Living an Empowered Life

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1 Living an Empowered Life a vineyard bible study series edited by beth crawford Copyright 2004 Vineyard Church of Columbus All Rights Reserved.

2 Bible Study Index Introducing the Holy Spirit 3 The Kingdom of God: 12 Central in the Ministry of Jesus Healing is the Will of God 20 The Role of Authority in Healing the Sick 28 Hearing God s Voice 36 Spiritual Warfare 46 Weapons For Spiritual Warfare 58 2

3 LIVING AN EMPOWERED LIFE 1 INTRODUCING THE HOLY SPIRIT John 14:15 21 and 16:5 15 By Marlene Nathan Our understanding of God is forever marked by the fact that in Christ he has been fleshed out at one point in our human history. Even if God seems distant we are not in the dark about God and his character The glory of God has been imaged for us in the one true human who bears the divine image, Christ himself. We must recognize the same to be true about the Spirit, not simply theoretically but really and experientially. The Spirit is not lightly called the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Christ has put a human face on the Spirit as well...in dealing with the Spirit, we are dealing with none other than the personal presence of God. Gordon D. Fee the point is the Spirit is a person! This can be confirmed in many ways. The activity of the Spirit is the activity of a person, not a thing. The Spirit speaks, is spoken to, teaches, convicts, intercedes, and calls. The Spirit can be grieved and lied to. Even though the Spirit doesn t have a physical body, the Spirit is a Someone, not a Something. In other words, when we receive the Spirit, we are engaged in a personal encounter. Rich Nathan and Ken Wilson Copyright 2004 Revised version Vineyard Church of Columbus All rights reserved. 3

4 AIM OF STUDY KEY VERSES To help convey some basic truths about the Holy Spirit. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. John 14:16 17a PREPARATION Read over the notes on how to teach the Bible in small group and some practical suggestions for leading a small group discussion in Vineyard Church of Columbus Small Group Leadership Training Manual. As you read over the Scripture, pray that God would give you direction for leading your group and teach each of you something relevant. You will need to go over the questions and choose which ones you want to emphasize and which you could eliminate if your time is limited. Note that the application questions are marked with an asterisk (*). Rather than leaving these to the end of the study, ask one or two as you work through the passage so people are being confronted by Scripture s truths and applying them to their own lives. If you find you are falling behind schedule and need to move ahead, you could summarize some of the passage and then go to the final questions. These studies contain more background material and information on the passages than any group will cover in a meeting. The authors are providing this for the leaders benefit to help reduce your study and preparation time; to help resource you for possible questions group members may raise; and to clarify some gray areas of doctrine that may be in your mind as you prepare. Obviously we cannot exhaust any one subject in a document like this, so you may want to do further reading and discuss doctrine with your pastor. We highly recommend The New Bible Dictionary or The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia as excellent resources for study. OPENERS What comes to your mind when you hear the words, the Holy Spirit? Allow time for enough people to reply so you get a sense of what your group members think or feel about the Holy Spirit. Then continue with the information below. If you have ever been to church, then you probably have heard the phrase,...in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Most people can understand the Father and the Son. These are ideas and images we are familiar with. But the Holy Spirit is another matter. He is clearly the most confusing and mysterious person of the Trinity. There is nothing or no one anywhere in human experience quite like Him. 4

5 The closest thing we have to the Holy Spirit today is the Force from Star Wars (e.g. May the Force be with you ). The problem many people have with the Holy Spirit is that He is intangible. We cannot touch Him with our hands, see Him with our eyes, hear Him with our ears, or even picture what He looks like. Yet throughout the pages of the Bible, He is said to fill people (Ex. 31:3; Acts 2:4); come on people (Judges 3:10; Ezek. 11:5); speak through people (2 Sam. 23:2); and move people (Is. 34:16; Ezek. 3:14). He is referred to as the breath of God, wind, fire, living water, and a dove. Along with all the unusual and bizarre things that have been attributed to Him over the centuries, it s no wonder some people prefer that He be kept shut up in the pages of the Bible and given only lip service at the appropriate times. The Holy Spirit, however, is essential to our lives as Christians. We know this because Jesus had a lot to say about Him. During His three years of ministry, Jesus spoke often of the Father. He said that if anyone had seen Him, they had also seen the Father (John 14:9). But as His earthly ministry drew to a close, Jesus began to speak more and more about the Spirit. In the same way that Jesus revealed God the Father, He also revealed God the Holy Spirit. As one theologian said, Christ has put a human face on the Spirit as well. 1 On the last night He was with His disciples, Jesus began to prepare them for what lay ahead. He would be leaving and the Spirit would be coming. Naturally the disciples were upset by this news, but Jesus had words of comfort for them. He began by telling them about the Spirit, someone they would soon be meeting in person! Pray that you would grow in your familiarity with God s Spirit through this series. Invite Him to be present and reveal more of Himself during this meeting. STUDY THE PASSAGES: John 14:15 21 and John 16: Let s read John 14:15 21 first. Throughout this passage, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as He or Him and not as an it. What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not an energy force or an impersonal power. He is not simply the power of God. He is a person just like Jesus is a person and God the Father is a person. 2. What are some characteristics that are true of people that are not true of things? 1 Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), p.25. 5

