Tag Archives: fire
MARK’S GOSPEL…DEMON -22
Mark 9:14-26, 28-29 NIV
“When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
“ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
What a contrast between the scene on the mountain and the upheaval in the valley! Three disciples exposed to the glory of Jesus and nine disciples struggling with a stubbornly resistant demon!
This debacle had drawn a crowd…as usual the ever-present, contentious religious leaders, an inquisitive bunch of onlookers, and nine disciples wrestling with a particularly obnoxious demon!
Jesus walked into the situation…ever the Lord of every impossibility. The distraught father of a demon-possessed boy immediately transferred his plea to Jesus, while the impotent disciples hung back because they had no answer to this dilemma.
Jesus was incensed… angry, frustrated! His diagnosis of the situation hit the mark.
“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?”
To whom was He talking? Who were the unbelieving people with whom He had issues? Not the Pharisees or the crowd… they had no connection with Him. It could only have been the nine disciples who could not budge the demon.
What was the real issue! No faith! Not just little faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed, as tiny as a grain of salt, would have done the job. No faith meant only one thing…they were relying on their own efforts to dispatch the demon. Faith always has an object, ourselves or someone else.
A “post mortem” of the event cleared up the mystery for the disciples.
“After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
Some versions add “and fasting”, but the main issue is, “What place does prayer have in casting out demons or, in fact, any intervention of God in any situation?”
Jesus put His finger on the answer. Prayer is the only way to establish the connection with God called faith. First, through prayer, we learn our true place in this relationship between God and ourselves. He is God! We are not! Anything we say or anticipate outside of our place of absolute nothingness at His feet is pure impertinence, insolence!
Second, our nothingness before God should lead us to recognise our utter dependence on Him for, and in everything.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
He is the sole object of our faith. The source of this conviction is found in His word.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 NIV
So, prayer is essentially, first and foremost, not as we have been led to believe…that prayer is getting answers from God. Prayer is undressing ourselves before God, layer by layer, until we know who we are so that we can learn who He is. It is the application of God’s word that renews our minds, replacing false notions about ourselves and God with truth. Faith is, intended, establishing, once and for all, who has the final authority.
Many have been taught that “taking authority over” demonic spirits is the way to exercise authority, to cast out demons, to get anything done. Wrong! Rather, authority only becomes real when we take our place before God in true humility. He can entrust authority only to those who have such confidence in His authority that they act in tandem with Him.
Through prayer, we cement the conviction that Jesus is who He is and that He will do what He says He will do and what we expect Him to do because He has all authority and He is utterly faithful to His word.
It took a Gentile to define for us the nature of true faith.
“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”
Matthew 8:5, 7-10 NIV
Authority and faith! Did you get that? If our faith is not firmly founded on the authority of Jesus, it is not faith but presumption.
Now, His commission makes sense…if we have absolute confidence in His authority.
“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.””
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.””
WHAT WILL THE FIRE REVEAL?
1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NIV
[11] “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, [13] their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. [14] If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. [15] If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”
Sobering words… written to believers!
The Apostle Paul was never shy to warn as well as to encourage his readers to pursue and live by the truth, no matter how distasteful it might be.
There are truths in Scripture that we would prefer to dodge or ignore, truths that expose the inner workings of our hearts and warn us of consequences. However, if we don’t heed the warnings now, we might find that we cannot change the outcomes when they happen later.
For a start, If we trust in Jesus for forgiveness and a new life, we have a solid foundation on which to build. However, even with a strong foundation, our lives will collapse under the pressures we face if we build on the foundation with inferior material.
A strong foundation does not necessarily guarantee a strong building. Our superstructure will depend on the material we use to build our house. We can build with good quality material that will endure testing, or we can build with inferior material that will be consumed in the fire.
For example, houses built of wood won’t stand a chance in a fire even if they are built on a stone foundation. Likewise, homes built on selfishness and conflict will perish when fiery circumstances hit. Houses built of brick or stone are far more durable during a fire. In the same way, homes built on unity and love will be stronger to survive in adversity.
