This will get me de-friended faster than toilet paper is currently flying off the shelves at Kroger. It is what it is.
In writing to the Ephesians in Asia Minor, who were besieged with the most demonic and evil obstacles to have ever been encountered back in that day, Paul implores the Ephesians to leave their infantile ways behind in order to become mature.
Speaking truth in love, Paul implored them and us to maturity as the body of Christ, in order to be in tune with the authority of the head of the body (Eph 4:14-16).
Speaking for me, when I began teaching pure grace 8 years ago - I was teaching about God’s goodness, mercy, love, forgiveness, righteousness, finished work, and His indwelling power within us. Yet, I will honestly say I didn’t from my own core believe what I was teaching. Knowing this, God took me on a stupid hard path to deeply root myself in love, Jesus, and in what I had been and still teach today.
Maturity. It must happen for us to walk into call and purpose. We simply can’t be fully effective without it.
I came to learn that healing is a natural extension of both grace and love. In fact, we are given in the NT a new command, to love others as Jesus loved us. It’s impossible to love like Jesus and not heal like Jesus. Otherwise, He’s given us a yardstick that could never be obtained.
Loving like Jesus isn’t a high water mark we can’t reach, it’s flat out who we are in Christ. We are called to greater works, which MUST include healing in order to in fact BE greater! John 14:12
Yet. When it comes to healing, grace people say:
That was for the disciples. Or.
That was just for the 72. Or.
That ended with the temple fall. Or.
That died with the apostles. Or.
That only Jesus Himself can heal. Or.
Those verses aren’t in the original text. Or.
That was only until the Bible was printed. OR
GOD IS BI POLAR AND PICKS AND CHOOSES WHO TO HEAL.
Yet. Maybe we just don’t believe.
Like the Ephesians, darkness is at our doorstep about to ring our doorbell or just flat out kick our door down. We talk a lot about what God has done at the cross - but we refuse to open the front door to our spiritual homes and punch it in the face.
Christ is IN you - and Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Folks. Jesus doesn’t know how NOT to heal. WHY? HE’s already done paid for it and His nature is love. Yes. Finished work is finished work. All. Done. Before time. All paid for. Hebrews 4:3
LOVE HEALS, fear cowers.
We say God is love and that Jesus dwells in us - yet we passively allow sickness to rule and reign in the physical bodies of our brethren. And then we complain God doesn’t heal, when WE were told to go do it.
We can be so very anti law, we miss the full scope of our freedom and purpose. We teach that we are co crucified, co buried, co resurrected, co ascended, and co heirs - yet we fail to recognize the power God has given us. Look, if you take off the old self, and don’t put anything else on - well, now you’re just naked. We are called to be clothed in Christ and to emulate Christ. How can we just take healing off the table? Gal 3:26-27; 1 Cor 11:1
Dude, you are a citizen of heaven and sit right now in heavenly realms - how can you NOT operate from His power? Phil 4:20; Eph 2:6
Grace without love is nothing but noise. Grace and love without healing, is a powerless and empty gospel.
Folks. Jesus is the head of all authority and is the head of the church - yet we are His spiritual body acting and speaking in authority on His behalf. Eph 1:17-23
Either Jesus dwells in us, or He doesn’t. If He does. He heals. Yes. The fullness of The Godhead dwelt in Christ. And Christ dwells in us. We are full, because He is full.
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
Colossians 2:9-10
We are called to selflessness - and that can only happen from a place of love. And demonstrated healing can only happen from that place of selfless love .... and yet maybe that’s why some struggle?
To fully yield or submit to God, we must first fully believe. And sometimes we must drop what's in one hand, for God to fill the other.