3 infallible proofs that Christ rose from the dead

by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr.

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

The earliest Jewish argument presupposes the truth of the empty tomb. In other words, there was nobody claiming that the tomb still contained the body of Jesus. The question was, "What happened to the body?"

Jesus showed Himself alive. He "presented" Himself to the Apostles (Rienecker, A Linguistic Key to the New Testament). He presented Himself "alive after his passion," that is, after He had "suffered" (Strong's Concordance). This suffering included the scourging, which stripped the skin from His back, and inflicted great gaping wounds; His crucifixion, during which His feet and hands were nailed to a cross; His agonizing death; and the piercing of His side, when a sword was driven up into His heart. But Christ rose from the dead on the third day after He was buried. And He "shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs."

The words "infallible proofs" are the English translation of the Greek word "tekmerios." It means "demonstrative proofs" (Rienecker, ibid.). "In medical language 'demonstrative evidence'" (William Hobart, The Medical Languages of St. Luke, Baker, 1954, note on Acts 1:3). Calvin said,

That the truth hereof might not be called in question, he saith that it was proved by many signs and tokens [that] I have translated proofs (John Calvin, Commentary on Acts 1:3).

Here only, in Acts 1:3, we are told that Christ was "seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

If he had but once appeared unto them, it might have been somewhat suspicious, but in showing himself so often unto them, and by this means, also, he putteth away the reproach of the ignorance which he said was in the apostles, lest it discredit their preaching (ibid.).

Christ appeared to the Apostles repeatedly to make them sure of His resurrection and to strengthen their preaching.

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3).

We will think about three of these "infallible proofs" of Christ's resurrection from the dead this morning.

I. First, the tomb was empty when they came to it.

The women who came to the tomb found it empty. They came with spices to embalm His body – but the tomb was empty. "A young man sitting on the right side" (Mark 16:5) said to them,

"Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him" (Mark 16:6).

The Apostles themselves found the tomb empty. Mary Magdalene ran and told Peter that the body of Christ was not there.

"Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple [John himself], and came to the sepulchre…Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie…Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed" (John 20:3-8).

Even the unbelieving Romans and Jews knew that the tomb was empty. Matthew tells us,

"Some of the watch came into the city…And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day" (Matthew 28:11-15).

Lee Strobel is the author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. Strobel tells us,

The Jewish leaders proposed the ridiculous story that the guards had fallen asleep. Obviously they were grasping at straws. But the point is this: they started with the assumption that the tomb was vacant!…The earliest Jewish argument presupposes the truth of the empty tomb. In other words, there was nobody claiming that the tomb still contained the body of Jesus. The question was, "What happened to the body?" (Lee Strobel, Decision, April, 2003, p. 9).

The argument of the Jewish leaders was false for three reasons:

(1) Pilate, the Roman governor, had the tomb sealed and set Roman guards to watch it. It would have cost these guards their lives if they had gone to sleep. Roman soldiers were as hardened and nearly as well trained as Navy Seals today. It isn't possible that such men would go to sleep. Furthermore, Albert Roper points out that the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb numbered approximately twenty, and were under the leadership of a Roman centurion (cf. Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. 235).

(2) Even if that impossibility occurred, and a centurion and twenty Roman soldiers all went to sleep, how could these guards have remained asleep while the seal around the stone was broken and that huge stone was rolled back? It would have made a great noise as it was rolled away from the door to the tomb. Hardened, well trained Roman guards couldn't have slept through all the noise that the breaking of the seal and the rolling of the huge stone would have caused.

(3) Even if the stone had been rolled away, how would the guards know that the body was stolen – if they were asleep? They could not possibly know what happened if they were asleep! So that whole story of bribery and deceit rests on a ridiculous, trumped up lie. But that sordid plot by unbelieving Jewish leaders and Roman guards does show one thing clearly – they knew that the tomb was empty. They knew that Christ was not there.