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 NIV
[1] “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. [2] I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. [3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? [4] For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?”
What constitutes inferior building material?
In the context of his rebuke of the Corinthian church, Paul points to their behaviour as a cause for concern. Despite the many spiritual gifts at work in this congregation, these people were still worldly in their attitudes. Instead of using their gifts to help and build one another up, they were acting in selfish and competitive ways.
How many church leaders today spend more time putting out fires than building strong believers because their church members are immature? Competition and conflict, the rule of the flesh, still happen because of suspicion, mistrust, and selfishness. Real love is often scarce since self-preservation occupies centre stage. These are the combustible materials that will not survive the fires of hardship and testing.
Paul contrasts worldiness with godliness. Worldliness is more than living the world wnd what it has to offer. Worldliness is about thinking and reacting like the people who have “self” as the hub of their lives.
In the war between our old sinful nature and Jesus’ nature in us, the flesh often wins because our own thoughts and desires occupy centre stage. Paul warned that if we live to satisfy our sinful nature, we will die.
The New Covenant, which is centred in “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” enables us to be led by God’s Spirit, not controlled by our flesh. How important this is for now and for our future in God’s kingdom.
God’s Word promises us that, if we share in Christ’s suffering, we will also share in His glory.
Romans 8:17 NLT
[17]”And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
Since Jesus suffered unjust treatment without retaliating, we are called to be like Him…
1 Peter 2:20-23 NIV
[20]”But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. [21] To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. [22] “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” [23] When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
Building our lives on this principle…
Matthew 5:11-12 NIV
[11] “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. [12] Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
…and which Paul discovered to be way to experience God’s grace when he was hated and persecuted…
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV
[8] “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
…the principle that non-retaliation defuses the destructive revenge cycle, promoting love instead of hatred, peace in the place of chaos, and harmony for conflict, stops the escalating revenge cycle in its tracks.
Such behaviour will build homes and communities instead of fragmenting them.
Now let’s look at the outcome. Reigning with Jesus, sharing His glory, means that we will participate with Him in the government of His kingdom on earth. However, if we have never learned to control our own unruly selfish desires and sinful responses now, how will we ever be able to take part in the rule of His kingdom later?
So, Paul wrote to the Galatian believers…
Galatians 5:13, 16-17, 19, 21 NIV
[13] “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love…
[16] So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want…
[19] The acts of the flesh are obvious:… I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
We can say, then, that there are two categories of believers, those who will be saved by the skin of their teeth because they built their lives with selfish and fleshly material and those who will share with Jesus in the administration of His kingdom because they obeyed the Spirit.
We need seriously to heed Peter’s counsel…
2 Peter 1:5-11 NIV
[5] “For this very reason, (to escape the corruption caused by evil desires), make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; [6] and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; [7] and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. [8] For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. [10] Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, [11] and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
HOW DO WE DEAL WITH SPIRITUAL HIGHS?
Have you ever had a spiritual “high” so glorious that you thought the next step was heaven, only to slump into depression and despair soon afterwards?
I had that experience years ago. I had written a short play based on the life of Esther, which a group of girls performed at a ladies’ function. They did it so well that I ecststic. The next morning my heart was so heavy after the emotional overload that I shut myself away from people. All I wanted to do was cry! Why? My reaction didn’t make sense. I should have felt on top of the world instead of wallowing in emotional “mud”.
As much as I hate to admit it, depression was a big player in my early adult life. You see, my “love language”, according to Gary Chapman’s book, “The 5 Love Languages” is affirmation. Without affirmation, I felt cheated
Reflecting on the experience now, what was it that sent me into such an emotional “tailspin”? Was it because I didn’t receive the volume of accolades I thought I deserved? Since I have come to understand the mechanisms of depression, I know that, at least in my own life, self-pity triggers depression. So, if I identify the cause of my self-pity, and repent of the sin, the depression immediately dissipates and peace is restored.
