Prophetic Article - February 2005
Contending for the Supernatural
God is supernatural and He desires to be known in this dimension. The church is the primary entity through which God intends to demonstrate His supernatural power and His supernatural presence. And yet, we rarely see the supernatural demonstration of God. Why? I believe the key lies in the lost art of contending for the supernatural. John the Baptist, the Early Church and Mary are important models for us to examine.
John the Baptist
The sole purpose of John the Baptist's ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus. First John preached a message of repentance, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is here." Then Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated the Kingdom of God. This demonstration included physical healing, revived hearts, father's being restored to children, deliverance from demonic oppression, people jumping and leaping and praising God.
Even although John the Baptist did not have many of these signs and wonders happening he was called to prepare the way for them. Above all else John knew that he was called to prepared Israel for the One who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).
John had already discerned that the Pharisees and the Sadducees would resist Jesus. "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'" (Matthew 3:7). When the supernatural demonstration of the Kingdom of God comes some invariably get offended. Prior to Jesus' ministry John looked into the hearts of the Pharisees and Sadducees and saw that they would resist God's supernatural workings. How did he know this? Because he too was contending for the supernatural.
Apostolic Contending
Paul clearly states that supernatural signs accompany apostolic ministers. "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds" (2 Corinthians 12:12 - Emphasis added). Apostles understand what it means to preserver and content for this supernatural aspect of their ministry. Furthermore, the New Testament church followed the example of ministry modelled to them by Apostolic ministers.
One of the earliest examples is found in Acts 3. Peter and John healed a lame man who was begging at the entrance to the temple. This healing caused an uproar among the religious leaders of the time. "And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it…What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it" (Acts 4:14, 16).
You can't argue with someone who has been healed because the reality of it is staring right in your face. The supernatural puts God right in your face. You can't stay in the middle, you have to go to the left or the right. This level of confrontation often results in intense anger and hatred toward God's messengers. Peter and John were thrown in prison. What price are we prepared to pay? Can we pay the price of being intimidated, shut down, shunned, rejected, slandered and accused - maybe even from religious leaders? Or what about death threats and imprisonment? You see, the trouble only started after the lame man was healed. The enemy resists the supernatural workings of God because they are perilous to his purposes. That's how strategic the supernatural is to the purpose of God. The early church was schooled in the art of contending for the supernatural. They prayed for the exact thing they were being intimidated to shut down.
"'Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.' And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:29-31).
God shook the building, showing His approval of their determination and gutsiness despite the opposition and persecution. Let us follow their example. We must see a release of the supernatural in our cities and nations. The eternal destiny of our generation is dependant on the supernatural demonstration of God. This is a life and death situation and it is immoral for us to just sit and do nothing.
Intimacy, conception, growth, travail and birth.
Mary serves as a model and type of believers who allow God to birth the supernatural through their lives. She was prepared to be impregnated with Jesus Himself. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus …The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:31, 35). When God impregnated Mary with the divine seed it was unquestionably a supernatural conception. It is a miracle when a seed is planted in the womb of a virgin who has not known a man.
Mary's supernatural conception resulted in the birth of a supernatural being whose destiny was to fulfil a supernatural work. The reason we seldom see the supernatural works of God in our lives is because we fail to embrace supernatural conception. I believe God chose Mary because He saw her yearning for intimacy. Conception involves intimacy. It is through intimacy with God that Jesus' nature and character are formed inside of us. Intimacy means in-to-me-see and is the beginning of seeing supernatural works. On the contrary, so much Christian activity is conceived out of the natural mind and gives birth to dead religion and the works of the flesh.
Once the seed is conceived it needs to grow. Many resist this phase because it is uncomfortable and often painful. Pregnancy stretches and expands both inwardly and outwardly. It causes us to walk different, look different, act different, behave different, speak different. Not only that it also changes our behaviour. The something inside of us changes the dynamic of who we are and how we behave. The maturity of any spiritual or natural seed involves growth. In the natural this process of growth and maturity can be cut off by:
1. No enlargement in the womb.
2. Miscarriage.
3. Still-birth.
4. Abortion.
These tragedies can be extremely devastating. Such devastation can be equally true of tragedies that cut off the spiritual seeds that God has implanted within us. Many Christians have carried God-given dreams and destinies in their spirits and through no fault of their own the enemy has cut off the seed in its infancy. This can leave tremendous wounding and scarring of spirit. Abortion, on the other hand, is a choice. Once it is realized that we have aborted the dreams, destinies and supernatural workings that God has put inside of us, the enemy can attack us with overwhelming feelings of guilt. God desires to bring healing to all those who have experienced such devastation of spirit. Not only is it His desire, but it is also essential if the church is to fulfil her God-given mandate. Those who have been healed and restored will carry a jealousy to protect and nurture the holy seed of God in both themselves and others. Destinies are most vulnerable in their early stages and need special protection. It is during this stage that the enemy will try to destroy the seed. We obtain this protection by faith and determination. Faith connects with Jesus. Determination says, "God I want to see this thing birthed in the earth even if it kills me. This is my day, this is my hour. I came into the earth for such a time as this, to birth the supernatural works of God."
We have a seed inside us and that seed is in the likeness, image and character of Jesus Christ. Everything Jesus did in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and Revelation, and everything inbetween, He is calling us to do today. The day of mundane, boring and religious Christianity is over! We stand on the threshold of a major advance in the Kingdom of God. This is a new day. A day of God's awesome visitation. A day in which the Son will be revealed in and through His people.
There are many seeds which have lain dormant in peoples spirits for many years. Birth not only requires growth but it also requires travail. 2005 is going to be a year of significant growth and birthing. God wants us to step outside our comfort zones and yield to Him. The reproach will be stopped. Let us press into everything He has for us.
From www.heartofdavidministries.org
© 2005 by Nathan Shaw. All Rights Reserved.
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