Mark 16:15, 17-20 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…..And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Do Jesus’ instructions in this passage make you uncomfortable? Ministry can be messy because of the manifestation of demons in the presence of God, and we don’t want to have a religion that has its form but without the power. Jesus said that as we go out to preach the Gospel, we should be able to cast our demons, speak with new tongues, lay hands on the sick and witness their recovery if necessary. Comfortable or not, this is what the world needs today! The harvest field with its diverse needs require workers who are equipped with the Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus has promised that His presence will be with us, and this is especially true when we walk in obedience by preaching the Gospel and ministering to people. Because we are we are partnering God, we can confront the forces of darkness and enforce His victory. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us will prompt us and cause us to leave our comfort zones and do what He desires us to do. In fact, the lack of supernatural manifestation in the church, the marketplace, or wherever we minister is abnormal because we serve a supernatural God, and the spiritual realm is as real as the natural realm. When Jesus was on earth, demons manifested in His presence, people were healed and saved. There is no difference today except the kind of demonic influence has taken a slightly different form.
Doing the work that Jesus has instructed requires faith with corresponding action, because faith without works is dead. Therefore, if we are to apply faith based on what we believe, we need to act on what He has asked us to do. Only when we are willing to lay down our self-consciousness and start partnering with Him in areas that are outside our comfort zones will we witness signs and wonders. We should also stop doubting because we are not the source of power, God is! We are just a conduit in this partnership with Him. It has everything to do with God and His abilities, and our responsibility is just to lay hands, use His name and exercise our faith. Therefore, all believers are capable of power evangelism because we are partnering with God.
Sermon Series: Arise and Build (Part 4)
与神同工
马可福音 16:15, 17-20祂又对祂们说：“你们往普天下去，传福音给万民（万民：原文是凡受造的）听。信的人必有神迹随着祂们，就是奉我的名赶鬼；说新方言； 手能拿蛇；若喝了什么毒物，也必不受害；手按病人，病人就必好了。”主耶稣和祂们说完了话，后来被接到天上，坐在神的右边。门徒出去，到处宣传福音。主和祂们同工，用神迹随着，证实所传的道。阿们！
耶稣在这段经文中的教导会让你感到不自在吗？因恶魔在上帝的面前现形，事工可能会变得难以应付。我们要的不是一个只有形式而没有能力的宗教。耶稣过当我们出去传福音时，我们应该能够驱除邪灵，说新的方言，必要时按手在病人身上并见证医治。无论是否感到自在，这些正是当今世界所需要的！待收的禾场里有不同的需要，需要大量的装备圣经的话语和被圣灵赋能的工人。
耶稣已经应许我们，祂将与我们同在。特别是当我们顺服地行事，去传福音和服事人的时候，这点尤其真实。因为我们与神同工，我们能够抵御黑暗势力，彰显祂的得胜。住在我们里面的圣灵会催促我们让我们走出自己的舒适区，做祂想要我们去做的事。在教会或任何我们服侍的地方，包括职场中，没有超自然的显现是不正常的，因为我们所侍奉的是一个超自然的上帝，而灵界的真实一如自然界。当耶稣在世上时，魔鬼在祂面前显现，人们得医治得救赎。今天的时代没有什么不同，只是恶魔施加影响的形式略有不同。
做耶稣指示我们去做的工作，需要信心和相应的行动。没有行为的信心是死的。因此，如果我们想根据自己的信仰应用信心，我们就需要按照祂要求我们做的去做。只有当我们愿意放下自我意识，并跳出舒适区开始与神同工，我们才会看到祂的神迹奇事。我们还要停止怀疑，因为我们不是力量之源，上帝才是！在这个与上帝同工的关系中，我们只不过作为管道。一切都是关乎上帝和祂的能力。我们的责任就只是按手，使用祂的名字和操练信心。因此，所有的信徒都能够作神迹与权能布道，因为我们是在与神同工。
讲章系列：兴起和建造（第四部分）
Image Source: pixabay.com