“The Jesus Miracle-Model of Evangelism” by Garris Elkins

Our primary model for how to do anything is Jesus.  He is our example for how to love. He is our model for leadership.  And He is our method of evangelism.  Whenever you need to find a way to do anything – go to Jesus first and find out how He did it.

I enjoy reading Mark’s gospel account. The Gospel of Mark is a short and compressed revelation of how Jesus ministered.  Mark is to the point.  When I need a quick infusion of the bare essentials of Jesus life and ministry, I find myself reading Mark.  His writing is like a refreshing swim on a hot day.

In the first chapter of Mark, the people of Capernaum were listening to Jesus teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  Verse 22 says, “The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority – quite unlike the teachers of religious law.”

The people of Capernaum came to this conclusion because they saw the difference between a teacher who simply shares facts (the Pharisees) and Jesus who shared revelatory truth from the Father.  The difference between these two forms of teaching is vast. Jesus revealed to His listeners what the Father had just revealed to Him in the moment – it was fresh revelation that brought freedom.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, shared facts about the past and placed impossible burdens on people.

In verse 23 a demon-possessed man suddenly appeared in the synagogue and began shouting.  Jesus cut the demon short and said, “Be quiet! Come out of the man.” With those words the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and came out.  You can almost sense the quiet and stillness in the synagogue in those moments immediately following this man’s deliverance as people were asking themselves the question, “What just happened?”

The break in the silence came in verse 27 with the people excitingly asking this question, “What sort of new teaching is this? – It has such authority!” The news of this event launched out from the synagogue and began to spread throughout the entire region of Galilee.

What caught my attention was verse 22 where we are told the people were amazed at His teaching.  This amazement of the people could be interpreted through the lens of our Western concept of academic authority.  In our culture good teaching is seen as the result of diligent study and preparation of factual data presented within a logical development and delivered in an engaging form of communication.  You could come to that conclusion if verse 22 was pulled out of context.

However, moments after the demon-possessed man was set free by the command of Jesus, we are given the fuller understanding of how the people that day understood “teaching with authority”. The question in verse 27 reveals the answer for us, “What sort of new teaching is this? they asked excitedly. It has such authority. Even evil spirits obey his orders!”

For the people in the synagogue, real authority in teaching was linked to the demonstration of what was being taught.  To these people, teaching without demonstration lacked authority.  It was in the demonstration of God’s truth that the authority of Christ was released to do what would be impossible to accomplish without God’s power.  

As soon as the deliverance of the demon-possessed man took place the news about Jesus “spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.” (Mark 1:28) As this news circulated throughout the region of Galilee the testimony functioned like a net gathering the sick and demon-possessed of that region and bringing them to Jesus.

Mark 1:32 states, “That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch.”

Embedded in this verse is a concept for evangelism that applies to the Church today. The only way that entire cities – “the whole town” - will show up is when Jesus is allowed to teach and demonstrate His truth through us. The Gospel message includes the release of supernatural activity in the form of signs, wonders and miracles.  Our cities will not show up at our doorstep if we are teaching well-crafted messages alone without the actual demonstration of what we just taught. 

People have always come to see what God was doing. On the Day of Pentecost the people of the city of Jerusalem came to that outpouring to see what was taking place. Acts 2:6 tells us, “When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running…”

I think the Church today is rediscovering how to love and serve their cities.  We need to get out of our church buildings and engage our communities with God’s love. This is good, but people don’t usually come running to see something we are doing that a service club can accomplish without God’s help.  These acts of kindness are wonderful, but they are not what happened in the Gospel accounts. The people in the book of Mark came running to see something that could never be accomplished by the best of our good works.  They came running because they heard that Jesus was healing the sick and setting the demon-possessed free. They came running to see the Kingdom of God taking place on earth.

Right after the events of Mark1, chapter 2 opens up with four men tearing open the roof of a house and lowering a paralyzed friend through the opening into a crowded living room where Jesus was waiting. The first words out of Jesus’ mouth were, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” The teachers of religious law got upset with Jesus and questioned His authority to forgive sins. Jesus went on to say in verse 10, “’So, I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.’ Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home.’” It was a dramatic miracle in front of stunned onlookers.

As I read this account, the linkage between healing and evangelism is obvious.   The forgiving of the paralyzed man’s sins, and his subsequent healing, would dramatically change the environment of the entire region.

Healing linked to evangelism was a reoccurring theme in the ministry of Jesus.  The majority of the people in our communities will only be reached when something supernatural begins to interrupt the flow of their naturally limited lives. Good works alone can never do this.

The room that day was crowded, not because a good teacher was conducting a Bible Study.  The room was crowded because as soon as the demon-possessed man from Mark 1 was set free, “The man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.” The healed man, and the testimony about his miracle, spread throughout the area announcing that Jesus was in town.