6 People are alive (!). We have a free will, a moral conscience, feelings, the ability to communicate with and a desire to relate to others. Because the Holy Spirit is a person and because He is God, He cannot be manipulated or controlled by us. He is not like a machine that can be expected to do the same thing each time we push a button (e.g., if we pray this, the Spirit will do that). He is free to act and respond in the same way a person is free to act and respond. He has feelings just like a person. Throughout the Bible, we read of instances where the Holy Spirit was grieved (Is. 63:10; Eph. 4:30). He can communicate with us, remind of us what God thinks, or give us guidance. We can respond positively and be led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14), or we can respond negatively and, for example, lie to Him (Acts 5:3). 3. According to Jesus, what should we do if we love Him (v. 15 and v. 21)? What will God do if we love Him (v. 16 and v. 21)? If we love God, then we will obey Him, because real love is more than just words. True love reveals itself in actions that benefit another person as Jesus revealed in dying for us to free us from eternal death (Rom. 5:8). In this way, real love is similar to genuine faith (James 2:14 26). In John 14, Jesus is not suggesting that God s gift of the Holy Spirit is contingent upon our obedience and our ability to love Him. What He is saying is that love ought to be the motivation behind our obedience. We must always keep in mind that it s not that we loved God, and then He responded with a reward of our salvation or the outpouring of His Spirit, but that He first loved us (1 John 4:10). *Why do you think loving God is one important prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit? Jesus is not suggesting that obedience and loving God are the price for receiving the Spirit. This would be inconsistent with other passages, which say we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift by faith (Gal. 3:2). Rather, Jesus is laying out the context of relationship with God for the giving of the Spirit. If a person doesn t first love and value Christ, how can they love and value His Spirit? 4. In verse 16, Jesus told the disciples He would send them another Counselor. The Word for Counselor in the Greek is paraclete and means someone who comes along side to help. The word another implies another of the same kind. Explain in your own words the significance of this title. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand that the Spirit is not someone new and different. They have had one counselor already (Jesus). Now they will have another (the Spirit). He wanted to draw a connection between the Spirit and Himself, in the same way He did between the Father and Himself. This is especially significant since the disciples are grieving over His announced departure. God s presence, however, will remain with them in the person of the Holy Spirit. 6

7 5. In verse 16, Jesus informed them that the Holy Spirit would be with them forever. This is quite different from anyone s previous experience of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come on someone to do a particular task, such as prophesying or performing a miracle (1 Sam. 10:10; 11:6; 19:23; 2 Chron. 15:1). But the Spirit would never remain permanently, so Jesus is saying something completely new. Why is this significant now? Jesus was not able to remain with them forever, which caused the disciples grief. They would no longer enjoy His close, intimate fellowship. But Jesus was offering them comfort. The Holy Spirit would replace Jesus bodily presence with them and would never leave them. In this sense the Spirit s coming is better than Jesus presence since He was limited by human flesh and could only be in one place at one time. The Spirit, on the other hand, will be able to be with all believers simultaneously. *How does it make you feel knowing the Holy Spirit will never leave you? 7. What did Jesus call the Holy Spirit in verse 17? What do you think this means? (See v. 26 for ideas.) Jesus called Him the Spirit of Truth. Truth is associated with all members of the Trinity in the Bible. Jesus had just referred to Himself as the Truth (v. 6). He had said to the Samaritan woman that truth is required when worshipping the Father (John 4:23 24). Soon, Jesus would state that God s Word is truth (John 17:17). Now the Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Truth. In contrast, Satan, God s enemy, is completely devoid of truth. Lying, according to Jesus, is the devil s native language (John 8:44). The Spirit s being and His actions are characterized by truth. He will lead us into all things true things about God, salvation, ourselves, life, etc. (v. 26). Occasionally, people claim the Holy Spirit has told them something that may not seem true to everyone listening. For example, a person might share an insight or a prophecy in a small group meeting, claiming that the Holy Spirit has revealed this to him or her. It is important to distinguish between what the Holy Spirit says and does and what people believe the Holy Spirit says and does. This calls for people to discern truth from lies. According to the Bible, people are not entirely dependable (Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:4), so we may not always hear or perceive the Holy Spirit s message accurately. Therefore, we use the objective standard of God s written Word to measure and evaluate what people claim is the Holy Spirit s leading. If something doesn t agree with Scripture, we ought to discard it as not being from the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19 22). *How has the Holy Spirit brought God s truth into your life? 7

