May 15, 2022

Church in the City III - Expectations (BTS 15 May 22) – Pastor John Custer

Introduction - This short lesson is a continuation of the Church in the City series.  In his prophecies to the churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 & 3, God promises a special blessing to those who overcome. 

Revelation 2:7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.  NLT

The idea of victory implies that the believer was involved in some kind of conflict with an adversary and emerged the winner at the conclusion of the conflict.  For the Christian, the foremost adversary is Satan.  He, and all of his works and co-workers are all elements of the same opposition.  We Christians have been given abundant power, and authority to use that power, to undo the works of the devil.  When we do this in faith, even though there is not an immediate result, God considers it a victory and us victorious.  He is then responsible for the actual overturning of the devil’s work, not us.  If we expect an instant outworking every time we pray, we set up unrealistic expectations for ourselves and all Christians around us.  Consider the prophet Jeremiah, who after 40 years of ministry, had no miracles or worldly successes to comfort him.  He prophesied for 40 years with no results!  Here are some things for us to consider when we set our expectations for healing, a common battlefront:

Firstly, we take this Scripture and misapply it broadly to all we do as Christians:

John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  NLT

What did the Lord mean by “greater?”  Greater in number? Greater in magnitude or impact?  The Scripture simply does not say.  Here is the Scripture which does apply more pointedly to our ability to heal:

Mark 16:18  they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. KJV

None of the major translations of the Bible specifically say that this recovery will always be instantaneous.  Most just say that the sick will get better.  If we expect that each healing must be instantaneous, we set ourselves up for discouragement by saying something that the Lord does not say.  On the positive side, when we lay hands on the sick we set up an unstoppable process of healing.  This is much more realistic and consistent with our experience, and the experience of the early church.  Only one verse in the New Testament says that the apostles healed every one (Acts 5:16), contrasted to the many instances of Jesus healing all.  

Conclusion - God can heal instantly anytime he wants to, but our commission is more pointedly to be victorious by starting a recovery through laying hands on the sick.  In this way our expectations are biblical, and we stay encouraged, teaching others to be victorious members of the Church in the City!