Working and Confirming: What’s Unbelief Got To Do With It? – Mark 16:20

During the almost fifty five years I have been on this earth, I’ve not noticed the important information in this verse before. Isn’t the Holy Spirit a great person full of the knowledge of God? And not to mention that He shares that knowledge with us when we quiet ourselves and believe when He speaks to us.  Thank you for stopping in to read.

Mark 16:14- 20 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.  

What was unbelievable to me is that “the eleven” walked with Him for nearly three and a half years before His death and burial; they witnessed the miracles, and even performed miracles themselves; they were told beforehand about His resurrection from His lips, and was still found to be in unbelief when Jesus returned the first time.  Oops! That’s a heads-up warning sign for us about His second coming. (TYHS)  After His resurrection, for forty more days He walked the earth working and confirming the word with signs for all to believe. Although all of those people are dead, Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to witness to us through His working and confirming. Lord, help our unbelief.

Question…Does the Holy Spirit work and confirms the word (task) with signs (actions) that follow when we have belief or when we have unbelief in God?

I’ve been wrestling with the Five Ws and one H since the beginning of February, so I wrote an article about it.  (Read my latest newsletter here for more details->  SheSpeaks4U)  It seems fitting to include the Five Ws and one H as an exercise in truth when we are dealing with occurrences of unbelief.  Who should I believe? What should I believe? When do I believe? Where do I find the truth to believe? Why do I need to believe? And the How can I believe?  Those were the questions the Holy Spirit also brought to my attention about unbelief as I read Mark 16 last eve.

Unbelief (skepticism) and hardness (resistance) of the heart appear to go hand in hand according to many bible verses. This grieves the Lord, especially after He has led us “through many dangers, toils, and snares.” What’s Unbelief Got To Do With It? Unbelief is the reason “the eleven” and the Israelites were “upbraided.” Let me share an example of these two things that go hand in hand that exists even today with the “partakers of Christ.”

In  Hebrews 2:1-4 we have been given a warning to pay attention.

We have also been given a warning against unbelief by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 3:7-18. For “forty years” the Israelites yo-yoed up and down, back and forth between belief and unbelief.  Sin was crouching all around that desert. As I wrote that I had a LOL vision. Let me share it with you.  I saw sin in the form of a yo-yo string repeatedly going up and down from its spool labeled “Unbelief” in a desert. The string was cut from above by a hand holding a sword and poof, the desert became an oasis. Hmmm, now that was a message to me from the Holy Spirit.

Lo, I can testify from experience that unbelief can lead to sin crouching at the door. Disobedience to and rebellion against the Lord is just around the bend when unbelief yo-yo’s in and out of the heart. Amen. We all have and will experience yo-yo moments of unbelief. It is written. But God.  A remedy for those moments of unbelief is also written. It instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” ~ (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Recall the story in Mark 9 told of the father who had a son with a dumb spirit since he was a child. Mark 9:17-26.  The father responded to Jesus’ inquiry with “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. It is evident that as a believer way back when and even now we experience unbelief with our mind and eyes along with a hardness of the heart. Because of these actions, more oft than not, we too must be upbraided (reprimanded or told off) by the Holy Spirit. It’s called conviction.  

Throughout the NT, we learn about the leadership and servanthood of Jesus. He worked and confirmed His works through believing in the Holy Father, teaching, rebuking, healing, shewing mercy, etc. His accomplishments can never be attributed through a working of unbelief.  Got it? His actions were in sync with His words and belief. Let me put it to you in a present day setting. 

Thar She Flows!

If you believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, don’t be up in the pulpit or on a stage preaching about the Lord when your actions and words show signs of unbelief in and disobedience to the Lord.  You will be upbraided by the Lord, even if it’s done via the Holy Spirit through another person. Don’t be in the pews and choir stands worshipping the Lord during the service, then afterwards display nasty attitudes, counterfeit smiles, and stares towards others while at the same time you experience an onset of the gossip-nitis plague. Those actions are in sync with the signs of unbelief.  Damnation is yo-yoing its way down to those “that believeth not.” You too, will be upbraided.

Let me close this by replying to the blog title…Working and Confirming: What’s Unbelief Got to Do With It? It has a lot more to do with it than we are willing to admit. “Let’s talk Gospel” as Noel, my WordPress brother in Christ would say.

