Heed the Call
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
Mark 16:15-18
We call this passage the “Great Commission” because there is greatness in it! Jesus expects His disciples and followers to be people of action and power! He spoke of miraculous signs, casting out demons, new languages, physical protection and healing the sick! That is supernatural, God-given power!
Now, I don’t believe we ought to purposefully put ourselves in harm’s way, and we’ll examine that subject more closely tomorrow, but we ought to see active supernatural power in our lives!
Where has this power gone? Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you . . .” When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive power. Start demonstrating the power of God! Wake up and declare, “I’m born again by the blood of Christ. I’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit. I have the power of God in my life!”
God wants His greatness demonstrated throughout the earth. Only through the power of our Almighty God will you see demons flee, sicknesses healed, and souls saved. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you into all that He has for you!
God wants you to stand in the gap for the lost. He is looking for those who will go to them and compel them to come in. He isn’t looking for you to wait for them to come into the church. It is time to take His miracle-working power to the sick and oppressed.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, more than ever before, people are looking for what is real and what is true. You are that truth. Fill me with Your power and with holy faith to bring Your gospel to those around me with full power. Paul recognized that clever words would not save people, and, like him, I want to share the message of Christ, crucified and resurrected in full life-giving power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Handling Snakes? No, Thanks!
They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.
Mark 16:18
Early Christians did not handle poisonous snakes as part of their religion. They lived in a region where poisonous snakes thrive, and were undoubtedly grateful for the protection promised in Mark 16. Men working in the fields, women walking down a path, and children playing outside were all at risk of a venomous encounter.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s, when George Hensley took the Mark 16 promise of protection as a mandate for action, that snake handling found its way into some churches. Many believers, including Mr. Hensley, have died while handling snakes in a church meeting. Taking Mark 16:18 as a guarantee that snake handling will not ever harm Christians, is contrary to the Biblical principle that we are not to tempt God. (Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12.) It is one thing to be bitten by a poisonous snake without seeking the encounter, and be saved from death, as Paul was in Acts 28:3-6, but it is a completely different scenario to purposefully engage in dangerous behavior.
This principle extends to all areas of your life. God is faithful to His Word, but when you step out into your own pride; you step into sin and open yourself to harm. You may not be tempted to handle literal snakes, but perhaps figurative serpents have slithered into your life, and it is time to clean house. Before you judge how others walk out their faith, be careful to examine yourself and shake your sin off into the fire, as Paul did the snake that latched onto him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for protecting me from physical harm and from spiritual attacks. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy and allow situations into my life that stand against Your Word, stand against Your best for me. Show me the serpents in my life for what they are and remove their venomous influence from me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
My Hands Are His Hands Extended!
They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.
Mark 16:18
Jesus said that believers will lay hands on the sick, and they will be healed! Laying on of hands is one of the six fundamental principles of Christian doctrine listed in Hebrews, chapter 6.
So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding… You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Hebrews 6:1-2
The blind man in Mark 8:22-25 was healed by the laying on of Jesus’ hands. Verse 25 records, “Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened…” Some may say, “Jesus prayed for that blind man twice.” I do not know that He prayed for him at all. The Bible says He laid hands on him twice! It is scripturally correct to lay your hands on a sick person more than once, if necessary.
Mark 7:32 tells us, “A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him, and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him.”
Notice that the men who were brought to Jesus, as well as those who accompanied them, believed. They got results! Without faith, the laying on of hands is a mere ritual, and nothing will happen.
Let the church arise! This is your time to preach the Gospel with the power of God in manifestation. We cannot, we must not, and we will not be satisfied with a powerless Gospel. We must fall on our faces and seek God until His power is demonstrated to the world. It’s time to be known as the Power Generation, the generation that has the manifestation of God’s power in our lives.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am ready to join with other spirit-filled believers and invade the world of darkness! You are the light that makes the darkness try to hide! Let Your light shine through those who follow You! The world is done with mere words! I need Your power! Bring me to right relationship with You, bring me a new Day of Pentecost! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.