Not Everyone Who Kisses Your Butt is Your Friend: And Not Everyone Who Kicks Your Butt is Your Enemy

By David Ryser

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.  (Proverbs 27:6, NKJV)

Recently, a friend of mine kicked my spiritual butt.  I had missed God, and she called me on it…without bothering to use a whole lot of emotional anesthesia, I might add.  Are we still friends?  Of course we are.  If we hadn’t been friends, she wouldn’t have been allowed to kick my butt in the first place.

Perhaps I had better explain that.

This lady and her husband are dear friends of mine.  They held my hand and ministered the love of God to me during a very difficult time in my life.  They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.  As a result, they have earned the right to speak into my life.

What?  A person has to earn the right to speak into my life?  Well…yes.

Is that scriptural?  Perhaps a lesson from the book of Job will help here.

In Job 1:1, we are introduced to Job who is described as a person who is blameless and upright, and who fears God and shuns evil.  And God has blessed him.  Job is a wealthy and great man (Job 1:2, 3).  Life is good for Job.

Until one day….

God has a conversation with Satan about Job (Job 1:6-8).  God brags on Job.  He describes Job in glowing terms.  What is Satan’s response?

Satan calls Job a whore.

Yes, he does.  Satan says, “Does Job serve God for nothing?” (Job 1:9).  And then he goes on to say that Job loves God because God pays for his love (Job 1:10).  He then predicts that if God would stop paying for Job’s love, then Job would cease to love Him (Job 1:11).

That’s quite an accusation.

God is not going to stand for Satan talking about His good friend Job that way, so He decides to prove that Job’s love is genuine (Job 1:12a & 2:6).  Soon, Job suffers great loss.  He loses his oxen, donkeys, and several servants to a Sabean raiding party (Job 1:14, 15).  His sheep are killed in what sounds like a terrible lightning storm (Job 1:16).  He has his camels stolen and more servants killed by bands of Chaldeans (Job 1:17).  His children are killed in a windstorm (Job 1:18, 19).  And then his health takes a turn for the worse.  He is covered from head to toe with painful boils (Job 2:7).

Job ends up sitting in ashes and scraping the pus from his boils with pieces of broken pottery (Job 2:8).  Not a pretty picture.

Some men hear of Job’s adversity and come to comfort him (Job 2:11).  When they see him, they are so overwhelmed by the picture of his suffering that they weep, tear their clothes (a sign of extreme grief in their culture), and sprinkle dust on their heads (Job 2:12).  Then they sit with Job for a week.

A week!  Without saying anything.   Not a word.

These men suffered with Job for a week without opening their mouths.  They earned the right to speak into Job’s life by suffering with him.  And the Bible says that these guys were his friends (Job 2:11)!  Even they had to be with Job for a time before speaking to him.

You see, speaking into someone’s life is done most effectively in the context of relationship.  Especially when what you need to speak to me is unpleasant for me to hear.  You don’t need to be in relationship with me to tell me how great I am.  I’m open to hearing that from anyone.  Relationship is for when you need to admonish me.

Relationship is for when you need to kick my butt.

If I believe you love and care about me, I will allow you to give me a swift kick in the rear…even if I think you are wrong.  But if I don’t believe you love and care about me, I’m unlikely to let you within kicking range…even if you’re right.

You must earn the right to speak into my life.  And I must earn the right to speak into yours.

You earn that right by investing time in developing a relationship with me.  You don’t earn it by virtue of having your name on the door of a church office.  You don’t earn it by having a title such as “prophet” or “bishop” or “apostle” or whatever.  Self-sent apostles are a dime-a-dozen.

No, thanks.

If you don’t have time to be in relationship with me, then I might not have the time to listen to your “word” for me.  You can take your “word” and stick it…oops…take it somewhere else.

Titles and offices are not suitable substitutes for relationship.

Are there exceptions to this rule?  Yes, of course.  But not as many as we’d like to think.

