storiesofvalue

More Than a Metaphor

Earthly images of light and darkness are perfect metaphors for defining the place our Light, Jesus, holds in our lives. Whether we are talking about a lighthouse, or the common household light sources that help us function every day, it is easy for us to understand light is a good thing and darkness is a bad thing.

Even Jesus used metaphor to illustrate how light and darkness reminds us of truth and evil. In John 3:19-21 He says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

However, it is important to understand Jesus, as Light, goes beyond metaphor. We can describe Him in terms of our personal experience here, but He has light we have not seen and possesses truth we cannot understand. This becomes relevant when we face a crisis in our lives that seems insurmountable. Just because we can’t see solutions doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Jesus sees what we don’t see and understands how the smallest details of our day fit into His Father’s tapestry of time.

Jesus isn’t just similar to the light we see here. He “is” Light. He is the author of all things light, just as His Father clothes Himself in light (Psalm 104:1-3). Therefore, there is no darkness so dark it cannot be pierced by His glory.

Yet, the Light creates change within before He alters the world without.  He provided purification from sin on the cross and gave us the right to participate in His appeal to others.

Years ago I was reading the words of an old hymn titled, “Let the Lower Lights be Burning.”  I didn’t know the meaning of the term “lower lights”, but the context of the song seemed to indicate it had something to do with sea passage.  I contacted a friend who used to command ocean-going ships and asked him if he could “enlighten” me.  He told me the “lower lights” were smaller lights that lined the shore of a harbor.  The lighthouse helped ships find their way to the harbor, but the “lower lights” kept them in the channel and away from dangerous shoals and rocks.  Of course this was before the days of channel markers with flashing electric lights.

We are God’s “lower lights” and the Lord Jesus is the Lighthouse.  He draws the world to Himself and we, who have been changed, create an environment where it is easier to see our Savior.  Jesus told us, “You are the light of the world.   A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men,that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

The Light guides, reveals and powerfully transforms.  We must show Him to the world, even as He displays His mighty work in us.

The Light

Our deliverance from the dark domain of Satan was secured at Calvary.  In Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of his being,sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins,he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

This important passage tells us two things about our deliverance.  First, it was made possible by the One who is Light; the very radiance of God’s glory.  He is very God, and through His sacrifice our sins were abolished.  The Light of truth crushed the lies of the evil one, and restored our relationship with the Father.

Secondly, after exposing Satan to open shame on the cross, Jesus returned to His place at the right hand of God to rule over His kingdom.  Our righteousness was won by His death, verified by His resurrection, and is sustained by His power.  Jesus, the Light, is our light, and He will keep us in His care until we see Him in glory.

It is vital we grasp the role of our Light in the salvation process.  As the Light of the world, Jesus stands for truth and justice.  His words and ministry on earth are an inspiration to many, and His impact on history is unquestioned.  But Jesus mission was to seek and save the lost, and any fascination people might have with His influence in the world is ultimately meaningless if they fail to embrace His grace.

Does this mean the light Jesus casts in our world is fruitless, unless those who hear it immediately repent and turn to salvation?  Certainly not!  Sometimes it takes time for truth to peel away the layers of deception that keep people from recognizing their spiritual condition.  We should also not discount the renewal of entire communities that can occur when Jesus is personified through His people.  Light is good, and the joy experienced by anyone, in the name of Jesus, helps create an environment where truth and the benefits of living for God are easier to see.

What is spiritual darkness?  We sometimes refer to those who are walking through a valley of sin as being in a “very dark place.”  What do we mean?  Is the way depressing, or hopeless?  These are certainly ways of describing spiritual darkness, yet there is one simple description that captures the heart of the matter: spiritual darkness is the absence of God’s truth.  It is the place where Satan wraps our lives in a lie and creates unresolvable conflicts in our mind.

Since Satan’s goal is to drive a wedge in our relationship with God, it follows that he is the author of darkness.  Separation from God is his agenda and falsehood is his means.  The apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:6, “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness,we lie and do not live by the truth.”

Satan has many methods in his arsenal, but his nature is to spread lies in the most deceptive manner.  As in the Garden of Eden, the Deceiver effectively presents a lie as truth and truth as a lie.  He knows if he can cause us to doubt God’s Word, he can call all truth into question and convince us God is mistreating us when He calls us to a life of holiness.

In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress the main character in the story, Christian, and his friend, Hopeful, wander off the path into the domain of an evil Giant.  The evil Giant and his wife throw Christian and Hopeful in prison in something called the Castle of Doubt.  Not only do they imprison them, but they bring them out into a courtyard to show them where they have tortured other captives.  Then the Giant tells them, in ten days he will do the same thing to them.  He beats them and sends them back to the dungeon.  Suddenly Christian remembers when he gave his life to Jesus he was given a key of promise to help him along his journey.  The text reads: “Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a Key in my bosom called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any Lock in Doubting Castle.Then said Hopeful, That’s good news; good Brother pluck it out of thy bosom and try.”  Christian pulled out the key of promise, opened the lock, and he and Hopeful fled to freedom.

