You may have noticed we live in a dark world where evil seems to prevail, and truth is nowhere to be found. The news is filled with stories of pain and despair both home and abroad, although life here in Canada cannot compare to what the Ukrainian people are presently facing. The world seems to be filled with emptiness and hopelessness even though many have tried to fill the void, not with God but with material possessions. Money, houses, jobs, relationships will not fill a void that only God can fill. Drugs both prescription and illegal are used to try and curb the pain of this life and the many medical issues that people face. Stats Canada stated that “Over half of Canadian adults aged 18 to 79 have used at least one prescription medication in the past month.” “At least 1 in 10 Canadian adults are taking medications to treat high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or mood disorders” “Along with hospital costs, medications constitute one of the major health spending categories in Canada, as reported by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Spending on prescription medication accounted for 13% of total national health expenditures in 2019.” And on Oct. 17, 2018, cannabis became legal in all provinces and territories for adults 18 and over, making Canada just the second country to legalize recreational use of the drug.” “The opioid overdose crisis is worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic with many communities across Canada reporting record numbers of opioid-related deaths, emergency calls and hospitalizations.”

    There are hurting people, mentally and physically, everywhere, People even search for spiritual answers yet refuse to turn to the One True God. Only God can fill the void people are searching for. Last year during Lent we talked about the healing power of Jesus. This included the miracles of Jesus and the power to cast out demons. The church today does not have the power to offer this hope. During these last two years, Covid exposed the powerless church but that is not how the church was supposed to be. Joseph was told Matthew 1:20 “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Jesus is the only one who can defeat the work of satan. 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” If we want to be free from his grasp, we must turn back to God’s word. Jesus said John 12:31 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” Revelation 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Jesus showed us what this looked like. Luke 13:10 “On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” As scripture shows us the church was to continue in that work as satan did not just disappear as he knows his time is short. Jesus said John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” We saw that with the disciples of the disciples. Acts 8:6 “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” This was supposed to continue but due to the rebellion of the church, God turned His face from us, and the church was decimated just as we were warned would happen but that is not how it was supposed to be. The church can once again be light to the world, but we must turn from our wicked ways. 

    The church is to be a light unto the world. John tells us John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 12:44 “Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” 2 Samuel 22:29 “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Matthew 16:16 “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 

    The church was to continue in that light but John 3:19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”Scripture shows us what happened when the light shone in the darkness. It is obvious that when you turn a light on, darkness goes away, but when you turn it off it comes back. When Jesus, the light of the world came, people were healed, demons cast out and the Kingdom of God came near, and darkness was pushed away. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Luke 5:15 “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.” Mark 1:27 “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” There was so much power coming from Jesus that people just wanted to touch Him. Luke 6:17 “A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” Mark 3:10 “For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God. 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.” The disciples of Jesus also had this power. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Acts 5:16 “Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” Paul was told Acts 26:17 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them.”

        We have this amazing account where Jesus is on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader. On the way they told Jairus, “Your daughter is dead, Why bother the teacher anymore? 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, Don’t be afraid; just believe.” They kept going and Mark 5:24 “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

    Jesus said Luke 18:8 “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” The question with Easter coming is why then is this power not still happening? (Easter, the weekend where the church ritualistically celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, celebrating the fact that Jesus is alive, yet gives no thought to the available power of the risen Lord) Scripture does not tell us this power is not available, only false prophets / teachers do that and those who do not believe God at His word. The bible tells us this power is available to all who believe. The lack of power in the church means most are believing in the wrong Jesus / other gospels. Paul even prayed that people would understand this. Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The only reason for this lack of power in the church is rebellion, of which the bible warned us would happen. This rebellion has caused the church to be taken captive and lies in desolation with no power to heal or cast out demons and like the switch, darkness covers the land. The church continues to be destroyed. Today there are crowds of people walking along with Jesus or so they think, who never reach out to touch Him. Luke 13:26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” Yes, there are lots of people praying and wondering why God does not heal but, in their deception, do not understand they have turned away from the God who can heal them. Isaiah 1:15 “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!” Their hands are full of blood because they do not worship in Spirit and in truth.

    If the church would turn away from their manmade and demonic doctrines and return to God’s word; power and authority would return. Zechariah 1:2 “The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.” But if we did return, we were told 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Mark 16:14 “Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Hebrews 2:4 “God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” This is what the church should still look like!

     How much of the bible did you have to reject to be part of your church? To see God bare His arm once again against our enemies, we have to reject the teaching of men and doctrines of demons that are prevalent in the church and stop rejecting God. This verse in Chronicles still applies, and we must act on it because 2 Kings 22:13 “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” But if the church would repent and return we are told, 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” God will once again bare His arm and our enemies will be defeated. Deuteronomy 28:7 “The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.”