Pastor’s Podium

By Pastor Harold Warner

Talk about a change of pace! The disciples went from swelling crowds and a huge miracle to a stormy voyage all alone.

Still fresh in their minds was the image of Jesus taking a little boy’s lunch of five small tortillas and two salted fish, blessing it, and putting it in their hands to give out.

They had all participated, passing out the food and watching the meager offering keep growing until it fed five thousand hungry men – and that’s not even counting the women and children.

Then they diligently followed the Lord’s command to pick up all the leftovers – enough to fill twelve baskets!

Then suddenly, Jesus insisted that they get into their boat and go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee –  without Him! He’d take care of dismissing the crowds, but they had to go. Now.

His countenance puzzled them all; He seemed concerned about something, but they couldn’t imagine what. It was strange, to say the least.

Now, here they are in the little boat, on what is never an easy journey to begin with, and things are quickly going from bad to worse. 

The winds are coming up out of nowhere, as they often do – plus, they are fighting against some very heavy waves. This is not fun, but hard, grueling work! 

Then, around three o’clock in the morning, they see a figure coming toward them, walking on the water.

They rub their eyes. After all, they are all very tired and weary. They peer more closely. 

Yes, it has to be Jesus, but He’s on top of the water – at least… it seems like it.

It sure looks like Him, but how is this even possible?

Their heads spin; their thoughts are out of control. This is a ghost! Now they are terrified.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus calls out to them. “Take courage! I am here!” Their fears dissolve at His voice.

Then Peter, true to character, does an astounding thing.

“Lord!” he blurts out, “If it’s really You, then tell me to come to You walking on the water.”

“Yes, come!” is Jesus’ amazing reply.

Instantly, Peter goes over the side of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus! He had been on many walks since his childhood, but never one like this. Truly, unforgettable.

But… where did that impulsive request come from? Obviously, it wasn’t the product of long, thoughtful consideration.

Being with Jesus had certainly rubbed off on these men; they had seen wonderful things. But this was different.

Up out of Peter’s heart – almost instinctively, from a deep place within – he voiced his desire.

Lord, I want more than just a 9 to 5 existence; I want more than the mundane. If it’s really You – and yes, that’s the crucial element – then tell me to come to You, even if it means defying gravity!

Jesus’ invitation, “Come,” is a picture of God’s kingdom calling to you.

Come and live a supernatural life with Me. Get out of the boat, at My command, and do something that you can only do if I support you by My supernatural power.

It is a call to do, to be, to walk, to work, to speak in a supernatural way, by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Francis Anfuso put this brilliantly.

“While on Earth, he said, “we straddle two dimensions: the natural and the supernatural. Our capacity to traverse between these two realities parallels the future seamless unity of Heaven and Earth. We ache for more. This deep longing presses beyond the present into our entire inheritance.”

·          Having an intimate relationship with our Creator 

·          Living in the supernatural 

·          Flowing fully as sons and daughters of God   

Christianity is a supernatural religion, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us.

Everything about the birth, the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus is about heaven invading this earthly realm and existence.

He purchased with His own blood the promise and birthright to a supernatural life and He expects us to be living it. The only way into the Kingdom of God is via a supernatural rebirth from above.

A supernatural life is not only possible; it is God’s will for each of us.

This legacy can be challenged by human wisdom which won’t accept God’s dimensions, but only what can be fully reasoned in the natural. It can be distorted by human wackiness, where anything supernatural is caricatured as weird.

It can be limited by human neglect, by which the Christian walk is so second nature that we lose sight of the element of “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

People can be blinded by human teaching, in particular the error of cessationism. This notion teaches that miracles were only necessary until the apostles died off and we finally had the written canon of the New Testament.

Cessationism paints the scenario of misplaced excitement over an item offered on the menu.

“I’d like to order one of these, please,” you tell the waitress.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir,” she responds, “we used to have that, but we don’t anymore. We just forgot to take it off the menu.”

Disappointed but still hungry, you reply, “Well, then, how about this? I’d like to order this instead.”

“Oh, I apologize, sir, we don’t serve that anymore, either, even if the menu says so.”

I protest that kind of teaching. Nowhere in Scripture does it tell us that God’s miracle power has been discontinued. God does not say that now we can only read about it because it is no longer available to us.

We do still need and we do still preach a supernatural Gospel – the Good News that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). We do still believe that Jesus wants His Spirit to flow through us; that by His power we can see others healed in their spirit, soul, and body.

His promise still lives today: “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”’(When He said “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, Who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory)” (John 7:37-39, NLT). 

We need to come and drink daily from the river of living water. This is why I believe so passionately in our theme for this year, Supernatural Living in the Last Days.

I hold to the promise found in the umbrella text: “For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth looking for people who are whole-heartedly devoted to Him…so that He can show His great power in helping them” (2 Chronicles 16:9, CSB, LB).

In John 14:12, Jesus states: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” I can’t say that I have fully plumbed the meaning of His words, but they need to work their way into our thinking. 

Is anything more needed in these last days?

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the door wide open for each of us to live God’s great supernatural adventure in and through our own lives.