Spiritual Gifts are still for today. That's what my articles and fantasy book are all about. Each one has a Biblical message of some sort to help the hurting and to inspire believers.
Don’t go anywhere, my Clark Kent-style Christian super hero, until you have a superhero costume change. Because God won’t let you blow when you do things His way. By going into His phone booth, you will succeed in making that power connection. This is where the superhero costume change takes place. Once properly outfitted, the mild-mannered “nobody” transforms into a man or woman capable of great exploits. (see Daniel 11:32)
This has profound spiritual applications for believers in Christ, called to spread the gospel which can save a person’s soul (see Matthew 28:18-20). For this, the Christian must take on God’s full armor (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
B. Believers are Already Super
Just as mild-mannered Clark Kent is really Superman, believers in Christ are already superheroes – as ordinary as they may appear on the outside. Like young Jeremiah, they might not look like someone to take seriously, but within burns a fire waiting to come out (see Jeremiah 20:9).
We are not our own but are “strangers and aliens” upon the earth (Hebrews 11:13). Having been crucified with Christ, who lives in us, we live by faith in Him. (Galatians 2:20). If anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. The old has passed away. All things have become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) The believer doesn’t need a superhero costume change to prove his or her true identity. But being clothed with power is another matter.
II. The Superhero Costume Change Itself
Jesus instructed his first disciples (the apostles) not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for power from on high (Luke 24:49). That’s what they were to wear before going anywhere.
“But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
They received this superhero costume change on the day of Pentecost where Peter preached his first sermon. As a result, approximately three thousand people got saved. (see Acts 2:42).
Notice that they received it while meeting in one place – an upper room (see Acts 1:13). It’s sort of like a phone booth, if you think about it. This is where Jesus clothed them with power from on high. What were they doing? Praying (see verse 14) – talking with God. Except He didn’t answer with a flashing light like in the movies, but I can just imagine that mighty, rushing wind. Who needs special effect when you have the real thing, right?
Ephesians 5:17-20 commands believers not to be unwise but to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. This is our superhero phone connection.
Speed of Sight, a Superhero Adventure, is about an ordinary boy, Pete Plain, who undergoes an amazing superhero transformation. It is available on Amazon and Kindle. Feel free to check it out and see how he accomplishes this costume change.
God’s kindness cures our blindness because it’s not there to remind us
Of that hideous black monster known as sin, For if He focused on our sin, we’d never win.
God’s Kindness To The Man Born Blind
“So, Master, who sinned – this man or his parents -, that he was born totally blind?”
Jesus’ disciples asked him (as recorded in the gospel of John, chapter 9), for they wished to know His mind.
“Neither He nor His parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so that God’s works (i.e. His miracle power) might be manifest in him.”
Jesus showed God’s kindness by healing the man’s blindness. This miracle opened people’s eyes to see that God is good. He knew a dark hour was coming, and he wanted them to see that anything apart from God is vanity (see Ecclesiastes 12:8-14).
“While I’m in the world, I am the world’s light,” Jesus said. The miracles He did gave proof that He was the Messiah, the Savior – not condemner – of the world (see John 3:17).
Jesus healed all sorts of people, not just the blind. To those who criticized Him for healing on the Sabbath, He explained that healing shows God’s kindness.
For example, in Mark chapter 3:4 Jesus compared healing a man’s withered hand to doing good and saving a life. Then in Luke 14:5, He compared healing a man with dropsy to pulling a donkey or ox out of a pit. In Luke 13:16, He used the analogy of leading an ox or donkey to water to describe his deliverance of a woman who had a spirit of infirmity. And in Matthew 9:6 he connected the healing of a paralyzed man with forgiving the man’s sins.
For “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory,” according to Romans 3:23. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” (Isaiah 1:5). “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
No one deserves a miracle from God. That’s the point. “But who has believed our report?” Isaiah asks in chapter 53, verse 4.
Those who think they’ve earned God’s kindness
Are still walking in blindness,
Not realizing that miracles aren’t granted
Based on their worth,
But Jesus wants them to undergo a second birth
So that they can see God’s kingdom come on earth.
“Believe the works (the miracles), that you may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him.” John 10:38
An angry god would condemn a blind man, but God’s kindness removes a person’s blindness every time.
Walking in Faith
God’s kindness removes our blindness by leading us to repentance.