And, church leaders, please don’t bother to introduce yourself to me as “Pastor (whatever your name is).”  I’ll know what you are when I see how you behave around the sheep.

And who among us has not been beguiled by the smooth tongue and flattering lips of someone whose goal is to get something from us?  We think we’ve made a lifelong friend who loves and values us, only to have them reveal their true colors and betray us in some way.

Remember that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.  Not a slap.  Or a kick.

In truth, it is a shame that we are susceptible to flattery in the first place.  Do we have such a high opinion of ourselves?  We shouldn’t (Romans 12:3).  I’m not such a great catch apart from Jesus.  Or do we have such a low opinion of ourselves as to need constant affirmation…and that from people we don’t really know?

And whose opinion of us counts more than God’s?

Is His love not enough for us?  Is His praise not enough for us?  Are His presence and blessing and power in our lives not enough for us?  What about God isn’t enough for us?  Why do we desire the kisses of an enemy more than the kisses of God?

Actually, I’ve learned to appreciate my enemies.  They can teach us as much as our friends can.  God has used these people to show me a lot about of myself that needs a good God-makeover.  When I’m deceived and/or wounded by an enemy and I complain to God about it, He typically wants to talk to me about me…and not about them.

And the most valuable lesson both friends and foes have taught me is that not everyone who kisses my butt is my friend, and not everyone who kicks my butt is my enemy.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

"Wolf! Wolf!": The Cry of Insecure Leaders

By David Ryser

Wolf!  Wolf!  (The sheep in the movie Babe upon seeing a sheepdog approaching them.)

I was reading an interesting article in which the author divided people into three categories:  sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs.  Most people are sheep.  They are cute, cuddly, harmless, and clueless.  Wolves are predators.  And they are violent.  They take advantage of, and even harm and kill, sheep.  Sheepdogs are, to simplify a bit, wolves with a conscience.  Like wolves, sheepdogs are predatory by nature and are prone to violence.  Unlike wolves, sheepdogs use violence to protect the sheep.

And sheep typically have difficulty distinguishing between sheepdogs and wolves.  To sheep, a predator is a predator.  All predators look alike.

What does all of this have to do with the Kingdom of God?

A common theme in Christian preaching and teaching has to do with wolves among the flock.  Insecure church leaders use this as an opportunity to warn their parishioners against people who will come into the congregation from the outside and try to scatter the flock.  To steal them away and/or kill them spiritually.  Such sage words of warning are typically accompanied by guidelines to assist the sheep in recognizing wolves.  During one such church meeting, the pastor told his congregation that wolves never come from among the church leadership; but rather, from among the other worshipers.

This is a convenient teaching.  Especially if, in fact, church leaders can be wolves.  But why even suggest such a thing?  A wolf wouldn’t lie…would he?

Anyhow, when I read the article about sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs (an article, incidentally, that appeared in a non-Christian magazine), I began to be curious about what the scriptures have to say on the subject.

As it turns out, there are very few scriptures (only 13 verses) that even speak about wolves at all.  And even fewer speak of wolves in the way the Church speaks of them (a mere 4 verses).

In Ezekiel 22:27, the term “wolves” is applied to the princes of Israel.  Leaders.  In Zephaniah 3:3, the word “wolves” is used of the judges of Israel.  Leaders.  In Matthew 7:15, “wolves” refers to false prophets.  Leaders.  In Acts 20:29, Paul warns a meeting of believers about “wolves” who will come “in among you” and do damage to God’s flock.  So who is the “among you” being referred to here?  Acts 20:17 tells us that this was a meeting of church elders.  Leaders.

Do you see a pattern here?

And don’t even try to play the “Absalom card” on me.  Absalom was a member of the royal family.  A leader.

Now I’m not saying that there should be no leaders in the Church.  God has placed people with leadership giftings in His Church to guide, protect, and nurture His sheep.  I am in favor of godly church leadership.

They are God’s sheepdogs.

But I also know that sheepdogs sometimes go rogue.  When they do, they run in packs as wolves (and even sometimes with the wolves), terrorizing and killing sheep.  The Church is not immune to this phenomenon.

