faith

You are currently browsing articles tagged faith.

Why Did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?

September 11, 2008 in Uncategorized | No comments

I have been bearing this teaching in my spirit for a season now but today when the Lord brought it to my attention I was compelled to put it up in the hope that some of you would be blessed and some of your reasonings would be satisfied.

In the last couple of months, I have been emailed this one question : Why did Jesus Curse the fig tree when the tree was not in the season of bearing fruits?

Think about that for a minute, was that not thoughtless of Jesus to do that, the Jesus we know who moves with compassion and who bears everything, could he not have have bore the fact that the tree was not yet ready nor in it’s season of harvest?

Before we make futher intuitions, let us revist that passage of scripture: Mark 11: 12 - 14:
12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Jesus was hungry, sees a fig tree in the distance and hopes that it has fruits even though it was not the season for figs, upon arrival, he curses the tree and walks off. Later on in v 20, we see that the tree actually withered! Wow, powerful but mean, don’t you think?

I began asking the Lord about what he was really trying to do but I want to share what it states after this whole event, we read in v 21 to 24:

21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

 22“Have[a] faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Jesus states, have faith in God - Jesus seemed to make a direct link between him cursing the fig tree to having faith. Was Jesus making a new point here? The Lord began to  reveal to me  that this is what happened, in the ministry of Jesus, there has been so many absolute highlights and character in his nature but I believe the highest aspect was faith. The level of faith that Jesus walked in was an absolute league above. When Jesus was hungry, it says he hoped or had faith, that there was fruits on the fig true, which means Jesus did not care if it was the season for figs or not, His faith was so radical, so extreme, He knows that He knows that as He walked to the tree, the tree was supposed to BEAR FRUITS!

It did not matter, I can literally picture it, Jesus walking up expecting to see results but to his surprise, when he walked in a level of raising the dead and when this tree REBELLED against the power of God to bear fruits at this time, season and hour - Jesus felt there was no point in understanding but rather to curse this true - because that was the level of faith. Jesus realised that this true just rebelled against the word of the father which was released into the barks and saps to bear instant fruits.

In many ways, if this tree choose to bear fruits, I believe to this day, the tree would be a blessing, known as an every green and ever fruit bearing tree through out the land of israel but due to rebellion, it choose to bring destruction.

Two lessons from this:

1) When the Lord asks us to get out of our comfort zones, we better do it in absolute obedience.
2) When we walk in radical faith - Something must happen in the atmosphere we live in.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Believing in God’s back up plan is - FULL FAITH!

August 11, 2008 in Word | No comments

In Matthew 14: 22 – 32 We read that, Jesus had just finished feeding an enormous crowd of more than 5000 men, and then he tells his disciples to go to the other side of the sea. The disciples were in the midst of the sea when Jesus came walking on the water. The disciples were terrified and gripped with fear. But they calmed down when they realize its Jesus…… ….Peter then says to Jesus, “If it’s really you, tell me to come out on the water to you”. WOOO…..What puzzles me the most is that out of all the 12 disciples sitting on the boat, only one disciple had a request, more like a foolish request that a 5 year old kid would ask. And guess what Jesus’ answer was?? He said “Come”. If Peter was to think in terms of the world, he would have never dared to ask a thing. What I’m stressing over here is that as long as we think as the world does, we are not going to get any closer in our relationship with Jesus.

God is looking for “foolish” people who are ready to step out into the road where not many are willing to walk. I Corinthians 1:27 declare “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…”

After Peter steps out of the boat and walks on the water to Jesus, he sees the wind and he becomes afraid. When Peter starts to sink, he cried out to Jesus, who then reached out to him and asked him a question which really touched me, ”ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” This is the problem with most of us, “little faith’. It’s either “mustard seed faith” or no faith at all. We got to understand that “little faith” doesn’t work and it is only good as having no faith. Why aren’t we willing to trust on God’s power completely? Let me bring one aspect into light, what is little faith? Little faith is having some assurance on God and the rest on us, that is,
we keeping a bit of back up space for our plans incase God’s plan does not take the full shape. Let us put complete faith in Jesus, a faith that does not have a back up plan of ours but on His. Even though God has never shown unfaithfulness for generations and generations, we doubt God’s power. But we are ready to trust on the “most unreliable” human wisdom.

I Corinthians 2:5 states that our faith does not depend on human wisdom but on God’s power. Not depending on human wisdom, according to the world certainly means “foolishness”. Peter began to sink only when he looked at the strong wind and started to think in terms of the world, I could imagine Peter’s mind thinking, Oh today’s forecast was quite bad…I should I remembered that there was a high tide.

I wish to encourage each of you precious readers to hang on God’s back up plan rather than our daily forecasts, predictions, analysis and economic diagrams!

———————————————————————————–
Arun John is 17 years of age and is an intern at Alwyn Matt Ministries (Downpour Ministries). He is trained under the Trinity Youth Program and is currently being trained as a worship leader, which is where his heart and gifting lies. He has led worship at platforms like The Lighthouse Church, Kuwait and also at conferences conducted by Alwyn.