Self-pity is the outcome of spiritual theft. By desiring accolades for myself, I stole from God what was rightfully His, the honour for the success of my effort. After all, was it not He who inspired me to write? Was it not He who gifted me to write? Who gave me the idea? Who enabled the teacher who produced the play and the girls who performed it to do so well? Once again, it was all about perspective.
My thoughts turned to the Bible.
Elijah had a similar experience of emotional overload that sent him into deep depression. He had won a remarkable victory over the evil Queen Jezebel and her fleet of prophets of the idol, Baal. Elijah had risked his life by challenging this mob of prophets to a dual only God and their gods could fight.
This battle was about the true God of Israel, Yahweh, versus the false god, Baal, as a witness to Israel that their worship of Baal was false and futile. The prophet Elijah represented God. 450 false prophets represented Baal.
One against 450! In the end, this conflict was not about numbers; it was about truth.
Of course, God won an astounding victory and Elijah was vindicated. 450 prophets of Baal lost their lives, no doubt at the hands of the Isaelites. Was Jezebel, the power behind King Ahab, convinced! No! She was livid! Elijah must die!
In a panic, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb in Arabia. Jezebel would never find him there! He hid in a cave on the side of the mountain to sulk and lick his wounds. Instead of a revival in Israel, a mass turning to the Lord that he had anticipated, all he got was a death threat from an angry queen and no support from the people. What was he supposed to do now?
Elijah had slumped into depression!
Self-pity? PMS… Poor Me Syndrome had paralysed his reason. When God questioned him in a whisper,
1 Kings 19:13 NLT
[13] When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
only self-pity came out.
1 Kings 19:13-14 NLT
[14] He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
What triggered Elijah’s crash? Did God disappoint him? Did he blame God for not coming to the party? Was he devastated because he got no accolades for his great victory over the prophets of Baal? All his hopes and expectations had crashed around him.
Euphoria changes to depression when we turn the focus away from God to ourselves. Despite our foolish notions, we are never the cause of success, only players in God’s bigger scheme of things.
Musing on Elijah’s situation, truth began to dawn on me as the Holy Spirit opened my mind to His ways.
How did God respond to His servant’s misery? First, a great display of power. Earthquake! Wind! Fire! “What do you want me to do, Elijah? Do you want me to display this kind of power to your people to change their hearts? It didn’t work on Mount Cartmel.” God said nothing.
When the dust and ashes had settled, God whispered to His prophet, “Tell me what’s wrong.” When Eljah had aired his complaint, God responded in His way.
God’s word to Elijah was a light bulb moment for me. His power to intervene lies, not in great displays of natural disasters but, once again, is His Word. He is working to a pre-determined plan, slowly but surely moving history towards its conclusion. He works through His Word. Herein lies His power.
Elijah’s part in this plan was not to bring about a massive revival in Israel. His part was to move history another step forward in obedience to God’s instructions. “Go and anoint three men for their function in history and, don’t worry, Elijah, you are not the only one left who serves me.”
1 Kings 19:15-18 NIV
[15] “The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. [16] Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. [17] Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. [18] Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Gone Elijah’s depression! Empowered by a new purpose, he returned to Israel to carry out the Lord’s instruction.
Great lessons emerge from this story.
Spiritual “highs” are a danger to us when we lose perspective. What we achieve is always, and only about Him, not about us. Self-pity is a stepping stone to depression. Giving glory to God is the way to stay “up” in spirit.
Beware of those who equate God’s power primarily with miracles and great displays of supernatural disaster. Yes, God does these things but God changes people from within, and changed people change situations by applying God’s Word.
God moves history according to His plan by engaging obedient servants to carry out His instructions. We may not understand His ways but that must never hinder our obedience to His Word.
Thank God for lessons that tame our unruly hearts and bring us into line with His will in our expectations, in our prayers, and in our obedience to His Word. We need to learn to do a lot less talking and a lot more listening.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Although the Bible provides instruction and guidance for our lives as God’s children, it is not a textbook for every situation and subject of modern life. However, it does provide principles to follow if we are sincere in our efforts to walk in the truth.