And if I were a rogue sheepdog, I would want to “take out” the true sheepdogs.

I have long contended that the most common and most persecuted gift in the local church is the gift of pastor.  People with this gift are naturally drawn to the “sheep” and the sheep are drawn to them.  Those with a pastoral gifting are loving and kind with sheep, but can be quite violent toward those who would harm them.

They are sheepdogs.  And insecure church leaders loathe them.  And persecute them.  And try to get rid of them.

Perhaps you’ve had this happen to you.  I have.  I was once part of a large church where the leadership did not value relationship and actually discouraged relationships among members of the congregation.  The stated fear was that “wolves” would take advantage of false friendships and draw the “sheep” after themselves to harm them.  Those who ignored this teaching did so at their own peril.

I knew it was dangerous to love people in this church, but I couldn’t help doing it anyhow.  I just find sheep irresistible…they’re so darn cute.

People need to be loved.  They need to feel valued.  They need someone to listen to them.  I was happy to accommodate them.  And it wasn’t long before I had lines of people waiting to visit with me after every service.  It got to the point where a young lady in the church printed up numbers (as a joke…she never used them) to hand out to people wanting to talk with me.

Of course, this got the attention of church leadership.

The persecution began with warnings in sermons about wolves in the congregation.  My behavior didn’t change.  So the warnings became more pointed.  Friends would come to me after the church service and say, “Do you know that the pastor was preaching about you?”  At first, I didn’t.  I could not imagine a person as gifted, talented, and anointed as our pastor being so insecure as to be threatened by the likes of me.  But over time, I was forced to concede their point.

So what could I do?  The scripture encourages me to love God and to love people.  I did my best to do both without offending those in leadership, but was not willing to stop loving.  Eventually I felt it best to leave the church because of a piece of gossip that seemed to confirm the fear that I was going to lead a coup of some sort.

The ironic thing about this is that the pastor preached vigorously against gossip in the church.  It turns out that the right kind of gossip was welcomed.  Only the wrong kind of gossip was frowned upon.

Don’t ask me to explain it.  I don’t understand it either.

I no longer attend traditional church services.  If I did, I would love God and love the people.  If that was a problem for the church leadership, then it would be their problem.  I would love the people without fear of consequence.  I simply refuse to violate scripture, and quench the life and love of Jesus in me, for the sake of insecure leaders.

Love God.  Love people.  If God has made you to be a sheepdog, be what you are.  Watch yourself…don’t go rogue.  Most wolves in the church were once sheepdogs.  If persecuted, guard your heart.  If you can continue loving people without regard to the persecution, do it.  They need love more than you need to be comfortable.

And pray for your leaders.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

You Can't Get There from Here: Making Good Time on the Road to Nowhere

By David Ryser

You cannot spend your way out of a recession or borrow your way out of debt. (Daniel Hannan).

When I saw this quote, I was stunned because the statement was made by a politician.  My mental equilibrium was restored only after I discovered that Mr. Hannan is not an American politician.

It is self-evident to some people that a nation cannot spend itself into prosperity.  Many such obvious statements could be coined.  For example:  You cannot drink yourself into a cure for alcoholism.

Or how about this one?  You cannot religion yourself to God.

I’ve had friends who have left the professional ministry.  They’re usually happy to be out of the religion business, but have to work through some hurts and disappointments they’ve picked up along the way.  And they don’t realize how much of their troubles were self-inflicted.  Typically, they’re not ready to hear about it for a long time.  Because we are friends, we talk about it when the time is right.

So, let’s take a look at how a Jesus-loving church leader can be his/her (and the Kingdom’s) worst enemy.

In Mark 2:22 (cf. Luke 5:37, 38), Jesus tells us that new wine cannot be put into old wineskins.  If new wine is put into an old wineskin, the fermenting wine will cause the wineskin to burst.  The wine will be wasted, and the wineskin will be destroyed.

And so it is with churches.