When Jesus told us in the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to go and make disciples, He said those words right after the sentence in verse 18 where He declared, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”

The authority Jesus was given was for purposes beyond teaching a memorable message.  This is the same authority that demanded a demon to come out of a possessed man and it is the same authority that healed a paralyzed man allowing him to jump up, pick up his mat and walk back home through the stunned crowd who had gathered to see the demonstration of Christ’s authority.

While the Church rediscovers the joy of going out and doing acts of love in our communities, it is important to not forget that people will only come running to see what’s happening when something supernatural is taking place in their midst. Our acts of service are only intended to be vehicles that bring us into contact with broken people who need a miracle. Miracles are what Jesus used to evangelize the world in His day and they are what God wants to use to expand His Kingdom in our world today.

"The Issues Are Not The Issue" by Garris Elkins

Recently, I sent a private Facebook message to a friend of mine who leads an international ministry. My message was prophetic in nature and would seem somewhat cryptic to the casual reader. I trust this leader and knew he would be able to move past the nature of the word and understand its substance.

This leader and others like him are called upon to deal with issues that have a very wide and diverse audience.  What I felt the Lord was saying to this leader, and to the rest of us, was this – “the issues are not the issue.” The human-issues we face each day are not always the God-issue we need to discover. These God-issues are buried deep beneath our history, our preferences and our current culture. It is in the discovery of these God-issues that we find peace and resolution amidst the surface turmoil of cultural opinion.

Most of the headlines printed today are in response to diverse people groups responding to even more diverse opinions they each hold about how this life should be lived. The clash of these opinions produces the headlines. Behind these visible and reactionary headlines is always a deeper God-issue waiting to be discovered. The truth of the deeper God-issues must be discovered and understood if the Church is going fulfill her mission on planet earth.

A danger the Church faces in our current cultural context is the demand to provide a quick and shallow response for complex issues.  We must have a response, but it cannot be reactive, it must be the result of God revealing truth to us.  Revelation is not nervous about timing.  Revelation is sourced from eternity without the pressure of time.

Whenever I have made quick and visceral responses I have found that my first answer was generally to the issues I was facing on the surface instead of the deeper God-issue He wanted to process with me. Many times I had the right answer, but the wrong response. There is always something deeper when we are relating to God and it is in the process of this relationship that He invites us to journey with Him towards the discovery of His deeper truth.

Today, give God some time to develop a deeper understanding within you about His heart for each subject that requires a response from you.  In the end, the deeper God-issue you discover will always reflect His heart, not a human response.

"Crossing Spiritual Frontiers" by Garris Elkins

Many people are crossing spiritual frontiers.  People are leaving old seasons of life and entering new ones. It is important to understand what is taking place in these passages.

One of the most profound crossings ever made was when the nation of Israel walked across the dry riverbed of the Jordan River under the leadership of Joshua.  More than one million people camped at the waters edge waiting for the word of the Lord to part the water.  First, God would need to speak to Joshua and let him know what this passage would entail. 

Joshua 1:1 “After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua would come to understand several realities as he prepared to lead Israel across the Jordan and into the land of promise.  Israel had been in a similar place before, but because of their disbelief had spent many years wandering in the wilderness until the generation of disbelief died off. Joshua and the nation of Israel wanted to get it right this time.  Joshua would realize several important truths about crossing spiritual frontiers.

EACH CROSSING WILL BE DIRECTED BY A WORD FROM GOD

“The Lord spoke to Joshua.”

Joshua was told to walk anywhere within the land God had defined.  Wherever Joshua chose to step would be his, within the boundary of the promise.  He was a man living under the direction of God’s revelation.

Each area of our lives has a word from God assigned to it.  Each of our families has a word. Each financial decision we make has a word assigned to it. Each relationship we enter into has a word from God assigned to it that will direct how that relationship will develop. It is wisdom to discover these words before we begin the journey.

Joshua obeyed the word of the Lord.  He didn’t deviate to the right or to the left. He stayed true to the word of the Lord and the Lord stayed true to the promise He made to Joshua and the nation of Israel.

EACH CROSSING WILL REDEFINE THE NATURE OF OUR CALLING

“The time has come for you to lead these people.”

Moses was dead. A transition in national leadership had taken place. Joshua was now the leader of Israel. The steps of the nation would now follow the steps of their new leader. Obedience to the call transformed Joshua, revealing more of what God saw in him, had planned for him and wanted to do through him. 

Each time we take a step of faith our life manifests more clearly who we already are in Christ.  Like a chisel in the hand of a master sculptor, God fashions us with each step we take. Under the hand of the Master we begin to resemble the person who we already are in Christ.

EACH CROSSING WILL CARRY A PROMISE INTO A NEW GENERATION

“I promise you what I promised Moses.”

