"The People of God Given Witness"
May 5, 2013
THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE CHRISTIAN SEASON OF THE PASSOVER
Acts 14: 8 – 18/Psalm 67/Revelation 21: 22 - 22: 5/John 14: 23 - 2
His Eminence
The Most Reverend Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
and
Primate
of the
National Church in the Philippines
and
the Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
The sixth Sunday of Easter – a proclamation again of the work of Christ in our behalf. I remind you that He was without sin. He did not need to die to gain His access into the kingdom of the Father. He was not a sinner; He was not weak, but He took our sin. He went to the cross and died on our behalf. He went to hell, conquered death and the grave, and He rose again on the third day, Easter. He was making a declaration and proclamation: “I have conquered all the old things. I have destroyed their power. Now, I am giving you new life.”
We look at Easter with a very shallow understanding of what it means. We do not see the impact that it made upon all of creation, not just man. Christ redeemed all things unto Himself. His provision for us is so great if only we believe and understand.
We have been given to be a witness of His greatness. The Church makes that declaration. We sang a song and said, “Great is our God…As His Church we are witnesses of the great power of God.” What is the witness that we are giving? Is it of a weak God? Do we show the world that our God is weak or do we show them that He is strong? In another song in the processional, it says, “Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting?” Yet, we fear death. We have anxiety over death. It says, “He trampled down death.” Where then do we begin to put confidence and faith in what God has done?
In the Gradual Hymn, we said, “He was worthy to take the book…From every tribe, tongue and people and nation and has made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on earth.” It is on earth, not in heaven. He doesn’t need a witness in heaven. We are to be His witness here, upon this earth. We are to live out what He has given to us.
Sometime ago, I saw this particular book advertised. I was intrigued by its title. I ordered it so that I could read it. It is a book by a medical doctor. The title is, “The Inner Pulse.” A pulse is something that indicates or measures life. If a person has no pulse, it means he is dead. If a person has a faint pulse, it means he has not much life in him. If he has a strong pulse, it is an indication that the life within him is viable, vital, and vibrant.
The author is a medical doctor, and yet I thought it was a Christian book. He identifies the fact that there is something within man that when man taps into it, it brings vibrancy to him and causes him to overcome and to conquer. The author gives many examples of people with the same fatal diseases, and how that if one will receive it with great fear and great horror, they will die. Another one will receive the same identical situation, but with a challenge, with hope and assurance and they will overcome. He said, “I watched these things happening in my many years of being a doctor and I couldn’t understand why one disease would kill one person and to another, it will not. I began to realize the inner pulse. They touched the inner man and they brought life out from the inside.”
The author is a medical doctor who does not proclaim to be a Christian but he understood something Christianity should believe. We are witness of the greatness of God. Believing is not just a verbal expression. We interpret believing as what we have in our minds. It tells us in the Old Testament that as a man believes in his heart, so is he. You must believe what God has given to us and within us.
Colossians1:27 says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” To believe is to live out the divine indwelling of Christ within us. He is within us, and if only we break forth from this, it brings forth life to us.
In another world, the transcendental meditation or the different kinds of meditation, they are taught to touch the inner man. They are taught to touch the inside. You sit quietly and you shut out all the screaming of the world around you, and you touch the inner man. They don’t claim to be Christians, but they have an understanding that there is something within us, something viable within us that brings peace, calmness, hope, assurance and life to us. Believing is living what the Spirit teaches us. God’s love is divinity – a divine indwelling of life within us. This life that is within us, if only we will listen to it, if only we will be guided by it, will bring a change in the old and make things new.
Scriptures talk about taking off the old and putting on the new. It is talking about renewing our minds. Romans 12 says to renew our minds and prove the will of God. It is not human reasoning; it is about what God has given to us. It is that which comes beyond what we can think of in human terminology. It is what we can see as provision of God.
In the Old Testament story of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, in the natural, we would know, “Oh, they are going to be burned up. They are going to be turned into dust.” But instead, they put their faith in God. This was before Christ went to the cross. They touched God; they put their faith in Him and out of the inward faith came an ability to conquer in the midst of that fire. The fire did not destroy them.
You can find many examples in the Old Testament to show us what will happen when we put our faith and our trust in God rather than our trust in the flesh, rather than putting our confidence in what we can do, the ability of our own lives. The things that God has given to us sometimes seem to be that which is not rational in our human minds but yet, when God is in the midst of it, He can cause the things that seem to be of power in the natural to become weak in the presence of His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us. It is a divine indwelling within us. It is there within us. If the Holy Spirit is there within us, if Christ is there within us, is He there with no purpose? Is He there with no provision or no hope for our lives? He has come to dwell within us so that we can rise above the flesh – the temptations, the sin, the sorrow, the sickness and the disease.