Much is made of the subject of the new wine in sermons...along with mention of the old wineskin.  Usually, and incorrectly, the use of the term “old wineskin” is in reference to Judaism.  All of this talk about new wine and old wineskins is particularly noteworthy when we consider that the two scriptures mentioned earlier are the only verses in the entire New Testament that speak of new wine and old wineskins at all--and they are referencing the same teaching.

So Jesus possibly spoke about the new wine and the old wineskins only once.

Reading these verses in context, I have become convinced that when Jesus speaks of the new wine, He is talking simultaneously about powerful moves of the Holy Spirit in our time as well as the people affected by this outpouring.  He’s talking about us!  He’s speaking about what happens when God’s Spirit is poured into people…and what happens when those people grapple with incorporating this move of God into a religious system that is not able to contain either the move of God or the people of God who are filled to overflowing with His Spirit.

When God pours out His Spirit (His presence and His power) onto His people, one of three things usually happens.  And all of them end badly.

First, religious people may accept neither what God is doing nor those who have been impacted by it.  They prefer the old and the familiar ways.  When Jesus speaks about the new wine and the need for new wineskins to contain it (Luke 5:37, 38), He goes on to say (in verse 39) that people do not immediately acquire a taste for the new wine.   They declare that the old wine is good enough.  They can reject the new wine.  They hold on to the old religious ways for any number of reasons:  out of a love for tradition, a preference for the old and comfortable way of doing things (no matter how perverted and unbiblical), to maintain their standing or position in the church, etc.  They will reject an obvious move of God in favor of the old wineskin.

I have seen this happen on more than one occasion.  Once it occurred in a church I was pastoring.  It’s why I don’t pastor anymore.

Second, the church leadership might try to preserve both the new thing God is doing and the old religious church system, methods, and programs.  Trying to please everyone, they end up pleasing no one…including God.  The pressure of the old straining against the new will eventually come to the breaking point, and the church explodes--and is destroyed along with what God was trying to do.

And the new move of God, and the people who went for it, are usually blamed for the church’s demise.

Third, and perhaps most common, the church leadership may see that the new move of God is straining the church’s religious structure (and threatening their power).  If something is not done soon, the church will be destroyed.  But they want to retain the new wine as well.  So they try to co-opt the move of God by tinkering with their church system in an effort to accommodate God’s outpouring without substantively changing the church “wineskin.”  They bleed off just enough of the new wine (such as by adding closely-supervised “small groups” to simulate church as an organism rather than just an organization; or by simply dampening, or even removing, those “troublemakers” who are contending for the move of God) so that the remainder can be contained within the old religious system. 

Over time, the new wine resembles the old wine.  The church services might be more exuberant, but God is nowhere to be found.

When we do this, we usually just end up where we began.  It’s different.  It’s exciting.  It’s fun.  It makes us feel good.  We’re moving fast…we’re making good time…but the road we’re on doesn’t go anywhere.

Just ask my ex-pastor friends.  When God began to move, they initiated a few changes to accommodate Him.  But they simply would not give up their role as “the sage on the stage” and were unable, or unwilling, to let God take control of the church service.

Including their beloved sermon.

We would be well-advised to follow the biblical model for responding to what God is doing.  We should embrace it…totally and fully.  We need to allow God’s Spirit and power to transform us…first.  Having received a transformation of heart, we then can go about the business of changing how we do things.  We should receive, and become, the new wine.

And then we should seek God about the new wineskin to hold the new wine.

So when God moves in a new way (new to us, anyhow), we need a new way of doing things as well.  How we “do church” must change…radically change.  But transformation of our heart should precede a change of methodology.  If not, we will change what we do without experiencing a transformation of what we are.  This is always a grave error.

If we do not experience a transformation of our heart before we change what we do, we will find that we’ve done nothing except discovered a new way to do an old thing.