Lee Strobel writes,

In the face of these facts, skeptics have been impotent to put Jesus' body back into the tomb. They flounder. They struggle. They contradict themselves. And they pursue extraordinary theories to try to account for the evidence, yet each time, in the end, the tomb remains vacant (ibid.).

The first "infallible proof" of the resurrection of Christ from the dead is the empty tomb. I have been to Jerusalem. My wife and I have seen the tomb of Christ. I myself can tell you – that tomb is empty!

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:6).

The empty tomb is the first infallible proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

II. Second, the Disciples saw Him many times after He rose from the dead.

This is the second "infallible proof" of Christ's resurrection. Christ did not appear once to the Disciples. He showed Himself to them many times for an extended period of forty days. He came to ten of the Apostles when they were gathered together in a locked room,

"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:19-22).

But Thomas, one of the Disciples, was not there. When the other Disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25), he did not believe them. He said,

"Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side [into the sword wound], I will not believe" (John 20:25).

Dr. John MacArthur, though wrong on the Blood of Christ and "Lordship salvation," is correct when he says, "Thomas' actions indicated that Jesus had to convince the disciples rather forcefully of His resurrection, i.e., they were not gullible people predisposed to believe in resurrection. The point is that they would not have fabricated it or hallucinated it, since they were so reluctant to believe even with the evidence they could see" (MacArthur Study Bible, note on John 20:24-26).

"And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold [look at] my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God" (John 20:26-28).

When Thomas said, "My Lord and my God" he was convinced at last that Christ had risen physically from the dead!

We should remember that Jesus had said something quite similar to what He told Thomas to the ten Disciples a week earlier. When He came to them, they were frightened,

"But they were terrified and affrighted [when they first saw Him], and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat [food]? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them" (Luke 24:37-43).

This account clearly tells us that Jesus did not rise as a spirit. The Jehovah's Witnesses are wrong when they say that. No, His real "flesh and bone" body rose from the dead. It was the same body that was missing from the tomb. They could see the wounds from the nails in His hands and feet. They could see the sword-wound in His side. And Jesus said to them,

"Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39).

This was proof-positive that Christ's own body had risen from the dead!

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

The Apostle Paul gives us a list of people who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead,

"He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And… was seen of Cephas [another name of Peter], then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep [had by this time died]. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also" (I Corinthians 15:4-8).

Dr. Henry M. Morris is the President of the Institute for Creation Research. He is a scientist who holds a Ph.D. in hydrology from the University of Minnesota. Concerning the list of eye-witnesses recorded in I Corinthians 15:4-8, Dr. Morris says this:

The remarkable parade of eye-witnesses of the resurrection of Christ (most of whom were still living when Paul wrote and could have denied the [account] if it were not true) is part of the overwhelming body of evidence ("many infallible proofs" – Acts 1:3) that makes this the greatest event in history since the creation and the most certain fact of biblical history. Jesus Christ has, indeed, conquered death itself, thereby demonstrating that He was the Creator of life and the only possible Savior from sin and death (Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., The Defender's Study Bible, note on I Corinthians 15:6).

"To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).

The Disciples, and hundreds of other people, saw Him many times after He rose from the dead. This is the second infallible proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

III. Third, the Disciples were willing to die rather than deny Christ's resurrection.

To me, this is the greatest proof of all that Jesus rose from the dead. These people lived out the rest of their lives proclaiming that Christ had risen – and that they saw Him alive. I Corinthians 15:5-8 tells us

"He was seen of Cephas [Peter]" (v. 5).

"He was seen of above five hundred brethren" (v. 6).

"He was seen of James; then of all the apostles" (v. 7).

"He was seen of me also" (v. 8).

They said they saw Him, and they suffered torture and martyrdom rather than deny it!

John Ankerberg and John Weldon asked this question,

Could the Christian Church ever have come into existence as a result of what had become, after Jesus' crucifixion and death, a group of disheartened, frightened, skeptical apostles? Not a chance. Only the resurrection of Christ from the dead can account for motivating the disciples to give their lives to preach about Christ (John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Ready With an Answer, Harvest House, 1997, p. 82).