8 8. Jesus said that the world could not accept the Spirit (v. 17). Why do you think that is? The world cannot receive the Spirit because it does not even perceive Him ( neither sees Him ). The world is completely unaware of and unfamiliar with God, Jesus, and the activity of the Holy Spirit ( nor knows Him ). The world cannot receive Him because it does not love and obey Jesus a prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. Finally, the world is under the influence of the prince of this world the devil, who blinds people s minds and keeps them enslaved to him (John 14:30; Eph. 2:1 3; 2 Cor. 4:4). 9. If the disciples had never met the Holy Spirit, how could Jesus say that they know Him, for He lives with them (v. 17)? Unlike the world, the disciples have a personal relationship with Jesus and they know Him. If they know Him, then they also know the Spirit. If you are running behind, you could read and summarize the next passage. Then move on to the Application section and discuss one question from it. 10. Let s read one other passage on the work of the Holy Spirit. Would someone please read aloud John 16:5 11 and someone else verses 12 15? As the disciples were trying to deal with their grief over Jesus departure, He told them that it was good for them that He would be leaving (vv. 5 7). Why would He say that? Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send Him to you. The Greek translation literally means, It is expedient that I go away. Jesus was saying that it would be to their benefit. But to the disciples, Jesus departure seemed disastrous. How could it possibly be to their advantage? He had already told them how: He would prepare a place for them (14:2); they d be able to do greater works now (14:12); they d gain more knowledge (14:20); they d actually be drawn closer to God (14:28). Also, the presence of God [through His Spirit] could be with every believer at all times unlike Jesus who was limited by His flesh. The Spirit would not be limited to one body, and He would never leave. Jesus going away also alludes to His death on the cross; His resurrection triumph over sin, death, and Satan; and His glorification in heaven. All that He accomplished through the cross made the coming of the Spirit possible. So if Christ had never left if He never goes to the cross the Spirit would not come. 8

9 11. What did Jesus say the Spirit would be doing once He came into the world (vv. 8 11)? In your own words, explain what each of these activities means. According to Jesus, the Spirit will do the unseen work of bringing conviction to a guilty world. The Greek word translated convict, elencho, seems to mean here 1) to prove guilty and 2) to awaken a consciousness of that guilt. According to Paul, the gospel itself proves that the entire world is guilty (Romans 1 3), but the Holy Spirit makes that guilt real and personal (e.g. Acts 2:37). With believers, the Spirit is like a defense attorney or advocate, but with the world, He is like the prosecutor! There are three things the Holy Spirit convicts people about: In regard to sin, because men [people] do not believe in me. The Holy Spirit could convict everyone, believers and unbelievers alike of sin, because all are sinners. The unique sin of the world, however, is that they do not believe in Christ but reject Him (John 3:18; 15:22). In regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father. The world had [and still has] the wrong standards for righteousness. Some in fact believed that they were righteous in killing Jesus because they thought that He was a sinner who deserved to die (Is. 53:4; Matt. 27:39 44). By going to the Father and leaving behind an empty tomb, Jesus has proven His own righteousness and the Father s approval. Only the Spirit can convince the world corporately and individually of this truth. In regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. The cross brought about Satan s defeat (Col. 2:13 15), which was a form of judgment against him. The devil s final demise is yet to come, however, and he is still at work in those who do not believe (Eph. 2:1 2). As certain as Satan s judgment was and ultimately will be, so is the judgment that awaits all those in the world who refuse to believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit alone is able to convince the unbeliever of the reality and certainty of this future judgment. 12. According to Jesus, where does the Spirit get His messages (vv )? How would you describe His role in the Trinity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? In John 14:16 17, Jesus said that He would ask the Father and He [emphasis added] will give you another Counselor the Spirit of truth. In John 14:26, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name would teach them. But in John 15:26, Jesus stated, I [emphasis added] will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father. We can only conclude that both the Father and the Son are involved in sending out the Holy Spirit. 2 2 Leon Morris, John, The NIV Study Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), p

10 Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus emphasized that He did and said only what the Father wanted Him to (5:19; 7:16; 12:49). Likewise, the Spirit will never act independently of the Father or initiate a message or ministry of His own. He, like Jesus, will submit to the Father in word and deed. The Spirit also will take the very things Jesus did and said while on earth and make them known to Jesus followers. The Spirit enables us to comprehend truth about God and therefore to truly know God. APPLICATION *Share one thing you learned about the Holy Spirit today. *From what we learned today, let s list all the benefits of having the Holy Spirit live in and with us. *What have we learned about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit from these passages? How can this help deepen our relationship with God? Once the Holy Spirit came, the true nature of God became clearer to believers. Jesus was the incarnation of God He was God in the flesh. Paul wrote that Jesus was the visible image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15) that in Him God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell (Col. 1:19). The teachings, character, and works of God that Jesus displayed not only made the Father more evident to us, but also introduced God s Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit (Rom. 8:9 11; 2 Cor. 3:17), not some impersonal power. The Holy Spirit made the true nature of our relationship with God more tangible. God actually indwells us, corporately and individually, by His Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16 17; 1 Cor. 6:19). All believers are in Christ or joined to Jesus Christ by faith in His death and resurrection on our behalf (Rom. 6:5; Eph. 1:11 14; Col. 2:6 7). Because He lives in us through His Spirit (Rom. 8:9), and we in Him (Col. 3:3), we enjoy all the benefits of salvation: forgiveness, justification, cleansing, regeneration, freedom from the power of sin, adoption, access to God, His promises and power, etc. (Rom. 5:1 11; Eph. 1:3 8; 2 Pet. 1:3 4). The Spirit will bring all these truths about God to light for us and enable us to understand them. As we connect our understanding of Jesus with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and grasp more fully all we have received through our relationship with Him, we may learn to trust God more completely, believe obeying Him will be to our advantage [rather than disadvantage], and feel more at home with each Person of the Trinity. Thus we may grow in our ability to believe, obey, and fellowship with God to His delight and our benefit. 10