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” Romans 1:20
Jesus used something that He Himself had made to help a blind man see what had remained invisible to him since birth. He used his own spit mixed the dirt to anoint the man’s eyes.
At first glance, it might seem like a strange thing to do, but keep in mind that Jesus was pure and holy, without sin. Moreover, every part of Him, even His saliva, had been consecrated to God at His baptism. His spit came from a mouth that spoke God’s Word, defeating every temptation the devil threw at him.
Consider for a moment how tempted Jesus might have been to walk right past the blind man and refrain from healing him. Surely, he knew how it would anger the religious leaders to hear that once again He had healed a man on the Sabbath. The heartless, albeit religious thing to do would have been to wish the man well and leave him alone.
However, Jesus believed in giving him the things his body needed, which in this case happened to be sight (see James 2:16).
I believe that as Jesus spat into the dirt, He placed a seed of pure faith into it. He placed it on the man’s eyes, then sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam.
Jesus had provided the faith. Now it was up to the man. Would he take that faith and act on it or would he hide it like the talent burier in the parable? After all, he couldn’t see yet and I’m sure he needed some help getting to that pool.
This is where trust comes in, because if we really believe God’ kindness can cure our blindness, we’ll accept help from other believers. For even if one of them makes a wrong step while leading us to the pool of God’s Word, we’ll still make it. Then, when we apply that Word to the faith with which Jesus has touched our eyes, we can be cured of our blindness.
That’s what the blind man did. He activated Jesus’ seed of faith by going to Siloam (which means “sent”) and washing in the water. As he washed, he got his miracle.
The man’s belief in God’s kindness removed his blindness, because he saw that God was good and took the time to put feet to this faith.
Let’s contrast his view of God with the talent burier who called his master “a hard man.” (see Matthew 25:24) Because he saw him as a hard man, he hid his faith treasure in the dark, but his Master wanted that treasure brought into the light.
“For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” – John 3:20-21
Faith is a priceless treasure for those who see Jesus as He truly is.
Those who are blind to His kindness, however, tend to bury their faith rather than walk in it.
That’s why the master in the parable was displeased with the talent burier, for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), “… for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
So much for keeping one’s faith to one’s self. Had the blind man buried his faith by neglecting to wash, he wouldn’t have been healed.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” – James 2:26
Thankfully, the blind man acted on his faith. As a result, he received his miracle.
Religious Blinders
“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14
The man who had been healed of his blindness was doing great. Then someone brought him to the Pharisees for questioning.
The religious leaders couldn’t get past the red lights flashing on and off inside their heads.
“Warning! Sabbath breach! No healing on the Sabbath.” The ideas that held those warnings in place remained firmly entrenched inside their minds. First, they questioned whether or not the man had actually been born blind. Then they asked who had opened his eyes.
They even called his parents in to verify the information. They acknowledged that yes, indeed, their son had been born blind.
“How is it that he sees now?” they asked the parents.
“We don’t know. Ask him,” answered his frightened mom and dad. They knew that if they said, “Jesus did it” that the Pharisees would kick them out of the synagogue.
So, they approached the healed man once again. This time, instead of questioning him, they assaulted him with their rigid, iron-clad opinion: “We know this man is a sinner.”
Instead of praising God that the man had been healed, they argued with him. That’s how cold religion treats God’s treasures.
“I knew you were a hard man.” Dig, dig, dig. “That’s why I wrapped my talent in a blindfold and dumped dirt on it.”
Like the men who blindfolded Jesus and insulted them as they beat up on him, the Pharisees trashed the ex-blind man and tried to invalidate his miracle.
The man who had been born blind thought they were crazy. “We know that God doesn’t hear sinners,” he told them. “But if any man worships God and does His will, God hears him. This is the first known time in history that any man has opened the eyes of the blind. If this man was not of God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:31-33)
Only a theologian with a very complicated view of God could mess up such a simple, child-like line of reasoning.
That’s exactly what those Pharisees were: complicated theologians. Their rigid perception of God’s law in regard to the Sabbath day holy blinded them to God’s greatest commandment:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;and love your neighbor as yourself.” (see Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18)
“You were born in sins,” they told the man. “How dare you lecture us?”
In other words, “If you were born blind, it’s because either you or your parents sinned.”
