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February 2017 Printable .pdf (230 KB)

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and His son the Lord Jesus Christ. The January 2017 teaching discussed a word-based study of the word "Now" as it appears in the Bible. We learned the word "Now" is a sign-post of an action that needs to be taken immediately, instantly, or "Now!"

The Bible is not a dusty old text to be picked up when convenient. It is the Word of life "Now" (Philippians 2:16). It is important to understand the manner in which the word Now is used in the Bible - or How the Now is used, for what purpose, reason, or to have what impact. The How of the Now is always believing. Per Romans 10:17, "So then faith [believing] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

We will look at three examples of the How of the Now in believing God's Word. The first example of believing action on God's Word involves Abraham and his wife Sarah. They believed to have a son, which was a heart yearning they had shared for many years. God had promised Abraham he would be "a father of many nations" (Geneses 17:5). The problem was that Abraham had been unable to have a child with his wife Sara. Turn to Hebrews 11:11:

Through faith [believing] also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age [90 years old], because she judged him faithful who had promised.

As the passage continues the next word is therefore. In the Bible (or any conventional writing), when the word therefore is used, it is connected to the previous passage or writing and explains the consequences or results of the previous passage. So when reading the Bible, ask yourself "Why is therefore there?" and go back to the previous passage to understand. So let's continue with Hebrews 11:12-13, remembering to go back in order to comprehend the use of the word Therefore.

Therefore sprang there even of one [Abraham], and him as good as dead [he was almost 100 years old when Sarah got pregnant], so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

These all died in faith [believing], not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Praise the Lord! Abraham and Sara got to the place where they believed God's Word! Sometimes it takes time to make up your mind that God is faithful and will deliver what has been promised.

The Old Testament record of Abraham's believing is summed up in Romans 4:20-21:

He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith [believing], giving glory to God;

And being fully persuaded that, what he [God] had promised, he [God] was able also to perform.

This verse holds the key to believing. Believing is just not an intellectual process. Believing is being fully persuaded and convinced of God's Word beyond a shadow of uncertainty even if you never see it happen. That is what true believing is all about! All through his years, Abraham was working on being fully persuaded that what God had promised God was able also to perform. He finally got to the place where he was convinced of God's Word beyond any doubt and believed what God had promised. The How of the Now is believing that what God has promised, God will perform.

God's Word said Old Testament believers died in believing, not having received the promises of Christ's first coming (see Hebrews 11:12). You and I are sons and daughters of God because of Christ's first coming. As born-again believers, we have received the promises of Christ's first coming. Per the scriptures, it is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).

The second example of the How of the Now is in Mark where a certain woman had an issue of blood for twelve years. Let's read this wonderful record of believing and action. Jesus Christ had come to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recover sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those that were bruised. (Luke 4:18).

When the woman had heard of Jesus coming, she acted immediately. Turn to Mark 5:25-26:

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood [hemorrhaging] twelve years,

and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.

This woman had not seen results from her efforts. In fact, she had continued to grow worse. Despite her physical weakness, she kept pressing forward, doing the best she knew to do. This had become her habit, her heart. Let's continue in Mark 5:27-28:

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

In Matthew 9:21, the account of this same record is restated and the words "within herself" are added.

For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

The tense of the Greek verb for "said" in verse 21 provides tremendous insight into this record. It is the imperfect tense, which indicates continuous action in the past. In other words, the woman didn't just say it once, she said it over and over - "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." Then she acted by going to touch his garment and received her healing. Look at the results! Let's look at Mark 5:29-34:

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, who touched my clothes?

And his disciples said unto him, thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

And he said unto her, Daughter [she was of Israel], thy faith [believing] hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

What a wonderful and magnificent record of confession, believing and action! Believing is the How of the Now.

The third example of the How of believing can also be found in Mark. A man brought his son to Jesus' disciples and asked them to cast out a dumb spirit. The disciplines could not cast out the spirit from the son. Let's look at Mark 9:14-18:

And when he [Jesus] came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

And straightway all the people, when they beheld him [Jesus], were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

Take moment and picture Jesus's disciples in a pubic setting with a multitude of people watching. They were called on to cast out the dumb spirit in the man's son, but could not. How would you feel? These were same disciples who had in the past had great success in healing the sick (Luke 9:1-6). What hindered them? Let's continue in Mark 9:19:

He [Jesus] answereth him, and saith, O faithless [unbelieving] generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

This was one man, but Jesus responded "O faithless [unbelieving] generation." Jesus was a little frustrated with the unbelieving generation that's why he asked the rhetorical questions "how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" Let's continue with Mark 9:20-21:

And they brought him unto him [Jesus]: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, how long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

Sometimes you need to ask questions when you about to minister healing. This is what Jesus did. The father continued in his response to Jesus in Mark 9:22:

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.

The father had directed this same statement at his disciples first, and then at Jesus. Jesus gave it back to the father where the responsibility belongs. Jesus took that "if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us" and responded to the man in Mark 9:23.

Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Countless people like to lay the responsibility for their unbelief and failure to receive on someone else. The disciples were victims of the responsibility of the father in this circumstance. They were trapped in the father's snare of unbelieving, but not Jesus.

When we study the records on healing, you will see whenever possible Jesus always demanded believing of the parents for the healing of their children. For example, in Matthew 15:22 we see that the Canaanite woman had unlimited believing for the healing of her daughter who was vexed with a devil. Let's continue with Mark 9:24-27:

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

We see when the father "said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" Jesus "rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him [it], thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." The child had a dumb and deaf spirit in him.

Jesus Christ taught his disciples that the works of God are in believing on him whom He sent. Look at John 6:28-29:

Then said they unto him [Jesus], what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Our work of God is to believe on all that Jesus Christ accomplished for us! The How of the Now is always believing. Remember, How the Now explains the ways in which the Now is used, for what purpose, reason, or to have what impact. Believe now Romans 10:9-10:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Recall from the January 2016 teaching, there are two requirements to getting born-again as explained in Romans 10:9: First,"Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus" and second, "Believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead." Once you act Now and do those two things, you get saved. This is because with the inner most part of your being (heart), man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation [wholeness] (Romans 10 10).

Remember, whatever you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart and act on Now, you will absolutely have it in your life!

In summary, in Romans 4:20-21, we saw that believing involves giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, God is able to perform. In Mark 5: 25-34, a woman boldly confessed with positive believing to received total healing. She said "I shall be whole" repeatedly and then she acted by touching Jesus' clothes. And in Mark 9:14-27, we learned that whenever possible Jesus always demanded believing of the parents for the healing of their children. In each of these examples, the How of the Now required that believing and actions occur together on the part of anyone having a need.

The word "believe" is a verb which means action. Therefore, believing the Word of God and acting on it brings results.

Psalm 116:10:

I believed, therefore have I spoken.

II Corinthians 4:13:

We having the same spirit of faith [the faith of Jesus Christ], according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.

I thank God, our Father for what He has promised, He is willing and is able also to perform. I also thank God without ceasing, because, when you receive the Word of God, you receive it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe (I Thessalonians 2:13).

Next month's teaching will be on Faith and Believing.

In the Lord
Ministry of Reconciliation
Son of God through Jesus Christ
Ambassador for Christ

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