11 WRAPPING IT UP In these passages, we saw Jesus preparing His disciples for His imminent departure. There were some rough times ahead for them, but they had a lot to be encouraged about from what He had told them. They could expect to receive another Counselor, someone who was just like Jesus. He would come along side each of them to help them, and He would never leave. This other Counselor would actually be their link with Jesus and the Father. This other Counselor knew all about the things Jesus had taught and done with them the past three years. And He would remind them of anything they may have forgotten. As Christians, each of us was given the Holy Spirit when we were born again. He is our link with Jesus and the Father. He will be with us always in every situation we find ourselves in. And He does not have to remain a mystery to us. We know that as we read the New Testament and learn about Jesus, we are also getting to know the Holy Spirit, because He is another Counselor, one just like Jesus. 11

12 LIVING AN EMPOWERED LIFE 2 THE KINGDOM OF GOD: CENTRAL IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS Luke 4:38 44, Luke 8:1 2; 9:1 2, 11; 10:1, 9; and Acts 1:8 By Marlene Nathan For the first twelve years of my Christian life, I gave little thought to the kingdom of God. My pastors and Bible teachers had taught that the kingdom would come at the second coming of Christ and, therefore, had little significance in our lives today I find my neglect of the kingdom remarkable because it is so clearly at the center of Jesus teaching I [now realize] that at the very heart of the gospel lies the kingdom of God, and that power for effective evangelism and discipleship relates directly to our understanding and experiencing the kingdom today. John Wimber The gospel according to Mark begins the story of Jesus ministry with these significant words Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel (1:14 15). Mark thus makes it plain that the burden of Jesus preaching was to announce the Kingdom of God; that was the central thing with which he was concerned. A reading of the teachings of Jesus as they are found in the Gospels only serves to bear this statement out. Everywhere the Kingdom of God is on his lips, and it is always a matter of desperate importance. John Bright Copyright 2004 Revised version Vineyard Church of Columbus All rights reserved. 12

13 AIM OF STUDY KEY VERSE To establish that the Kingdom of God was central to the ministry and teaching of Jesus and therefore is essential to understanding discipleship. But He said, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. Luke 4:43 PREPARATION Read over the notes on how to teach the Bible in small group and some practical suggestions for leading a small group discussion in Vineyard Church of Columbus Small Group Leadership Training Manual. Before you read over the Scripture, pray that God would give you direction for leading your group and teach you something relevant. Then read through the passage and the Bible study below. You will need to go over the questions and choose which ones you want to emphasize and which you could eliminate if your time is limited. Note that the application questions are marked with an asterisk (*). Rather than leaving these to the end of the study, ask one or two as you work through the passage so people are being confronted by Scripture s truths and applying them to their own lives. If you find you are falling behind schedule and need to move ahead, you could summarize some of the passage and then go to the final questions. This particular study has two additional sections with verses you may want to quickly read over and summarize so that you can get to application and ministry time. These studies contain more background material and information on the passages than any group will cover in a meeting. The authors are providing this for the leaders benefit to help reduce your study and preparation time; to help resource you for possible questions group members may raise; and to clarify some gray areas of doctrine that may be in your mind as you prepare. Obviously we cannot exhaust any one subject in a document like this, so you may want to do further reading and discuss doctrine with your pastor. We highly recommend The New Bible Dictionary or The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia as excellent resources for study. OPENERS When you hear the words kingdom of God or kingdom of Heaven, what comes to your mind? Allow for a few responses, and then read aloud John Wimber s quote on the cover page. Can you identify with the statement John Wimber made in his booklet, Kingdom Come? 13