And then both what we had, and what we could have had, will be lost.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Raising the Dead: One Man's Experience

By David Ryser

The worst defeat is never having tried to win.  (Dale Brown)

Recently a friend of mine attempted to raise a person from the dead.  I say “attempted” because the person is still dead.  My friend is the pastor of a small church in the community where the death occurred.  Two young teen boys were killed in a boating accident.  This pastor was asked to officiate at the funeral.  In the days preceding the funeral, he felt led by God to raise one of the boys from the dead.  Others in the church confirmed his impression.  Some members of the boy’s immediate family added their endorsement of his plan.  On the day of the funeral, my friend prayed and commanded the boy to be raised from the dead.

Later in the day, both boys were buried next to one another.

So what went wrong?

Raising the dead is part of Christ’s commission to the church.  Jesus raised the dead…at least 3 times.  He sent His disciples out to preach the Kingdom of God with signs accompanying them, including raising the dead (Matthew 10:7, 8).  In the book of Acts, both Peter (Acts 9:36-41) and Paul (Acts 20:9-12) raised people from the dead.

Raising the dead is a part of our commission as well (John 14:12).

You see, raising the dead is not just for the people in biblical times.  Dave Hogan ministers powerfully among the Aztec people in Mexico.  He has raised people from the dead.  Pastors and ordinary Christians, from the churches he has planted, have raised people from the dead.  There are stories from all around the world of people being raised from the dead.

So why doesn’t it seem to work for us?

Dave Hogan himself once shed some light on this while recounting stories of people being raised from the dead in Mexico.  In the course of sharing these testimonies, he added, “You do understand, don’t you that most of the people we pray for to be raised from the dead are still dead?”

What?!

I am reminded of something John Wimber said when speaking about the explosion of physical healing that changed the course of his life and ministry.  He told of the time when God began to deal with him to preach about physical healing and to pray for the sick.  For months he preached on the scriptures pertaining to divine healing and prayed for the sick.

No one was healed.

He took this situation to the Lord.  God’s response was to command him to continue preaching on healing and continue to pray for the sick.

He obeyed God.  No one was healed.

People began to leave the church, thinking their pastor had gone loony-toons.  Over time, Wimber lost half of his congregation.  He continued to preach and pray in obedience to God’s command.

Then, one day, people began to be healed.

Suddenly it seemed that everyone Wimber prayed for was healed.  The results were phenomenal!  A major healing revival broke out and swept the country.  Wimber became the recognized authority on healing prayer.  Asked one day what kept him humble while performing healing miracles, Wimber’s response was instructive…and powerful.

“Failure.”

I don’t know why some people remain dead when believers pray to raise them.  And I don’t know why some people remain sick when believers pray for their healing.  All I know is that we Christians have a commission from the Lord Jesus Christ to proclaim the Kingdom of God with accompanying signs and wonders.

And these include healing the sick and raising the dead.

And I’m reasonably sure that my pastor friend will raise someone from the dead before I do.  Because, to date, he has prayed for one more dead person than I have.  And he will continue to do so every time God leads him.

I don’t know how many people will be raised from the dead as a result of believing prayer.  But I do know how many will be raised from the dead by no prayer.

None.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Intimacy With God and Others: Getting Naked

By David Ryser

Reading the Bible, I am struck by how often God likens His relationship with His people to the relationship between a man and his wife.  Especially in the Old Testament, the biblical writers use explicit, sexual images to describe God’s passion for His people and His desire for an intimate experience with them.  Time and again, while confronting them with their unfaithfulness to their covenant with Him, God expresses His outrage as One who has been betrayed by an unfaithful lover.

And He uses language we don’t use in church.

How did I miss this?  In Bible College, and later in Graduate School, I had been taught that in the Old Testament God revealed Himself as a Lawgiver and a Judge.  The people of God lived under the Law of Moses, judged mercilessly based upon their obedience/disobedience to the Law.  A relationship with God was unavailable to them because Jesus had not yet come to pay for our sins and bring us into right relationship with Him.

What a crock.

The Old Testament records the stories of men and women who knew God, walked with Him, and experienced Him in intimate relationship…both before and after the giving of the Law.  And when God’s people broke their covenant with Him, He did not react as an offended judge.

