What do all beggars who have ever met Jesus have in common? All were healed, and had no further need to beg! The blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) ceased his begging and immediately began following Jesus. And both the blind beggar who got “mud in his eye” (John 9:1-8) and the lame(the physically impaired lame, not the socially inept lame) beggar who begged at the gate called beautiful (Acts 3:1-10) became known as those who “used to beg” after their encounter with Jesus. It does not say that money was poured into their laps, but rather it is implied that their encounter with Jesus impacted their lives so powerfully that they never needed to beg again… There are some in this day and age in which we live who would seem to disprove this point, as they cling to their Bibles with one hand and hold out the other to be filled (beg), all the while demonstrating some of the most vile, degrading, disrespectful behavior known to man. However, rather than disprove our point, they simply help to make it more clearly. For many of these are people of whom the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about, “holding to a form of godliness”, all the while “denying it’s power”. They are described quite well in 2 Timothy 3:2-5: 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power… So what and who cares? While some would seek to represent the church in “holding to a form of godliness” and in truth drag her through the mud, it does not change the fact that a true encounter…a power encounter (borrowing Paul’s words) with Jesus changes everything for people! We ARE seated “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (as Ephesians 2:6 tells us) for a reason…to help facilitate power encounters with the one who causes blind men to see, the lame to walk, and those who lack to be filled - Jesus the Christ! And here’s more good news, being seated in heavenly places is not something to which we can strive to attain - it is a position given FREELY for all those who are in Christ Jesus. It is our position whether we would choose to operate from this perspective or not. Sin does not displace us, it merely causes us to forget where we stand. Because of the FINISHED work of the cross of Christ Jesus (for those who would choose to receive it), we are sons, daughters, heirs of the Kingdom regardless of our foolishness at times (For real Fathers love their children, and they remain children and heirs regardless of their foolishness). We have been placed in this position in order to introduce THIS Father to others, so that they too can have a power encounter with Jesus!
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:09:16 +0000
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