HOW'S THE ATMOSPHERE?

 Many are familiar with the episode from Jesus' life when He visits His hometown of Nazareth.  

Matthew 13:54-58     Mark 6:1-6      Luke 4:16-31

The thing about these passages that I would like to address is the fact that He was unable to do many miracles there because of their unbelief [Mt. 13:58;  Mk 6:5-6].

Matthew's wording is blunt and provocative:

And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.  [NASB]

Mark's wording is even more revealing:

And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them.  [NASB]

The implication is clear!  Jesus needed an appropriate environment to be able to do miracles.

I know!  This sounds slanderous!  Hal is a heretic!  :-)

But consider other passages like Mark 8.

After feeding five thousand people, Jesus got into a boat with His disciples and headed for Dalmanutha.  The Pharisees immediately came to Him and pressed Him for a sign.  

And sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, "Why does this generation seek for a sign?  [v.12 NASB]

Then Jesus got right back in the boat and headed for Bethsaida.  

What happened here?  Why did He land and leave so quickly?  The implication is that He immediately saw that He wouldn't be able to accomplish much because of the opposition of the Pharisees.  Environment matters!

While sailing to Bethsaida they have some confusing misunderstandings about bread and yeast as Jesus tries to warn them about the contamination of the Pharisees and followers of Herod.  Interesting timing for this dialogue.  

When they arrive in Bethsaida, a blind man was brought to him for healing.  The very first thing that Jesus did was to lead the blind man outside of the village!  You may remember this two-step healing.  Jesus spit on his eyes and then asked him if he could see.  The man could see, but his vision was blurry.  Next, Jesus touched his eyes and his vision became perfect!  

Now, don't leave this story yet!  Before leaving the man and moving on, Jesus gave the man clear post-surgery instructions:  Do not even enter the village.  [v.26  NASB]

What's going on in this village?  Why didn't/couldn't Jesus heal the man while in this village?  Why did he warn this man not to even go into this particular village?  

ENVIRONMENT MATTERS

I've tried hard to give you a fair picture of several passages that clearly indicate Jesus' need for an appropriate environment for healing/miracles to take place!  

That being true, what about our environments today?

As a nation we have indisputably moved away from our Judeo-Christian foundation!  We are on the front end of blatant persecution of Christians.  It's not harsh - yet!  We're not being hauled away and placed in prisons.  But COVID did close many of our doors for an extended period of time.  So much for freedom of religion!  We have little reason to believe that this persecution will subside.  It's likely to grow!

The church is shrinking!  We've been closing churches vigorously since the turn of the century.  COVID threw gasoline on that trend, with many churches closing due to financial distress as a result of low attendances.  Evangelism is a rare occurrence in a world where we are told to mind our own business and respect the rights of others.  

For decades we were a missionary-sending bastion of strength, wealth and evangelistic zeal.  Not so, today.  The church prospers in Asia and Africa while it shrinks in Europe, Britain and the United States.  We need pastors from Thailand and India to come and mentor our American pastors!  

As a family, how are we doing?  You'll each have to answer this on your own.  Are you from a Christian family?  Are their passions, practices and priorities consistent with biblical teaching?  The word compromise has weakened many Christian people.  We've been hearing for decades now that Christians are no different from lost people.  We seem to have lost our distinctives.  No wonder that the church is dying.  If you're a Christ follower, answer the following tax-season question:  If you multiplied 2021's tithes by ten, could you live on it?  That's just one area;  there are so many more!

As a church, are we a healing and miracle environment?  The following prayer is taken from my newest novel, OVERWHELMED:

Blessed Jesus,

You have created this place for friendship!

If we aren’t friendly with every person that walks through these doors – then we have failed!

You’re the door-keeper here – You bring them to us so that we can lead them to You!

There are NO exceptions!

Help us never to be so busy that we’re distracted from this vital mission!

It’s all about You, Jesus!

Amen.

If some lost-but-seeking person walked into your church service this Sunday, 

• would they be warmly welcomed?
• would someone invite them to sit with them?
• would they connect to any liturgy being used?
• would the music inspire them?
• would the message be understandable to them?
• would they leave feeling hopeful?  

Churches are intimidating places!  Even if people are distressed and searching for meaning, it's unlikely that they would turn to the church.  If they did, however, do we provide them with a healing environment?  If Jesus wanted to touch and heal them, would He have to take them out of the building to do so?

As a follower of Christ, are you salting your community with the flavor of Christ?  Do you live Christian values consistently?  Does your light shine?  Or is it under a bushel?  Do your co-workers know that you're a Christian?  

An environment reflects the nature of those in the group!  If we're not passionate about our service to Christ, it's unlikely that our church will be!  And if our church isn't energetic about serving Christ, it's unlikely that our community will be changed or influenced!  And if our communities aren't faith-filled, then what hope is there for our nation?    

It has to start with me [and YOU]!