John R. W. Stott says, "…the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection" (John R. W. Stott, Basic Christianity,second edition, InterVarsity Press, 1971, pp. 58-59).

Simon Greenleaf, a Harvard attorney, said this concerning the apostles, "It was…impossible that they should have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact. The annals of military warfare afford scarcely an example of [similar] heroic constancy, patience, and unflinching courage" (Simon Greenleaf, The Testimony of the Evangelists, Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice, Baker, 1965 reprint of the 1847 edition, p. 29).

Josh McDowell said,

Just as Jesus Christ transformed the lives of His disciples, so the lives of men and women throughout the past nineteen hundred years have also been transformed (Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. 253).

When your sins are forgiven, and your life is transformed by Christ, this is the most infallible proof of all – that He has risen from the dead!

Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sins. He rose from the dead, and ascended into the third Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God. You can come to Jesus and trust Him. If you do that, He will wash your sins away with His Blood, and give you eternal life. Then come on home to church! Why be lonely? Come home – to church!

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You can read Dr. Hymers' sermons each week on the Internet at www.realconversion.com.

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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Original Page: http://www.ynaija.com/3-infallible-proofs-that-christ-rose-from-the-dead/

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Get a Good Grip on God's Promises

Are you having a hard day? A hard week? A hard life? Are you facing difficult circumstances that seem to have no solution?

If so, I have good news for you: God is thinking about you right now as you read this article. He knows what kind of day you are having. He knows your greatest burdens and your deepest dreams. He cares.

And He provided a solution for your problems before they ever existed through the promises in His Word. All 7,487 of these promises were given to guarantee your victory. All you have to do is lay hold of them, as the Bible encourages us to do:

"Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His Word" (Heb. 10:23, The Message). We know we will not be disappointed, for "all the promises of God in [Christ] are Yes, and in [Christ] Amen" (2 Cor. 1:20, NKJV).

It's wonderful to know there are promises for every circumstance of life. Salvation promises. Hope and healing promises. Promises for finances, friends and family. Whatever your problem is, there is a promise for you. Whatever your dream is, there is a promise for you.

TICKET TO RIDE
A ticket to a movie costs about $7.50. A season ticket to the symphony costs around $650. Super Bowl tickets can go as high as $3,000! When you have a ticket to an event, it means you have a right to attend or participate in the event. Those with no tickets will be turned away at the door.

God's promises are like tickets, as this verse from The Message states: "We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God" (2 Pet. 1:3-4). These tickets didn't come cheap, but it costs you nothing to redeem them; Jesus already paid the price with His blood.

I heard of a woman who attended a Mercedes-Benz car show with her husband. While he was drooling over the features of a top-of-the-line Mercedes, she halfheartedly scribbled her name on a "Win This Car" contest card.

To her utter shock, six weeks later, the Mercedes dealership called to congratulate her on winning the car. "All you need to do to receive this Mercedes is bring us your winning ticket within 48 hours," they told her.

To her dismay, she didn't have a clue where she had put that insignificant piece of paper. Who would have thought she'd really win?

The hunt began. She dug through all her purses and pockets but found nothing. She went through all her drawers and even the community dumpster.

Her time was almost up, but she needed to pick up her son from school, so she stopped looking long enough to make a quick dash to the nearby junior high. In fact, too quick.

When she noticed the red lights of a police car flashing behind her, she groaned, pulled over and reached into the glove box for her registration and insurance card. To her surprise, she saw her winning ticking lying there, just waiting to be redeemed.

Jumping out of the car, she shouted at the police officer, "I found my ticket! I found my ticket!" She told him her dilemma and explained that she had only 20 minutes left to redeem it for a new Mercedes. The officer smiled and said, "Jump in!"

Sirens screaming, the policeman broke every rule to get her to the Mercedes dealership. They pulled onto the lot and saw the sales manager preparing to take the contest car off the display rack.

The policeman handed his radio to her. Across the car lot, her voice thundered: "Get your hands off of my car! I found my ticket!" The number on her ticket matched the winning number perfectly, and she was awarded the car.