14 Perhaps you also have given little, if any thought to the kingdom of God. Maybe you have been taught that the kingdom is something that won t be experienced until heaven or until some point in the future, so you have not concerned yourself with it in daily life. Certainly anyone who watches the evening news or surfs the web doesn t see much reporting on the kingdom of God. Yet the kingdom of God literally dominated the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. He did not see the kingdom as something restricted only to the future with little relevance to everyday life. In the four gospels alone, the phrase kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven appears 84 times. In contrast, the cross (undeniably central to the ministry of Jesus and the life the Christian) appears only 17 times. And the words gospel and good news (which is the message Jesus and His disciples preached) appears only 23 times. The kingdom was central to the teachings of the apostles in the early church as well. When the apostle Paul traveled to Ephesus, he entered the synagogues and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8). While under arrest in Rome, From morning till evening, he [Paul] explained and declared to them [invited Jewish leaders] the kingdom of God... (Acts 28:23b). And the final verse in Acts reads, Boldly and without hindrance he [Paul] preached the kingdom of God [for two years] and taught about the Lord Jesus (Acts 28:31). If the kingdom of God played such a prominent role in the New Testament, then it is vitally important for us to understand the implications this has for our lives. Is there anything I ve shared that you had never heard before? Allow for replies, but don t get sidetracked trying to answer questions before getting into the text! Pray that God s Holy Spirit would open your mind and hearts to see what He wants to reveal in His Word. STUDY THE PASSAGE: Luke 4:38 44 In this passage, Jesus was at the very beginning of His earthly ministry and His popularity was growing. Luke wrote, Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God (Luke 5:26a). Everyone, that is, except those He knew from His hometown of Nazareth, where an angry mob tried to kill Him after He read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue (4:14 30). But he quickly regained popularity after traveling to Capernaum where He cast a demon out of a man in the synagogue. 1. Let s read aloud Luke 4: This began as a very typical Sabbath for Jesus and the disciples. Together they attended synagogue and then went to Peter s house for a meal. What happened there? What do you observe about how Jesus healed Peter s mother-in-law? 14

15 Jesus healed Peter s mother-in-law by rebuking the fever. Luke did not mention that He laid hands on her, although He may have, since He touched her hand in Matthew and Mark s accounts (Matt. 8:15; Mark 1:31). But no one wrote He petitioned God the Father for her to be healed. Instead, He spoke right to the fever and expected it to obey His command! Jesus showed the same kind of confident authority to heal with mere words as a policeman does when he (or she) stops traffic with just a raised hand. 2. The setting of the sun marked the end of the Sabbath, so the Jews were once again free to travel and work. What did they choose to do? Why? If you have ever been to third world nation, then you have a feel for what it may have been like to live in Jesus day. Doctors and medical treatment were not readily available, so sickness and disease were commonplace. It was no surprise that when word got out about a man in town who could heal, everyone showed up with friends, and all of them had needs! 3. Luke wrote that Jesus laid His hands on each one, and healed them. He also cast out demons, but would not allow the demons to identify Him. For centuries this has puzzled theologians because they thought it would have been more helpful to Jesus if everyone had known His real identity. What are some reasons He might have silenced the demons? Jesus had a strong sense of divine timing and said several times, It is not my time. What He meant by this was that it was not yet time for Him to die on the cross. In the New Testament, God had planned appointed times for events to take place (Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:15; Luke 19:44; John 2:4, 7:6; Acts 17:26; 2 Thess. 2:6; Heb. 9; Rev. 1:3). Jesus might have silenced the demons because a premature, public disclosure of who He really was would have interfered with God s timing. Or, He may have commanded them to be quiet because He did not wish to have any P.R. (public relations) from the enemy camp. He also may have silenced them because He wanted people to seek after Him with spiritual hunger and earnestness rather than find out His identity without exerting personal effort. 4. What unexpected thing did Jesus do as more people came to Him the next morning? Why? How did He arrive at this decision? Note: Jesus did not mean here that the one and only reason He came to earth was to preach the kingdom. That would be inconsistent with other statements He made concerning His mission. However, one of the primary reasons He came was to preach the good news of the kingdom. Of course He also came to reveal God the Father more clearly, to live an obedient life, and to die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. So Jesus knew His purpose for being sent to earth, and He based His responses to the needs and demands of others on His mission. 15

16 While the Scriptures don t specify, we can assume people were looking for Him because there were more people to heal and more demons to cast out. But Jesus was comfortable leaving these needs unmet so that He could fulfill His mission. It appears that He made His decision based on His time alone with the Father just that morning. Obeying God was Jesus motivation in everything He did. This was certainly more important to Him than pleasing people (John 14:31). *Optional: What can we learn from Jesus that will help us make decisions about God s will for our lives? When we are trying to determine God s will, it is important that we don t get our cues just from circumstances or other people. As with the case in Luke 4, God s will does not always appear to be the best decision. Many might have said it would have been better for Jesus to stay a few more days in Capernaum, heal more sick people, cast out more demons, and then move on. What difference would a few days have made? After all, the people had needs, they were open to Him, and it would have been a tremendous faith builder for the disciples to see Jesus perform miracles. The only way to be sure about God s will is to spend time alone with God and hear personally from Him. And the more time we take listening to God, the better we become at hearing what He is saying! Another study in this series will look at listening for God s voice. 5. While the passage doesn t really explain this, why do you think Jesus called His message the good news of the Kingdom of God? There are several reasons why Jesus news was/is good. Probably those Jesus was preaching to did not thoroughly grasp what He meant by the kingdom. In fact, their ideas may have been in terms of an historical or political kingdom. But they did understand that the kingdom of God meant that God is King. And this was good news for those who felt God was distant or unavailable to them. Because God is good, He would be a good king, and anyone living in His kingdom would enjoy His blessings. Contrast this with living under the rule of a tyrannical king, who is diabolical, evil, and cares nothing for his subjects. This was precisely the situation humankind was in when Jesus came to earth. Satan was the ruler, the earth was his kingdom not God s, and all men and women were his subjects (Eph 2:1 3; Col. 1:13). Jesus announcement that a change was about to take place and a new king would take over was indeed good news (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 1 John 3:8). You may point out that the Bible does not clearly define the kingdom of God in a precise way. Put in simple terms, the kingdom of God can be simply understood as the rule and the reign of God. God is King. He is the 16