Darkness is a prison, but there is hope.  If we know Jesus, we have always had a way of escape.

Did you know there is a darkness that is darker than darkness?  Perhaps it makes more sense to say there is a darkness that goes beyond our human comprehension.  It is possible to find an inner room with no light and experience total darkness.  But it is also possible to stand in full light, and encounter darkness greater than our eyes can perceive.

In Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”  Our eye’s ability to process light creates our awareness of the reality around us, therefore, any form of blindness literally leaves us in the dark.  But a dark heart leaves us without an understanding of the truth, and keeps us from discerning God’s will for our lives.

This is the darkness that is darker than darkness: a heart so far from God it is unable to sense His presence, and unwilling to listen to His Word.  It is important that we know the seriousness of this condition, but also that we are aware we don’t stumble into it by chance. We have an adversary who takes delight in our spiritual blindness.  He also has a most unfortunate plan for our lives.

The Light of the World

We understand light, and we bask in it.  I am old enough to remember a time when the only light to be found in our house after bedtime was the pilot light on a gas stove.  Now, flame igniters and electric stoves have rendered the pilot light obsolete, but of host of other inventions have taken its place.

Not long ago I wandered into our kitchen in the middle of the night to take some cold medicine.  As I chased a pill down with a glass of water, my way was lit with the ambient light of no less than nineteen electronic devices.  Like waterway channel markers, small green and red luminaries guided my journey.  The list of beacons included appliance clocks, on-off indicators, lights to tell us our portable devices were fully charged, and others to assure us our smoke alarms were functioning.  I couldn’t help but think of how much electricity those small lights use when multiplied by millions of households around the world.  And they only represented what goes on when our house is in sleep mode.  I could also have flipped a switch and fully illuminated the kitchen, or grabbed a high density LED flashlight out of the junk drawer.

At the very moment I was searching for some cold medicine, dozens of security sensor lights in our neighborhood stood sentry over porches and side entrances.  Street lights made the night navigable, and throughout our city, high density beams waged war against crime pockets.

Light!  It is our modern-day security blanket.  Yet, the physical world in which we live only constitutes one dimension of the darkness we seek to overcome.

Ask in his Name  

When we understand God’s will this way, we experience greater freedom in our prayer live and less frustration in our walk.  Can God heal us from sickness and disease?  Absolutely!  Will he?  We cannot know for certain.  But we pray, because most of all we want His will to be done, and we want to display His power for the world to see.  We must also pray for the grace to accept His answer and the courage to work within His plan.  This is our greatest act of surrender: to accept His will for our lives and His purpose for our circumstances.  In this way we never actually surrender to our illness, but rather claim authority over it for eternal glory.

This approach to our Physician takes great faith; greater faith than that which presumes to know His mind fully.  Yet, this is the kind of faith that pleases God.  It is the ultimate “servant’s heart”.  And yes, we will be healed on the final day.  But don’t wait until then to wait for God to work in your life.  Ask Him now to give you understanding, and direct you in His steps.

Claiming Authority

Jesus’ work in our lives has always been a display of divine authority.  He washed us clean by the power of the cross, and raised us up by the power of the resurrection.  He claims authority over all areas of our lives, and as we yield to His will, He transforms us into the people He uses.

Claiming authority in our walk with the Lord has been confused by the false notion we can control God through prayer.  One verse used to support this practice is 1 John 5:15 where the apostle writes, “And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.”  Certainly, scripture doesn’t lie, yet there is wisdom in seeking the whole counsel of God before jumping to theological conclusion.  For example, in 1 John 5:14 we read, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  In truth, while God hears our prayers and answers us, if we really want His authority to be displayed in our lives we must be completely subservient to His will.

This means claiming authority in our prayer life is not a magical formula for getting what we want, but rather an admission God may or may not give us what we want.  It is also an affirmation we will work with His will, regardless of the outcome, to let His light shine in our lives.

I have met people who believe a “word of faith” (claiming something in Jesus’ name), guarantees a specific outcome.  I have also walked with some of these same people through the valley of depression when God didn’t perform the miracle they were expecting.

Can we say Stephen (Acts 7:55-60), who was stoned for his faith, had less of God’s authority in his life than Paul, who was left for dead after a stoning, but stood up to preach another day (Acts 14:19-20)?  No.  Indeed, both men had great faith, and both relied on the authority of God over their circumstances.  It can also be said both brought glory to the name of Christ through their respective circumstances.

