized and re-emphasized leadership. I think that we may have
followed the lead that corporate America has set, as books, tapes,
seminars and material have proliferated on this subject. I personally
have been called to serve leaders, and I still travel the country
training and ministering to leaders. Sometimes I wonder if I am
contributing more to a problem, rather than bringing a solution. Let me
explain…
Much has been said about the failures of the church being as a
result of failure of leadership. I wonder if the failure in the church
might be a result of over emphasizing the importance of leadership. I
think we have come to the point that we are worshipping leaders and
leadership in general. This would be akin to idolatry and God does not
tolerate idolatry well at all.
The Heart - Motives and Attitudes
I have noticed that sometimes the people, who want to lead the most,
do so out of wrong motives and attitudes. I am more concerned about the
heart of a leader than I am about their giftedness or skill. Authority
is a very bad thing to give a person who has not crucified the flesh
with all of its passions. The attitudes and motives of the heart are
the very most important attributes of leaders… and it is up to each
leader to tend his or her heart.
When Jesus trained the twelve, He did not emphasize their gift or
call, or even the future roles they would have in the earth. As I read
His words, I don’t see Him exalting or lifting them up, or reminding
them of the great importance that they would have to the church. It
seems to me that He simply wanted them to know His Father. If they
could meet the Father, then they would have the opportunity to have the
Fathers heart.
On the Trail and in the Home
His training was not done in a seminar or classroom. He taught them
by example as he lived among them. He was challenging, patient, wise,
and very discerning when He taught them. His example was as powerful as
His words… there was no difference between what He said and what He
did. I am sure He was careful about who He chose… and He prayed for
them, reminding the Father that He had kept those that He had given
Him. He knew the choosing of the father.
He prepared them for hardship, conflict, suffering, and even death.
They led out of a love for Him rather then from a love for the
position. Their leadership positions did not profit them, by giving
them entitlements and perks that our positions often offer. These were
true shepherds who fed, led, protected, and laid down their lives for
the flock. Servant hood was more than a seminar concept… it was a way
of life.
I believe that truer leaders would emerge if we talked less about
leadership, and more about Jesus. Leaders just have a way of leading,
and they are easy to recognize when they do. I am talking a lot more
about serving, sacrificing, and suffering than I am about leading now
days. Some of the best leaders I know are not given to constant
chatter… but rather consistent and faithful service. They are more
interested in solving problems, teaching, loving, imparting vision and
taking care of others (LEADING) then they are in having preeminence,
prominence or platforms.
Becoming Child Like
I can teach leadership principles all day long… but only the
individual can deal with the most important issues of the heart. Jesus
said that in order to enter the Kingdom we would have to become like
little children. Becoming a child means that we are as dependent on God
as an infant is on its parents. With this kind of weakness, innocence,
humility, and dependence we can really make a difference in the lives
of those that we lead… Perhaps leading is not about being strong,
smart, powerful and confident, but rather about becoming weak so that
His strength can be revealed through us….
When we make Jesus our total focus, the leadership stuff inside of
us will come out… it leadership becomes our focus, we will not be able
to truly reflect His heart in our leading. Perhaps we need to stop
talking about leading and just talk about Jesus… I think its time to
let the church enjoy a break from the whole ‘worship the leader’ kick,
and refocus on worshiping Christ…. Think about it!