He reacted as a cuckolded husband.

Intimacy in the marriage relationship expresses itself in many ways.  Among them is the physical union of husband and wife wherein they become one flesh and their hearts are joined together in a way that is denied to all others.

And this involves getting naked.

In the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, the word “naked” plays a central role in the narrative.  Or more accurately, three Hebrew words that can be translated “naked” are used to tell the story of the intimacy of the relationship with God that was lost when man sinned.  And how much God desired to restore that relationship with us.

And the price He would pay for it.

The first occurrence of the word “naked” is found in Genesis 2:25.  The Hebrew word translated “naked” here simply means “unclothed.”  The man and woman were created by God without clothing…and they were not ashamed.

Naked means unclothed?  Who knew?  What else could it mean?  I’m glad you asked.

The second incidence of a word that can be translated “naked” refers to the serpent, and occurs in Genesis 3:1.  The Hebrew word means “smooth” or “slick” and describes someone who is disingenuous or crafty.  We express this concept in our own language when we refer to someone as a “smooth operator” or as “slick.”

When we use these terms, they are not meant as a compliment.

The third use of the word “naked” is found in Genesis 3:10 (cf. Genesis 3:7 & 3:11).  Man has sinned.  Adam and Eve are hiding from God.  They’ve made clothing from fig leaves for themselves.  God is looking for them.  He cries out, “Adam, where are you?”

This is not a geography question.

God knows where Adam is hiding.  And what he is wearing.  And what he has done.  God’s cry for Adam is akin to someone who senses a distance in a once-intimate relationship and says to the other person, “I can’t reach you.  I don’t know where you’ve gone.”

Even if the other person is right there in front of them.

Adam’s response to God is that he is hiding because he knew he was “naked” and he was afraid.  This Hebrew word for “naked” is perhaps better translated “exposed” and carries with it the sense of guilt and shame that comes with such exposure.

It wasn’t sin that kept man from God.

Sin caused man to be separated from God.  But guilt and shame caused man to hide from God.  What would have happened had Adam not hidden himself?  What if Adam, in his sin and shame, had run to God instead of away from Him?

We’ll never know.  And it no longer matters for Adam.  But what about us?

When we sin, or fail God in some other way, do we run to Him or away from Him?  Do we try to hide and cover up what we’ve done?  What about when we sin against, or fail, other people?  Do we face up to what we’ve done?  Or do we try to hide and cover up our shortcomings?

And how will we ever experience intimacy with either God or with people if we hide ourselves from them?

Why hide from God?  Jesus paid an awful price to restore an intimate relationship with God (Genesis 3:15b).  Why would we run from this kind of love?

How many people do you know who would die just to hang out with you?

We will never know intimacy with God until we get naked with Him.  Turn to Him in our failure and shame…exposed.

And allow Him to clothe us with His love and forgiveness.

Likewise, we will never experience intimacy with people unless we become emotionally and spiritually naked/vulnerable before them.  In the New Testament we Christians are told to encourage, admonish, and pray for one another.  How can we do any of these things effectively when we are hiding from each another?  Intimacy with God, our spouse, and with other people requires that we get “naked.”

We yearn to be loved and accepted.  Just as we are…how we really are.  How will this ever happen if we are hiding from everyone?

If you want intimacy, you have to get naked.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Accidental Healing: God Don't Need No Hamburger Helper

By David Ryser

On my last trip to Barrow, Alaska, I relearned a lesson I should have had to learn only once…a long time ago.

My friend, Tim, was involved with a well-known prophetic movement for several years.  During that time, he noticed that genuine prophecies were often accompanied by what he calls “hamburger helper.”  This term refers to when the prophet/prophetess adds to the prophetic message.  It can be in the form of a clarification, or the addition of a timeline, or any of a number of add-ons designed to assist the one receiving the message to interpret and implement it.

Adding “hamburger helper” to a prophetic message almost always ends badly.