God's promises are like that winning ticket. They are hiding in the Word just waiting to be redeemed, and God will break every natural law to fulfill them. If you're willing to search them out in the Scriptures, they will become tickets for you to participate in God's abundant life.

As you purpose in your heart to stand on the promises of God, a "higher authority" steps in. Just like the policeman who handed the woman his radio to claim her car, Jesus, your High Priest, has handed you His authority to thunder through the heavenlies: "Satan, get your hands off my family and finances! I found my ticket!"

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GET A GRIP ON THE PROMISES
My husband, Tommy, and I have stood on God's promises for more than 30 years and rescued hundreds of thousands of young people out of Satan's clutches. Based on personal experience, I can say unequivocally that if you refuse to give up, Satan will have to, just as the apostle James assured us: "Resist the devil and he will flee" (James 4:7, NKJV).

You might be thinking, If these promises are for me, why am I still troubled, and how do I get them from the pages of my Bible into my life? Most Christians know about the promises of God, but they haven't seriously claimed them. Here are four simple ways to get a grip (G-R-I-P) on the promises of God.

Trust God The moment you read a promise from the Word of God, God's character goes on trial. Does He really mean it? Can He be trusted to fulfill it?

The fulfillment of any promise is directly dependent on the character of the one making the promise. If you had to choose to do business with either a pastor or a criminal, you would probably choose the pastor because you could better trust his character.

The promises of God are not a list of wonderful wishes. They are guarantees from your Father, and He can be trusted.

Your checking account might be unsettled. Your weight might be unsettled. But God's Word is forever "settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).

You can't always trust people, but you can always trust God. To believe His promise is to take Him at His Word. "'God is not a man, that He should lie....Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?'" (Num. 23:19.)

I heard a funny story about a man who was hiking up a steep mountain when his foot slipped on some loose gravel. He began falling 200 feet through the air but was able to grab a branch that was jutting out of the side of the mountain. The force of the fall caused him to bounce a few times, but he was relieved to realize he was still alive and the tree held.

"Hellooooo, is anyone up there?" he yelled.

"Yes, I hear you!" came an instant reply.

"Can you help me?" asked the exhausted hiker.

"Yes, I can," responded the deep voice.

"OK, who are you and what should I do?" the hiker asked.

"I am God. All you need to do is trust Me and let go."

The hiker pondered a moment and yelled back a little louder, "Is anyone else up there?

If God's plan isn't easy, many of us are tempted, like the desperate hiker, to look for a Plan B. But God can be trusted, even when His ways don't make sense to us.

Rehearse Your Rhemas The word logos refers to God's written Word (the Bible). Rhema is illuminated logos—a personalized, jump-off-the-page-and-slap-you-on-the-face promise from the Bible. You know when God gives you a rhema word because faith and peace explode inside you.

Here's an example that will help explain the distinction between logos and rhema. Logos is like a patriotic letter from the president of the United States that is addressed to all U.S. citizens. Rhema is like a personal telephone call from him. The letter would be inspiring, but the phone call would be life-changing.

Of course, this is a very loose analogy. But it points out that logos is general, and rhema is personalized. Both are God's Word, but simply put, one is written and one is spoken in your spirit. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16).

What should you do when God entrusts you with a rhema word? Write it down and mark the date and location. Rejoice over it and rehearse that personal, just-for-you promise over and over in your mind.

Several young ballerinas were about to perform Hansel and Gretel. An "X" on the floor made of masking tape helped them remember where to stand. The curtain worker was told, "When Sarah stands on her 'X,' open the curtain."

Sarah forgot where to stand, so nothing happened. A loudmouthed friend shouted, "Sarah, go stand on your 'X' so the performance can begin!"

Ladies, your "X" is your rhema promise from God, and I am your loudmouthed friend, screaming, "Go stand on your 'X' [rhema word] so His performance can begin!" God is "'watching over [His] word to perform it'" (Jer. 1:12, NASB) and as you once again rehearse your rhema promise, you'll enjoy a grand performance of His Word.

