The Curriculum

A Foretaste of Healing

I was in my late 20s, attending a Bible study with a group of close friends. We had gathered many times before, and on this occasion, they unanimously agreed to pray for my healing. Having had people pray for my healing many times before, I was convinced that God could bend the rules and heal me completely — He just chose not to up to that point. I did my best to assume a posture of hopeful anticipation, thinking, “Perhaps this is the day.”

My Bible study friends gathered around me, laying hands on me, and one by one began asking the Lord to heal me. I fought against the twitchiness of my CP, trying to hold still under so many loving hands. This was nothing new for me. Then, I felt a new sensation in my feet — a pristine tingling that swiftly overtook my entire body. The Lord’s presence was so strong that everyone felt it. Suddenly, I had to stand, so I asked my friends to help me to my feet. I could feel my body changing! My legs straightened as new strength flowed into them, and muscles that had never responded before began to relax and move. I was taking my weight on my legs and relying less and less on my friends for support. The excitement in the group was palpable; I was being healed!

But then, as suddenly as it came, it left. The strength flowed out of my legs just as quickly as it had flowed in. I leaned on my friends again and eventually sat back down, heartbroken. We then sang a teary rendition of "Blessed Be Your Name," and I began the work of coming to grips with not being healed. Over many weeks and tears, the Lord eventually communicated to me that He gave me a foretaste of the body I would one day have, but He wanted me to remain precisely as disabled as I was and still am.

If the Lord heals, it’s for His glory. If the Lord does not heal, He does so fantastically and knowingly, but also for His glory. In Matthew 4:23-24, we see Jesus taking His disciples and healing everyone around, effectively giving Himself a huge megaphone to proclaim His gospel. But His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and that is very, very good. We all have things wrong with us and apart from my sweet metallic stead (referring to my walker), I’m not different from anyone else. We all have thorns in our sides that God wants to use to display His work through. If no thorn yet graces your side, time will provide one. We all will be given ample opportunity to rely on Christ and see His awesomeness.

Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member

by Jonathan Duncan

The Word We Forget

The word I am referring to has been relegated to cartoons or memes. We often see a cartoon character dressed in Old Testament-style clothes holding up a sign that says, “Repent…” Then it became not relevant or important over time and we don’t talk much about repentance. However, repentance is the first step in salvation. In Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” After John had been imprisoned, Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” It is the first step to being part of God’s kingdom. In Luke 13:3, Jesus says, “Unless you repent, you too will perish.” Don’t you agree that this is too important a word to forget?

What does repentance mean and why is it the premier step? It is not just saying to God, “I am sorry I have offended you.” It comes from the Greek word, metanoia, which means to change one’s mind and attitude, a decision that changes the total direction of one’s life. It is turning away from sin and rebellion and turning back to God, reversing course. One commentary described true repentance as “godly sorrow” for sin. It leads to a core change in a person’s relationship with God. The Jews hearing John and Jesus had not realized how far they had strayed from God so the idea of repentance was new to them. For us, perhaps we do not fully grasp the gravity or depth of the sin that keeps us from a holy God but when we do, true repentance causes us to turn away from sin and faith turns us toward trusting in Christ’s death and resurrection. Those of you reading this most likely have already taken this step and this next verse should bring joy to your hearts. “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” Luke 15:10.

For us to “Live in the Way of Jesus, with the Heart of Jesus,” to live as Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, only happens through Him and His power at work in us. This new life direction begins with the first step of repentance and faith in His transforming work. May we remember the word “Repent” and how acting on it changes lives forever.

Consider what repentance has meant in your life. How has God changed the direction of your life? How could the message of repentance and faith help someone you know?

Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member

by Francie Overstreet

Teacher, Preacher, Healer

Matthew 4:21 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 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.”

He came teaching, preaching, and healing. That’s the Jesus of Matthew 4. He called fishermen to follow him and they went about teaching, preaching, and healing.

He came teaching like a Jewish Rabbi, because there was a lot for those Jewish followers to learn, and there was a lot for them to unlearn….oh, we’ll get to that in the coming weeks..…

He came preaching, a man on a mission, with good news to proclaim and zero time to waste! All that the prophets had prophesied, all that the patriarchs had promised, passing down God’s covenantal promises generation after generation….the time had finally come.

Flip over to the gospel of Luke chapter 4; we find Jesus preaching and teaching. He reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”…..he takes a seat and simply says,

“Today….. this scripture….. is fulfilled….. in your hearing.”

