Healing and the Gospel

I have always been fascinated by the healing miracles in the gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The way the Holy Spirit worked with the apostles was really exciting. However, I was always puzzled by James 5. I could not see how it fitted with the rest of the teaching about healing in the New Testament. James’ message seemed so tame and dull in comparison to Acts and the Gospels. A couple of years ago the penny dropped. I discovered that there are two streams of teaching about healing in the Bible, and suddenly everything fell into place. If we split the teaching of the scriptures into these two streams, God’s strategy for healing makes more sense.

• Healing and Evangelism
  The gift of healing is primarily for unbelievers as a demonstration of the love of God. The Gospels and Acts describe how the gift of healing works in evangelism. Jesus brought good news to apostate Israel, so his ministry often demonstrated this type of healing.

• Healing and Believers
  The second healing theme explains how God’s people can walk in health. Healing is part of salvation, so it should be a normal part of every believer’s life. James is a key passage in this second stream.

The healing of unbelievers and believers has a different basis. One is based on mercy and the other on covenant.

• Healing of the unbeliever is based on the mercy of God.
• Healing of the believer is based on the covenant.

Unbelievers are in the kingdom of darkness, so it is normal for them to be sick. They can only be healed, if God breaks in with power and mercy that they do not deserve. They need the gospel to get out of the kingdom of darkness.

God will sometimes extend mercy to an unbeliever to prove his existence and mercy and love. He does not do this just for the benefit of the person healed, but for all those who see the miracle. He releases his power to shake people up and make them ready to receive the gospel.

On the other hand, Christians get sick, when something is wrong. They have not received everything that they are entitled too. Christians are living in Christ, so they should be experiencing all the benefits of the cross. They are entitled to the healing earned when strips of flesh were ripped off Jesus’ back. This makes it odd for Christians to be sick.

The solution is not physical power, but removing the obstacle that is preventing the Christian from receiving what Jesus has earned for them. If they cannot sort that out on their own, they will need help from someone else with greater faith or wisdom. This is why the scriptures tell sick Christians to go to their elders (James 5). A variety of things can make a Christian sick: lack of faith, sin, demons, ignorance of the gospel or spiritual strongholds. Their elders should seek God for the reason. When they understand the cause, they can deal with it and allow the sick person to receive the health that Jesus has bought for them.

The cause of sickness is different for unbelievers and believers, so the solution must be different. Their healing is appropriated in different ways. Healing: Insights for Christian Elders teases out the significance of this difference. Every Christian needs to understand the difference.

Church Problem

The insights in my book on Healing are primarily for Christians elders. The text of the book contains another warning to ordinary readers.

I am aware that many Christians have prayed against sickness for a long time without gaining victory. Reading this book may not provide much comfort to you. Some of you may even be left feeling condemned. The reason is that I am not writing for sick people, but for church leaders and elders. Most of the blockages to healing are problems with the church, so solving them will require changes in the way that elders fulfil their calling. In order to get Christian elders thinking, I have discussed some tough issues in a very direct way that could seem insensitive to those struggling with sickness. I apologise if this offends some, but I want a breakthrough that will prevent others from suffering.

Most of the problems lie with the church, so individuals battling with sickness will be powerless to do much about them, except challenge their elders to some serious thinking. The major issue is the general lack of faith throughout the church and no individual can deal with that on their own. Unless you are surrounded by a church or group of friends that is willing to grapple with some tough issues, the keys outlined here may not be of much help to you.

The church has left sick Christians feeling that they are responsible for their problem. Many have been accused of lack of faith. It is time that responsibility for this problem is pushed back to those who God gave responsibility for it. My reading of James 5 is that sick Christians are entitled to go to their elders and expect help.

Jonah

Jonah was a prophet out of sync with God’s purposes. God saw Nineveh as a people with potential, whereas Jonah had written them off. When Nineveh repented, God was glad, but Jonah was disappointed.

