Well it’s been a month now since we’ve left Mechanicsburg, PA and began to root our lives in Tulsa, OK. In the process of establishing our lives out here and our new church (RHEMA Bible Church), we’ve been given some wonderful, powerful, and life GIVING revelations about what it means to be living in the era of redemption, under the Blood Covenant that God made with us through Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross. There are many things I could write and share with you regarding my thoughts, but the one thing that continues to surface in conversations, debates, and disagreements is the topic of healing.
It all started with us posting a changed lyric to a worship song being and now it has grown into a volley of scriptures, interruptions, and at times some pretty hurtful words. As a result of this past month, I have felt led and Brad has encouraged me to write down some of my thoughts and responses to the various conversations that have been happening among us. Therefore, I think it is time for us to review exactly what was accomplished when Christ was crucified on the cross and the Victory of his resurrection.
We all agree, and is the foundation of the Christian faith, that Christ’s death was and is the only key to our salvation (John 3:16). Other verses that are often used to support this believe are those found in “The Romans Road” scriptures:
1) Romans 3:22-24 (Righteousness Through Faith)
2) Romans 5:6 (Christ Died for Sinners)
3) Romans 10:9-10 (Confess With Mouth – Believe in Your Heart = You are Saved)
I do not know of any Believer who disputes, denies, or disqualifies any of these verses and subsequent acts of faith, on our part, to become a Child of God. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21:
“God made him who had no sin to sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
We have to be righteous, free and forgiven from sin, in order for God to even consider us worthy of being his son or daughter. The cross cleaned us up so that we would be presentable and acceptable to God. Salvation is the result of our decision, made in faith, to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that he died, and rose from the dead. There is no other evidence or first hand experiences of this event other than the Word of God. As brother Kenneth E. Hagin, “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.” AMEN!
Now onto another accomplishment/victory that occurred on the cross for us that we all seem to believe and fully support. Christ’s death and resurrection from the cross overcame and conquered death. 1 Corinthians 15:54:
“Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?”
Also, one of my favorite verses that describes the totality of God’s victory over death, Colossians 2:13-15:
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
This is where we are taught about the receiving the gift of eternal life. We are invited to spend our eternity with Christ because of his death and resurrection on the cross. Christ experienced death FOR US, so that we would not have to (Romans 6:23) Again, we can apply John 3:16. It’s a pretty undeniable fact that most Believers agree with. We believe that it was because of Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross that we have been spared the wages of sin = an eternity in hell, separation from Christ, death. Rather we are given the promise of an eternity in heaven, with Christ, with life.
However, the most debated and criticized aspect of what God accomplished through Christ on the cross is an extension of Christ overcoming death…Christ overcoming sickness and disease as well. The two most clearly and simply articulated verses, 1 Old Testament and 1 New Testament, that define Christ’s victory over sickness and disease are as follows:
Isaiah 53:4-5:
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
AND….1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
If we think through what untreated sickness and disease would most likely lead to, we would all agree that we could die. So if God overcame death through Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross, and furthermore if God specifically and intentionally says in the above 2 passages that we ARE and HAVE BEEN healed, why do so many of us disagree about this?
Who when contemplating whether or not to give their lives to Christ was told that,
“Well God may or may not make you sick, cause you hardship, give you a disease, but don’t worry he is doing that because he loves you and wants you to learn something,”
would actually take the leap of faith to offer their lives, heart, soul, and bodies to him? What is so attractive about that? Even non-believers live and believe like that. No, when we choose to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we do so because we know and believe in our hearts that God is a GOOD God who loves us, saves us, redeems us, prospers us, protects us, and defends us from evil…from death.
I don’t want to digress too far into other scripture that talk about God’s goodness to us, His blessings to us for obedience, but a key verse that a lot of Believer’s memorize and recite, Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God could not have said that unless he could do this and intended to do so for EVERY believer (He does not show favoritism – Romans 2:11). So my friends, back to the victory that occurred on the cross.
