FAITH FOR MIRACLES
FAITH FOR MIRACLES
Sunday, December 18, 2016, the Year of our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
As I began preparation for this message, Faith For Miracles. The Lord began to direct me of His calling to His people to the secrets of the Council of God. Miracles are part of the ascended life in Christ Jesus. Miracles should be an every day part of our life. Heaven’s law is the “law of faith.” (Rom. 7:22), the “law of righteousness” (Rom. 9:31), the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).
When Peter and John were arrested for healing a man in the name of Jesus in the temple area, (Acts 4) they were taken before the chief priests and put on trial. The healed man was present as a living testimony of the power and goodness of the work performed. The hands of the Sanhedrin were tied by the evidence of the healed man. Peter being empowered by the Holy Spirit addressed a prayer to the Sovereign Lord.
Acts 4:29: “Now Lord, behold their threatenings; and grant unto your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word. By stretching forth your hand to heal and that signs (semeion=miracles) and wonders may be done by the name of your holy child, Jesus. When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
At the mention of the name of the holy child, Jesus, there was a renewed manifestation of the power among believers. The prayer was answered here and in succeeding passages.
When the Angel of the Lord visited the shepherds telling them of the birth of the Christ Child, the angels declared His birth was a miracle.
Luke 2:12: “This shall be a sign (semeion = miracle) unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”(Semeion –G4592 = sign, miracle, wonder, token.)
Our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by a miracle of God. His birth was declared by angels to be a miracle. His ministry was announced and confirmed by miracles. His resurrection was a miracle and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a miracle. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are miraculous.
Through the miracle of our salvation and being Born Again, we are in union with Jesus Christ. Once we receive and believe that we have ascended with Him, we immediately receive a new perspective.
Peter and John were in union with Jesus and they had a new perspective. They had God’s point of view, His outlook, standpoint and angle. The revealed Word impacts men and women, lifting them into new dimensions. They see things they have never understood before. They have a new understanding of themselves and their role in His ultimate purpose, how that that purpose unfolds. We adjust our worldview to line up with the Word of God. Our citizenry, all our rights and privileges, are in the heavens.
You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to walk in this. The prophetic anointing, the word of faith and the working of miracles enables those who are with Christ in heavenly places.
“When the Sanhedrin saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts. 4:13)
What is a miracle?
- An effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause. (2) Such an effect or event manifesting or considered a work of God. (3) A wonder; marvel.
The Supernatural power of the Holy Spirit falls into three categories:
- SPEAKING MINISTRY: Divers kinds of tongues; Interpretation of tongues; and Prophecy.
- KNOWING MINISTRY: Word of knowledge; Word of Wisdom; Discerning of spirits.
- DOING MINISTRY: These power or action
gifts enable us to ACT (do the works of) Act like God:
- Faith---The God-given ability to believe God for the impossible.
- Working of Miracles – The God-given ability to perform the impossible.
- Gifts of Healings – The God-given ability to impart healing for the physical body at certain specific times.
Working of miracles is most often manifested through the Office of the Apostle, Prophet and Evangelist. It is also a separate body ministry described in 1 Cor. 12:29 as “Workers of Miracles”. We are told to earnestly desire this gift (1 Co. 12:31) and to not neglect the gift. It can be imparted by grace through prophecy and laying on of hands (1 Ti. 4:14). The Evangelist is the gatherer in the 5-fold ministry. Working of miracles gathers the people, raises their faith level, and then God meets them. “Through the hands of the apostles many signs (miracles) and wonders were done among the people…believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Act. 5: 12-14).
I am blessed to have a Gift of Faith. I have the faith to believe the Lord for anything written in His Word or which He speaks to me. Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
- Faith is a spiritual force. God is a spirit. He is a faith God who is only pleased by faith.
- Faith is the absence of doubt; the opposite of fear. (2 Tim 1:7). “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
- Faith is in the present tense. “NOW FAITH IS the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
- Faith is a gift. It is an impartation of the Lord. (Rom. 12:3) “I say, through the grace given unto me, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” A big ego does not constitute the supernatural power of “Faith”.
- Faith is a fruit. It grows. Rom.1:17 “Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” (Gal. 5: 22-23).
- Faith comes by the hearing of the Word of God. (Rom. 10:17) “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
- Faith speaks. Rom 10: 6-10: “But the righteousness which is by faith speaks…”
We live by His faith. Gal. 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.”
Faith says that when we know something is from God, we can run straight forward into it.
