Supernatural Facts About the Church of Christ Jesus
1. Supernatural Beginnings.
For me, the Supernatural Beginning, started with the preparation of the first followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Peter was called to participate in what the Lord is doing when He asked Peter to throw out his net on the other side of the boat, a fishing practice that was going against the norm, but delivered a supernatural result. This beginning was an example of the way the New Testament church is going to function, as we participate in what Jesus is doing.
Jesus the Son of God, the head and builder of the church came into the world supernaturally, birthed from a virgin born of God. So the church is birthed supernaturally not by human understanding but through faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit birthed the supernatural church of our Lord Jesus Christ from within, it is not external birthing, but internal, enabling us as followers to be a witness of the supernatural power of Jesus Christ as He continues to work through His church. On pentacost, God initiated a partnership between man and Himself as He poured out His Spirit on the followers of His Son Jesus Christ. This partnership was God’s plan from the beginning of creation. A partnership were we through Jesus Christ bring glory to our Father in Heaven, and in so doing manifest God’s Kingdom on earth. Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, (re)created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
It was promised in advance by God through His prophet Joel in Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29
If we consider that God used Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to establish Israel as a country through whom God intended to show His salvation to the world. We must realized that the church being build by Jesus is not for human pleasure and desire it is form and for God’s plan to come in fulfilment and everything God do is supernatural. Therefore do not let your heart be heartened but consider Jesus and His ability do not look at yourself and your own inability.
2. Supernatural growth of the church.
As mentioned in Acts “And day after day the Lord kept adding to them those who were being saved”. Acts 2:47
The reference to “being saved”, must first understood that being saved is to receive the forgiveness of sin, as Jesus said “When Yeshua saw their trust, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, son! Your sins are forgiven. Matthew 9:2. It is only Jesus that can forgive our sins since He is our “..Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2
As disciples we became partakers in the work Jesus is doing, we can see and partake in the result, but we have no share in bring it in. Jesus showed us and example of how we will partake in His work when He told Peter to throw the net out on the other side. Peter could not have imagine the result of his obedience, and declare at the feet of Jesus that he is a sinner. We can never compare ourselves with the Lord, just because we have been privilege to be used by Him.
Jesus said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20
If we realize that the mentioned command was given to us, not based on our ability, but because Jesus want us to share in His glory, as we walk in obedience to Him. Then we will approach church differently and even church growth differently.
John 17 is for me a special request by a Son who gave glory to the Father by completing the tasked that was before Him. We as disciples of our Lord received a special inheritances for just as the Father send Jesus so He send us. Then Jesus ended with these Words “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am; so that they may see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these people have known that you sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will continue to make it known; so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I myself may be united with them.” John 17:24-26
3. Supernatural Power
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV
When Jesus said to His disciples to wait for the power from on high, He indicated the church will be powered from within by a supernatural source, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will give us as church direction and remind us of everything He told us, as a supernatural guide working from within, enabling the church to speak God’s Word with boldness. “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31 NKJV
The Greek word “dynamis” translated to power can also have a reference to miraculous power. Paul wrote “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen”. Ephesians 3:20-21. Based on the mentioned I prefer the English translation of dynamo, indicating that it is a continuousness generating power. Where we as the church, the body of Christ release this power by faith, in the knowledge that it is nothing we can do, but what we received through faith.
The second word used by Jesus to explain to the disciples the result of waiting until they receive the promise power from on high, is that they will be empower to become “His witnesses”. The Greek word translated is “martyres” where we get the word “martyr” from. Although the general understanding of witness is someone who sees an event and tells what he witnessed. But it seems that the understanding in this context is more of becoming a witness, rather than just telling what you saw. In this sense word “martyr” or “witness” has come to mean someone who dies for what they believe, as disciples we are called to die to ourselves so that Christ can become more. John the baptist is an example in this regard when he said to his own disciples that he must become less so that Jesus can be come more.
If we consider these word, we must understand that the power we received through faith is not so that we show-off, but rather to bring glory to the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. So even if risk is high in order to complete this task the Lord laid on your heart, remember that God does not expect you to do this in your power and strength, He empowered us for this very reason.
Paul said that we must be soldier for Christ, and as a soldier the highest price you can pay is to give your live in completing the task set before you. In Christ we do not live, we already gave our lives so that He can receive the reward of His suffering.
4. Supernatural callings
Just as we receive power from God as promised to enable us to be instrumental as the hand and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ to build His Church, He also gave us different gifts to enable us to do what He asked from us. These gifts is supernatural gifts, as it has nothing to do with your own abilities.