• Unbelief leads us to wander off to the land of disobedience.  Per say, would you partake in something or be obedient to someone that you have no belief in? When we read the OT, we find many stories of the Israelites belief and unbelief as they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Their disobedience to the Lord is what caused the wandering.
• Disobedience stems from a hardened, i.e. “evil heart of unbelief.”  Such a heart leads to acts of sin that can cause a “departing from the living God.”
• Unbelief hinders a believer from moving forth to preach the gospel everywhere. It stalls the working and confirming of the word with signs following.  
• Unbelief resides in others who are against the Lord working and confirming the word with signs following to His believers. A great example of this is Satan’s indwelling of the prince of Persia. He delayed the angel’s attentiveness to Daniel’s “words” for twenty one days. Read the story here Daniel 10.
• Today’s immigration laws ain’t got nothing to do with it!  And they (believers) shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.  And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.~ (Luke 13:29-30) 

Lastly, here are two more questions for you to think about. How often does the Holy Spirit have to upbraid you because of your unbelief and hardness of heart? What is going on in your life right now that has caused you to have unbelief?

 

Easter is approaching, please listen to this:

 We Believe

 

I Love You

Love Covers A Multitude Of Sins

Existential Nihilism and God’s Never Ending Story

I was reading a book and came across this word, nihilism; I don’t know everything, so I had to look it up. Isn’t that wisdom? Then my mind drifted off to a movie I watched ages ago- The NeverEnding Story, therefore incoming thoughts. (TYHS)

Movie Summary- The boy Bastian misses his mother, who has died, and is bullied at school by three bullies. One day, he is running away from the three boys and hides in a bookstore, where the owner shows him a book that he has never read called “The NeverEnding Story”. Bastian does not resist and shoplifts the book, leaving a note telling that he will return the book after he reads it. He goes to the school attic and anxiously reads the book that tells the story of the magic kingdom of Fantasia that is doomed to destruction, unless the boy Atreyu can save it. But he needs the help of an Earthling boy to avoid that The Nothing destroys his world.

 

Courtesy of Wiki, Webster, and Roget

Existential nihilism is the philosophical theory that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. With respect to the universe, existential nihilism posits that a single human or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. According to the theory, each individual is an isolated being born into the universe, barred from knowing “why”, yet compelled to invent meaning. The inherent meaninglessness of life is largely explored in the philosophical school of existentialism, where one can potentially create his or her own subjective “meaning” or “purpose”. Of all types of nihilism, existential nihilism gets the most literary and philosophical attention.

The idea that meaning and values are without foundation is a form of nihilism and the existential response to that idea is noting that meaning is not “a matter of contemplative theory,” but instead, “a consequence of engagement and commitment.”

nihilism, n. 1. Nothingness; nihility. 2. The doctrine that nothing can be known; scepticism as to all knowledge and all reality. [1913 Webster]

Roget Thesaurus – inexistence, nonexistence, nonsubsistence, nonentity, nil, negativeness, nullity, nihility, nihilism, tabula rasa, blank, abeyance, absence, no such thing, nonbeing, nothingness, oblivion,

 

Wow! Then I thought about the words of King Solomon. Ecclesiastes 3

And then, I thought about the words of God. Hold on to your nose! With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am going to drown this “philosophical theory that life has no intrinsic (basic) meaning or value.”

In the Beginning- Gen 1:26-28

Intrinsic Meaning of Life Breakdown-

• Made in the image and likeness of God

• Have dominion over every living thing, the fish of the sea; fowl of the air; cattle; over all the earth; every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth

• Be fruitful, multiply, replenish and subdue the earth

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Read (note verses 6-8) Hebrews 2

 

Now, as far as I know, neither humans, nor animals can live on any other planet without having supplied oxygen from earth. He/she/it cannot walk around, nor live in space without wearing protective clothing or head gear, right? There is no space sustenance available to those who travel out in space unless one purpose is to live off of dust, heat, and the cold. Any sustenance needed for them to live a certain period of time, comes from and is sent from earth. Did God say men have dominion in space? Now, swim back up and read Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7 again.

Back to the movie- It is my opinion that “The Nothing” in the movie was a strong force of wind destroying whatever was in its way. But here is what I found on Wikia: The Nothing

When watching the movie I wondered why they called the wind “The Nothing.” I suppose it was because it was unseen, only the damage it caused could be seen. What was “The Nothing’s purpose? I suppose it was to destroy a kingdom of its original existence. But then, it was only a movie. However, according to God’s word, this earthly kingdom is doomed to destruction. This earthly kingdom has fallen out of alignment with God’s original will and purpose for mankind.  (Reference- Book of Revelation and News Headlines)

Man exists because of God. We did not evolve from slime, monkeys, or troglodytes. I see an intrinsic meaning or value in those verses alone. If you do not understand or see, please ask the Holy Spirit for clarity. I admit, sometimes I do not understand why the Holy Spirit sends messages to me via certain words, until after I have spent time with Him. Last April, the words “In the beginning” tugged at my heart, so I had a tire cover made as a reminder of who I am to God. I am significant in His heart. He did not create things and people without a purpose. Even mankind creates gadgets and beliefs to suit their purpose.

