Divine Double Take [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan writing I think I have the eyes of Jesus feels his mystical and mysterious because what he does is he enables you to see what you could not see to give attention to where you would not of paid attention and to be able to see the miraculous. Were you not believed it before that self that's pastor welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light on being a Brit excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series you'll see as presented in an older church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor out and.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program right now.

Let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan writing shown feelings maybe just a little bit but they get hurt if were walking and we see the face of a stranger who glances at us. But refuses to make any eye contact with us. Interestingly, other studies have shown that when you are making eye contact with someone. It's harder to concentrate on other things people don't do as well and test like word association tests and so forth. If they have just a video of a face that's making eye contact with them. Our pupils dilate and constrict. They have a capacity without us realizing it. When we are making eye contact with someone in the capacity to mimic the pupils of the person's eyes that we are engaged with when you look into someone's eyes for a long time.

Strong emotions begin to happen and through eye contact.

Research shows we can read emotions, perhaps better than any other way.

Eye contact is complex because not all cultures value the eye contact in the same way. For example, though, in Western cultures.

When you meet someone and shake their hand, is considered a sign of confidence to look them in the but in some Eastern cultures like in Japan you don't you make a glancing eye contact and then divert your your gaze because it's considered rude to look too much and too deeply into someone's eyes, perhaps because when you fix your gaze with someone else's gaze something very intimate is happening as an something almost mystical is happening so Peter is just walking along sees a man stops does a double take and now he begins to gaze at him and tells the man to look at us what is happening is a revelation, a revelation from God. He seeing something. All we can say is that he seeing it through the eyes of Jesus. He's saying somehow that God's anointing presence is there that God is, is there ready to do something wonderful. This is a revelation.

It's what is the way he seeing the man and and what what happens is that Peter very simply experiences faith. He looks through the eyes of Jesus and they are eyes of faith, here's what we read in verse 16. Again, and his name by faith in his name, Peter says, has made this man strong, whom you see and know that this won't you notice on the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health, and the presence of you all go up and look at this with a highlight the faith that is through Jesus while what is referencing here is something more than faith in Jesus is referencing a faith that is through Jesus. It is to say, it is like having Jesus's own faith. It is to say that you can Christian have the spirit of God in you mystically abiding with you that somehow in that communion which we can't put full words to explain this but in that communion of spirit on the spirit deep calling on to deep that Jesus shares his vision with you and if Jesus sees a man who was lame from birth and what Jesus sees is that there is going to be a healing that's going to take place and what Jesus sees is that all things are possible. Jesus, he is, is that healing is on the way that in the seeing of it through the eyes of Jesus, Peter now sees it himself. The faith that is through Jesus and so faith is really something that you see that others may not be able to see, but the reason you see it is because of revelation.

This is why so important understand the Scripture says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, a revelation of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done a revelation means the unveiling the being able to see something the previously you could see and that's what faith is. Faith is not trying to conjure up mental assent to doctrinal truths doctrine is exceedingly important and is exceedingly important to study theology. I believe all that. But what faith is, is more like a gift. It's it's something that comes to you in the same way if there was something that were hidden and then suddenly the curtain was pulled back and you sought it. It's it's you will you see it and so therefore you in the spirit you see it and therefore you can believe it and you don't believe it is what Peter did that that he wasn't walking around saying I wish I had more faith to build a pray for the sick. I just wish I do what I need to do to get more faith. That's not the way it works is dead. What happened was he was just walking to go to worship and he saw a man and he just acknowledged him maybe was thing about Flippin McCoy. I don't know. Instead, he did a double take because he Saul with new spiritual eyes through the faith of Jesus is like having Jesus's own faith. You see, as he sees then you have belief, the way he believes wow jabber just believed something because you could see it in your minds eye.

You could see it happening and maybe other people didn't saw the movie.

Not too long ago, the boy who harnessed the win is a story of the of of of the boy William, come by, who in Mullally in the mid to thousands along with others. His family farming family was suffering from a severe drought and he was one of those kids you like to tinker around any time they could find to the junkyard.

Any little electronic thing he like to try to tinker with it. He got known for being able to fix people's radios and he would salvage things when he could. He was for a little while enrolled and a private school, but because his family could not afford to pay the tuition. He was kicked out of it, but through his persistence and cleverness, he became me. Got permission to go into the rudimentary library where there were a few science books and he studied everything he could about electricity, about anything that resembled any kind of electrical engineering and one day he came to his father and he said I think I have a solution for the drought. He said I could build something that would harness the wind and produce electricity and he found a little pot that he salvaged from the junkyard so I could connect it to that put it into the community well and will pump the water out into into pipes that can irrigate and his father first was very hesitant didn't believe him and the boy said to his father that I will only way I could do this would be to use the bicycle that his dad had is one of his only possessions. After a while of finally the father lets him use the bicycle. It's all based on a true story. And so William could come by. He built a windmill using his father's bicycle and other materials and connected it to a pump.