Sometimes, we must dig deep into the Word to find these principles with the help of the Holy Spirit.
A question that pops up frequently in preaching and discussion is the issue of cremation. We must look for answers, not only in what the Bible does not say but, even more important, what it does say.
In my search for the truth, I have yet to read or hear any Bible scholar present what the Bible does say about the burning of bodies.
This way of dealing with the issues that affect us now, i.e., what the Bible does or does not say, is one of the differences between Roman Catholic and non-Roman Catholic teaching and way of interpreting Scripture. In my understanding, these different ways of interpreting Scripture remove or set boundaries around our behaviour as believers. According to this principle, we are free to do anything that the Bible does not specifically address (in Roman Catholic theology) or we do only those things which God’s Word instructs us to do ( in non-RC teaching). We look for the principles in keeping with God’s nature where there is no specific instruction.
Let’s look, for example, at what the Bible says about the popular practice of cremation. Most Bible expositors inadvertently take the Roman Catholic route. Since the Bible does not explicitly forbid cremation, they condone or approve the practice. Accordingly, it is up to the individual to decide on the method of burial.
Although the Bible does not devote a chapter to teaching on cremation, there are principles from which we can glean God’s intention.
The first principle leads us to look at the symbolism Paul uses for human death and burial. He likens our bodies to seed. Few seeds germinate in the fire. Those that do are not destroyed in the fire but released to grow.
Our bodies are like seeds that are sown in the ground when they die. Like the seed that germinates and grows into a new plant, unlike but of the seed that was sown, our bodies will rise again from mortality to immortality, perfect, unlike but of the body that was sown, like the resurrection body of Jesus.
It seems, then, that there are, according to practice, three possible places to be buried – soil, water, or fire, depending on the circumstances. The Bible’s best place is in the earth because it best fits the picture of the seed.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38 NLT
[35] “But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” [36] What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. [37] And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. [38] Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT
[42] “It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. [43] Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. [44] They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.”
The second principle is equally significant.
In the Bible, cremation was reserved for criminals. The Valley of Hinnom, outside Jerusalem, was the city’s garbage dump, burning constantly, like the fires of hell. Criminals were cremated in the rubbish dump of Hinnom, from which the body of Jesus was saved by the intervention of Joseph of Aramathea.
What does God’s word say about the burning of a body?
In Amos 2:1, God judged Moab for burning the body of the king of Edom. Although some translations imply or add the thought of desecration, dishonouring the body, the Hebrew word simply means ‘to burn’.
It seems, then, that the acceptable way to dispose of a dead body was to commit it to the earth. God said to Adam after he sinned,
Genesis 3:19 NKJV
[19] “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, ’til you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
Cremation has become the disposal of choice because it is cheaper than burial and occupies less space than a grave. However, is this God’s prescribed way, regardless of our considerations?
True, the Bible does not forbid cremation, nor does it say how God will raise the bodies of those who were buried in fire or water. He does say, in Revelation 20:13, “The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead.” No mention of fire. However, it does tell us about His intention for the righteous dead, and what He prescribes for those who defy His holy instructions.
God’s instruction to Joshua when Achan stole goods dedicated to God after the fall of Jerico, is a case in point.
Joshua 7:15, 25 NLT
[15] “The one who has stolen what was set apart for destruction will himself be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has broken the covenant of the Lord and has done a horrible thing in Israel.”…
[25] Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord will now bring trouble on you.” And all the Israelites stoned Achan and his family and burned their bodies.”
Fire is the symbol and solemn reminder of the destiny of those who refuse to submit to God’s authority in all things.
Revelation 20:11-15 NLT
[11]”And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. [12] I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. [13] The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. [14] Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. [15] And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
We must make the choice and leave our instructions depending on our understanding of Scripture and our commitment to obey the Word.