Apparently, the Pharisees had sin, not love, on the brain. Instead of rejoicing that God in His kindness had healed the man’s blindness, they kicked him out of the synagogue. How is that for loving your neighbor? How is that for loving God?
“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” I John 3:11
“But he who hates his brother walks in darkness, and walks in darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.” John 2:11
God’s Kindness When Blindness Is Caused by Sin
Like When a Potter Dumps Ashes on Your Head
God’s kindness cures our blindness, no matter what the cause.
One time on television, a woman who had been blind came forward.to testify that she had just been healed. As it turned out, witchcraft had caused her to go blind. It was like a log of offense in her eyes and a stumbling block to her feet. In order to her to see God clearly, the lies behind the witchcraft had to be removed. The preacher’s gospel message removed those lies. That’s how God’s kindness cured her blindness.
The following scriptures talk about witchcraft and why God hates it:
“And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to the dead?
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:19-20
According to this passage, people involved in witchcraft or who possess familiar spirits have no light in them. The light they think they have is darkness. It is as if an invisible but very hairy potter has dumped ashes on their heads. The ashes look hairy, but boy are they scary!
Hairy Potter
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31
“And the soul that turns after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” Leviticus 20:6
“There shall not be found among you anyone that makes his son or his daughter to pass though the fire, or that uses divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD your God does drive them out from before you.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-12
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye is single, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!”
We see a stark difference between light and darkness in Acts 13:6-12, which shows Paul confronting a sorcerer named Bar-jesus (aka Elymas). Paul and Barnabas were trying to speak God’s Word to a deputy named Sergius Paulus, but Elymas kept disagreeing with him. He wanted to turn the deputy from the faith. But Paul looked straight at Elymas and pronounced a judgment of temporary blindness upon him.
“And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.” (verse 11).
“Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” (verse 12)
God’s kindness, demonstrated in the form of a judgment on the sorcerer, cured the deputy’s blindness. It also served as a warning to the sorcerer to turn from his wicked ways.
You can see why God hates witchcraft as well as any type of sorcery, which tries to put other gods before him contrary to the first commandment (see Exodus 20:3).
Idols
“Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people!” – Isaiah 57:14
angel at resurrection
God doesn’t want us bowing to any other gods, and He condemns all forms of idolatry. (For a more detailed description of what those are, keep reading the passage in Exodus. God doesn’t want us to have idols, because idols are like logs in our eyes. They get in our way and make us stumble. For those of us who like to justify our idols (and that’s everyone), consider this scripture:
“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they but they smell not.
. . . hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not:
Neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusts in them.” – Psalm 115:4-8
Idols have eyes but don’t see, and the same holds true for those who worship them. Idolatry blinds people’s eyes to God, for we become like what we worship.
Ah, but greater is God’s Holy Spirit who lives in the believing Christian than Satan, who is the force behind all witchcraft and idolatry (see I John 4:4).
It is God’s kindness to remove such logs from our eyes. God’s kindness can cure our blindness if we’ll allow Him to.
Fresh Vision of God’s Kindness For a Lukewarm Church
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” – Proverbs 29:18
God’s kindness cured Paul’s blindness,
Though that blindness came from Christ,
Because Paul didn’t fear Him
Until he was put on ice.
While he was on a mission hot
To jail all who believed,
A light shone on him suddenly.
What a shock the man received!
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
Paul thought that he was doing right,
Upholding God’s own law,
As he imprisoned Christians.
In his plan he saw no flaw.
A Pharisee of Pharisees,
He kept every command
Gamaliel taught him to keep,
Yet failed to understand
God’s grace supplied by Jesus
Who detained him on the road
And asked him as he trembled,
“Why do you kick against the goad?”
For Paul thought he was doing right.
His actions lacked no zeal.
His vision, though, lay broken,
Waiting for someone to heal.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
Like the man born blind from birth,
This Paul required a fresh start
To complete the miracle
That Jesus planted in his heart.
So, God chose Ananias
To act as His healing tool.
He placed his hands upon Paul’s eyes
And led him to the proverbial pool
Immediately, Paul could see again.
The scales fell from his eyes.
Like a man who had been newly born,
He arose and was baptized.
God’s kindness had cured his blindness,
So, he called on Jesus’ name,
For God had given him a vision,
And a calling free from shame.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.”
The vision Paul pursued
Was not to hold onto God’s law,
As if he knew to keep it like the One
Who has no flaw.