It generated some electricity and it saved to the community from the drought as they pumped water in irrigated their fields. He just felt strongly why that they could do it. Why because he saw it saying that that's the way faith is, it is not about contriving.

It's not about trying harder is about seeking talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series.

Let us help you give a gift, that money can't buy. Give someone your blessing a positive biblically-based faith filled vision for their life in the beginning God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply, because in God's design blessing isn't the reward for productivity.

It's the fuel for it. Now more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we're here to help you craft this month. Special offer from Alan Wright is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft an blessing for easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based, and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing. So this Christmas. Give someone you love a present, not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower write down the blessing and put it in the package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card will never forget it when you make your gift. Alan Wake ministries this month will send you this booklet is our thinking so you can discover the power to bless today is the final day were offering the special product.

Call us at 877-544-4860 or visit pastor and.org these teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing to if you want more faith then asked Jesus for his eyes, asked Jesus to show you what it is that he see at all what a beautiful story. He Peter just turns to the man and he takes his right hand and he says I don't have any silver or gold. Maybe he looked up at those giant bronze doors that were not like the other gates overlaid with silver and gold, but these were more valuable solid bronze menu looked up is that I don't have any silver and gold anymore than these gates do, but what I do have.

I want to give to you and he took him by his right hand and AE invited him to stand up and as he did a miracle took place and what a beautiful picture. It is after that acts three verse eight where he's leaving op stood began to walk and I love this entered the temple with them. Maybe for the first time scholars dispute this, but it could be that his lame condition by some had considered that he couldn't go into the temple. He goes into the temple, leaping and praising God. And it is a fulfillment of a prophecy of Isaiah from long ago that the lame man leap like a deer or he's leaping around like a deer and he is overjoyed he is beside himself and it is a powerful story and what's interesting is that it bears amazing similarity to us a miracle story with the apostle Paul in acts chapter 14 acts 14 at Lister. There was a man sitting who could not use his feet and he was crippled from birth and he had never walked any listen to Paul speaking and Paul look at this similar language. Looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well said in a loud voice, stand upright on your feet and he sprang up and he began walking was really interesting is how similar the stories are to an account in Luke's gospel where Jesus heals a paralytic Luke five verse 18 behold, some men were bringing on about a man who was paralyzed and they were seeking to bring them in and lay him before Jesus sounds familiar, doesn't but finding a way to bring them in because the crowd they went up on the roof and then down with his bed for the tiles into the midst before Jesus and when he saw their faith, he said, man, your sins are forgiven you, and then a moment later, he said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you. Rise up and walk and when everyone saw the face and he said, and Saul Amanda picked up immediately rose him up picture but we been lying on and went home glorifying God and basement sees them all and they glorified God, and were filled with all saying we have seen extraordinary things today.

In other words, the very first miracle in the New Testament church bears almost identical resemblance to a miracle of Jesus himself. What is a saying it is saying, beloved that God wanted us to know right from the beginning. That is the church of Jesus Christ was born after Pentecost and the Holy Spirit had come. Who is the spirit of Jesus himself that every single believer is filled with the spirit of God and so Jesus was still very much alive, but he is being he is at work through his church. He is at work through the people of God. And there's Peter who just going to worship but has the Holy Spirit. The spirit of Jesus and him. He sees a man is been lame since birth and he does a double take and then he fixes his gaze on him and he sees with eyes of Jesus.

What is has he has new eyes of faith. He has faith because he seeing the man through Jesus. He seeing a seeing not only faith having faith in Jesus of faith through Jesus. And when he speaks. Therefore he speaking as one who has full confidence of the authority that's in Jesus's name. What we are learning from this the first miracle that is recorded in the New Testament church is that the ministry of Jesus, just like he healed a paralytic, the ministry of Jesus has not stopped the ministry of Jesus is continuing and the ministry of Jesus continues to Peter and then later we see a very similar story with the apostle Paul because it's not just those first disciples. But Paul also and so it continues the ministry of Jesus Christ continues I think I have the eyes of Jesus is his mystical and mysterious because what he does is he enables you to see what you could not see to give attention to where you would not have paid attention and to be able to see the miraculous where you would've not believed it before.

