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STRANGE WORKS OF GOD

Lk. 9:29-31 – And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Obviously, we don’t have everything figured out yet. Just when we think we have it all sorted, the Lord throws us a huge curve ball. Who could have seen this coming. Casting out devils, healing the sick, even raising the dead; we kind of get that. Transfiguration? What is that anyway? Jesus and three of His disciples were praying when suddenly Jesus’s whole body began to shine with glory like Moses’ face when he came down from the mountain. Not only that, Moses and Elijah were there with Jesus out of nowhere talking about the Lord’s coming death. The disciples were still stuck on sorting out this life, they had no idea about kingdom glory.

What is the message in this passage for us today? It seems like church services today have become shorter and shorter and the emphasis on the kingdom of heaven has gotten less and less. We hear about finances and goals and family and success but not so much about glory and rarely a word about kingdom come. Jesus being transfigured sort of changed the conversation that day. What is transfigured anyway? Transfigured comes from the word metamorphosis. It is describing a total change from one being into another. It’s kind of like a butterfly coming from a caterpillar, it just doesn’t get much stranger than that. The Lord wants to bring a transformation into our lives. Paul used this word and idea in 2 Cor.3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit”. In this passage Paul actually says that there is a metamorphosis in our lives as we are transformed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

So there it is, it is that anointing thing again. Maybe the anointing seems strange and insignificant to some but there is no way for us to be transformed or transfigured without this strange work of God. Maybe its time for us to be still in our services and allow this strange, transforming work of the Spirit to come into our services. This is the only place our disintegrating culture can be restored.

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MIRACLES

We have no more than five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people. Luke 9:13

Sometimes only a miracle will do. It seems like the Lord takes pleasure in bringing us to places in our lives where only a miracle will do. It’s not that He delights in our struggles, it’s just that He likes us to need Him and to show off His greatness. The feeding of the 5000 is the classic example of this. The disciples were far away from any stores, there was no food (except for a little boy’s lunch), and they were fresh out of cash. Sounds like a good place for a miracle. Andrew brought a little boy’s lunch to Jesus and before you know it thousands of people were eating and laughing together in the countryside. Suddenly the tough spot was a happy spot. That is exactly what the Lord loves to do. Here are some thoughts from Watchman Nee on this story.
“When Jesus said “Give ye them to eat,” it was not because He expected His disciples to have a plan, but because He wanted them to expect a miracle. Like us, however, they chose the easier way, the way which does not require the exercise of faith or prayer. Their solution was to “go and buy.” It was a proposal unworthy of disciples; it could as well have been made by Pharisees or even Sadducees. It displayed no faith, no trust in Him. As John’s Gospel makes plain, their thoughts were on their pockets. They had not enough money!

We only see what we can do. We shut our eyes to God and His inexhaustible resources. But God is not to be measured by us. Never mind what we can or cannot do; He is waiting to show us His miracles.”
That is the problem in a nutshell, we look at what we can do rather than what God can do. No wonder the Lord brings us into tight places; it’s as if He is crying out, “Hey, look over here. Look to Me. I can handle this!” What kind of situation are you in today that is just beyond anything you can do to fix it? If that’s you, offer whatever you have to the Lord and see what He can do. Maybe it could be as simple as serving at Feed the Multitudes this year. You never know, that could be the beginning of your breakthrough.