Like Jonah, many of the prophetic people in America are out of sync with God’s thinking. They are fussing about the outcome of the election and passing judgment on presidents and candidates. “Obama is bad. George Bush is good. Eisenhower was better. Carter was worse. Romney is OK”.

God looks at the election and sees the American Christians saying, “We want king!”

Over the last few years, there has been a shift in the balance of power in the principalities and powers that control the United States. A different principality has gained ascendancy. This shift has set the United States on a dangerous direction. It does not matter which presidential candidate, wins the next election, as he will be controlled by these principalities and powers.

The big question that the prophets should be asking is why this spiritual shift has occurred, and where it will lead. The United States needs a Daniel, who understands what is happening in the spiritual dimensions, and how that is shaped by the choices of the people.

“We want a President” is an old cry, but a foolish one. American Christians should be saying “We need prophets that can sound a trumpet clear call”.

Political Change

Elections change governments, but only in a superficial way. One demagogue is usually replaced with another. Wars change governments, but they create the conditions for worse rulers to emerge. Jesus pointed to a better way.

If you have faith and do not doubt, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done (Matt 21:21).

This is literally true, but in the scriptures, mountains symbolise powerful governments and empires. Jesus was promising that prophetic voices can speak to political rulers and declare that they must be gone. The key is faith. Prophetic declarations spoken in faith, can remove bad governments. And whereas, elections replace one demagogue with another, and wars strengthen military dictators, prophetic declarations make room for the better mountain.

The mountain of the Lord’s house will be established above the mountains and raised up above the hills and the peoples will flow into it (Is 2:2).

The mountain of the Lord’s house is the Kingdom of God. So the prophetic declarations that bring down evil governments also open up the way for the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God will come through prophet declarations, not through elections and wars.
The problem is that this type of prophetic voice does not exist in the modern world. For more on the role of the prophet in the modern world, see Prophetic Ministry.

Red Horse Rising

The news media have taken a long time to catch with the struggle in Syria. For a long time, they described it as another pro-democracy movement in the Spirit of the Arab spring. Only in the last few months have they admitted that a civil war is underway.

The situation in Syria is exacerbated by being the fault line for several larger struggles.

• Prior to the first world war, Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire, which was based in Turkey Some political leaders would like re-assert Turkish influence in Syria.

• The dregs of the Cold War still stewing in the Middle East. Russia has a naval base at Tartus in the western Syria that gives it access to the Mediterranean Sea. The US would love to see the Russians squeezed out of the Mediterranean.

• Syria is on the fragile fault line between the Shia and Sunni forms of Islam. The Assad government is Alawite, which is a sect of Shia Islam, while the majority of the population is Sunni.

• The Shia revival is centred on Iran. Syria is has been allied with Iran. The war in Iran has strengthened the position of Shia Islam in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and more recently Qatar are the leading Sunni nations, although they have much smaller populations. They see Syria as an opportunity to engage in a proxy battle against Iran.

• Between the wars, Syria was a French Mandate. The French have many economic interests in the area, and are always looking for to expand their influence by dabbling in the Middle East.

• Nations with major weapons industries are flooding the area with cheap weapons to sustain their economies through the economic turn down.

The existence of these vested interests make it almost impossible for the United Nations or any other group to mediate a solution. Every proposal for peace has an interested party from the other side that opposes it. Moreover, most of these external interests are fuelling the dispute by providing financial support and supplying weapons to the participants in the civil war.

Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire. It only became a nation at the end of the First World War. The Middle East was split by the Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Britain in 1916 along artificial national borders that gave no recognition to the different people that populated the region. The European powers ignored local interests, because their main object was to ensure access and control of oil supply, but their short-sightedness is coming back to haunt the world.

Syria is a nation made up of different tribal groups. The majority of the population are Sunni Moslems, but most have been shut out of political power. A number of minority ethnic and religious groups are spread round the country. The Alawite people originally lived in the west of Syria, but many have moved to the big cities of Damascus and Aleppo. A significance group of Kurdish people lie in the North East of Syria. The tensions between these groups have been suppressed by the Assad government. The civil is creating a new set of hatreds that will make these tensions worse.