“He that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, is it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
A miracle is a free gift from God. It can’t be earned, bought, or deserved. This particular gift knows no respecter of persons. It is a great equalizer. An 80-year old saint and a new born Christian receive of this free gift equally. This same grace was made available to the Gentiles when they received the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ and all the benefits of the Kingdom of Grace. God was and is no respecter of persons between the faithful Jew who obeyed the law and the pagan Gentiles.
That is what makes gift of miracles so much fun. It takes away all struggling. As a Pastor, this is one of the reasons I was slow in seeing the long-term benefit of miracles (Not that I didn’t appreciate miracles---I would and will take all I can get). I was trying to help people mature, stabilize commit and be fruitful. This is valid and important in the Kingdom. However, Working of Miracles shows no preference over the fruitful, mature saint and an immature baby Christian.
- We receive our Salvation by Faith.
- We receive Christ’s righteousness by Faith.
- We believe the Word of God by Faith and walk in obedience to His Word by Faith
- We receive the Holy Spirit by Faith.
- We prophesy and operate in the Gifts of the Spirit by Faith.
6. We obey His spoken Word. As we walk by Faith in that Word, then we receive the promises.
- We are led by the Holy Spirit by Faith.
- Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
- Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
- Faith has the invisible backing of the great cloud of witnesses.
- Faith trusts in an unknown future.
- Counts things that be not as though they were.
- Assurance of God’s faithfulness.
- Confidence in things to come.
- The life-blood of the just.
- Faith is the shield of the Christian armor
- Faith is the down payment of things desired.
- Faith is our guarantee of answered prayer.
Trust the Lord. Living by faith is not risky because it is based upon the Word of God (Rom 10:17). We must arise into the ascended life to hear God talk with Himself. In that high place, there is nothing to fear. From that perspective all our enemies, challenges and fears are defeated, under our feet.
We do not have to strain or strive for this. This savor of Christ is totally unlike the sweat of Adam. You can make a mistake and still have this. You can mess up this week and not lose this. The “eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14) guides and leads us into all truth.
Job. 15:8: “Have you heard the secret of God?...
Job. 15:8: “Do you listen in on God’s council?...” NIV
Jesus said that he only did what he saw the Father do.
Job. 29: 4-6: “As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; when I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil.”
Do you sit down and talk things over with God. Do you hear the secret of God upon the tabernacle of your life?
Ps. 25:14: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant.”
Amos 3:7: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets.”
Real prophets live in the inner sanctuary. We listen more than we speak. When we speak, we speak the words of Him who sent us, nothing more, and nothing less.
The ascended life begins at our new birth, when we are “born again,” literally, “born from above (John 3:7). From that moment, every child of God is privileged by the blood of Jesus to boldly enter the holiest of all. His grace permits the youngest Christian to go in, sit down in His divine presence, be still and then listen to God talk to Himself!
“The grandest truth of the New Covenant in His blood is the rent veil. Now you can hear His voice in your spirit. The door is open (Rev. 4:1). He tore the curtain. Come in and sit down together with God. Your ears are about to hear privileged information.
This high-calling, this ascended life, is not deep and mysterious. It is not a spiritual Never-Never-land. In this place, we convene with God. As with intimate friends, both talk and both listen. The ascended life is the life of hearing His voice, being in His presence and living in His Glory. In that realm, miracles become part of our every day life.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit---sit in secret council. Have you ever heard them talk to themselves about you? You are the apple of their eye. You are on their mind all the time. Within the inner circle of Himself, God took counsel with Himself about you before you were born. The God-head deliberated and consulted together concerning your destiny. Their purposed will has predetermined the greatness of our life. Do you have any idea what They talked about? Have you heard that secret? Now, because of Jesus’ Blood, we can go right into the planning chambers. The secret of the ascended life is our union with Jesus Christ who is our life.
It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives within me.
Are you bored? Don’t know what to do with your time? I know why. You have never heard His secret, His plans and envisioned purposed for His glorious Church.”
The secret of the ascended life is consciously knowing that we are one with Him, and have the legal right to sit down with Him in His private council.
The impartation of His Presence is that we give away and share the gift that we are and the gifts that we have. He has made us His gift, and He has given us gifts.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17).
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. and N.I.V. as indicated.
I entered into the labors of Rev. Kelly Varner (1949-2009) – Secrets of the Ascended Life. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of Rev. Varner. Excerpts from sermons by Carolyn Sissom – Gift of Miracles and Faith is a Fact I.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Lyrics by: Noel Regney; Music by Gloria Shayne Baker.
Said the night wind to the
little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light