Life in the Spirit = Supernatural Faith!

Then he began to speak to them:

“The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  Luke 4:21

The words Jesus had just spoken were powered by the Spirit … the fulfillment of them would be as well.  The words were not unknown to the folks in the Synagogue.  Christ was reading from the scrolls used regularly.  In fact, the hearers “spoke well of him” when he finished.  Soon, they wanted to throw him off a cliff.

So, what happened between the hearers speaking well of Jesus and wanting to kill him?  The difference was that Christ made it clear He would literally fulfill those familiar words.  He would not be like those who came before; He would not accept the status quo.

Let’s revisit the words He quoted (which were from the prophet Isaiah):

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”  Luke 4:18-19

Christ in me … Christ in you … has the same mission today.  The Word we read and speak is Spirit, and it is to be the reality of our lives as well.  Walking out the Word is the mission of every believer.  The problem comes when doing that becomes a human-endeavor instead of a Spirit-enterprise!  As Christians, our focus must be on being a child of God … the doing follows being–just as it did with Jesus Christ.  Legalistically walking out the Word creates judgmental, harsh people.  Spiritually walking out the Word creates loving, transformed people who are the image of Christ!  

Miracles flowed from Christ’s life because He listened to and obeyed the instruction of the Father.  Miracles flow from our lives when we do the same.  It is not about “doing” life perfectly, it is all about “being” alive in Christ, counting all earthly factors as garbage.  Life in the Spirit centers around the Father!

Living in the Spirit does not mean living conflict-free.  The cost of setting captives free, giving sight to the blind and freeing people from oppression is high.  It cost Christ His life; it will cost ours as well–sometimes physically, always practically.  Giving up “self”–giving up the things we trust in that we can see–is the only way to walk out the Word in the power of the Spirit.

Many in our world face life-threatening persecution.  The Voice of the Martyrs speaks for those individuals–and you can too.  The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is approaching fast.  Why not lend your voice to inspire the body of Christ around you by planning and hosting a local event?  So many people have a false impression of Christianity.  The message of the martyrs helps purify our own message.

Our natural abilities, our talents, our plans belong to this world. Even planning a community event requires the partnership of the Spirit.  The work of God is faith … and faith is super-natural!

Will you surrender your self'”to the service of the martyrs in this way? What other ways can you walk out the message of The Word in the power of the Spirit?