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Inspect Your Heart Many of God's promises are conditional. If you don't fulfill your part, God cannot fulfill His.

The Bible speaks of unforgiveness, fear and secret sin harboring in your heart. A harbor is an area of water where boats park. If the fulfillment of God's promise seems slow in coming, perhaps there's something harboring or parking in your heart. Inspect your heart and don't allow anything ungodly to harbor there. No parking allowed!

Sherry was a vivacious girl who genuinely loved the Lord. She was strong in God's Word and never wavered when diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis.

But seven months passed, and Sherry's symptoms had grown worse instead of better. When she questioned God about this dilemma, He said nothing. Instead, He began to deal with her about an unforgiving attitude toward her mother-in-law.

She told me: "The more I talked to God about my sickness, the more He talked to me about my unforgiveness. Finally, I released my bad attitude, and within 10 days, I was completely healed."

Sometimes God promises are postponed or completely aborted because of sin. David said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Ps.66:18, NKJV). I am not saying that sickness is always because of sin, but if your victory is not forthcoming, take some time to inspect your heart.

Be Patient Have you noticed that God's promises aren't always manifested instantaneously? So what are you supposed to do between the "Amen" and "There it is"? You'll find the answer in Hebrews 6:12: "Do not be sluggish [lazy], but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (emphasis added).

Just whom should we imitate? Abraham is a good start. He gripped God's promise about his inheritance and held onto it for 25 years before his promised son, Isaac, was born. Joseph walked through 13 years of nightmares before his dream from God about ruling over his family was fulfilled.

Ask anyone whose walk with God you admire, and she will tell you that patience has been an important factor. What a key for possessing the promises of God!

Patience and faith go together, yet they function differently. Faith aggressively stands on God's Word, while patience says, "I don't care how long it takes; I will continue to trust God." Faith believes and patience waits, but if you develop both, victory is guaranteed.

When I was young, I spent time each summer in Minnesota with my grandparents. A neighbor of theirs had a long rope that swung over the lake. In a fit of mischief, two neighborhood kids and I taught the neighbor's bulldog, Oscar, to grip the rope, and we swung him back and forth over the water.

One sunny afternoon, we were on the patio when I noticed Oscar dangling motionless on the rope. I realized that we had taught him how to grip the rope but not how to let go! (Eventually, he learned.)

Reminding me of this incident one day, the Spirit of God said, "I'm training you to grip My promises like that dog and never let go." I have often said that the only difference between a bulldog and a woman of God is lipstick!

If your life seems to be falling apart, get a grip! Grip the promises of God and don't let go until you experience God's best.

Read a companion devotional.

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Rachel Burchfield is the co-founder of Burchfield Ministries International (www.burchfield.org).

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/life/women/10188-when-you-need-to-grip-god-s-promises

Article

No More Pentecostal Popemobiles

The election of the new pope is a prophetic slap in the face for our egotistical excess.

I'm not Catholic, and I've never completely understood Catholics' preoccupation with Vatican politics. But I've been watching the Vatican closely since last week when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became the 266th pope and instantly got 2 million followers—and counting—on Twitter.

Why is this man so popular? That's easy to understand. He's humble. He cooks for himself. He chose to live in a small apartment in Buenos Aires instead of the archbishop's palace. When he was the leader of Argentina's Catholics, he took el micro—the city bus—to get around. He took the bus again after his election last week in Rome.

He even slipped out of the Vatican after his election to go and worship with the regular people—without security guards or the popemobile!

And Bergoglio, who will go by the name Pope Francis, is a staunch advocate of social justice. He reportedly asked his Argentinean colleagues to skip his inauguration in Rome and give the money they would have spent on airfare to the poor.

Have you noticed a contrast between Pope Francis' simple lifestyle and the sickening excess that is on display among some of our Pentecostal/charismatic leaders?