It was, rather, the Law of Liberty
That comes from Christ,
A vision centered on His grace
And not on cold advice.
God’s kindness cured Paul’s blindness, and that’s what God is doing in His church today. Can you hear Him speaking to us like Jesus spoke to the “Lazy-to-see-you” Laodicean church in Revelation 3:15?
He tells them, “Your works are neither cold nor hot.” In other words, they weren’t cold toward Jesus, but they weren’t on fire either. It’s as if they wanted to please everyone, but in the process could please no one. Instead of being hot or cold, they were just lukewarm, like a man taking a bath when he hears the doorbell ring.
“Who is it? Oh. It’s only Jesus. Tell him I’ll be there in a few.”
Meanwhile Jesus stands at the door and keeps on knocking. He wants to anoint the man’s eyes with special salve so he can see the stripes that paid for his healing.
God’s kindness waits to cure our blindness and give us fresh vision for our lives. The question is, will we accept his invitation?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
The burden of book marketing can bog down the flow of fresh ideas bursting from my fingers, because it’s like a heavy yoke (and that’s no joke). It floods the atmosphere with doubt. And so, I wrote this poem about it:
Goliath’s Marketing Monopoly
“Behold the giant standing in your way.
How will you ever get him to obey?
“Behold his stack of books is so well read
That yours cannot compete with it,” they said.
“You must jump through the same hoops he once did,
If you ever want to pop that stupid lid
That’s sits atop the path to your success,
The glass ceiling that’s been causing you such stress.”
“To fashion a best seller takes much sweat,
So with your muscles you must lift the debt
You owe yourself regarding your great book
At which, it seems, nobody cares to look.”
“As an author you must form a strategy
Geared at launching your monstrosity.
Because you cannot make it fly for free,
Much grunt work you will need, most certainly.”
But must we heed the ogre and cave in,
Putting on his armor with a grin,
And taking all his insults on the chin?
To say he’s always right – is that no sin?
Had David donned Saul’s armor to slay Goliath, he wouldn’t have gotten very far. Had he tried to kill the giant with a javelin, he most likely would have missed. That’s because such weapons were too unwieldy for him. He hadn’t tested them. Instead of approaching Goliath the same way Goliath approached him, with a weight of fleshly pride and a mouthful of insults, he armed himself with godly fear and a true humility. He leaned on God for wisdom and let the Holy Spirit guide his stone.
And why can’t we as authors do the same?
For example, what if we redefined success to fit the gifts and callings God gave us? What if we came up with new, out-of-the-box methods of book marketing instead of copying someone else’s version of a platform?
I am beginning to think that for me, personally, word of mouth is a better key to gaining readers than a website. That’s because people tend to take more notice of my artwork than my “smart work.”
So, why can’t I use cartoons to promote my work? I’m a whole lot better at that than trying to explain verbally to somebody why he or she should read my book.
And when it comes to writing, I value quality over quantity. And that’s what I value when it comes to marketing too. Mass mailings? I have no idea how to do them. But God has given me a passion for my message and He does answer my prayers. I believe He led me to the right publisher – speaking of which, my editor sure put up with a lot from me. After numerous edits, they sent me the proof and I found all sorts of things that needed changing.
I was like, “This part sounds strange. Why did I word it this way?”
That’s my talent, you see. I’m picky. Good clean copy tops the list of my priorities when it comes to book marketing, because if I don’t like my product, how can I convince someone else it’s a great read? Unlike my favorite extrovert who could sell the broad side off a barn (for lack of a better analogy), I simply can’t sell anything I don’t believe in. That’s why, instead of paying for a package that provided press releases, radio interviews, and so forth, I spent money on professional editing. I needed to know I had a great product before I put it out there.
Now I need to market it, and to market it I need a platform – a platform that conforms to who I am and what I’m called to do. I’ve tried socially media, but very frankly, I need more friends to make it work. So, that’s what I’m working on now. It may not be your approach, but that’s fine, because book marketing shouldn’t be a burden. It should be a joy.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30, KJV
When King Jesus swoops into your midst, it changes everything…
When King Jesus swooped into their midst, they were stunned
At how quickly he rescued the man they had shunned.
For they had desired to keep the dude down,
Ignoring his pain like the rest of the town,
While fixating on their own fame and renown.