#1 – Christ died so that our sins would be forgiven
#2 – Christ died to overcome death so that we may have eternal life
#3 – Christ died so that we could claim healing over any sickness or disease that we may
experience
Believing and teaching 2 out of 3 of these scriptural accomplishments on the cross does not present the whole and accurate story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. This, I believe, is one of the enemy’s traps and distortions that he has infected the Church with. He is trying to divide us with those who believe that God allows/causes sickness or disease for a purpose or reason with those who believe that God does not create, author, or prescribe evil things, which includes sickness and disease, but rather offers us the cure and solution for them = healing as a result of the blood shed from His son.
Furthermore, you who are parents…would you intentionally place your child’s hand on a hot stove so that they would experience pain so that you had an opportunity to teach them the lesson not to touch hot stoves? Or would you let your child go out and cross a busy street, them get hit by a car, so that they experience pain, so that you could teach them to look both ways before they cross the street? NO!!! So why do so many Believer’s believe that God would do the same thing? Why do we believe that God wants to teach us a lesson by causing us harm when all the lessons that we need to know are presented for us, simple and pain free, in the Bible?
I will sum up my post with a scripture that finalizes everything for me as to the source/cause of death and the source/cause of life, John 10:10:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
So ask yourself…was something good taken from me or destroyed that was not a result of my disobedience? If so it was the thief, otherwise known as Satan. Was something given to me that was a blessing of fullness or abundance, joy and peace? If so then it was God.
Thank God for ALL that He accomplished through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus on the cross. Thank God that we can live in complete victory over our sins, death, and sickness. AMEN!
With Love,
~Tina Fleisher~
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
God is Good, ALL THE TIME!!!
Yesterday was the first day of orientation at my school. What a day it was!! We were in the main sanctuary at the RHEMA church, and for the first part of the day we were introduced to the faculty of the school. Some great, spirit-filled men and women minister there, and I'm VERY excited to learn under these people!!
The second part of the day, Lynette Hagin spoke to us about not comparing ourselves to someone else - a really passionate message!! Towards the end of her message, she had us come to the altar and thank God for how He's blessed us. While I was bowed down at the front, I began to thank God for all He's done for me to get me out here. After a bit, God told me to speak in tongues silently, which I did! It was exhilarating!! Then after a very short while, I heard, "You can stop doing that for now, and pray to me in words you understand."
At this time, Tina and I were trying to sell her car to pay off her car loan (about $300 / month) and purchase a motorcycle for me to ride to school (I only have a 6 mile commute one way). So we had went to a place called CarMax on Thursday, 9/9, where they appraise your car to buy it from you. They were going to offer us $6000 for the car, without having to buy another car from them. Well, that would have been enough to cover the remainder of the car loan but nothing left over to purchase a motorcycle with. Both Tina and I were not too comfortable with this so we left the store, with a 7-Day offer on their appraisal in case we changed our minds. So, we had the car washed, vacuumed, and wiped down and took lots of pictures of it. We then posted the car for sale on Craigslist and Ebay Thursday evening to sell for $8000. Friday morning we began to receive emails of people interested in buying the car, so I told Tina to look at and respond to these emails while I was at school. So as I prayed yesterday morning (Friday), God told me to thank Him for a buyer for Tina's car (which will come into play later :).
So after the time of prayer ended, we had some awesome worship to close out the morning. Then I came home to Tina sitting in front of the computer, and she told me someone was interested in buying her car for $7000! As soon as I heard that, I thanked God because the night before I had put her car on Craigslist. That meant God worked overnight!! He really can do things instantly!!
We went to meet this woman at her place of employment (which was right down the road), and she liked the car right away. After talking for a bit, she wanted to have her mechanic friend look at it, which is totally understandable. So we agreed to meet Monday afternoon and bring it to her mechanic. At this point she was very interested but wasn't convinced...OK, no problem.
We moved on and went to a store and while were were there this woman called Tina back and said since we were so honest with her about this vehicle and kept really good records of all the maintenance we had done on the car, she would like to buy it!! Literally 10 minutes after we met with her!! "PRAISE GOD" is all I could say when I heard that!!! WOOO!!!!! Tina got teary eyed too!
In our excitement, God brought the motorcycle dealer to mind where we had seen a 2006 Honda Rebel for sale for $2100. With the sale of Tina's car, we would remove the $300 a month car payment, and pay for half of this motorcycle!! So we went over to the dealer, and the bike was still there!! We went in, and found 2 brand new helmets (originally $360 each for $199 each) which we bought along with the bike, so the total ended up being about $2600 for everything - which was a great deal!!
