 The Finger of God We have been talking about exerting influence...kingdom influence. There are, I suppose, a number of legitimate ways to influence people. I know that there are also illegitimate, manipulative ways to try and reach people as well. Jesus spent the 40 days between the time He died on the cross and the time He ascended into heaven, to teach His disciples about, "The Things Concerning the Kingdom of God." Matthew, Mark and Luke all include an incident that took place in which Jesus healed a man who could neither talk nor see. The religious leaders of the day accused Him of doing this miracle by using the power of Beelzebub [the devil]. His own family members came to "take charge of Him," [Jesus] because they thought he was out of His mind. Jesus succinctly framed the incident this way. "If I do these things [miracles] by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you." It's amazing to me who 'gets it,' when it comes 'to the finger of God.' When the plagues God visited on the Egyptians began to exert some very powerful influence, Pharaoh's own magicians said, "This is the finger of God!" Alas, like the Pharisees who saw Jesus do miracles, Pharaoh 'hardened his heart.' Kingdoms are lost when the finger of God writes a message on the wall. The world was changed forever when the finger of God wrote His law on stone tablets and entrusted them to a man . . . talk about exerting influence! Hope comes to those who are bound by the enemy, ravaged by sickness, or impoverished by circumstances, when the finger of God touches them. Kathryn Kuhlman was used by the Lord in her generation to show people what the finger of God could do. As the masses of people would come forward for healing at her meetings, this is what the choir would sing: "He touched me...Oh, He touched me His finger still touches those in need. Any takers? Pastor Jim |