The subtitle of “The Inner Pulse” says, “Unlocking the Secret Code of Sickness and Health.” It is understanding, “It doesn’t belong to me. I was healed by the stripes of Jesus; therefore, this is not mine. I was healed.” This is tapping into that which God has given to us because Christ comes to bring the victory into our life; to bring that hope to us.
In love, in keeping Jesus’ words, teaching or learning, receiving peace and believing in the Divine and walking in them – these are the expressions of surrender to God who dwells within us. It is not what I feel. It is not what I think, but it is what God has given to me. It is His Word lived out. It is His promises lived out even in the midst of that which is not viable as far as human reasoning is concerned. I surrender to His presence.
The Scriptures says, “It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.” Here is our hope, our victory, our conquering that we do not let ourselves be led by our human reasoning, but instead we tap into the source which God has given to us – He who dwells within us. Christ is dwelling there so that His life can be lived out in our lives.
Look at the example of the apostles. When they were with Christ, they were awed by what Christ was doing. They believed in Christ, but yet their believing was shallow. It was only human reasoning perhaps. When He was crucified, they all hid for they were in fear. When they experienced His resurrection after His coming out from the grave, something happened to them especially after Pentecost. There was a change within them. Things that they feared before, they no longer fear.
Peter and John went to the door of the synagogue where they have been threatened, where they have been arrested before. They were no longer afraid. They were walking in the power of God. Now, they realized that Christ had given them something that they did not have before – faith. They were living out that faith. They were putting it into action so that they could rise above the fear and the anxiety.
We see in their lives tremendous things happening. They witnessed and they gave witness to the provision of God’s life within them. They healed the sick like Jesus did. They raised the dead like Jesus did. They were now the witnesses. They were now witnessing to mankind the greatness of God and multitudes were coming into the kingdom of God because of their witness.
The challenge to us: this indwelling life teaches us to live with compassion, mercy, love, obedience, care, and concern. These are all that which exists within the Trinity. These are the provisions of the Trinity. God dwells within us. His presence is here with us. He strengthens us. He causes us to overcome and to conquer. Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace. The outside will have anxiety, revenge, defense, but the inward man, that which comes from God says, “No, don’t defend yourself. I will take care of it. Don’t prepare defense. I am your Defender. I will be your strength and all that you need if you will just depend upon Me.”
In the writings of Wisdom, it says that it is not security for us to have a farm that will grow the food for us to eat. The provision really comes when we have faith in God’s Word because He is the One who feeds us. We think that if we have a natural situation, this will bring security to us – money in the bank; business involvement; educational success. There are so many things that we put our confidence in, but they do not necessarily succeed. But our faith in God will never fail. He gives us that assurance, that confidence, that hope that allows us to rise above the circumstances so that mankind can see that truly, something is different in our lives. The presence of Christ within us causes us to see things with different eyes – to see through the darkness into the light and into the hope that comes from Him. This is the assurance that is ours.
John 7:38 says, “He who believes in Me.” Believing is not a mental activity. It is much like the terminology, the Hebrew and Greek terms when you talk about hearing. When it talks about hearing, it means that when you hear, you obey. In believing, it causes action; otherwise, you don’t believe. If believing does not result in the way we live out our lives, then we really do not believe. We are hypocrites and phony because we say we believe but we are not living out what we believe. We do something different.
If we believe, Scriptures says that out of our innermost being, that which God has given to us – Christ in us – shall flow the rivers of living waters. Here is what God has promised to us. Tap into that provision – the well that never runs dry; the well that give us that water to drink that we will never thirst because it is stronger. It is more powerful than anything that the world can provide or give to us, that which is brought out in new self, in new understanding.
We see it in the lives of the disciples – how they changed. No longer fearful and doubting, but now, all of a sudden, tapping into what God had given to them. They rise above the human flesh to live it out the divine life.
Paul registers this so clearly in his writings, having spent nine years in the wilderness with the Holy Spirit. He was taught of the Holy Spirit and it changed his life. He was so violent before. He was anti-Christianity. He destroyed and was guilty of killing. But now, out of his being comes love, compassion, power, and understanding. It did not come from his degrees because he was a very educated man It came because of Christ in Him, the hope of glory. Believing is not an intellectual activity. Love is motivating us to do good that is within us.
As parents, sometimes, we say to our children things and later we find that when our children don’t do what we said to them, many times one of the first responses that come out from our mouth to the child is, “Did you not hear me?” We expect that when someone hears us, they are going to follow and obey because this is what is within us. It affects much of our lives but many times we deny it. We put it down because we use human reasoning. We say, “It isn’t rational, so I won’t do it.”
We listen to what God says. We follow His Word. His Word will never fail us. His Word opens the door, the channel for that life to flow out of us when we are obedient to what He has commanded us. Christ says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” We proclaim over and over again that we love Him but yet we do not follow Him. We do not obey Him.
