A short question

[Craig]

I won't ask any more long winded questions. Promise.
I pray that God allows you to prosper and do His work for a very long time.
  Although, sometimes at night I lie down and i ask God why he made us so we have to lie down to sleep. If He had wanted us to always be busy and always achieve things he would not have programmed us to sleep for a fourth or a third of our lives. I try to use that time before sleep to just say thank you. I know you do that too. I think of all those who have so little, and never in their lives had a bed as comfortable as mine to sleep in. And I pray for them to find comfort too.
Sometimes Ray I doubt what is on bibletruths. This is a difficult thing to admit to you.  I accepted it all so quickly because I had wrestled with hell and heaven for so long. One day last year I was walking and I said out loud,"Why would you make us this way, and why would you condemn almost all of us to Hell? Why would you send your Son to die and most of us reject Him? I know you are loving so how could You do these things? I only know I want to be where you are, but God, what about everyone else?'  No kidding Ray it was that week I found bibletruths, and I was reading your article on Tithing, not salvation !   But It is daunting to be at odds with every other Christian I know, even my husband (who has not given me too hard of a time- he rarely thinks what the church teaches is correct anyway).  But I'm telling my children there is no hell, and what if that is not right? What terrible sin that would be. But I can't get around what I've already read and believed. I don't believe I can ever go back there to those old beliefs. And you are right, how could a loving God tell us to love our enemies, and then ban His own enemies to despair for the rest of time? HE would not! But why, oh why didn't our  Holy Bible get translated from the outset accurately and truthfully?   God allowed this corruption and that part if hard for me to understand.  Again I am reminded, His ways are not my ways.
I just wanted to let you know sometimes I am one of the ten, and I am not Joshua and Caleb. I see the giants. But oh, I want to be Joshua and Caleb!
So now, dear friend I will probably never meet, I'll ask a question I"ve been pondering. Matthew 17:20.  A little faith that move mountains. A parable.   I have a child with a mountain that needs to be moved and I pray and pray.  But Jesus says it would move and nothing would be impossible with this kind of faith.  There's always more to what He really means. Do you have any insights into this verse?
I hope you don't mind the long e mail- at least it wasn't  a long question!
Blessings,
Patricia


Dear Patricia:  Thank you for taking time to write me. Everything that Jesus said and taught is true.  We, however, fail to see and follow all of the instructions. Is there a reason why we don't move mountains?  Is it because we don't sometimes ask (sincerely ask and beg?)  No, it is because there are other lessons to be learned.  "IF ye have faith, AND doubt not...."  That's a big 'IF' and and big 'AND.'  God is showing us that we DON'T have the faith necessary to move mountains (or even ant hills).  Notice the wording of Jesus:

Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matt. 21:22).

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Matt. 11:23-26).

This same teaching with the big 'IF' is found again in Matt. 17:20-21 ....

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, IF ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

So maybe by now you as thinking:  "Okay, if I lack faith, I'll ask for more faith."  The Apostles immediately saw the problem, that
they did not have the faith of Jesus nor could they do the miracles of Jesus, so they asked for MORE FAITH:

Luke 17:5--"And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."  Now for Jesus' amazing and esoteric answer:

Jesus now reduces the necessary faith to move a sycamore tree into the sea, down to the size of a mustard seed:

Luke 17:6--And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Okay, so mustard size faith will accomplish miracles. But, big question: Just HOW do we get faith "as a grain of mustard seed?"  I'll be everyone reading this would give me a hundred dollars for the answer, wouldn't you?  I know I would.  Well, here's Jesus' answer:

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink.  Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:7-10).

Whad-e-say?  What in the world does Jesus' explanation have to do with increasing our faith? Everything.

We are the servants doing the plowing and feeding calttle in this parable.  Jesus is the Lord, and we will not be honored with
miracles producing powers before our Lord.  Jesus was tried and tested.  Jesus passed all tests (See His trials in the
wilderness against Satan).  Jesus went way way above and beyond in His service to humanity, and therefore His Father
always heard Him and always answered Him and always performed miracles for him. Most of God's servants today are merely doing the minimum of what is expected of them, and therefore, are not in a position to receive the miracle power of our Lord. We are all yet being tried and tested, but the day will come when we too will perform miracles.  We too will be "saviours" to the world (Obadiah 1:21).  Being a saviour to humanity requires many great miracles which God will provide THROUGH US!

Those apostles who went way above and beyond in their call to duty in Christ's service have already performed many such great miracles:  Imagine healing something of a terminal disease by merely having your shadow pass over him?  Jesus granted Peter just such miracle power:

"Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one" (Acts 5:15-16).  Notice that Peter's shadow only actually passed over some of these sick people, but:  "...they were healed EVERY ONED"!

Which is the greater miracle:  Uprooting a sycamore tree or healing multitudes of diseased people by merely having your shadow pass over them?  And Paul and others also performed just such marvelous miracles.  Does anyone who is really familiar with our ministry and work doubt that the spiritually DEAD are being raised back to a life of faith and obedience?  Here's an email that I received just yesterday:


Husband n I only known about you a couple of months.  Many, many thanks, regards, and encouragement.  My husband and I talked and would give you some of our years if we could so you could continue your work.  Long and short of it is we both were raised in WCG.  For me, I then moved on to Garner Ted.  By the mid 90's that was over.  Spent 7 years in hell after falling away until I met my husband.  We first ended up with John Rightenbaugh (freaky!) then (Merridith (nightmare!), then John Pinkston (same ole, same ole fluff), then Fred Coulter (ok but something underlying his whole paradigm doesn't feel right), almost said "the hell with it," then ran across you.  A weary traveler found comfort.  Thanks so much.  I truly, truly hope God grants you overflowing mercy, kindness, and comfort.  Thank you Ray.

Sincerely and God bless you,

April and Ken


So April says they, "almost said 'THE HELL WITH IT' then ran across you (bible-truths.com).  God is working miracles through His servants, but we need to have the eyes to see it.
Well, I could go on and on with this answer to your "short question," but I better leave it at that for now.  Most short questions do not, unfortunately, have short answers.

God be with you and my prayers are with you,

Ray