While ministering at a church in Barrow, I felt led by God to lay hands on a woman who was seated in the congregation.  As I did, she began to tremble.  I was inspired to say, “You’re in a lot of pain.”  I then prepared to launch into a prolonged blither-fest concerning emotional pain, and…blah, blah, blah.  But before I could say anything else, the woman’s shaking increased to the point where she fell out of her chair and onto the floor.  She remained on the floor for several minutes, shaking under the presence and power of God.

I thought, “Well, God started this…He can finish it” and walked away without saying anything else.  I’m glad I did.

Two nights later, the woman gave a testimony in the service.  It seems she had been suffering from severe pain in her hips that bothered her when she walked.  When I laid hands on her and said, “You’re in a lot of pain,” the power of God hit her.  She was instantly and completely healed of the hip pain.

And I learned two lessons.  The first concerned accidental healing.  The second was about not adding “hamburger helper” to what God speaks.

Accidental healing is a term I’ve coined to describe a healing performed without any intent to heal on the part of the person God is using to perform the healing.  This is not the first time this has happened to me.  When I was teaching at a school of ministry, one of the pastors of the church pulled me aside before a church service.  He asked me to choose some students to form a prayer team that would minister the power of God during the service.

Being the obedient fellow I am, I went about the selection process.

I noticed two of the students standing at the front of the church building interceding for the upcoming service.  I came up behind them and placed my hands on their shoulders to get their attention.  I informed them that they would be part of the prayer team.  Then I went about my business.

I didn’t intend to heal anyone.  Honest.

After the service, one of the students approached me.  She told me that she had become increasingly sick during the day with what she thought was a sinus infection of some sort.  When I touched her to get her attention before the service, she was instantly and completely healed of her sickness.

My intellectually and theologically astute response was, “Cool!”

The Bible records at least two instances of accidental healing.  In one instance, Elisha’s healing of a person is particularly notable because both the man and Elisha were dead when the healing occurred (2 Kings 13:20, 21).

OK, maybe that one doesn’t count.

But Jesus performed a healing on a woman who had been suffering from an issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48).  And He did not intend to heal her.  In fact, He was on His way to heal someone else when the healing occurred (Luke 8:41, 42).  If Jesus had not sensed the healing power flowing out of Himself and into the woman, He would not even have known that He had healed anyone (Luke 8: 45, 46).

That’s an accidental healing.

In the case of the woman in Alaska, the healing was ministered through a prophetic word, “You’re in a lot of pain.”  Had I gone on to add a bunch of “hamburger helper” about emotional pain and whatever else I was going to say, she very likely would not have received her healing.  My “prophetic word” would have been wrong, and she would have had no basis for the faith to receive a physical healing.

The whole thing would have been a mess.  And the tragedy would have been that it would have begun as a genuine word from God…followed by a bit of “hamburger helper” added to it.

Graham Cooke says it best when he observes that, “We almost never know what we are speaking into” when delivering a prophetic word to someone.  From experience, I can say that I almost never know anything about a person or their circumstances when delivering a word from God to them.  And I don’t need to know.

So why would I want to add something to it?

The fact is that once God inspires someone to speak, prophecy is really quite simple.  After receiving the message from God, prophecy requires only two other things on our part.

Knowing when to speak.  Knowing when to shut up.

How hard can that be?  Jesus summed up His entire ministry in two statements:  “I do what I see the Father doing” and “I say what I hear the Father saying.”

If we would follow Jesus’ example, I suspect we would more often see Jesus’ results.

So when we are going about our business as ordinary Christians (carrying and ministering the presence, power, life, and love of Jesus), we would be well-advised to do only what we see God doing and say only what we hear Him saying…adding nothing.

God don’t need no hamburger helper.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Ellis' Question: "How do I Fall in Love with Jesus?"

By David Ryser

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”  The huge mountain of a man asking the question was genuine and sincere, his eyes pleading.

I considered my answer carefully.

