All things Are Possible to them who believe

The Temple Tax – Matthew 17:24-27

²⁴ After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

²⁵ “Yes, he does,” he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

²⁶ “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. ²⁷ “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+17&version=NIV

Last night I read the same verses to my friend Bonnie, and the Holy Spirit revealed something to me. We don’t expect anything from him.  He can't exceed our expectations because we don’t think that he does this anymore.  People behind pulpits come and tell us that there is no such thing as healing anymore - only what the doctors can do and there definitely is no such thing as finding money in a fish.  Those things are what used to happen and only Jesus and the ones in the bible were able to do that and no one else. They tell us that the power of God has now gone into technology and medical finesse and financial wizards.  They say miracles don’t happen anymore.

 

They say oh no, those were the apostolic powers of that time...Holy Spirit does not work in that manner anymore.  They make fun of men in white suits and call them liars, discrediting the power that worketh (I know I am going all KJV) in them, simply because they have never experienced it for themselves.  What's worse is that they, us, me, you, have fallen blindly into that safe mode Christianity.  In this mode we don’t have to put ourselves out there.  We don’t have to make bold declarations, speaking things that are not as though they were.  We don’t have to believe that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead is also in us.  We don’t have to dare to step out of the boat to walk on water.  We don’t have to do anything but quote verses and have church socials.

 

It makes me wonder why then have these things written? Why would God inspired men write that greater things than what was recorded about Jesus’ acts will we be able to do?  Why then should it be written that we are healed by Jesus' stripes?  Why then do we read about supernatural things if it was just a teaser for us?  If that were the case then I feel cheated.  I feel cheated out of the miraculous, the extra ordinary, the impossible becoming possible. 

 

Yet, Jesus said to the Father with the demon possessed boy, all things are possible to them who believe.  Maybe it is time we fall to our knees and confess as he did, "Lord, help my unbelief".

 

Don’t you want something more?  Don’t you want to really trust God to do what His word says? Don’t you want to abandon logic and reason and hold on to this word that is so rich and deep that you can’t even stand in it by your own strength?  Don’t you want to risk it all and just believe?

 

I do.  I am tired of reading the bible like it’s a history book.  Every word from God is true.  He said Let God be true and every Man, [including ourselves], a liar.