To understand Syria, we must recognise that Red Horse of Revelation has been released. This horse represents military struggles between ethnic groups that will tear apart nations that were established during the age of nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Assad family dictatorship has kept a lid on the ethnic tensions in Syria, but when the regime eventually falls, these cooped up ethnic forces will destroy the unity of the nation. The “big sword” indicates the ferocity of these struggles. The bitter struggle in Syria is an example of this big sword.

The capital of Syria is Damascus. It has had a continued existing going back to the time of the Old Testament. Isaiah prophesied the destruction of Damascus, but he did not explain how it would happen.

A prophecy against Damascus: See, Damascus will no longer be a city, but will become a heap of ruins (Is 17:1).

If the struggle for Syria continues on and grows in bitterness, Damascus could end up as a heap of ruins.

Note: the Red Horse is not a sign of the second coming of Jesus. Its role in God’s plan for history is described in Times an Seasons.

Prophet or President?

The American people are agitated about the outcome of the election race between Obama and Romney. However a dozen reliable prophets with the ability to prophesy to the nation would achieve more for the US than either of these two men can do. The role of the prophet to a nation is described in Prophetic Ministry.

Prophetic Ministry: Sound the Trumpet Clearly

My latest book called Prophetic Ministry has been released on Amazon today.

I believe that one of the most urgent needs for the modern church is for the restoration of the prophetic ministry. Lack of vision and direction limits the growth of the church. Many Christians just go from fad to fad, with nothing followed through to completion. Many churches have to obtain a vision by copying other successful churches. The Bible warns that without a vision the people will perish (Prov 29:18). A dearth of prophets has caused a lack of vision in the church.

The church needs prophets to give a clear call to battle. It is currently losing the battle because it does not have a focused strategy. A great babble of voices all claim to have the truth and Christians are tossed around by every new wave that comes along. A clear prophetic voice is needed to prepare the church for victory.

In recent years, the gift of prophecy has been rediscovered, but there is still a desperate shortage of prophets. The church has millions of pastors, but almost no mature prophets. The church will not come to true maturity until prophets are being raised up among God’s people.

If you want to understand the role of Prophets in the modern church, you should grab a copy of this book. More information here.

Christian Marriage (15) Church and World

The institution of marriage legislated by modern governments is very different from Christian marriage. These differences affect:

• Who can get married. Many governments are moving towards allowing same sex marriage. Anyone can get married provided they are over the required certain age. Christian marriage is for couples who have reached a level of maturity.

• The nature of the relationship. Marriage legislation does not care about how couples behave. It does not care how the couple treats each other, provided they do not engage in violence. Christian marriage requires mutual love and submission.

• Who can get divorced. Most government allow no fault divorce and serial marriage. The splitting of income after divorce is proscribed. In Christian marriage, love should cover most differences, so divorce is limited to adultery and wilful desertion. Where divorce is the only course, wealth is not split equally, but the women gets back the Bride Gift and its increase, which means that she will often be better off than the man.

The differences between legal marriage and Christian marriage are already significant, and will become much starker in the future. This does not matter. It is just one more difference between the church and the world. If legislated marriage moves further way from Christian marriage, we should not fight it, because we cannot expect the people of the world to live by Christian standards.

The decision to enter a Christian marriage should always be a free choice. We should not force Christian marriage on those who are not Christians. Some may see God’s blessing on Christian marriage and freely choose to live that way because they want the benefits. That is fine if their choice is free, but unwilling people should not be forced into Christian marriage, if they want a different type of relationship. God does not want us to force biblical marriage onto an unwilling world.

We cannot demand that non-Christians commit to the unconditional love that God requires of Christian couples. It is impossible to live that way without the forgiveness of the cross and the blessing of the Holy Spirit anyway, so we should not try to expect it of those who do not know him.