We each carry a promise.  When we die that promise does not die with us – it lives on.  The promises of God survive through the pain of divorce or the fears associated with financial collapse.  Promise lives on through all kinds of personal failure. A promise from God is birthed in eternity high above the powers of death and the finality of time.

When Joshua was about to lead Israel through the visible frontier of the Jordan River flowing at flood stage, he was carrying the promise of a past generation – “I promise you what I promised Moses.”Joshua carried that promise forward past the failed first attempt to enter the Promise Land.

Each of us can step in faith into the promise of God, despite the failures of our past or the failures of others.  While we must be faithful and step forward into the Promise, God is the One Who will be faithful to ensure its final delivery.

EACH CROSSING WILL BRING A REMINDER OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

“For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.”

We never do what God calls us to do alone. He is always present with us in each moment of the passage. As Joshua called the people forward to cross the Jordan, that move could appear to be, at the very least naïve, if not foolish.   The decision to cross the Jordon River at this season of the year, would ride on the shoulders of this new leader. It was a fearful and stressful moment.  In that moment God assured Joshua that He would not fail or abandon him.

As a leader, a father, a brother, and a friend, at times, I have lived under fear and isolation, wondering and hoping that God would be there for me. We all struggle with this from time-to-time.  Fear in the present is tied to our assumption of future rejection and abandonment. 

Fear of abandonment is experienced everywhere. Spouses have abandoned their vows of marriage and left their mate for someone else.  Children have abandoned their parents and parents have abandoned their children.  Employers have abandoned faithful employees for greater profit.  In these times God reminds us, as He reminded Joshua, of His covenant of unfailing love that promises He will never leave us alone in the journey.

There is a way out of the prison of abandonment - we forgive and bless our way across this spiritual frontier.  Jesus chose to forgive His tormentors amidst the pain of His crucifixion.  He told us to bless our enemies even as they wage war against us. When we do this, our future will be defined by the heart of God, not the fear of what can happen to us as the result of human brokenness.   

EACH CROSSING WILL TEST OUR CURRENT LEVEL OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE  “Be strong and courageous.”

Three times in the first verses of Joshua 1 the Lord tells Joshua,  “Be strong and courageous.” Why would God say this to Joshua three times? Because Joshua, the great warrior-leader, would experience both fear and weakness as he faced the prospect of crossing the swollen Jordan River and the enemies beyond.

This fear and discouragement has faced the people of God in the past and it will have to be addressed by each of us now and in our emerging future.  A repeated theme in Paul’s ministry was his strengthening and encouraging of the churches.  He strengthened and encouraged these churches because they were feeling weak and discouraged when he arrived in their midst.

Today, believe that God is taking you into a new future amidst all the pain and obstacles that are now standing between you and what God has promised.  God is your passage-maker and He will never leave you alone in the crossing you are about to make. 

"Half Moon, Whole Heart" guest article by Anna Elkins

Last summer, I camped by the Salmon River for the first time. The riverbanks spread wide their stony shores, the August waters low. I drove shuttle for kayakers and practiced the art of waiting by water.  After a few hours, the water begins to speak.

Beneath a spring half moon, I’m back. Now the bars of rock are thin, rushed by water that flexes its green and fast muscles. Like men at a gym, this constant roil—noisy and strong. Yet gentle too, like mothers humming lullabies.

How do we hear the river?

When God speaks, we are often the crowd that hears thunder or angels—everything but his words.

I thought I heard the river telling of men and women. But I think it was also speaking of “other.” Of whatever it is I haven’t learned to listen to.

Perhaps the weight-lifting—wait-lifting—water is the sound of women building muscle beneath the frothy soft of their surface. Perhaps it is the song men sing when no one is listening.  Perhaps it is every word we open our hearts to.

When we see an other approaching and we hear nothing but the rush of water, we pretend that’s the only sound a river makes. Oh the strength and sweetness we will miss.

And now I am off to listen to distant seas. Here's to hearing.

Open my ears.  

"Older Preachers" by Garris Elkins

Older preachers like me

see the treadmills of passing ministry 

as foisted rides in some clergy amusement park.

To roller coaster rides of success we were drawn

the rising then the falling,

stars on the upward climb

the ticking, clacking sounds of approval, rising

taking us up to the crest for release

towards the bigger, the better, the more,

becoming models dressed for ascent

soon to be clothed in mid-life therapy.

New books now written on the healing ride down

filled with sage advice to not,

to not board the ride in the first place.

Remaining earth-bound now

reconnecting with deeper things discovered under foot

than the high ride can promise,

things missed the first time around.

At this age these rides make me dizzy.

Ride if you must,

youth may require it of you.

But here's my ticket-to-ride, its yours.

I say cash it in,

buy some cotton candy.

