Strange Things

In Luke 5, the story is told of a few men who lowered their friend down through the roof, so that Jesus would heal him. Not only did Jesus heal him, he forgave the man's sins. Sounds pretty common, right?

We are accustomed to seeing sinners repent, and even miracles of healing. However, the Bible says that the people were amazed, and said "We have seen STRANGE THINGS today."

So often, we take for granted that everyone is familiar with the supernatural: speaking with tongues, vibrant worship, and miracles being performed. We preach such things, believe such things, and God performs such things. But what about those who have never seen a man "slain in the Spirit"? Some of our students have never heard a woman speak with tongues, let alone followed by interpretation. Our services can be so uplifting and edifying to some, while others sit in disbelief and fear. And the sad part is, many times, things are never explained to them.

I have seen students, adults, and families who felt the presence of God, but because of the lack of instruction and explanation, they leave the service, and never return. I am all for the gifts of the Spirit working in our church, and in some cases, we need a revival of those gifts. The challenge for a Student Pastor is to teach, instruct, and explain what is going on. Let them know that what is happening is Biblical. Don't let "strange things" that we view as commonplace be the very misleading cause of a lost opportunity. Teach them and instruct them.

This may be very practical, but if a visitor sits through a service such as this, and the hair is standing on end, why not put an arm around their shoulder and fill them in? We need the gifts, but we don't need confusion. We need tongues and interpretation, but we don't need lack of understanding. Let's teach them and instruct them, lest our own edification becomes someone else's destruction.