17 sovereign ruler because He is the eternal Creator and Owner of all things (Gen. 2:2 3; Is. 40:28; Psm. 24:1 2; John 1:2 4; Rev. 4:11). Everything and everyone submitted to Him are part of His kingdom. He rules now even while we do not see everything submitted to Him, and He will reign in the future when His kingship will be evident and acknowledged everywhere (Eph. 1:9 10; Heb. 10:12 14; Php. 2:9 11; Rev. 11:15 18). John Wimber wrote that we live between the first and second comings of Christ. At His first coming, Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17; 12:28), but it is not yet present in its fullest expression 3 (Matt. 25:31 33, 46). If Jesus had simply instructed us how to live better lives, that would not have been good news. People are not capable of just following instructions because all of us are sinners. The world has been under the reign of a diabolical dictator. This dictator takes full advantage of the sinful nature we were born with, and continually tempts us to rebel against God. Before we were saved, we were slaves to this dictator and to sin. But, Jesus message is that He has overthrown this dictator and established God s rule and reign. If we are Christians, then we are no longer slaves; we have been set free! We have changed our citizenship from one kingdom to another; we have changed our allegiance from one ruler to another (Col. 1:13 14). This implies both freedom and a radical, comprehensive transformation for each of us. There is further good news! Jesus doesn t leave all the changes up to us. He has sent His Holy Spirit, the One He called another Counselor to be with us and to live in us. We now have the life of the Perfect Son of God dwelling in us, bringing love, joy, faith, patience, self-control, etc., and strength to cooperate with God s work of transforming us from rebels to children eager to obey Him (Php. 1:6; 2:12 13). Discipleship is applying this message of the kingdom to our lives and pursuing a life-long commitment to stop doing things our way (and Satan s way). Instead, we commit ourselves to do things God s way so that He might be glorified in everything. We will have some setbacks and failures, and will need the Spirit s help to persevere to the end, but we will find no greater purpose or satisfaction than giving ourselves whole-heartedly to King Jesus. 3 John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Evangelism, (New York: Harper & Row, 1986), pp

18 If you are running behind, you could read and summarize the next two sections. Then move on to the Application section and discuss one question from it. STUDY THE PASSAGES: Luke 8:1 2; 9:1 2, 11; 10:1, Could I have three volunteers to read these verses: Luke 8:1 2, 9:1 2, 11 and 10:1, 9? What activity accompanied the preaching of the kingdom? Why do you think this happened? John Wimber called Jesus the word worker because he proclaimed the kingdom of God and then demonstrated it through healing and deliverance. In response to John the Baptist s question in Matthew 11, Jesus says, Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor (Matt 11:4 5). These miracles were more than just a validation of Jesus message. Healing and deliverance from demonic powers are tangible signs of the presence of the kingdom, just as much as salvation and the forgiveness of sins are the gifts God bestows upon us when we enter the kingdom. These signs are what we can expect when God s rule and reign is established here and now. People get physically and spiritually better. Although the Church down through history has not always taught this, healing and deliverance should be normative in the kingdom of God. However, we get confused when we don t see and experience perfect healing and deliverance every time we pray. *Jesus passed the baton to His disciples: first to the twelve in Luke 9 and then to the seventy-two in Luke 10. Now they were to do the things that Jesus did. How are you imitating what Jesus did? Are you preaching and demonstrating the kingdom of God? Why or why not? STUDY THE PASSAGE: Acts 1: Let s read three more verses in Acts 1:1 3. Often the final words a person speaks before leaving are the most important. What did Jesus talk to His disciples about for the forty days before His return to heaven? He spoke to them about the kingdom of God (v. 3). *Why does or why doesn t this surprise you? 18

19 APPLICATION *People have attributed many different messages to Jesus: Some say He came preaching brotherhood and love for all men. Some say He preached peace and nonviolence. Some say His emphasis was on self-sacrifice and service to God and humankind. According to the Bible, what was the primary message of Jesus? Why? How is the good news of the kingdom of God different from some of these other popular understandings of his message? *If the good news of the kingdom of God is central to the life and ministry of Jesus, then as His follower, what might you need to change in your life? *What do you think the kingdom of God could look like in your family, school, neighborhood, or workplace if you were open to God s rule and reign becoming more tangible in your life? *This week, how will you pray specifically for God s kingdom to come? WRAPPING IT UP The kingdom of God was central to the ministry of Jesus. He came to proclaim that the rule of Satan was over, and His Father s kingdom was established and advancing. Once we understand that Jesus came preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, we will be able to grasp more fully everything He taught and did while He was on this earth. We will also see how this relates to being His disciples and making more disciples. Throughout this series, we will be praying that God s kingdom will come to an even greater degree to our lives and those around us. 19