I was in Barrow, Alaska visiting with a pastor and his wife who are friends of mine, and holding a series of meetings at their wonderful church full of some of my favorite people on earth.  We had been considering the subject of loving Jesus and having an intimate relationship with God.  Ellis approached me after one of the services.

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”

Normally I am not a fan of “how to” questions concerning the things of God.  I am far more concerned with “Who” (God) rather than “how” (methodology).  Typically those who ask “how” are seeking a shortcut or a formula to operate in God’s kingdom rather than desiring an intimate relationship with the King.

This was different.

Ellis, an Inupiat Eskimo (as is about 90% of Barrow’s population), had been a Christian for less than two months.  Prior to his becoming a Christian, he was a notorious evildoer in the community.  I suspect that his behavior, coupled with his imposing and intimidating physical presence, caused fear in those who encountered him.  His conversion had caused no small stir in the town.

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”

Ellis was a changed man.  He was hungry to learn about God and to know Him.  He was reading the Bible, exposing himself to good Christian teaching, and constantly amazed his pastor (and me) with insightful questions concerning the things he was learning.  His radically changed behavior was a testimony of his genuine repentance and conversion.

But he wanted more.

Ellis was not content just to learn about God.  He longed to know Him.  Deeply.  Personally.  Intimately.  He wanted to experience God.

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”

There is no pat answer to this question.  Systems and formulas don’t work so well when it comes to relationships.  Bookstores are full of “how to” books on relationships precisely because they do not work.  Relationships are living, dynamic, and subjective.  Formulas are not.  The Bible has much to say about the necessity of loving God, but then portrays men and women having unique relationships with Him.

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”

Ellis stood there.  The look in his eyes conveyed a desperate desire for an answer that would provide him with the key to unlock the mystery of experiencing a loving, intimate relationship with God.

And I did have an answer for him…of sorts.

Would my answer offend him?  Would it frustrate him?  Confuse him?  Would he understand it?  Would it help him?

“How do I fall in love with Jesus?”

I spoke finally, fervently hoping God would “breathe on” my answer and give Ellis the guidance he was seeking.

What was my brilliant answer, you ask?

“I don’t know.  How do you fall in love with anyone?  You learn about them and spend time with them.  Then, one day, you discover that you are in love with them.”

Ellis considered my answer, and then accepted it.  He was not discouraged.  Rather, he was more determined than ever to seek God.  I wondered how his search would end.

I didn’t have long to wait.

A few days later, on a Sunday morning, Ellis walked into the church building prior to the service.  He was anxious to tell me his news.  In the wee hours of the previous night, he had encountered God in a personal and intimate way.

Ellis was head-over-heels in love with Jesus!

He had experienced Jesus.  Not just as a Savior, but as a Lover.  He now knew and loved the One he had met less than two short months ago.  A look into his eyes and beaming face confirmed for me the truth of his words.

I rejoiced with Ellis.  His church family rejoiced with him and affirmed him.  As you might imagine, we had quite a church service that Sunday morning.

The next day I was at a restaurant with Ellis, his pastor, and a pastor from another church in town.  His pastor introduced Ellis to the other pastor and mentioned that Ellis had recently “met the Lord.”  I’ll never forget what Ellis said next:  “I met Jesus six weeks ago, but I fell in love with Him on Saturday night.”

Wow.

I left Barrow the next day.  Ellis was at the airport to see me off.  I communicate with him on a regular basis.  I’m excited about his relationship with God and about the wonderful plan God has for the rest of his life.  I am confident he will be an effective laborer in God’s kingdom because he is more than just a soldier and worker for God.

He is also a friend and lover of His.

I suspect Ellis is in for quite an adventure.  His Christian wife and his family don’t know quite what to make of him yet.  This husband and father is “clothed and in his right mind” spiritually speaking, and it is a big adjustment for those closest to the “new” Ellis.  But I’m confident he will be just fine in the end.  His pastor is mentoring him.  His church is loving and encouraging him.

And one day I’m hoping Ellis can accompany me on a ministry trip and tell the story about the night he fell in love with Jesus.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com