VICTORY’S POOL

VICTORY’S POOL

John 5:1-3 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.

Several years ago I met a minister who was visiting New Orleans for lunch. We had a very normal lunch and really never delved much into the nature of what God was doing at our church. As we finished this minister asked to pray for me and gave me a word for our church that he felt impressed to share with me. The jest of the message was that The Lord had given Victory Fellowship a very special, and yes, unusual mantle. He said it was like the Pool of Bethesda in the book of John, the place where there were healing waters for the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. This word was a powerful word of confirmation for me. You know it is not easy to go against the stream and trends of modern Christianity. This was a confirming word of God’s unique work at Victory Fellowship.
In John’s account of the man who had been bed ridden for thirty eight years, there is some powerful truth for us today. The scripture says that the blind, the lame and the paralyzed, were waiting there for their miracle. I see three different kinds of issues portrayed in this passage that may apply to some of us today. Of course these folks had real physical sicknesses but they also speak to us about other emotional conditions common today.
First, there were the blind. This speaks to us of those who have no spiritual perception. Without Christ, we are all blind, unable to perceive the reality of The Lord in our lives. One touch of the Master’s hand and all of that changes. Instead of groping around in the darkness of our own understanding, we stand in the light of His glorious truth.
Secondly, there were the lame. Maybe you feel spiritually lame today. You believe the Bible but you can’t seem to translate that into your day to day behavior. I call that spiritual lameness. Today, if you hear His voice, you can rise up and walk, no longer lame, but able to walk in the power of His love.
Finally there were the paralyzed. This speaks of those who have been traumatized by past experiences or by the trials that they are currently facing. Having devastating, heartbreaking, things happen in our lives can cause us to become like paralytics. We have been hit hard, maybe by a divorce, a sickness, or some catastrophic financial situation. Fear has gripped your heart, you have become paralyzed with fear. Today, Jesus is passing your way. If you are blind, the light of His glory is shining in to your heart. If you are lame, His hand of strength is embracing yours, He is calling for you to rise and walk. Paralyzed? The fear is being driven from your heart. You are being set free from your past, you can begin to live again.