That's how faith grows. I've seen many miracles and my life I've seen many summer very very close at hand. Many healing miracles and are owned church are miracles in my own family. I haven't seen I have not yet seen with my own eyes. Someone who was paralyzed, who was healed by God but I've been very close to seen it because a friend of mine, a pastor was in a meeting where it happened to a precious woman named Dalia Knox who in 1987. On Christmas day. She was in a terrible accident that left her paralyzed and she continued for 22 years. Her ministry from a wheelchair beautiful singing voice and a ministry of along with her husband, Bishop Levi Knox and 22 years later in 2010 she went to a revival meeting and in the middle of the meeting while no one was praying for her. She'd been a recipient a prayer many times but nobody was praying for the moment, there was worship that was taking place, and she began to cry because she began to for the first time in 22 years begin to have the feeling of sensation in her legs so she called people over and all of this is called on video and you can watch it yourself on YouTube. My pastor friend had the video going and recorded the whole thing. He watched it.

She began to feel sensation in her legs and soon they began praying for her and over a period of I think a couple of hours. She first began to stand up and put weight onto her leg for the first time in 22 years as they gave her assistance and by the end of the meeting she was walking on her own and it was just I think within a few days she went home to go see her mother and with just some moderate assistant. She put on high heels and walked up the steps to go see her mother and to this day she is fully healthy. She is with her husband and with some of her friends and she continues her ministry. I the ministry of Jesus Christ continues.

It's a healing ministry. It's a ministry of love is a ministry of good news is a ministry of help for the poor is a ministry of compassion. It is a ministry of of teaching is a ministry of proclamation is a ministry.

It is a ministry that does not stop apply because Jesus said to the disciples, is it is better if I go away, because if I go away, then I'll send a helper, the Holy Spirit will come and and he will move in and through your lives and he will abide with you. In other words, Jesus said, here's what's going to change my ministry as you see it now, it will continue, but I won't be physically on earth shall be spiritually on earth and I'll be with you and so what this means beloved is absolutely marvelous and mystical I don't even know how to put words to it, but it is to say this, that every single Christian has a Holy Spirit and every single Christian therefore can pray a simple prayer is saying Jesus all spirit of Jesus with me.

Let me see as you're seeing and cultivate this little spiritual practice of having him direct your attention and sometimes what will happen is it will give you a divine double take, that there be someone that you would need a paid attention to a suddenly realized I'm supposed to stop and pray for this person or suddenly realized, as was to show an act of kindness to this person. Or maybe you're supposed to stop and listen or whatever it might be that the Holy Spirit wants to do and sometimes it's a dramatic miracle and sometimes it might be something that you might say it seem so small, but it would be life-changing for a person.

It is remarkable, but true through the eyes of Jesus.

You can see miracles in the mail and then the gospel Allen run today's good news message divine double take your at the conclusion of the series you'll see pastor Alan is back with this in the studio putting a final thought on this series and are teaching today.

Stick with this. Let us help you give a gift, that money can't buy. Give someone your blessing positive biblically-based faith filled vision for their life in the beginning God blessed Adam and Eve and then told them to be fruitful and multiply, because in God's design blessing isn't the reward for productivity. It's the fuel for it.

Now more than ever, someone you love needs your blessing and we are here to help you craft this month. Special offer from Alan Wright is a beautiful booklet that will teach you how to craft an full blessing for easy step-by-step instructions are biblically based, and even include a worksheet that helps you write your blessing. So this Christmas.

Give someone you love a present, not found in stores, a gift from your own heart that will encourage and empower write down the blessing and put it in the package under the tree or put it in your Christmas card will never forget it when you make your gift.

Alan Wake ministries this month will send you this booklet is our thinking so you can discover the power to bless today is the final day were offering the special product. Call us at 877-544-4860 or visit pastor and.org. If you know pastor Alan so what is your prayer for everyone listening after an entire series like this, you see, I would like to pray that Jesus would give you fresh vision and I don't mean just fresh vision like that you could see a greater a greater vision for your life. I mean his own vision that we've seen over and over, week by week that there's a way that Jesus sees that changes everything.

And our invitation having the mind of Christ being led by the spirit of God is to see was Jesus's own eyes to see his Jesus sees is to see others and yourself and the world entirely differently and as we seen today. It means that you will begin to see miracles in the making. I think so much Daniel that life with God is not about us going around and trying real hard to be like. I think is much better than I think it is getting Jesus his own eyes then naturally instinctive causes all of our thoughts and behaviors and longings to line up you can have Jesus's own vision. Today's good news message is a listener supported production. Alan Wake ministries