And you could have heard a pin drop.

The “Good News” Jesus came to preach…..“I’m here. I’m it. I’m the one you were promised, I’m prophecy fulfilled, the one you’ve waited for. The Kingdom of God is staring right at you.…. I am Messiah.”

And Jesus came healing. Full of God’s Spirit, Jesus miraculously healed people physically to point to their needs and his ability to heal spiritually. He healed because he was compassionate certainly, but he healed pains, diseases, and seizures to prove he had the power to heal permanently. Jesus restored sight to the blind for them to see the way, the truth, and the life. He made the lame walk, so they might know the thrill of walking in obedience with their Redeemer. He healed EVERY disease, EVERY sickness to prove there was nothing that could keep them from living life fully loved by the Father. For the paralyzed, the possessed, those in pain…Jesus said, “No. Not today. It’s the year of Jubilee, the year of the Lord’s favor, and you’re gonna experience the joy of freedom like never before because I am with you, I am the Good news.”

Donielle Winter EFCC Member

by Donielle Winter

Follow Me

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus grew up, and spent his ministry among people who knew Scripture by memory, debated its application with enthusiasm, and loved God with all their hearts, all their souls, and all their might (Deut. 6:5). God prepared this environment carefully so Jesus would have exactly the context he needed to present his message of Malchut Shamayim, "The kingdom of heaven" and his followers would understand and join his new movement. He fit his world perfectly. This helps us understand the great faith and courage of his followers who left Galilee and went to the whole world to bring the good news. Their courage, their message, the methods they used, and their complete devotion to God and his Word were born in the religious communities in Galilee.

Matthew teaches that Peter and Andrew didn’t hesitate for a moment. Andrew had already served as a disciple under John the Baptist. The brothers believed Jesus to be the Messiah, the promised Christ who would bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. They did not even pack up their work. They left their nets behind and immediately began to follow Jesus, demonstrating full commitment to whatever path He would lead them on. Their faith in Jesus is remarkable, though they did not yet have any idea what they were getting into.

So in the verses above when Jesus asked Peter, Andrew, James, and John to “follow him”, it was a statement that Jesus had confidence that they could be like him. The fact that Jesus came and asked . . . they couldn’t refuse.

It would be awesome if Jesus physically walked up to us and said “Follow me.” It doesn’t mean that God will lead us to quit our jobs, sell our houses, and head out into the mission fields overseas….but he might. It might mean that God has already led us to our mission field to be the light where we work today, where we live, in our own community and neighborhoods. He may be leading us to be like him with our co-workers, our friends and our families. We just need to be prepared to follow him wherever he leads.

Deb Hill
Assistant to Pastor Ryan

by Deb Hill

Life Interrupted

My maiden name is Smith. A common last name in many cultures stemmed from the type of work that the person did—silversmith, gunsmith, locksmith, or possibly blacksmith. This is distinctive when a person’s job ends up coupled with their identity and in some ways defines it. It’s not so different now. When you meet someone for the first time, what is one of the questions often asked? “What do you do for a living?” Learning someone’s occupation offers clues to personality, interests, and values. Work can be a fulfilling expression of personal makeup, give purpose, and provide the patterns of our days.

These men were fishermen when Jesus came upon them and asked them to be under the yoke of his teaching—defined by the job they carried out each day. Some were in the middle of casting their nets to catch fish in shallow waters. Each cast held hope of earning the name “fishermen.” Others were mending the holes in the netting to throw it back in again and achieve success. The routines of their days were set by these actions day after day… until Jesus interrupted them.

We all know what it feels like to be interrupted in the middle of something. It can be frustrating as we are enmeshed both physically and often psychologically as we earn our identities by the work we carry out. However, God interrupts our busy lives and calls us in a new direction. For these men, it meant leaving everything behind, all of the tools of their trade and the people with which they worked were left behind. For James and John, it was their father and the craft he had taught them that they left behind. No longer would they find fulfillment in the size of their catch or help to maintain the family business because ahead of them was an opportunity to find their greatest fulfillment from their greatest interruption. Their new interests and values would be shaped by this man, this King, whom they chose to follow, and in the following, embracing the title of disciple and learning a new way that would define them.. the way of Jesus.

Here are a few questions to ponder:

Where/how is Jesus interrupting you and leading you in a new direction? Will you trust Him and follow?

What sets your value system and guides the way you carry out the day-to-day tasks?

Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director

by Jessica Klootwyk