Attention

When Jesus walked the earth, what was it about Him that seemed to get most people’s attention?  One of the things was that He spoke as a man with authority.  When Jesus spoke, people listened and paid attention.

Read what it says in Mark 1:21-28, “Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.”  

From my understanding, the teachers in Jesus’ day quoted from well-known rabbi’s in order to make them sound like they had more authority, but Jesus knew the Word and needed no one to teach Him.  Jesus not only spoke with authority while teaching, but He drove out evil spirits or demons with authority.  He didn’t make an elaborate show of it, He just spoke the Word and the demons were on the move.

There is another account of Jesus teaching in the Temple in John 7:32-53 when the religious leaders attempted to take Him.  Read what the officers said in verses 44-48, “Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, ‘Why have you not brought Him?’ The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!’ Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?’”

As the men listened to Jesus, they couldn’t find anything to arrest Jesus for and His words seemed to draw them in as they heard the wonderful words Jesus spoke.  When Jesus spoke, He not only spoke with authority, but there were signs and wonders that followed when he taught; wonderful things happened wherever He went.

Today there are churches that don’t believe in healing and some don’t believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, saying these things are not for today.  My Bible says in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  It also says in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

This is what it says in Mark 16: when Jesus gave the great commission in verses 15-18, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

I don’t see any place in the Word where Jesus changed His mind and discontinued these practices, so if you lack the faith to believe and step out and accomplish these things through the Lord, don’t throw water on someone else’s faith by teaching some other gospel and denying these truths.  These things happen in different places all over the world today and have been happening since Jesus walked the earth, praise the Lord!!  I realize that these verses can be discouraging if you haven’t seen them take place in your ministries, but don’t deny them, step out of your comfort zone and apply them.  I am not saying you should put God to the test by handling poisonous snakes, drinking poison or putting yourself in any dangerous situations but there have been missionaries that may have been in these situations.  Paul was one of them, when he was getting some wood for a fire after being shipwrecked and had a poisonous snake latch onto him, he shook it off into the fire and suffered no ill effects from it.  

Read this in Acts 28:1-8, “Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.’ But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.”

I haven’t done all these things either, but I wouldn’t teach against them, who knows maybe someday I will.  Enough said, this is something for you to think about, may the good Lord bless you and yours and lead you into all truth as you seek Him and may you have a super and blessed day!!