Now I forgot to mention that this very day in the mail we had received checks from Tina's credit card for a 0% interest rate for 11 months! We put the bike on this check, and have 11 months to pay off a little over $1500!! Amen!!
ALSO (I know it just keeps getting better)...when talking with this woman and some of her co-workers at her place of business (a Swimming School for children)...she was asking why we were selling the car, what brought us to OK from PA...so we told her that I was going to RHEMA and Tina told her that she is looking for a job. This woman's co-worker then chimed in and said, we have an opening here for a Front Desk Attendant. She told Tina to fill out a job application and we gave her Tina's email to learn more about the open position. WOW!!! However, since this job seems to be more Part-Time, I am actually going to apply to work there and have a job for some evenings and Saturdays.
So here's a summary of what God did for us Friday:
- Walked me through speaking in tongues
- Had me activate faith on behalf of my wife for a buyer for Tina's car
- Provided a buyer for Tina's car that is paying what we were hoping to get for the car
- Provided us a job opportunity for me (or Tina)
- Provided 0% interest rate on a line of credit for 11 months
- Provided a motorcycle and 2 new helmets that are half-paid for already
- Gave us a new sense of peace about being here and being in God's will
WOW!!! What a day!! If I know anything about God, it's that He's good all the time (Psalm 100:5, Psalm 145:9), and He provides ALL we need according to His ABUNDANT riches in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 4:18-20), and that He rewards obedience and those who love him (Hebrews 11:6, Romans 8:28).
Can I get an AMEN??!!
Your brother in The Way,
-Brad
P.S. - motorcycle pictures coming soon to Facebook, along with moving, apartment, our community, school, church, etc. pictures :)
The second part of the day, Lynette Hagin spoke to us about not comparing ourselves to someone else - a really passionate message!! Towards the end of her message, she had us come to the altar and thank God for how He's blessed us. While I was bowed down at the front, I began to thank God for all He's done for me to get me out here. After a bit, God told me to speak in tongues silently, which I did! It was exhilarating!! Then after a very short while, I heard, "You can stop doing that for now, and pray to me in words you understand."
At this time, Tina and I were trying to sell her car to pay off her car loan (about $300 / month) and purchase a motorcycle for me to ride to school (I only have a 6 mile commute one way). So we had went to a place called CarMax on Thursday, 9/9, where they appraise your car to buy it from you. They were going to offer us $6000 for the car, without having to buy another car from them. Well, that would have been enough to cover the remainder of the car loan but nothing left over to purchase a motorcycle with. Both Tina and I were not too comfortable with this so we left the store, with a 7-Day offer on their appraisal in case we changed our minds. So, we had the car washed, vacuumed, and wiped down and took lots of pictures of it. We then posted the car for sale on Craigslist and Ebay Thursday evening to sell for $8000. Friday morning we began to receive emails of people interested in buying the car, so I told Tina to look at and respond to these emails while I was at school. So as I prayed yesterday morning (Friday), God told me to thank Him for a buyer for Tina's car (which will come into play later :).
So after the time of prayer ended, we had some awesome worship to close out the morning. Then I came home to Tina sitting in front of the computer, and she told me someone was interested in buying her car for $7000! As soon as I heard that, I thanked God because the night before I had put her car on Craigslist. That meant God worked overnight!! He really can do things instantly!!
We went to meet this woman at her place of employment (which was right down the road), and she liked the car right away. After talking for a bit, she wanted to have her mechanic friend look at it, which is totally understandable. So we agreed to meet Monday afternoon and bring it to her mechanic. At this point she was very interested but wasn't convinced...OK, no problem.
We moved on and went to a store and while were were there this woman called Tina back and said since we were so honest with her about this vehicle and kept really good records of all the maintenance we had done on the car, she would like to buy it!! Literally 10 minutes after we met with her!! "PRAISE GOD" is all I could say when I heard that!!! WOOO!!!!! Tina got teary eyed too!