At a recent event, during ministry time, Alwyn gave a word of knowledge, that he saw also a huge teaching gift upon the life of Arun. We are focused on building the teaching ministry of this child, your comments would be much appreciated.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Other Side

January 2, 2008 in Word | 3 comments

I have heard many preachers preach, if you were the only person on planet earth and nobody else, Jesus still would have to come all the way and die in your place for your redemption. I somehow aways found that too hard to digest and I needed to ask God to really make that word digestable. It is not I don’t believe it, I just felt it would be way too much for Jesus to leave all that and come down for, ONE SOUL?

Being a business student I always thought even in ministry we need to make decisions that cause results, but sometimes there is something more important than just PURE RESULTS, it is SACRIFICE.

In my pursuit of assurance of this word, God asked me to turn to LUKE 8:22 on. If we observe Jesus had just finished doing a lot of work for the kingdom (Luke 8:1-18) and I could imagine how tired Jesus would have been. But in v22 we see Jesus move in another realm.

v22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples; and he said unto them “Let us go over unto the OTHER SIDE of the lake. And they launched forth.

But as they sailed he (Jesus) fell asleep (can’t blame him..he would have been SO TIRED!), and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy.

v24 And they came to him and awoke him..saying..Master..Master..we perish. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water and they ceased and there was calm.

v25 And Jesus said unto them, where is your faith?

Please let us just look at these precious scripture for a bit. Here was Jesus who just finished a league of powerful services, crusades and events turning to his disciples stating that they were going to go to the OTHER SIDE. Stating that we are moving into another dimension. I could imagine the disciples so excited about the new level of ministry they were going to see…the new level of victory they were going to experience. The disciples like us believers, love to be in the reception zone, love to be on the winning to team…love to see the miracles happen and the healings take place and the demons rub off…as long as it is Jesus doing the warfare!

The disciples having the next level of victory in mind get blown the moment they see the waves rise and the winds flash. The fisher men are getting bad memories of their previous lives, the others are thinking..is this the new revelation of Jesus? This is the dynamics of working with a team in ministry. Being a person who has a team I also encounter situations were my team thinks contrary to what the Lord places on my heart. Somehow by His mercy…God turns around the situation for my GOOD! (Thank you for that!!). And that is what happens here as we read..Jesus rebukes the moment and immediately all is calm. But Jesus throws off his frustration at the disciples stating… Where is your faith???

I believe Jesus going to the other side was for two reasons:
1) To extend the faith level of the disciples
2) To prove the extension of God’s grace

We have not still looked on the latter so kindly bear with me gentle blogger (reader!).

We now see in v26, the moment their boat arrives, there is someone who comes to greet them (seriously not my choice for a host!). A totally demon possessed man who literally wore no cloths and had no home but stayed in the tombs was there. There are many level to demon possessions, some possessions are initial, partial and total. This was an extreme case. I mean this man was treated like an animal, he was chained! For a second could we picture the fate of the disciples…OK, Kutta…is this the OTHER SIDE ..YOU HAVE been taking about? Come on..get a life Jesus..we Do not want to die! This person is going to kill us all, get us out of here!

Keeping that revelation going, let us shift the scene to Jesus and the demon possessed being. We see immediately Jesus cast out the demon and the man is restored to peace.

Great story but what happens after this is what touches me the most:
v 38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him.

Powerful, immediate transformation of the heart and a passion to serve in the ministry. Here was Jesus preaching in the temples and the synagogue but not one of the priests even considered Salvation. This man indeed had a heart of gratitude. There is a scripture that states, too whom much is given, much is required. Sometimes I wonder, are we christians lukewarm? Ever noticed when a person so deep in sin or so lost from the kingdom is touched, the power and conviction with which they move.

These days people are looking for gossips from the lives of T.V. celebrities like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton etc, it amazes me that we being a community that constantly state that “we do not need a “higher” force like God to lead us or to look unto” yet we have the tendency to look unto others. Sometimes I wonder, what would be the transformation if Britney Spears accepted Jesus? Imagine the change in lifestyle, the attitude, the meekness, the love, the joy…and the passion for the kingdom she would bear? Amazing! From Marketing Coca Cola, it would shift to being an ambassador for Jesus!

Which is what happened in the life of this individual who was demon possessed. Sometimes I ask God, Oh Lord, imagine how effective this man would have been if he joined your disciples? He would really take your word and power to the nations right? He take advantage of the council you pour on to him…he would have a KINGDOM MENTALITY…right?

But Jesus operates in another realm, he gives this man the authority to go speak into the lives of his city and loved ones. I cannot imagine the possible harvest this man would operate in.

This experience also taught me another facet of God’s nature, If you were the only soul on earth, Jesus would STILL come for you. For this demon possessed man, Jesus in his extreme tired stage went threw the storms, received the disbelieving mindsets of his disciples (who already saw SO MUCH of God move through the year!) and faced the demons, fought on the behalf of that soul and won…just for that ONE SOUL!

We see in v40, Jesus after that leaves the place and heads back to the previous place where he was ministering.

This scripture taught me a lot on the nature of God and confirmed what His love is truly for us. Folks, remember, EVEN ONE SOUL IS TOO PRECIOUS TO LOSE!

———————————————————————————————–
Alwyn Matt

That is me speaking at the Joyce Meyers Ministries Headquarters. Amazing time of Harvest for the kingdom there. The ministry in turn blessed me and the team with loads of books, cds and resources!

           www.alwynmatt.com

————————————————————————————————-

Tags: , ,