I've pulled a lot of my hair out watching our embarrassing charismatic sideshows over the last few years. I think it is time we draw a line in the sand and say: "NO MORE."

NO MORE BODYGUARDS. We have evangelists who send a small squadron of muscular thugs to "scout" the lobby of a hotel before they arrive. This is extremely odd when you realize that most of the people in said lobby have never even heard of the guy! Sorry, but I really don't trust a man of God who claims he needs a bodyguard in church. Get down on the people's level if you want to minister to them.

NO MORE $10,000 PER NIGHT HOTEL ROOMS. We have traveling preachers who book 10,000-square-ft. hotel rooms with private pools so they can rest on their way home from international trips. Excuse me? We could build an orphanage with the money this man wasted. (P.S. I know a good Hampton Inn where you can get a nice bed for $89 a night—and it includes a hot breakfast.)

NO MORE PRIVATE JETS. We have egomaniac ministers who insist on flying in private jets to speaking engagements, claiming that preachers who fly commercial aircraft have no faith. These same ministers will hand you a fuel bill for $25,000. That is sick, especially when you consider that Jesus rode a donkey when He was presented as the Messiah to Jerusalem. (Note to Rev. Bighead: You are not the president, and you do not need Air Force One.)

NO MORE CHARLATANS. We have slimy TV preachers who beg for dollars on Christian television stations, pocket a large amount of the take and then use some of the funds to install marble floors in their four-car garages. That's worse than when medieval priests sold papal indulgences to get relatives out of purgatory.

NO MORE LIMOUSINES. I don't believe ministers have to drive clunker cars. Higher-priced cars usually mean lower repair bills. But we have a problem when a visiting preacher refuses to be picked up at the airport in a church van, or when the pastor of a 100-member church insists he must ride in a neon yellow Ferrari. Get over yourself. Maybe you should learn from Pope Francis—and take the bus until your ego shrinks to a normal size.

Last week in this column I shared a dream in which I saw a tsunami crashing into the Vatican and turning the Catholic system upside down. When the new pope was elected, an Argentinean newspaper called him "Tsunami Bergoglio" because they expect him to reform the stuffy, prideful, bureaucratic Vatican and challenge Catholics to return to a humble focus on Christ.

We need the same drastic reforms on our side of the evangelical/Catholic divide. We need Pentecostal and charismatic leaders who shun the palace, reject lavish excess and get back to the basics of true gospel ministry.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. Click here to read his column from last week, in which he describes a dream he had about a coming reformation in the Catholic Church.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/fire-in-my-bones/17130-no-more-pentecostal-popemobiles

Article

Why Christians Fall Away From Christ

The art of war begins with securing the lines before pressing in to an offensive against the gates of hell. The God who saved you has equipped you for and before each and every battle.

If you watch the nightly television news, you learn that major ministries tend to fail because of things that are within their own borders of authority, not because they have been overcome by reaching out to take new territory for God.

Ministers fall into sexual sin because they have not taken the proper precautions to guard themselves against it, or their finances fail because they do not discipline their spending or accounting procedures properly.

Many fail because they fall into pride, and it opens them to all kinds of difficulties. They stop relying on prayer or think they don't have time to seek the Lord of their work because they are too busy and too involved with the work of their Lord.

Defeat comes because they have not guarded the home fires, not because they have not launched the proper off ensives.

The first priority of spiritual war is protection from sin and temptation. Once the borders of your domain are secured, only then can you think about taking the fight to the enemy.

Cindy Trimm is the founder of Trimm International ministries. She is also a former Bermuda senator and a best-selling author. Her recent book is The Art of War for Spiritual Battle, from which this article was excerpted.

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Original Page: http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/church-ministry/17140-why-christians-fall-away-from-christ

Article

When Intercessors Are Afraid of the Devil

When we walked into the prayer meeting, I sensed it was going to be an all-out war. Of course, the moment we got saved, we enlisted as soldiers in the army of the Lord. We are, indeed, in a war. The enemy of our souls is lurking and looking for an open door to attack. And sometimes his demons don't wait for an open door. They just attack.