In our excitement, God brought the motorcycle dealer to mind where we had seen a 2006 Honda Rebel for sale for $2100. With the sale of Tina's car, we would remove the $300 a month car payment, and pay for half of this motorcycle!! So we went over to the dealer, and the bike was still there!! We went in, and found 2 brand new helmets (originally $360 each for $199 each) which we bought along with the bike, so the total ended up being about $2600 for everything - which was a great deal!!
Now I forgot to mention that this very day in the mail we had received checks from Tina's credit card for a 0% interest rate for 11 months! We put the bike on this check, and have 11 months to pay off a little over $1500!! Amen!!
ALSO (I know it just keeps getting better)...when talking with this woman and some of her co-workers at her place of business (a Swimming School for children)...she was asking why we were selling the car, what brought us to OK from PA...so we told her that I was going to RHEMA and Tina told her that she is looking for a job. This woman's co-worker then chimed in and said, we have an opening here for a Front Desk Attendant. She told Tina to fill out a job application and we gave her Tina's email to learn more about the open position. WOW!!! However, since this job seems to be more Part-Time, I am actually going to apply to work there and have a job for some evenings and Saturdays.
So here's a summary of what God did for us Friday:
- Walked me through speaking in tongues
- Had me activate faith on behalf of my wife for a buyer for Tina's car
- Provided a buyer for Tina's car that is paying what we were hoping to get for the car
- Provided us a job opportunity for me (or Tina)
- Provided 0% interest rate on a line of credit for 11 months
- Provided a motorcycle and 2 new helmets that are half-paid for already
- Gave us a new sense of peace about being here and being in God's will
WOW!!! What a day!! If I know anything about God, it's that He's good all the time (Psalm 100:5, Psalm 145:9), and He provides ALL we need according to His ABUNDANT riches in Christ Jesus our Lord (Philippians 4:18-20), and that He rewards obedience and those who love him (Hebrews 11:6, Romans 8:28).
Can I get an AMEN??!!
Your brother in The Way,
-Brad
P.S. - motorcycle pictures coming soon to Facebook, along with moving, apartment, our community, school, church, etc. pictures :)
Monday, September 6, 2010
School Tomorrow, Revelation today!
So I was reading Proverbs last night, and I've been reading chapter 4 over and over for about 2 months (because God told me to :). While reading, about 3 verses in, God told me to go back and read chapter 3. While reading I found this, verses 5-7:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
A little further down, It says this in 19-20:
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
When I read that, God lead me back to Chapter 4: 5-7
Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
Then He walked me through something He's never done with me before. He encouraged me like a father does who's watching his child figure out how to ride a bike. He told me:
"Go on, son. put these together. What does that mean for you? What kind of knowledge are you chasing?"
As I put these together, it suddenly dawned on my spirit - the same knowledge that God used to create the universe (and everything for that matter) is the same knowledge we can have!! When that came to me, God gave me an awesome response; "Yes, that's it son! That's it!"
PRAISE GOD!!! We can have the same knowledge and understanding that God implemented to create everything!! Awesome!!! Now I need to say, God knows and understands far more than anything I can know and understand. But that knowledge is what He wants to give to us to gain a deeper relationship with Him!! He is SO GOOD!
Just a little food for thought there! I love you all!!
Your brother in The Way,
-Brad
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
A little further down, It says this in 19-20:
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding He established the heavens;
By His knowledge the depths were broken up,
And clouds drop down the dew.
When I read that, God lead me back to Chapter 4: 5-7
Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you;
Love her, and she will keep you.
Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
Then He walked me through something He's never done with me before. He encouraged me like a father does who's watching his child figure out how to ride a bike. He told me:
"Go on, son. put these together. What does that mean for you? What kind of knowledge are you chasing?"
As I put these together, it suddenly dawned on my spirit - the same knowledge that God used to create the universe (and everything for that matter) is the same knowledge we can have!! When that came to me, God gave me an awesome response; "Yes, that's it son! That's it!"
PRAISE GOD!!! We can have the same knowledge and understanding that God implemented to create everything!! Awesome!!! Now I need to say, God knows and understands far more than anything I can know and understand. But that knowledge is what He wants to give to us to gain a deeper relationship with Him!! He is SO GOOD!
Just a little food for thought there! I love you all!!
Your brother in The Way,
-Brad
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