Likewise, the biblical conditions for divorce only apply to Christians. People who have chosen to ignore the Holy Spirit can do what they like. We should not expect them to live up to God’s standards. Where sin abounds, divorce will be inevitable, for a huge variety of reasons. Moses principle of allowing divorce for hardness of heart will always apply in the world.

I am disappointed that same-sex marriage might become legal in this nation, but fighting against it is not the most important challenge facing Christians at this time. It is far more important that we are demonstrating the love of Jesus, walking in the power of the Spirit, and presenting the good news in a way that the world can understand and receive it.

This full series can be found at Christian Marriage.

Christians Marriage (14) Pastoral Reality

The pastoral reality that we have to deal with is a world that is all messed up and many in the church are messed up too. So if divorced Christians are acknowledging their failures and wanting to make a new beginning, we should encourage them. If they are willing to commit to marriage, Christians elders and pastors should be willing to marry them. Churches should be willing to support them.

On the other hand, if they want to continue living a selfish lifestyle, we might need to challenge them. We should not encourage those who a stuck in selfishness to enter a new marriage, because they will probably just get more of the same.

This is not a drift in the biblical principles. It is a Christian response to the situation that has emerged in a sinful world. Our calling has always been to work with the cross and the Spirit to clean up the mess that evil has made in the world. Christians should be skilled in sorting this stuff.

Pauls describes the ideal in 1 Cor 7:10-11. If Christian separate from their spouse, they should ideally remain single, or be reconciled. However, this ideal includes a church that provides the same level of emotional, spiritual and monetary support, as it would provide to a widow of a martyr. The separated person should still have a fulfilled life supported by their Christian community. In our world, life often does not work out like that. The modern church is not capable of providing the level of support needed after the separation, or before it for that matter. People left on their own often get drawn to others of the opposite sex. We were created to relate to others, so it is natural for a person living in isolation to get entangled with another.

Once it has happened, Christians have to deal with the situation as it is. When a separated Christian comes and asks their pastor, if they can marry again, they are not usually asking a theoretical question. They already know who they want to marry. They have already committed adultery with them in their hearts by choosing to unite with another, so they are technical divorced in God’s eyes and free to marry. So the pastor/elder does not need to feel guilty about marrying them.

Christian Marriage (13) Hypocrisy

The church appears hypocritical when it is vehemently hostile towards homosexuals and intolerant of homosexual marriage, but accepts the widespread adultery and divorce among Christians.

Adultery is a more serious sin than divorce. When Christians separate or divorce, they are deciding to stop loving each other. That is not good, but it is a sin of omission rather than commission. Adultery is serious, because people committing it are uniting themselves with another person, when God has made them one with their spouse. Adultery divides something that God has created.

On the other hand, the Bible does not have a hierarchy of sins. Sin is sin. Divorce is no better or worse than other sins. The cross can deal with divorce, just as effectively as any other sin. There is no sin too tough for the cross.

Christian Marriage (12) Failure

Given the current state of the church in the western world, it is not surprising that divorce and remarriage are almost as common in the church as it is in the world. When the church is ambivalent about the God’s standards and lacking the fullness of the Spirit, we cannot expect Christians to be walking in his ways. When the spirit of the world is rampant in the church, divorce naturally follows.

This is not just an issue for those whose marriages have failed. The “hardness of heart” of the church is a greater problem for church leaders. The modern church provides inadequate discipleship, so it produces weak Christians, so it is not surprising that they fall into sin and want divorce. The modern church, does not understand spiritual protection (partly because it has bought into the “covering” lie) so the spiritual forces of evil are often free to tear couples apart. The increase in Christian divorce represents the failure of the church, not the failure of the people being divorced. If the church does not have the spiritual power to protect couples from attack, it does not have the right to prevent them from divorcing.

Widespread divorce amongst Christians is a serious problem for the church. It undermines our gospel witness, as it implies that the gospel and the Spirit are not very effective. Instead of accepting divorce as normal, Christians leaders should be seeking to understand why evil has gained such a strong hold on the church.

