<TITLE>05. Par 15-17</TITLE>L-15 Look at these disciples in Matthew the 10th chapter. Je--Jesus gave them power to heal the sick, even to raise the dead. And ten, about ten days later, we find them miserably defeated. They had a man with epilepsy and couldn't cast the devil out. And Jesus said to them, "Oh, faithless generation, how long will I suffer you? Bring him here to Me." And He healed the boy.
And when He healed this boy, what taken place? The disciples come around, said, "Well, why couldn't we do it?"
Now, Jesus never said, "I've took My power back from you. I just let you have it for that one mission you were on." He never said that. He said, "Because of your unbelief." That's right, not because of the lack of power, but the lack of, unbelief to operate the power that you had. And if we could ever get it straight in the Word and let the people see it, it operates itself, as soon as the people sees what it is.

L-16 Now, notice, these same disciples... And how petty people can be, how juvenile that grownups can be. In our organizations, and in our denominations, and in our affiliations, and so forth, and our creeds, we end them with a period, when we ought to end them with comma. "We believe this plus as much more as God will let us know." But if we end it with a period, that settles it. That's all. "We don't care about what God wants to let us know. We just--this is all we want." And there's what we've done when we made a mistake.

L-17 Now, watch. These same disciples, a few days later, they met a man casting out devils. He was getting the job done. And so they were very jealous. So they... He goes down, and he said, "Now here, you either come join our ranks or don't you do that no more." And the man let them know that he didn't have to join their denomination, their ranks. He went up there, and he heard Jesus saying, "Whosoever will...," so he just received it and went on. And he was getting the job done. Well, the disciples said, "We forbid you." In other words, "We'll boycott you; we'll do all of this if you don't do it."
Went back and told Jesus about it, and Jesus said, "Now, don't you do that," said, "because no man can do a miracle in My Name that could speak lightly of Me. And him that's not with Me, scatters abroad." So there you are.
You see what it was? Little petty jealousy of those disciples. It was in men then; it's still in men today. That's right. 'Cause the man was getting the job done. And many times we find people who are getting the job done and don't belong to our ranks, then we want to fly up about it. But it's just that same element. And if it was in the church of twelve that walked with Jesus, it's bound to be in this one and all the rest of them. That's right.
So brethren, we are here to represent the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection, and we pray that you'll fellowship around the Word with us. Shall we pray just a moment.


<A HREF="P6">Next Page</A>