Like a child having heard from the parent, “You can’t do this,” and the child does it and the parent comes back and says, “I thought I told you, ‘Did you not hear me?’” Same response perhaps is what we would get from God having shared with us such valuable information, such a great pattern for life. He has given to us this compassion of love that we are to live out. If only we would tap into that which He has given to us, it will bring out His provision in our lives.
What is your pulse? What is the inner pulse of your life? Would people recognize that you are a Christian by the way you live? By the way you do business? At the South Superhighway, there is a new billboard that has been put up by the Catholic businessmen professionals. It says, “Be honest even when others are not honest.” Here is that which God brings to us. Never mind how others act. Never mind what they do. What does God inspire you to do? What does He speak to you? There is where the power is. There is where the ability is. You might think, “They may deceive me. They may fool me. They may cheat me.” So what? Your provision comes from God, not from them, and He will restore whatever has been taken. He restores and if you believe what Scriptures says, it could come back seven times.
Why do we not trust Him? Why do we not put our confidence in Him? Such power He has given to us – to come and live within us. To make certain that we don’t go back to the old way. That the enemy can no longer take us under His control. He comes to provide that ability, that strength, that separation, that sacredness, that righteousness which separates us from the old way so that the enemy has no authority over us; but yet, we can deny it. We can deny what He has done. We can hinder Him from fully working in our lives if we do not believe, if we do not follow what He has said. Tremendous hope is ours. Tremendous ability is ours, if only we believe.
All things are possible, if only we believe. Believing is acting upon His commandments; following His Word; putting confidence in that rather than the things around us, rather than our own human reasoning. He will not fail us. He will not forsake us. We walk in that which He provides. When we love, as He intended us to love, we destroy the opposition.
Sometime ago, I heard from a teaching that if you want to win a battle, operate in the opposite spirit. If someone is angry, you respond in peace. If someone is stealing, you respond in giving. I could never understand that but I saw it work over and over again. Now, I realize it is because inside of us, there is the presence of Divinity. That Divinity, when you tap into it, when you follow it, it conquers and overcomes. It has the ability given to us by Christ.
We overcome evil with good. This is what God speaks to us. It isn’t what we feel at a time someone does evil that our feelings rise up and our temperature rises and our anger flares. But God says, “No, don’t respond that way. Respond in love, in good, and you will conquer. You will overcome.” They will not cheat you; they will not overcome you; but you will rise up.
This is what God says, and yet we think differently and we think we have to protect ourselves. If God is in us, His provision is protection. It is strength and it will overcome. James 2:20 says, “Faith without works is dead.” If our faith is not bringing forth that which God has given to us, it means our faith is not there. It is not working. When we decide and make our decision contrary to the Word of God, we set faith aside. If faith is not involved in what we do, faith will not produce the victory. We must walk in that faith. We must bring forth that provision in our lives.
I would question you again as this doctor did: what is the pulse of your life? Do you see things in the godly character and the godly nature? Or do you see things according to human reasoning, in the flesh – with anger, with defense, with insecurity? Do you see things and do you respond to those things that way? This shows that there is no life in you. The life is shown when we walk in the compassion and love of God, the grace and the mercy that He has given to us.
This shows righteousness – the pulse of holiness which He has given to us. This is what Easter is all about. He is making a declaration to us: “I have conquered hell, death and the grave. I have set you free from the curse. I have given you new life.” Now, it is up to us to live it out. To be a witness of what Easter really means.
When the waterfall in the altar is taken out, when the flowers no longer are so abundant, and we go back to Ordinary Time, will we slipped back to our old self or we will continue to walk with the Christ of Easter with the hope that He brings to us and with the assurance that is ours?
Remember, “It is no longer I who lives; it is Christ who lives in me.” This brings forth out of my life the strength that comes from Him. The wisdom, the understanding that comes from Him. It is not of my own self, not of my flesh, but of Him.
May we recognize how great our God is. We claim it as I said in our music, but do we live it? It is not enough to sing it. It is not enough to say it. What God wants is us to live it. The living is what brings the witness. We are His witnesses. We are His ambassadors. We are to let the world know that our God is a great God. Our God is a God of love and compassion, a God who never fails, a God who never forsakes. He will never put us to shame because our faith is in Him.
I believe! If I believe, I act in what I believe. We say in the Creed, “I believe in God.” Is that where our faith is? Do we put our confidence in our faith or do we put our confidence in the economy of the world around us? The economy is up and down, and sometimes it is totally destroyed, but God never fails. There is where our hope is and He will never put us to shame.
Check your pulse! What is your pulse? Is it strong or is it weak? That which is in your heart is not weak. If we allow it to flow through our lives, it will bring to us victory and new life. Blessed be God!
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