We do a disservice to our brothers and sisters in Christ if we discount the providence of God when they face trials.  I don’t mean to suggest there is anything wrong with questioning God’s methodology, or grieving over unwanted loss.  Yet, through our tears we should pray for the confidence to accept God’s wisdom and the personal wisdom to know how He needs us to respond.  This is the true “name it, claim it” approach to faith: the courage to ask God for what we want or need and the willingness to claim His answer as His authoritative will for our lives.  While we may not have a perfect understanding of how God’s strategy during Jesus’ ministry differs from our own, we can be assured His will is perfect, and if we remain submissive He will lead us.

Does Jesus still heal?…I answer this question with a resounding “Yes!”  It is good to recognize the purpose of the healings recorded by scripture.  I agree they took place to establish Jesus’ authority and to validate the message of the apostles.  I also understand why God might not heal everyone who prays, regardless of the depth of their faith.  In fact, aside from our human desire to live and preserve the lives of our loved ones, the case could be made that God’s greatest gift is when He brings us home?  Will we not then be in the presence of our Savior?

On the other hand, it is true this life has purpose, and while we are here God uses every experience to mold us and use us for His glory.  This is the crux of the matter, as I see it.  God still heals in His Son’s name, and He still attracts attention when He proves a medical prognosis wrong.  But He also brings people to the cross through the faith of servants who don’t receive a physical healing.  I have personally baptized many who were led to Jesus by a friend who ultimately surrendered to an earthly disease, but never gave up on God.

Therefore, we should pray, expecting God can heal us in His Son’s name, but aware He may have another plan in mind.  This other plan can trip us up, but it can also inspire us to trust Him more.

It is any wonder people flocked to Jesus?  His healing percentage was 100% effective, and it was free!  We aren’t told of any animosity in the medical community toward Jesus, but we have to wonder if there weren’t some who were afraid He was going to put them out of business.  He undoubtedly cut into their profits.  So what has changed?

Does Jesus Still Heal?

It is impossible to avoid the reality that people aren’t healed “in Jesus name” in the numbers we find recorded in the scriptures. How do we explain this change?

Could the difference be that Jesus is no longer here in the flesh to perform healings?  Even though Jesus is alive, our communion with Him is framed by our prayer life and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  Yet, we know from biblical accounts, the apostles were able to heal the sick and raise the dead after Jesus left the earth.  One of the first major events in the book of Acts involved the healing of a man lame since birth by Peter and John (Acts 3:1-8).  The man’s healing was just like the ones we find during Jesus’ ministry.  It was instantaneous, complete, and verifiable.  The undeniable truth of a miracle “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” drew more people to hear what Peter and John had to say, and their testimony before community leaders emboldened the entire church in its mission.

Maybe the problem is with our faith.  The disciples were willing to die for Jesus, and they were completely committed to the task of sharing salvation with their world.  Perhaps if we prayed harder, or believed more, we would see more healings.  There are two problems with this theory.  While it is true we often lack the faith we should have, all people of great faith in previous generations are dead, together with the people they reached out to in Jesus’ name.  This list includes the apostles and the early church fathers whose faithfulness is unquestioned.  At some point all of these people of faith were unable heal or be healed.  The second problem with the faith question is that it is very difficult to assess someone else’s faith.  How do we evaluate the strength of another person’s belief system?  Are we God?

Finally, some approach the difference between Jesus’ healings in the Bible and healings today from a strategic perspective.  The thought here is that Jesus’ healings, while sincerely motivated by His love for those He met, were primarily for the purpose of establishing His authority as the Son of God.  Until the New Testament books were completed, the early apostles shared in this authority to validate their message and ministry.  As the apostles died, and scripture was being circulated within church circles, healings that were instantaneous, complete and verifiable were no longer necessary.

A side topic to any discussion on healing “in the name of Jesus” considers modern science and God’s gifting of those trained in the medical arts.  Surgeons today can save lives through simple and quick procedures.  A regiment of pills can cure fatal diseases.  Once, people chased after Jesus to touch His cloak.  Now we thank God for doctors and pray for Him to guide them in their work, even as we acknowledge God could cure us if He wanted.  And we still pray “in Jesus’ name.”  What are we to think or expect?  Does Jesus still heal?

I answer this question with a resounding “Yes!”  It is good to recognize the purpose of the healings recorded by scripture.  I agree they took place to establish Jesus’ authority and to validate the message of the apostles.  I also understand why God might not heal everyone who prays, regardless of the depth of their faith.  In fact, aside from our human desire to live and preserve the lives of our loved ones, the case could be made that God’s greatest gift is when He brings us home?  Will we not then be in the presence of our Savior?