Healing School 2019 – Part 4
The Catalyst of the Power of God
Acts 10:38 NKJV (38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
The word “power” is the Greek Word “dunamis.” It is the explosive power of God.
We derive our English words dynamic, dynamo, dynamite
It was the power of God operative in Jesus to do good for the people.
Luke 5:17 NKJV (17) Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
The power of God was present to heal them but we only have the record of one being healed in this powerful environment.
What this tells us that the majority of people present that day had no idea how to “flip the switch” or how to receive from that power of God that was there.
It can be there all along and we can go along and not know how to access it or make the connection to it and never receive the benefit of it that God intends for us to have.
We have the notion that if the power of the Lord is present then everyone will know it and recognize it and in turn have their lives impacted by it but we see that is not the case.
Luke 5:18-26 NKJV (18) Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. (19) And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. (20) When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (21) And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (22) But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? (23) Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? (24) But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”–He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (25) Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (26) And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”
That explosive power while it sits dormant will not do anything just like gasoline or some kind of fuel.
For the power of it to be released there must be some kind of catalyst that causes the power to be released.
The same is true with the power of God. God wanted to meet all of their needs but only one received from their Lord.
Luke 5:20 NKJV (20) When He saw their faith…”
Even though Jesus was anointed with the power of God, we have the idea that everywhere Jesus went He just went around healing whomever He wanted to whenever He wanted to and that is simply not the case.
Matthew 4:23 NKJV (23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Before Jesus healed, He taught or He preached. He never healed first and then preached.
Mark 5:25-27 NKJV (25) Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, (26) and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. (27) When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. We can see what this woman had heard about Jesus by looking at what she expected to happen. It’s obvious that she expected to be healed when she came into contact with Jesus. This tells us that she heard about this power that He was anointed with.
Mark 5:28-31 NKJV (28) For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (29) Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. (30) And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” (31) But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
Remember in this situation, Jesus is moving very quickly through this crowd so He can get to the ruler of the synagogue’s daughter and the crowd gathers and begins to press towards Him and they are touching Him. So you have many people touching Him at the same time BUT when this ONE woman touches Him immediately He turns because power had gone out of Him. This is why the disciples were amazed that He even asked the question.
Apparently all of the people that were touching must have heard that He was anointed with power and they were seeking to touch Him.
One person touched Him differently then everyone else.
Mark 5:32-34 NKJV (32) And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. (33) But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. (34) And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” Jesus could have just as easily said to the woman, “My power has just healed you…” but He did not. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.”
The news report might say that the gasoline exploded and burned down the warehouse. But did IT really burn the warehouse down or was there a catalyst that enabled the power in the gasoline to burn the warehouse to be released. Something touched the power and then the power was released.
Jesus’ emphasis was not on the power even though the power was present. He saw their faith when He healed the paralytic. He said the woman’s faith had made her well.
Our faith is the catalyst that releases the power of God.
Jesus preached and He taught before He healed so that faith could be present in the hearts of the people because He knows that faith is the catalyst that releases the power of God.
The power of God is more readily available than we realize; it is just that we have not known what the catalyst is that releases that power into our lives.
Human nature is drawn to the miraculous and wants to focus on the power.
Luke 6:17-19 NKJV (17) And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, (18) as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. (19) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Notice they came to hear Him and then to touch Him.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV (6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
These people were diligent in their seeking God. Diligence brings reward in every area of life.
Diligence is sticking with it until you get it. It is staying with it until it becomes a part of you.
A lot of people do not understand that principle. We are too casual with how we approach the things of God.
If you are in desperate need to receive something from God, understand that He is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek after him.
(Proverbs 10:4 NKJV) He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
(Proverbs 12:24 NKJV) The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
(Proverbs 13:4 NKJV) The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
(Proverbs 21:5 NKJV) The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
(Proverbs 27:23 NKJV) Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
(2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV) Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
(Hebrews 4:11 NKJV) Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
(2 Peter 1:10 NKJV) Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
In the book, The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle talks about this process of Deep Practice which can be defined as the following:
According to Daniel Coyle in the book Talent Code, deep practice is the methodical, slow, and painstaking way that people with world class talent practice. It’s filled with errors and upon first glance doesn’t appear to be anything special. However, it is the key to developing talent. If I had adopted and learned the techniques that distinguish deep practice I would have been a better hockey player, musician, student and any other role I pursued participated in. The oft-cited 10,000 hours needed to become an expert at something is built on the back of deep practice.
Defining deep practice and recognizing or adopting it yourself are two vastly different abilities. True deep practice is characterized by chunking a skill into manageable parts, repeating it, and learning to “feel it”. Basically, deep practice can be characterized by the following process:
- Pick a target.
- Reach for it.
- Evaluate the gap between the target and the reach.
- Return to step one over and over and over and over and over.
Another metaphor that Coyle uses is that of a baby learning to walk. You will feel wobbly, off balance, and you will fall when you are in the throes of deep practice. And that’s ok. That willingness to keep trying, to keep improving, to keep taking baby steps is “the royal road to skill.”
You don’t get great faith by hearing something one time.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God.
Acts 14:7-15 NKJV (7) And they were preaching the gospel there. (8) And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. (9) This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, (10) said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. (11) Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” (12) And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. (13) Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. (14) But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out (15) and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
The man that was healed had been listening and faith arose in His heart and he had faith to be healed.
The rest of the people saw what Paul did and because they were not listening that thought Paul and Barnabas were some gods and they wanted to sacrifice to them. Had they been listening and paying attention to what Paul said, they would have glorified Jesus instead. This is why they had no faith.
Acts 14:19 NKJV (19) Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
The same people who thought they were gods and were going to worship them now wanted to kill them because they had no faith because they had not listened.
God preaches us the Word so we know exactly where the power comes from and how it flows and how to receive and then He gets the glory for what is done as a result of the power being released through their faith.