Christian Marriage (11)

As covenant marriage takes place before the church, the people of the church must be involved in the administration of divorce. A Christian seeking a divorce would apply to the elders of their Church. These elders would have the gift of discernment and would know the person’s characters, so they would be in a good position to decide if divorce is justified. Their goal would be to restore the marriage, so they would only approve a divorce as a last resort. If they agreed to a divorce, they would also advise the elders in the church where the couple was married.

Christian Marriage (10) Temporary Separation

The marriage covenant should allow for temporary separation. The second ground for divorce is not available if both spouses are Christians. Paul does not condone divorce where both spouses are Christians.

To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband (1 Cor 7:10-11).

A Christian married to a Christian does not have access to divorce, unless their spouse commits adultery. If they have to separate, they must seek to be reconciled or remain single.

Paul allows a Christian wife to have a spell apart from her husband, if things have turned sour. However, the separated wife must try to reconcile with her Christian husband. She must remain unmarried until they are reconciled. If the Christian husband committed adultery while they are apart, she would be free to remarry. Temporary separation provides an escape for a Christian wife who is being abused by their Christian husbands.

Paul does not seem to offer temporary separation as an option to husbands. In his letter, he is quite specific about what applies to men and what applies to women, so we cannot use an argument from silence. He offers women the option of temporary separation, because they are more vulnerable. Christian men do not get this option, because they often have economic and physical power. This continues the protections for woman provided in the Old Testament.

If the separated Christians cannot be reconciled, they should remain single. If they are walking in the Spirit, they are expected to resolve the issues that would drive them apart.

Divorce represents a failure of love. Christians are required to love each other, as Jesus loved us. That sort of love should be able to overcome most obstacles. The reasons commonly given for Christians divorcing are relatively lame:

• We have different interests;
• We are going in different directions;
• We have become different people to what we were when we married.

These are all things that agape love should be able to overcome. There will be failures of love among Christians, but this should not be taken lightly, as it represents our failure to live out the love of Jesus.

The implication of the letter to the Corinthians is that divorce is allowable for non-Christians, because the Holy Spirit has been shut out of their lives, but it is not an option for Christians. Nevertheless, a few Christians will need a divorce, when hardness of hearts prevents the Holy Spirit from changing their hearts.

Christian Marriage (9) Grounds

In the scriptures, there are two grounds for divorce.

1. A person has grounds for divorce if their marriage partner commits adultery or engages in other immoral sexual activity. Jesus said,
   

   I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery (Matt 5:32).

   Although this is a warning against divorce, the implication is that divorce is allowable in cases of adultery. The Greek word for marital unfaithfulness is “pornea”, which covers a broad range of sexual sins, and not just adultery. All forms of sexual immorality are grounds for divorce, because they break the marriage union.
   

2. The second ground for divorce is wilful desertion by a non-Christian spouse. Paul addressed the problem that arises when one of a married couple becomes a Christian.
   

   If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him (1 Cor 7:12,13).

   Being married to an unbeliever is not grounds for divorce, because the unbelieving spouse is sanctified by the faith of the believing spouse (1 Cor 7:14). However, Paul goes on to say,
   

   But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace (1 Cor 7:15).

   Paul uses the same word “bound” in Romans 7:2-3 to explain that a widow is free to marry again. He explains to the Corinthians that a deserted spouse is “not bound”, so they are free to marry another person.
   
   When a person becomes a Christian and their spouse refuses to continue living with them, the Christian is able to seek a divorce. On the other hand, if the non-Christian is willing to stay, then the Christian cannot divorce. The expression “be willing stay” is quite strong. The Greek words mean “be glad to make a home with.” This is not mere toleration. It means making a home together. If the unbelieving husband is willing to stay, but keeps on abusing his wife, she would be entitled to leave.

Christian Marriage (8) Divorce

A Christian marriage covenant should also specify the conditions for divorce. These should not be decided by the civil government, but should come God’s word He created marriage and he makes two people one, so he is the only one who can say when a marriage union has been dissolved.

