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“Jesus’ Response to Problems”
Bill Johnson, Redding, California
Jesus healed all who came to Him, no exceptions. He also healed all the Father directed Him to heal. Setting another standard than what Jesus gave us is unacceptable.
Jesus stilled every life-threatening storm that He encountered. We never see Him using His authority to increase the impact of a storm or to bring calamity of any kind. Never once did He command the storm to destroy a city so that its citizens would become more humble and learn to pray, thus becoming more like Him.
Today, many of our spiritual leaders announce why God sent the storm—to break the pride and sinfulness of a region. Obviously God can use any tragedy to His purposes. But that doesn’t mean the problem was His design. Jesus didn’t deal with storms in that way. Regardless of how or why the storm came about, Jesus was the solution. In our world many insurance companies and newspapers call natural disasters “acts of God.” Perhaps they got their theology from us.
By thinking that God causes our storms, diseases, and conflicts, are we resorting to the same reasoning as did James and John when they said, “as Elijah did”? (See Luke 9:54.) They justified their thinking by using an Old Testament standard for a New Testament dilemma. Are we truly justified for having such a response because we can find a biblical precedent in the Old Testament? (Photo via Piqsels)Whatever you think you know about God that you can’t find in the person of Jesus you have reason to question. Jesus Christ is the fullest and most precise revelation of the Father and His nature that could ever be made known.
Why did Jesus rebuke the storm instead of just telling it to stop? The implication is that the powers of darkness were involved in the storm, and they needed to be dealt with because they violated the heart and purpose of God on the earth. And if the devil is involved in the storm, we don’t want to be found saying the storm is the will of the Father.
Deliverance came to all who asked. This is Jesus. He illustrated this when the Syrophoenician woman came to Him on behalf of her daughter. (See Mark 7:24-30.) Jesus wasn’t supposed to minister to her because she was a Gentile—His ministry was first to be offered to the Jew to fulfill the mandate of Scripture. This was a necessary step in order to open up the Gospel to every nation. Yet even here we see Jesus moved with the heart of compassion for people. He brought deliverance/healing to this young lady as a manifestation of the Father to a girl in need. Once again, Jesus revealed the Father exactly. And as a reminder, this is the work of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus, who lives in us to manifest the same.
Whatever you think you know about God that you can’t find in the person of Jesus you have reason to question. Jesus Christ is the fullest and most precise revelation of the Father and His nature that could ever be made known.
(Excerpt taken from Bill Johnson’s new E-Book, How to Respond to Disaster: By Living Anchored in the Goodness of God.)
Bill Johnson, Senior Leader
Bethel Church, Redding, California
Website: http://www.bethel.comBill and Beni Johnson are the senior leaders of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Bill is a fifth-generation pastor with a rich heritage in the Holy Spirit. The present move of God has brought Bill into a deeper understanding of the phrase “on Earth as it is in Heaven.” Bill and the Bethel Church family have taken on this theme for life and ministry, where healing and miracles are normal. Bill is co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). Beni is a pastor, author and speaker. She has a call to joyful intercession that’s an integral part of Bethel Church. Together, Bill and Beni serve a growing number of churches partnered for revival. Their three children and spouses are all involved in full-time ministry.
Source: http://elijahlist.com/
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