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Spiritual Measles: Chained or Changed? In the very first chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus changes the name of one of His disciples—no longer Simon, now Cephas. Concerning this, Oswald Chambers, the author of My Utmost For His Highest, once wrote, "God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where He has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots—looking like spiritual measles—and in some areas of our lives, we look all right." But God's purpose for us is not just that we "look" all right." He is intending to change our hearts, and therefore our lives, from the inside out—not just skin deep. Spiritual measles—chained or changed? You see, this really is the choice—remain chained by the world's shackles of pride and self, or be changed and set free by the Spirit of God? It is very interesting that one of the "buzz" words today is just that—change. Times are changing, we hear, and we have to change to keep up. This same philosophy has even permeated the church, claiming that we, as well, need to fit in with the world. David Wilkerson, the pastor of Times Square Church, tells of a woman who said her church was growing by leaps and bounds, but it was dying. The church and its pastor were Spirit-filled, but something had changed. The pastor had attended a conference that stressed being "sinner-friendly," and now, he never preaches against sin. In fact, the goal is to never offend anyone—now he just reads a fifteen minute message that comes from the conference, the worship services are never longer than 60 minutes, and they are lifeless and dead. The woman knows she needs to leave, but where will she go? Other churches are immersed in entertainment and false revivals—indeed, where will she go? The wrong kind of change had led to chains, and the church is now shackled by worldly strategies—and doesn't even know it. Change, in the power of the flesh, will only lead to spiritual decline, and ultimately, to death. But it doesn't have to be that way. Praise God—Cephas, aka Simon Peter, found that to be the case. When he first met Jesus, he recognized his sinfulness, and fell to his knees exclaiming, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5: 8b) God had begun to erase his pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. But throughout the ministry of Jesus, Peter would look pretty "splotchy"—one minute declaring his undying allegiance to Jesus, and the next, trying to tell Him what to do. But when the day of Pentecost had fully come, Peter was cured—no more spiritual measles. Just turn to Acts 3 to see that change lived out. Remember—Simon's name was changed to Cephas, In the Greek, it is "Petrus"—not just stone or rock, but a piece of a larger rock. To put it in modern terms, Peter was being called to be a "chip off the old block,"—the block, of course, being Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone. With Jesus living His life within him, Peter would now be of the same essence. Every thought, word, and deed—Jesus. One afternoon, at 3 o'clock—the time of prayer—Peter and John went up to the temple to do just that—pray. If they had been about their own agendas and living their lives for themselves, they wouldn't have been in the right place at the right time. The same thing is true today—be where He calls you to be, and He can use you. Where was that? The gate called Beautiful! In the Greek, it means at the right hour or season, that is, timely. As they passed through this gate, it became truly beautiful—an Old Covenant, that had become marked by rituals and good works, was now giving way to something far more beautiful. Yes, at the right time, the New Covenant was coming into the temple—the life of Jesus actually being lived in these two followers. A man who had been born lame was begging there, but all of that was about to change. "Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us." (vs. 4) "Look", in the Greek, means to behold, to regard, and, ultimately, to take heed. It wasn't that Peter and John were lifting themselves up—in fact, it was just the opposite—it was Jesus within. Praise God—the beggar did take heed and looked up, but he had his sights set way too low. He was looking for prosperity in things! Oh, was he ever wrong! Peter made that very clear when he said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (vs. 6) Well, that should shut the mouths of all of those prosperity preachers, hawking a false gospel at the expense of souls who need to hear the truth. It should and it would, if they desired the God of the Bible above all things—yes, above all things—to see God glorified, and not their wallets. Paul told the Corinthians, "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, not handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Cor. 4:1-2) He is saying that it is the change in him that is going to affect others, and so it was with Peter and John. Being changed themselves, they took the lame man by the right hand, and away he went—jumped right up and went into the temple with the disciples. This didn't come from his self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency—this came from God and God alone—change begat change! And not only was he changed, but everybody who had seen him begging knew that he had been helpless, and "they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him." (vs. 10) God was trying to change all of them, too, for change will be the witness. A huge crowd then gathered, and Peter saw clearly that he was in the right place at the right time. And Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" (vs. 12) Do you see it? All of the glory went to God, for, as far as Peter and John were concerned, it could go nowhere else—self had been erased, not just in some areas of their lives, but in the whole. The spiritual measles were gone! Yes, self was being denied—twice in verse 13 and 14, that word "denied" is used. Peter had denied three times even knowing Jesus; now he was using it to preach against sin. Peter was changed—being baptized in Holy Ghost and fire, the sin was burned away in order for him to be filled with God. How can this be? The key can be found in the "Three R's." No, not "Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic", but in three others, found under the umbrella of a fourth "R", repentance. Peter said, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (vs. 19) When we repent of our selfishness, it is obliterated, wiped away, and even erased. In this, Jesus, through His Spirit, comes and takes up residence within His obedient followers, refreshing and reviving them, even in the wake of the incredible apostasy that they will have to live through in these last of days. This refreshing will help them to keep their eyes on Jesus, as He lives within others in the Body of Christ—Jesus and His Body cannot be separated. If you, however, insist on going it alone, you deny yourself this life-giving refreshment, you begin to wither , and eventually, you blow away! In the end, He will come to change things one final time—verse 21 refers to it as "the times of restitution of all things." In the Greek, it means "to restore and reconstitute." In this, all sin will be erased and so will the one who promoted it—Satan. With this glorious thought, we should be compelled to live lives of restitution right now. Let the light of God's word illuminate your life, and where things contrary to that word appear, crucify them and make it right—hurt feelings, unpaid bills, whatever it may be—it is time for restitution. Refreshing, restitution, and now… The third "R" is actually buried in verse 23: "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear…shall be destroyed from among the people." The Greek word here is "extripate", meaning to root out, destroy wholly, exterminate, and totally ruin. If you won't "ruin" self, it will ruin you—and not just in this life, but in the next. Peter told the people, and by obvious extension, us, "God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." God's purpose is not to amass a people who are happy in their sin, for they are actually languishing in chains and don't even know it. The true blessings of God are not emotional highs or prosperity, but in being free from sin—not just from its consequences, but from its power. As the Fourth of July approaches, and talk of "freedom" abounds, remember—the only true freedom will be found in a new name, and, of course, a changed life—not just cleaned up on the outside, but through and through! Oh, the healing power of God! Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