 

 

True, some of us have to search deep to know what the human purpose is. My soul has innumerable worth to God- for when I die this fleshly death, my soul returns to Him for a reason. That’s no fantasy.

However, fantasy is indeed a never ending story which many live in atheism. For those who believe in and on the word of God know that “The idea that meaning and values are without foundation…” is a drowning ship.

Everything and everyone has a purpose and the foundation of that purpose is God.

In the beginning ….Genesis 1:1 ; Genesis 1:26-28 and John 1:1( Sink 1)

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.(John 14:6) (Sink 2)

According to God each individual is NOT “an isolated being born into the universe, barred from knowing “why”, yet compelled to invent meaning.” John 3:16 proves you are not insignificant.(Sink 3) Theory drowned! (TYHS)

 

 

I could go on, but will end it here. How and why do you get up every morning? Can you really imagine the world continuing as it is, knowing and believing God’s plan of salvation and eternal life for humankind? It really is a never ending story about God’s grace and mercy.

Thou Unbelief – Our Compassionate God Understands

Mark 9:24- And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

As I was studying this verse this morning, trying me was to understand belief and unbelief in one sentence made by this man. I understand. (TYHS) Have you been there, to believe in something or someone, and still have unbelief? The fork in the road- it is where? Conflicting emotions? It happens a lot to all humans when faced with decisions, judgments, and tribulations. For example, we can be strong in faith, but like Peter when the eyes wander because of some wind passing over, we start sinking and start being “thou of little faith” water walkers. Peter’s unbelief- God understood.

I believe that as parents, the strongest and weakest time for belief and unbelief comes when dealing with our children, regardless of their age. Our beliefs are tested when things don’t happen. I also believe that at some point, the aggrieved child must have some belief. The son in this story must have believed. As bad and as long as that demon was inside, it could have kept the son from being near Jesus. His belief, however small it was, willed him to be in Jesus’ presence. (That’s just my behind the scenes thoughts)

So I was pondering and noticed that the man said a curse word- “if.” One that I’m sure we are all familiar with when it comes to many sit actions (situations) in our lives. A lot of times we try to just sit it out. Get this! Jesus used it as a bless word. “If” came after the father asked Jesus to “…have compassion on us and help us…” Being of a compassionate nature and being tuned into this father’s sorrow of what the disciples didn’t do- nothing- which helped the father’s belief turn into unbelief. This is what goes on in the church of the day, no sense of compassion neither for a fellow Christian nor for others who are aggrieved. I believe this is one reason why most Christian’s belief turn into unbelief. Then, the real belief – Jesus alone has to step in. Sorry, to say it, but that is the way it is. That’s the WORD.

One cannot preach about or speak on being compassionate and in the same voice, say that “everyone is going through something; it’s not just about you.” I heard that three times in one week as I was listening to various sermons, and immediately thought, how uncompassionate. Two things beloved- (1) Christians, people in general, who are going through something don’t need to hear such words, especially from the pulpit, nor from others in the church. (2) They KNOW that they are not the only ones going through something. This man knew others around him were “going through something.” Did Jesus talk down to this father? No, he used compassionate communication. Did Jesus group this father’s “something” into a group with others? No, he used a compassionate behavior. Using these two graces, compassionate communication and a compassionate behavior, Jesus helped this father’s “unbelief.”

Commission Break- Perhaps you need to attend one of my seminars on learning how to have both, compassionate communication and a compassionate behavior. 🙂

Lesson For Today

Don’t hang all your belief on what didn’t happen. Hang it on what will happen in Jesus name.

It happens to all… we question what we believe while in the same mind we believe what we question. Conflicting emotions, yep! I know that sounds confusing, but get this, let this sink in. A person could be dealing with something that has been going on for years. This man, who approached Jesus, had been dealing with something since the boy was a child, i.e. for years. If no one else is compassionate enough to understand what you are going through…Thou Unbelief- Our Compassionate God Understands