Are You the One? .... Or the Nine? - The Watch Letter

December 31, 2021

A year ago today, our Pastor, Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn told us: "Praise releases faith."

This week, Chief Apostle Gunn sent out a message to the members of our church body that said: "Bow down...bow down...and worship Him. There is an atmosphere of worship and adoration! I see the Angels moving back and forth in worship. Worship the Lord...worship the Lord....."

God is speaking loudly. A lot of the answers we are looking for are in our bow -- our worship and our praise, which are expressions of thanksgiving and gratitude to Him.

Earlier in the week, I was studying Luke 17 and a few days ago my sister, Apostle Angel, shared that she was reading in the same chapter. In Luke 17, some verses show how forgiveness, wholeness, and humility are tied to faith. Faith gives us the ability to lay ourselves down to focus on the Lord.

Luke 17 also underscores what our pastor said about praise releasing faith. Praise is a powerful force against sin and evil and it helps to advance God's will in the earth, and that is why the devil tries to silence us and make our lives feel heavy by his schemes - because he doesn't want us to keep our voices and hands lifted to God. But the victory is ours, all we have to do is activate faith through our praise.

Let's go a little deeper into the word:

Luke 17

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Only one leper came back to praise and worship Jesus for his deliverance. What if the part, in verse 14, that said that they were healed or cleansed “as they went” meant as they went about and worshiped and as they were grateful? To me what these verses show us is that the one leper was moved by gratitude and sincerity to glorify the Lord. True praise and worship require these attributes. His cry out to Jesus was for more than just in-the-moment desperation it was for a life change. (Sometimes we ask for God's help out of a right-now desperation like the 9 lepers, but we don't want to go any further than him fixing that specific situation.)

Wrapped up in the one leper's desire to give Jesus glory was his faith. He had enough faith to know that stopping to bow to Jesus would activate the true-life overhaul he needed. While the others may have been in a rush to get to the priest, he recognized that spending a little more time with Jesus in worship was the better way and would not delay his healing and reinstatement, but, would instead give him something greater than healing.

And if you notice, when he worshipped the Lord, Jesus not only told him he was healed but told him his faith made him whole. To be whole means to be restored, provided for, made sound, and placed in a favorable condition.

Some may wonder: Why did Jesus send the lepers to the priest if he is the highest priest and could instantly heal them if he chose to? It's important to note that, back then, to be restored to your place in society and your family you had to show yourself to the priest and be declared "officially clean." I believe Jesus wanted to know the intent of the lepers. It was easy for them to shout and call on him when they thought he would give them a quick fix but would they still call on him and rejoice if he gave them instructions?

This made me wonder: Were the 9 lepers seeking Jesus just to return to their social status, which included the ability to do business and make money again, or were they seeking him because they wanted to be changed overall. Perhaps that is why they were not grateful for their healing. They seemed to just want to go through the motions to get Jesus' attention to get what they wanted in that moment. But the one leper who turned back to thank Jesus wanted something more and something everlasting.

Many of us treat Jesus like the 9 lepers. We don't really have faith in him or have a desire to worship him or be grateful to him, we just want the benefits that he provides.

If only we could be more like the one leper. Although he, according to the standards of that time, had everything wrong going for him, his heart was right before God. He was a Samaritan. He was already an outcast because other people considered Samaritans an enemy and impure. On top of all that, he had leprosy, which means he was at the bottom of the barrel. And that is why I believe he was so grateful. His station in life allowed him not to feel like Jesus was obligated to heal him or that he was entitled to be restored into society. I believe he knew that Jesus was much more than a healer or fixer, he was Lord, he was King, he was transformative. He knew that any healing or help he received was an act of unmerited grace and favor.

And as far as the 9, perhaps, they thought Jesus should have done more for them. He simply spoke instructions to them and said if they followed them they would be healed. In this chapter, he did not lay hands on them in an outward manner or he did not loudly pronounce that they were clean. But the one leper was grateful for Jesus simply addressing their need and his gratitude allowed him to believe that Jesus's mere words were enough and that is what faith is!

Going back to the 9, perhaps they were just in a rush to become ceremonial clean but instead along the way to the priest they picked up the filth of ungratefulness and the putridness of empty praise. As one writer put it, 10 lepers were healed, but only one was saved. How many of us have only wanted to be ceremonial clean (clean in appearance to others), but didn't want to take the instructions that would make us clean and whole on the inside?

Since I have been under this ministry, I have seen and learned about many healings and miracles that God did through our pastor. And with each of those healings and miracles, God promised the individuals life changes if they continued. Our pastor would always say "come back and tell it," because testifying is an act of worship, praise, and faith and it shows that you respect and appreciate God enough to glorify him.

Unfortunately, though, there have been many like the 9 lepers. They never came back or stood up to glorify God. Many did not want the kind of healing that came with instructions for a life change but instead wanted the quick fix that would allow them to simply return to the life they wanted and not the life God wanted for them.

So today, as I close out this post, I am going to testify for them, because God still deserves the Glory!!! These are just a few of the many, many healings and miracles that have happened at The Body of Christ through power of God and the ministry, counsel, and prayers of Chief Apostle Gunn.

• There was a woman who could not have children and wanted to be a mother so desperately. Today, she has multiple beautiful, healthy children.

• There was a baby who had a large cyst on her head and her mother came in desperation for it to be removed. Today, that girl is healed.

• There was a boy who broke a bone in his leg, who doctors said could never heal. His mother was desperate for God to do what the doctors said was impossible, and, years later, not only was he healed but also he became a performer, using the very leg that doctors said would never be fixed to perform.

• There was a young woman who was struggling to make ends meet and was in much turmoil. She put herself in dangerous situations just to pay her bills. The Lord spoke peace and balance over her life and she went on to get the job, home, and vehicle she had been desperately seeking in miraculous ways.

• There was a man who lost the love of his life to divorce. He still loved her. The pastor ministered to them both and years later they reunited and are still married today.

• There was a man whose body was filled with all types of pains and disorders. He went from not being able to function and being bowed down to being able to run and jump and enjoy life and his family.

• There was a man whose family needed clothes, money, and shelter and were blessed tremendously with the help they needed.

• There was a man whose wife had cancer and as she was prayed for her tumor began to shrink and it was documented by the doctors.

• There was a woman who dreamed of going to college, starting fresh, and making a better home for her children. Her children were also having difficulties in school. Her dreams were fulfilled, tuition paid for and children were transformed.

Many of these people never came back and glorified God after receiving these blessings, and ended up falling into worse times because they only wanted the temporal solution for their life, not the eternal one. As I said in my previous post, God often uses healing and miracles as an invitation to know him more and live for him. The one leper accepted the invitation.

The Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). Contentment is another word for being satisfied and grateful. So, even though God gives you what you ask for, if you aren't grateful to God or have not gained faith from it, what has it gained you?

Several months ago, Chief Apostle Gunn kept saying: take the limits off of God. What if the limits are our lack of gratitude and glorifying God through our testimonies and our continuance in the faith? What if that’s what puts limitations on what God wants to do next?

As I mentioned earlier in the blog, forgiveness, wholeness, and humility are all tied to faith. This week's FORREAL Radio Broadcast from Chief Apostle Gunn addresses how we must move past areas of bitterness in our lives in order to become better and receive the better God has for our lives. God told him to tell us that he wants the best for our whole lives (not just for a moment). Listen here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=4498736152461305&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx