Let’s consider spiritual gifts. Let’s engage power and miracles. Let’s tap into the well of supernatural resources we have to share with the world! Why not? Are you satisfied with the number of people you have seen raised from the dead so far? Are you ok with how many people you have seen speak with unknown tongues as the Holy Spirit filled each one? Have you grown bored with the number of sick people who have been healed as you prayed for them?

I wonder.
Questions
I wonder if the questions I should be asking are more like this. Have you grown tired from the embarrassment of not knowing if anyone has ever been raised from the dead since Lazarus? Are you ashamed of crazy Christians who live in odd religious culture and speak in tongues in the most unflattering ways? Is the problem and pain of those who were not yet healed more powerful to you than the possibility of those who may be?

I have a feeling these questions are closer to home for most of us. I don’t mean to apply any hard sarcasm, by they way, I am just trying to meet our problem with unbelief head on. These are real problems for us. They certainly are for me. I find myself struggling with unbelief on behalf of my sphere of influence way more than I struggle with the idea that God is capable of doing great things somewhere else. Somewhere else, I surmise, is a place where the mind has not  yet formulated its justifiable lack of courage on behalf others.

I would like your faith to increase for your sphere of influence.
Choose
Just as Paul longed for the believers in Rome to raise their vision for Rome as he writes, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:11-12). I would like to impart a spiritual gift to you as well. Sound to bold? I don’t think so. We follow the way of Christ and the apostles, so we make no apologies for our risk. I want you to walk in spiritual gifts so you will be strong in the Lord. I want you to prophecy, to heal the sick, to speak in tongues, and to receive words of wisdom from the Spirit.

What is my alternative?

That I tell you I don’t care either way?

Seriously, let’s get on the same page.

It is time to wage war against fear, and against apathy, which is a million times worse. It is time to wage war against unbelief instead of waring against pop culture. Yes, that’s it, I found what I was trying to say. I want us to wage a war to see the culture of the kingdom come to the earth! This is a proactive war on behalf of a supernatural invasion of God’s kingdom! This is much different than swimming in a sea of constant dissatisfaction with contemporary craziness. That’s not a kingdom war, that’s just whining. It is also different than softly accommodating popular anti-Christ culture in order to not be seen as adversarial, but as a kinder, gentler Christian. That’s just the fear of man. Why do we think Jesus spoke of violence surrounding the kingdom anyway? They cut John’s head off and Jesus said in Matthew 12 that John the Baptist wasn’t even in the kingdom … he only announced it was coming. This is because the kingdom wasn’t available to enter until Jesus, himself, came to announce its arrival and proclaim its invasion into earth. The 12th verse of Matthew 11 is still takes some work to understand because it seem to cut both ways. Jesus, on one hand, seems to be announcing that violence is required to “raid” or to go into the kingdom and get its spoils. We have already touched that in the Kingdom IQ arc as we discussed how coming out of independence and submitting to Christ is, indeed, a violent act against our old nature. Jesus is also saying, however, that the kingdom is being raged against. He says it using some healthy sarcasm in the same passage in Matthew when he says that even children are smarter than the adults in that they know when to celebrate and when to mo