Then take a long stroll, look up and pray

for those on the roller coaster ride,

each one a cotton candy candidate.

“What Others Think About Us” by Garris Elkins

One of the interesting things I have noticed in my years of public ministry are the different ways people can choose to see the life of a leader.  On one hand, someone loves and respects you and says nice things, and on the other hand, someone else makes unkind comments about you as they exit your life.  I am learning that we cannot take things personal.

Recently, I had the honor of speaking at a national conference in Los Angeles. The person who introduced me is one of the most respected and recognizable faces in the Church, both in the United States and around the world.  When I was introduced this person said some very honoring things about my life and ministry.  I was overwhelmed with the favor that had been extended to me.

That same week a woman left our church because she didn’t like me.  She came to her conclusion without talking with me and decided I was a major problem in her life. Her anger and dishonor fell on me like a load of mud.

As I reflected on these two extremes of how a life is viewed, I realized that some people will love you and others may not like you at all.  This is not just a problem for pastors – we all encounter this if we live long enough. What really matters in life is what God thinks of us.  He uses words like, Loved, Forgiven and Accepted to describe His children. God chooses to see us this way even when all our warts, blemishes, and failures are fully visible to Him. He knows all about His children and He still loves us.

When I was introduced at the conference in Los Angeles my pride kicked in and I immediately had to park the kind words spoken about me at the feet of Jesus.  When the woman left our church, I had to park her angry words at the feet of Jesus also.  Only at His feet can He touch the words spoken about us – the good and the bad – and help them become a healthy influence in our lives. When God has possession of what others think about us, He can use those experiences to grow us past the personal definitions others have, so we can begin live our lives more like the person He has already declared us to be in His Son, Jesus Christ.

“A Choice within a Choice” by Garris Elkins

When Moses died Joshua became the leader of the nation of Israel.  Joshua made this leadership transition at a critical time in the nation’s history.  Where before Joshua could rely on Moses, now he would carry the mantle alone.

In Joshua 1:3-4, God said, “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’”

God made a choice to define the Promise Land and now He invited Joshua to walk within the land of promise and make his own choices. Whatever real estate Joshua chose to walk upon, within the promise, God would give it to him.

As a young pastor-in-training, a wise older leader shared with me a simple child-like illustration about how we make individual choices in God’s Kingdom.  This leader shared with me that a father took his young son to a carnival.  While at the carnival the little boy saw a clown selling helium filled balloons, each one a different color.  The boy asked his father if he could have a balloon and the father said yes.  He then proceeded to give his son some money and told him to go and buy a balloon.  He watched his excited son run over to the clown and look up at all the colorful balloons floating in the air. After a few moments it was obvious the little boy was not buying a balloon. Slowly the boy walked back to his father without a balloon in hand.  When asked why he didn’t buy a balloon the little boy said, “You didn’t tell me what color to buy.”  The father responded, “That was your choice.”

Our movement forward into all that God has for us is empowered by our understanding of His heart.  God has made all His promises in Jesus “yes” and now He is inviting the Church to that “yes” as a place of freedom and discovery.  This is not an undefined freedom.  This freedom is within the Person of Jesus Christ – the living Word of God. 

The choices we make, within the choice God has already made for us, is where we begin to discover the real freedom that exists for us within God’s Kingdom.  As we step deeper into the promise of God, and grow in our spiritual maturity, we become more willing to risk something new because we know God will not throw us away if we fail.

When I was a young pastor I asked Jerry Cook a question about how he and his leadership team made decisions.  Jerry said that in the early years of his ministry at East Hill Church in Gresham, Oregon, they would step out in faith in a direction they thought would be pleasing to God.  Some of the steps they took were actually God and other decisions took them down the wrong path.  When they realized they were moving in a wrong direction, they called out to God for help and He simply picked them up and placed them on the right path. 

We are serving a loving Father who has given us the freedom to make choices within the greater choice of His Son.  He desires to bless decisions that reflect His heart and character.  Our individual and unique choices reflect the very nature of what constitutes a family. We reflect the image of God that was placed in us at our creation, yet we still possess the individual uniqueness that allows us to make personal choices that will have me choose an orange balloon versus your yellow balloon or have me walk on different stones along the same pathway.

For Joshua, the Promise Land was defined by natural geographic boundaries. In the New Covenant our boundaries of promise are defined within a Person – Jesus Christ.  Paul said to the people of Athens in Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and exist.” He is our Promise Land.

Today, chose to live in Him and make choices without living in the fear of failure. Buy your favorite colored Kingdom-balloon. Begin to step out in faith along a path that you feel will please Him. Walk around in the Promise Land like it is already yours and make decisions that you feel would best reflect the heart of your loving Father. If you somehow miss it He will pick you up and put your on the right path.