The biblical teaching on divorce is quite straightforward. The starting point is that God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). Marriage is the foundation of godly society, so any attack on marriage is an attack on the foundation of society

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate (Mk 10:8-9).

This is why God hates divorce. It is treason against the basic institution of society.
This does not mean that divorce is totally forbidden. Jesus explained that God understands human weakness, so he allows divorce in certain circumstances. Moses allowed divorce for hardness of heart.

Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning (Matt 19:8).

This was sensible. Moses was leading people who did not have benefits of the cross or gift of the spirit, so they could not live up to God’s standards. They needed a way out of marriage when sin made a mess of their lives. When people’s hearts are hard, divorce is sometimes necessary, even though it was not part of God’s original plan. However, it should always be the last resort.

Jesus ministry on earth ushered in a new age. His death on the cross dealt with the problem of sin. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit opened up the way for a new standard of holiness. The fruit of the Spirit would soften hard hearts, reducing the need for divorce. That is why Jesus reminded his people of God’s original intent. There should be no divorce, except in cases of adultery (Mark 10:11).

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery (Matt 19:9).

God has made two people one. Adultery destroys the oneness that marriage establishes, so it destroys the marriage. God does not like things he has joined being broken apart, so divorce among Christians should be rare. However divorce will sometimes necessary, even with the Holy Spirit at work.

Christian Marriage (7) Bride Gift

A Christian marriage covenant could re-establish a biblical form of the bride gift. In most Asian cultures, a dowry is a payment that a father has to pay to get a man to take one his daughters as wife. This is a perversion of the biblical bride gift, because it devalues women and causes parents in these cultures to prefer sons, because daughters cost them in money.

The biblical model is different. The purpose of a dowry to provide security for the woman who leaves the protection and support of her family to marry into another family. In the scriptures, a man must provide a gift to the father of his prospective bride (Ex 22:16,17). His ability to give a gift proves that he is capable of providing for his wife. For example, Jacob worked seven years to establish that he was worthy to get Rachel as his wife (Gen 29:18). Abraham’s servant gave costly gifts to Rebekah’s brother and mother, before they agreed that she could marry Isaac (Gen 24:52-53).

The father of the bride decides the value of the gift required for the daughter.
Let me find favour in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife (Gen 34:11,12).

Saul required David to kill one hundred Philistines, before he allowed his daughter Michal to become his wife. This demonstrated his ability as a soldier (1 Sam 18: 23-27).

The bride gift is a good test for potential husbands. A man who can give a good gift has proved that he can save money and build up his capital. The gift assures the bride’s parents that he will provide for their daughter and that she will not become dependent on them.

In modern culture, casual attitudes to sex have allowed males to drink the milk without buying the cow, and females have been left holding the baby. A requirement for a bride gift would be a strong counter to these attitudes.

The father does not keep the bride gift for himself, but holds it in trust on behalf of his daughter. He might lend it to the couple to enable them to buy a home or start a business. This ensures that a bride bring some capital to her marriage, even if she and her father are poor. If the bride is widowed or her husband deserts her, the bride price belongs to her. This provides her with continuing economic security while she is caring for their children.

Rachel and Leah were frustrated by their father Laban, because he did not use the bride gift that Jacob had given him for their benefit. They considered that he had stolen their dowry (Gen 31:14-15).

Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us (Gen 31:15).

Christian Marriage (6) State Recognition

The family existed before the state, so human governments did not establish marriage. God established marriage and gave it as a gift to the world. Since marriage is an institution established by him, it should be based on his word, not on government policy. God established marriage before the state existed, so he alone has authority to definite the way it should function.

Human governments do not have authority over marriage. They cannot change something that God has established, so Christians should not allow them to define marriage for them. God has already defined marriage and human governments cannot change God’s word. Christian marriage should be based on God’s word and not on legislation established by a human government. Christians do not the state to define marriage for them.