20 LIVING AN EMPOWERED LIFE 3 HEALING IS THE WILL OF GOD Matthew 8:2 4 By Marlene Nathan When we want to understand God s will, we should not try to deduce it from the circumstances of a fallen world. Neither should we form an abstract concept of God s will from a nonbiblical notion of divine sovereignty. Rather, we should look at Jesus, who is the explicit declaration of God s will. We say that our knowledge of God is derived from Scripture generally and revealed in Jesus Christ specifically. We believe that God was in Christ that the will of God was done through Christ. If this is true, why then are so many of our theological assertions about sickness and healing inconsistent with this perspective? As we passively accept sickness as God s will or embrace it as his blessing, we contradict what we say we believe about the character of God revealed in Christ. Either we fail logically to connect what we say about sickness and healing to what we believe about God, or we do not really believe about God what we claim. Ken Blue Copyright 2004 Revised version Vineyard Church of Columbus All rights reserved. 20

21 AIM OF STUDY KEY VERSE To answer the question, Is it God s will to heal the sick? Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Matthew 4:23 PREPARATION Read over the notes on how to teach the Bible in small group and some practical suggestions for leading a small group discussion in Vineyard Church of Columbus Small Group Leadership Training Manual. Before you read over the Scripture, pray that God would give you direction for leading your group and teach you something relevant. Then read through the passage and the Bible study below. You will need to go over the questions and choose which ones you want to emphasize and which you could eliminate if your time is limited. Note that the application questions are marked with an asterisk (*). Rather than leaving these to the end of the study, ask one or two as you work through the passage so people are being confronted by Scripture s truths and applying them to their own lives. If you find you are falling behind schedule and need to move ahead, you could summarize some of the passage and then go to the final questions. These studies contain more background material and information on the passages than any group will cover in a meeting. The authors are providing this for the leaders benefit to help reduce your study and preparation time; to help resource you for possible questions group members may raise; and to clarify some gray areas of doctrine that may be in your mind as you prepare. Obviously we cannot exhaust any one subject in a document like this, so you may want to do further reading and discuss doctrine with your pastor. We highly recommend The New Bible Dictionary or The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia as excellent resources for study. OPENERS What are your honest feelings and beliefs about God s will to heal the sick? How have you arrived at your convictions: by what you ve been taught as a Christian, by your experiences, or by what the Bible says? Discuss briefly and move on since we want the Bible to shape our thoughts, feelings and practices regarding healing. One of the most important questions we must answer concerning healing is whether or not it is God s will to heal the sick. If healing is something God wants us to do and experience, then we ought to pray for the sick whenever we can. But if healing is not God s will, then praying for the sick is both futile 21

22 and wrong. It s futile, because praying won t change what God decrees, and it s wrong because Jesus instructs us to pray according to the will of God. The primary way Christians determine the will of God is by the Scriptures. In the Bible, God reveals what He wants done on the earth. But some Christians add to the Bible a radical view of God s sovereignty. The Bible clearly teaches that God is sovereign and in control of His creation. Some, however, take this doctrine to an extreme, adding that everything that happens in this world is also the will of God. They reason that nothing can happen that is outside of or contrary to what God wants, because God is in control. He is sovereign. Therefore, they conclude that whatever happens is the will of God. Someone holding to this position might answer the question, Is it God s will to heal? by looking at all the hospitals filled with sick people. They may conclude that God does not wish to heal the sick, because if He did, there wouldn t be so much sickness in the world. (It is interesting to note that at one time, Christians applied this same kind of reasoning to evangelism. They believed that if God wanted people saved, He would do it with or without the help of missionaries and evangelists. Most Christians today reject this reasoning and see both the need for and the value in missionary work and evangelism. Unfortunately, many are still applying this kind of thinking to healing.) Taking such a radical position concerning God s sovereignty and His will sounds reasonable, but it is actually inconsistent with the Bible. For example, the Bible clearly teaches that it is God s will for all humans to be saved (Matt. 18:14; 2 Pet. 3:9; I Tim. 2:4). At the same time, there are many people in the world who are not saved. It would contradict Scripture, though, for us to conclude that this is God s will. There are other factors involved besides the will of God that affect whether or not a person is saved. So, just because there are sick people in the world, we should not and cannot assume that this is God s will. John Wimber reminded us that we live between the first and second comings of Christ. At His first coming, Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17; 12:28), but it is not yet present in its fullest expression 4 (Matt. 25:31 33, 46). Wimber wrote, His sovereignty, lordship and kingdom are what bring healing. Our part is to pray Thy kingdom come and trust him for whatever healing comes from his gracious hand. And if in this age it does not come, then we still have assurance from the atonement that it will come in the age to come. 5 Some things are a mystery to us (Deut. 9:9), but Christians view God as willing to intervene in human events as we engage Him through faith-filled prayer (Gen. 18:16 33; John 14:12 14). 4 John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Evangelism, (New York: Harper & Row, 1986), pp John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Healing, (New York: HarperCollins, 1987), p