When God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle as a meeting place, God supernaturally gave the ability to Bezalel “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.” Exodus 31:3-5 we have been enable through the Spirit of God to be the hand and feet of Jesus building a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. (Eph 2:20-22)
In reference to the tabernacle and the furniture made by Bezalel, their Holiness was to give honour to God and could not be touch by human hands even though it was made by human hands, so also the gift of the Holy Spirit, even though God gave us His Holy Spirit to work through human being, we cannot touch the work of the Holy Spirit it is to glorify God.
Peter rebuked Simon in Acts 8 “But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God Acts “ 8:20-21
The gifts of God is to build His dwelling place, the Church of Jesus Christ, so that God can dwell among His people. The moment we take credit for the Gifts of God we defile it and God’s presence will not be there.
5. Supernatural Gifts.
Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. Also there are different ways of serving, but it is the same Lord being served. And there are different modes of working, but it is the same God working them all in everyone. Moreover, to each person is given the particular manifestation of the Spirit that will be for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
The above mentioned direct us to the knowledge that the gifts of God is working through us as the Spirit of God release them in service of God and for His glory, it is a supernatural working of God.
As we have mentioned before, Jesus will build His church and that we as His church (assembly) can share in His glory. If we as a church can understand the mentioned then our approach to church planting will be different. We will acknowledge our stewardship and that the ownership belongs to the Lord since we only share in His glory. The supernatural status of the gifts should direct us to acknowledge that God entrusted us with these gifts for His name sake, it is a gift.
Just as we can not take any credit for being saved, since it is a gift from God, as written in Ephesians “For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God’s gift. You were not delivered by your own actions; therefore no one should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 We cannot take any credit for the supernatural gift God entrusted to you, for it given to us to bring glory to God.
As any gift, the value of the gift is only materialized through the effort of the one who received it. If I received a bicycle as a gift from my father, it will only bring glory to my father if I learn to ride the bicycle. The mentioned learning may take time and effort, but it is through a consisted effort that it you can ride the bicycle. Like wise the supernatural gift of God we receive it by faith, and we need to put it to use, even if we fail at first we should continue by faith trusting in God and His ability.
6. Supernatural fruit.
The church as a supernatural structure, that have been supernaturally equip to be a witness of our Lord and Saviour as we bear fruit that is consistent with our Lord teachings. Jesus said “You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! So you will recognize them by their fruit. Matthew 7:16-20.
The mentioned fruit bearing ability of the church is supernatural since none of us can bear fruit in accordance to Word unless we abide in Jesus, as mentioned in John “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can’t do a thing. John 15:5
The strength of church is not in the structure, the organization, the management, the finance or in any other natural ability we could think of, the strength of the church is in the Founders (Jesus the Son of God) and His ability to supernaturally work through each member who choose to do the will of God, and to walk in the light of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus the Christ.
All these gifts and abilities is not given to us, just as a gift. It is purpose driven, to enable us as members of the church to display the supernatural fruit in order to draw the whole world to Jesus and the love of the Father. If we consider that we are building a dwelling place for God in the Spirit, we as the church is the vessel being used by God.
7. Supernatural Agenda.
To understand the supernatural agenda of the church we must refer back to the reason Jesus was send into this world as stated in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed.
Then Jesus said to His disciples in John 20:21″Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.” Jesus gave us the same agenda the Father gave Him, as it is written in John 17 to share His love to the lost world, a love that is not bounded or restricted, a love that reach out, so that all may know the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus gave us the create commission as in Matthew only after He overcame and receive all authority in Heaven and on earth, so as we go we can go in His authority “Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus explained that all authority belongs to Him, therefore, meaning on account of His authority He commanded us to go. It is again repeated when Jesus said to the disciples that they must wait until they receive the power from above and then go. Based on the mentioned it seems that the reason of staying is based on a lack of authority and power and not the agenda we received from Jesus, for the agenda is always to go and share His love in the knowledge of God and His Kingdom.
Paul is an example of one who took the agenda of going and sharing to the next level, empowered by the heavenly vision he received. In Romans Paul gave us as church the reason for going without fear as he wrote “What, then, are we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up on behalf of us all—is it possible that, having given us his Son, he would not give us everything else too? So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God—he is the one who causes them to be considered righteous! Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and—more than that—has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf! Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah? Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War? As the Tanakh puts it, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long, we are considered sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are super conquerors, through the one who has loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
There is a story regarding the Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp chapel that he read the bible in order to assist him in the design based on purpose of the church. He concluded that the church must have an outward look, directing the attention of the church to the lost and not at those within the church walls. When I heard about the mentioned church and the why he used to design the church, I realized that the architect had mare faith in what he read than some of us, as he came up with a church design that focus the church on reaching out, and then build it.
If we consider Jesus as the Word through whom all things excite, and the same Word said go in His authority to make disciples, we must conclude that Jesus is building His church and we are privilege to partake in it under His authority and leadership.