Only God can create a marriage. When two people commit to marriage, he makes them one. The state cannot marry people, because it does not have the ability to join people together and make them one.

In a world dominated by the state, we should not be surprised that people want their relationships “recognised” by the state. People who reject God usually choose to be slaves of another god, so we should not be surprised that secular people choose to be slaves of the state. If the people of the world want the secular state to bless their relationships, that is their business, but God’s standard is not changed.

From the point of the state, a covenant marriage will appear to be a de facto relationship. Since the state has no control over it covenant marriage, it would not recognise its existence. That would not matter much, as modern governments have plenty of laws for dealing with de facto relationships.

Some Christians may want their marriage recognised by the legal system. There is no reason why they could have a second marriage within the civil system. This is what happens in some European countries. Church and civil weddings are distinct events. On the other hand, some Christians may prefer to remain separate from the world system. If the state refused to acknowledge their marriage and treats them as if they were in a de facto relationship, they would take it as a badge of honour.

The people of the world may want the state to bless their relationships, but we do not need to join them. Christians have the blessing of God on their marriage, so they have no need for the recognition of the state. Recognition by the state is nothing compared to the blessing of God.

Christian Marriage (5) Simplicity

If Christians take back marriage, most of the paraphernalia of the modern marriage ceremony that make it so expensive will be redundant. There will be no need for cars, suits, wedding dresses, groomsmen, bridesmaids and wedding receptions. Wedding vows should be made in the presence of God during a meeting of the church that the couple will participate in.

Isaac and Rebekah are an example of how simple a wedding ceremony can be. Abraham had sent a servant to look for a wife for his son. The servant was led by God to Rebekah. She had demonstrated the character that a good wife would need. When the servant returned with Rebekah, Isaac accepted his commitment and took her into his family tent.

Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel… she took her veil and covered herself. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her (Gen 24:64).

This was all it took for them to be married in the eyes of God.

Healing Testimony

This video is a cut from a testimony by a missionary called Mike Chandler about his life in Africa. His wife received an amazing healing from malaria. He discovered that some sickness is an attack of the enemy to disrupt our service of Jesus.

I have a complete chapter on this topic in my book Healing. Pleading with God to heal us is a waste of time when the sickness is a direct attack from the enemy. This is the cause of more sickness than most Christians realise.

One of the keys to healing is that we deal with the enemies attacks by resisting them. We resist the enemy in the same way that Jesus resisted the devil when he was tempted, by declaring the truth from the word of God.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Declaring the truth in the power of the Spirit defeats the direct attacks of the enemy.

More at Healing.

Christian Marriage (4) Inheritance

When a Christian couple commit to marriage, they are bringing together the inheritance that they have received from their own families and joining it together to establish a new in inheritance and heritage by establishing a family. This inheritance is not just material wealth. More important will be the inheritance of character, wisdom and calling.

The couple are not just starting a family, but establishing a new legacy that will be carried by their descendants. When Jacob passed on his blessing, he did not just giving a blessing to each son and daughter. He looked down through several generations to see the large family groups that we be part of his inheritance (Genesis 49). A Christian couple should look at their future descendants in the same way. They are creating a long-term family heritage that can be part of the Kingdom of God. They should train their children to appreciate, protect and develop their calling.

My family used to be good at caring for sheep. This is why my family is no longer living in Scotland, as enclosure reduced the opportunities for caring for sheep. I do not know if my ancestors were good at teaching sheep, but current generations seem to be skilled at analysing information to see the big picture. As a family is a skill that we need to develop, with each generation being better at this role than the previous way.

The Christian couple may receive some financial support from their parents. The worldly approach is to enjoy the parent’s wealth when they die. The Christian approach is to preserve and perpetuate the family inheritance and heritage. Parents may pass some of their capital to their children, while they are living and able, to encourage and train them in the family calling. A capital inheritance should not be seen as a boost of income to pay off debt. It should be used to advance the family calling and heritage, and advance the kingdom of God.