23 There are no clear-cut verses in the Bible that declare it is God s will for all men to be healed and made well. To answer the question, Is it God s will to heal the sick? we have to look instead at the ministry of Jesus, the visible image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). According to Jesus, He did only what the Father wanted Him to do (John 5:19; 8:29; 10:37 38; 12:44 45; 14:9 11). Therefore, we can determine what God wants regarding healing by what Jesus did. In the gospel accounts, Jesus healed a lot! In fact, He healed every person who came to Him for healing. He even healed some who never asked for healing but were brought to Him for help by others. As we seek to understand the will of God regarding healing, let s look at one of the many healing stories that are found in the gospels and use Jesus as our model for what God really wants. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead you and your group into truth as you study God s Word together. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY This account of the healing of a leper is found in all three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) with slight variations between them. The three gospel writers place this incident sometime during the first few months of Jesus public ministry in Galilee. Matthew specifies that it occurred right after the completion of Jesus Sermon on the Mount; however his gospel does not always follow chronological order. This story is like so many other healing stories in the gospels: the person healed remains anonymous while the account is simple and straightforward. STUDY THE PASSAGE: Matthew 8:2 4 [Mark 1:40 45 and Luke 5:12 14 are parallel passages] 1. Let s read aloud Matthew 8:2 4. What was wrong with the man in this story and what did he want? What did the man s question reveal he understood about Jesus? In the Greek, the word translated leprosy could mean the specific disease that we call Hansen s disease, or any number of other infectious diseases of the skin. Skin ailments were probably common then in Israel, since Jesus mentions them in Matthew 10, when He sent out the twelve with authority to heal. The laws related to these diseases are in Leviticus 13 and 14. Not only was there the suffering from the disease itself, but there were social and religious ramifications as well. In Leviticus 13:45 46 we read, The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, Unclean! Unclean! As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp. There was tremendous social isolation and shame associated with leprosy. There was also the stigma that leprosy might be a curse sent 23

24 from God (Num. 12:10 12, Miriam afflicted with leprosy by God as judgment for her sin; Job 18:13). In the Old Testament, healing from leprosy was rare and considered extremely difficult (2 Kings 5:7). Possibly this man and others believed God has deliberately cursed him with leprosy because of some sin he had committed. Surprisingly, the man seemed to believe that Jesus could heal him. It wasn t that his disease was too difficult to heal or that Jesus lacked the power and ability. The real question for him was whether or not Jesus wanted to. It is clear that he wanted to be healed because he came out of the crowd and went right up to Jesus. Lepers were supposed to keep their distance from people, which the ten lepers in Luke 17:12 13 did. But this fellow came up close enough for Jesus to be able to reach out and touch him. He knew what he wanted; he just didn t know what Jesus had in mind. He believed in Jesus power to heal, but was not sure about Jesus desire to heal. Nowhere else in all the gospels did anyone ever ask Jesus if He was willing to heal! *Is this how you would ask Jesus to heal you if you were sick? This man s dilemma is very similar to ones today when Christians pray for healing. Believers often pray, Lord, if it s your will, please heal Joe s back problem. Most likely this comes from an attempt to imitate Jesus prayer in the Garden in Gethsemane, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done (Luke 22:42). However, it also reveals that we doubt God s willingness to heal. Many Christians assert that God can do anything, and that nothing is too difficult for Him, including the healing of a particular illness. It s His intentions that they are unsure of. How does God feel about the sickness? Does He care? Does He want to teach a lesson through the sickness? Will He teach and then alleviate it? What is God s will? 2. How did Jesus heal the man? What was significant about what Jesus did? Jesus healed this man differently than He did the ten lepers in Luke 17. In that instance, He simply spoke to them (Luke 17:14). But with this man, Jesus first reached out and touched him. The law forbade such an action since lepers were unclean and anyone touching them would become unclean as well. Jesus disregarded the regulations and touched the man first, to demonstrate His willingness to heal. He also told the man that He was willing, so that by word and deed, the man would be convinced of Jesus desire to heal. He then spoke a command that resulted in the man s healing from the leprosy. A touch from Jesus made the man clean, rather than the leper making Jesus unclean! Nothing Jesus touches can remain defiled. Note that Jesus did not rebuke or correct the man for asking Him if He was willing to heal. Jesus seemed only too happy to prove that He was willing. In contrast, Jesus corrected the father of the demonized boy in Mark 9:14 27 for questioning His ability to heal: But if you can do anything, take pity on us 24