At first, they weren’t scared when King Jesus came in.
Then they saw his cape shedding light on their sin.
“Is it lawful to do good or bad on this day?”
He surprised them by asking. “Which one is okay?”
But their sad, hardened hearts didn’t know “yea” from “nay.”
“Would you rescue a donkey that fell in a pit?”
He questioned the leaders. “Or just let it sit?”
He exposed their identities once and for all,
For unmasking villains was part of His call,
Besides saving hungry souls hurt by the fall.
Though the king’s divine nature stayed carefully concealed,
His powerful words got the poor fellow healed.
The crowd gasped, astounded, at His bold command
When they saw new strength enter the man’s shriveled hand.
His accusers shrank back at the king’s reprimand.
Like those who had Daniel thrown into a den,
They didn’t want healing but wished for revenge.
They envied King Jesus and wanted him dead,
And soon ugly thorns would encircle his head.
They seemed to view God’s wrath as nothing to dread.
As they plotted to murder this innocent man,
Did they realize their actions fit into God’s plan
For rescuing all who would one day believe
And by the Lord’s mercy forgiveness receive
Through the great superhero they’d chosen to grieve?
Like the rest of us, they had to make a decision
And chose to push God in a well of derision.
They hated the donkey that fell in the pit,
And if no one was looking, they’d just let it sit.
King Jesus they didn’t respect – not a bit!
But one day, King Jesus again will swoop in,
This time as a ruler whose reign has no end,
Administering justice and bringing correction,
He’ll unveil the power of His resurrection,
And rescue all who trust Him for protection.
Not everybody likes a healing. Religious people who have a problem with pride, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, may actually dislike such miracles. When Jesus healed a man’s withered hand as described in the third chapter of Mark’s gospel, the Pharisees hated him for it and plotted to kill him. They’re the villains in the story, but Jesus is the superhero everyone can trust.
Christian fantasy might help them feel less tense,
Through stories full of hope and vision bright
That shine into their darkness a fresh light.
Now, some people have heard throughout the years
Hard messages that left them bored to tears.
Their hearing has grown dull. Their minds are dense.
But Christian fantasy can help them off that “fence”
By breaking through the ice that numbs the head,
Thus, bypassing the barrier of dread
That binds a person to his own strict view
Though deep inside he knows that view’s not true.
Sometimes it takes bold pictures to explain
The simplest faith to an exhausted brain.
Fresh creativity, though, can ease one’s pain,
revive the heart, and make it whole again.
Hebrews 5:11 speaks of believers who have become poor listeners. The writer is talking to them about Jesus, “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.”
If listeners have dull hearing, then what can interest them in the Bible?
There was a time in my life when I couldn’t even read the Bible. Every time I opened it, I felt condemned. I even started to wonder if I was a real Christian because other Christians seemed to be doing so much better than me. All I could see was my mistakes. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right, no matter what rhymes I tried to write.
No well-defined theology could help me. I was too bound up in legalism: trying to follow rules I had no ability to obey. To get free, I needed revelation from above. So, I cried out to God. Not soon after that, the Holy Spirit moved in power through my church. Surprisingly, He gave me laughter, which lifted all the condemnation off me. I felt “joy unspeakable.” It wouldn’t let me speak because I couldn’t keep from laughing. Through the joy God gave me, I finally began to understand His grace.
His joy inspires my writings, with Christian fantasy that’s rooted in reality.
Of course, I have had my share of opposition from those who don’t believe in miracles – at least, not instantaneous ones. The truth is, I’ve seen my share of instant healings done in Jesus’s name, and no one can persuade me they’re not true. However, trying to get others to believe is another matter, especially since I do not have the gift of debate.
I do enjoy writing Christian fantasy, however, in hopes it will inspire both children and adults to read the Bible. After all, that’s what C.S. Lewis did for me when I was young. In his Christian fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, Christ is pictured as a lion. He is a good lion but not a tame lion, an allegory derived from the Bible.
“And one of the elders said to me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Revelation 5:5
The Bible uses such imagery to help us understand God’s nature and His character. It is the best book we can read. But for those who have no Bible or who don’t understand it, well-written Christian fantasy may be the next best thing. For the spiritually hard-of-hearing, it may break the ice that shields their ears and give them a new glimpse into God’s character.
Signs, Wonders, Miracles 