The enemy is already a defeated foe. Jesus disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by His work on the cross (see Col. 2:15). As born-again citizens of heaven, we remain here to enforce Christ's rule in a foreign land. So, we effectively live in a war zone.

Jesus gave us authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm us (see Luke 10:19). But that doesn't mean we don't have to wage spiritual warfare. It just means when we wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (see Eph. 6:12) … When we seek to enforce Christ's rule on this earth, He always leads us into triumph (see 2 Cor. 2:14).

The key word is "leads." Nevertheless, I've met some intercessors who are downright scared of the devil. Instead of following Christ into triumph, they follow fear. How can a prophetic intercessor effectively wage warfare when they are flowing from a place of fear instead of victory in Christ? Selah.

Scared of Demonic Retaliation
When we walked into the prayer meeting and I sensed it was going to be an all-out war, I looked for fearless soldiers to run to the battle line with me—those fully armored up with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (see Eph. 6:14-16). We war from a place of victory in Christ. Still, no victorious soldier goes into battle without getting armored up. There is wisdom in wafare.

Long story short, we engaged the enemy over our territory. Prophetically, we identified strongholds in our region and took authority over them in the name of Jesus. We stood on God's Word. We worshipped the King. But some of the intercessors weren't ready for what happened next: demonic retaliation.

When you are wrestling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places—which I wouldn't recommend you do unless you are in a corporate setting and unless the Holy Spirit leads you to—it literally is a wrestling match. And in a wrestling match the opponent doesn't go down without a fight. And in a wrestling match with demons the enemy doesn't fight fair.

The Masked Assassins
When I was a kid, my friend's dad watched wrestling matches on TV. The stars of the day were Dusty Rhodes with his "bionic elbow" and the Masked Assassins with their yellow and black disguises. Rhodes was the All-American hero and the Masked Assassins were the evil ones. I remember the tag team fights where the Masked Assassins would fight dirty against Rhodes, hitting him with chairs or bringing an extra man in to the tag team match to get an upper hand.

That's how the enemy works. He doesn't fight fair—and he doesn't fight alone. Have you ever noticed how, at times, you take authority over one spirit in the name of Jesus and it seems like nothing happened? That's because there's a vast army of demons under Satan's command and he often dispatches them in an onslaught. If you take authority over one demon, another may be sent to retaliate against you in rapid-fire succession.

That's just what happened after our prayer meeting. Some of the intercessors were dizzy all night long. It was uncanny. What are the chances that the intercessors would all manifest with dizziness so severe that you couldn't even stand up without risk of falling down? It was retaliation from the enemy. When it happened to me, I pled the blood of Jesus and thanked God for protecting me. The dizziness eventually left.

Fearful Intercessors Are Ineffective Intercessors
The enemy got to one of the intercessors, though. Ironically, she had propped herself up as the most experienced of us all. She often boasted about her experiences sending the devil running and was bold in prayer. But this experience struck fear in her heart. She began to criticize the prayer meetings—even though it was extremely rare that we entered into that level of warfare. She began to question the leadership. And she never came back to the group. In a way, the enemy gained a victory. He took her out with a little bout of dizziness.

Fearful intercessors are ineffective intercessors. If you are too scared of the enemy to follow the Lord into battle, you are walking in a measure of defeat rather than the Christ-won victory. They say dogs can smell fear on you. Well, so can the enemy. So enter into battle from a position of victory, understanding your authority in Christ. And when the battle is over, plead the blood of Jesus over yourself, bind spirits of retaliation and walk in freedom rather than fear.

Yes, sometimes the devil hits you back. But God is in control. Don't give up because the devil retaliates. Get more revelation that "the Lord is a warrior" (see Ex. 15:3) and "the battle is the Lord's" (see 2 Chron. 20:15-17). Get more revelation about your authority in Christ (see Luke 10:19). And get equipped practically with training on how to use the weapons of your warfare. Amen.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including Did the Spirit of God Say That? You can email Jennifer at   jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

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