At the Jordan River: The Watch Letter
Naaman. His story is found in 2 Kings 5. For the most part, when we think of his name, we think of pride and rebellion. Today, we're dealing with the other side of his story. Come along with me on a journey to the Jordan River.
Naaman needed to be healed of leprosy, but when the Prophet Elisha instructed him to go to the river Jordan and wash seven times, he was offended. Because of his status as a military leader and as a king's friend, he thought the Prophet should come to him and take him to a more beautiful, notable river to heal him. The Jordan was known to be murky but it represents a place where you could go to be purified throughout history. (His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. What looks foolish to man is of wisdom to God.)
But the story doesn't stop there. Although Naaman only wanted the blessing and the help if it was done his way, this story is more than about his pride. God did this for us 2 Kings 5: He pinpointed just how valuable wise counsel and receiving the instruction are to our deliverance and salvation. It is here that God also showed us the importance of letting your encounter with Him lead you to faithfulness, accountability, and to become who you were created to be.
Now, I will finish the story of Naaman in a moment, but I want to pause here and ask: How many of us can remember a time when we treated our Pastor and the Prophet like Naaman did Elisha?
We come to church wanting something, wanting a word from the Lord, wanting to be healed, wanting to be encouraged or provided for financially. But when our requests come with instructions, we back up or hang in the shadows!
So, often we treat the church like a soup kitchen. Don't get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with a soup kitchen. It is a powerful ministry that has fed so many people and given people hope. Some people are called to do that; in fact, our Pastor and his companion send money worldwide to feed people every year. Feeding people is a special calling and necessary. But please get the point of what I am saying: The truth is some people come to a church just for the soup kitchen part, and when the Pastor invites them to hear the word or join the church, they decline.
How often do we come to church for the handout but don't want to put our hand in (serve, give, participate, support the leader)? We come to get what we hunger for, but what do we do after receiving what we want? I wonder how many people in the world who were fed by a soup kitchen came back when they got on their feet to bless the church, serve at the church or thank the person over the ministry?
As our Pastor Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn has taught recently, and I previously mentioned on the blog, we need to be delivered from substance abuse. We want substance (things, provisions, opportunities, and blessings), but we will abuse and misuse the church to get it. We freely take nourishment from the church, but we often let it go unnourished.
Now back to Naaman.
Naaman almost walked away from his healing and his encounter with God because of his pride and how things looked. He could have died in his sickness and rebellion because he counted the instruction of the man of God ridiculous and beneath him. He literally had a temper tantrum (unpleasant, disruptive behavior, or emotional outbursts) and went into a rage. How many of us have done or are doing the same thing now toward God or our Pastor?
But Naaman's deliverance was tied to wise counsel. Thank God for wise counsel!
Side note: I do not know where I would be without counsel. When I first met our Pastor, my eyes were swollen shut and in much pain. No doctor could help me. I could have lost my sight. But he prayed for me and then told me to go back to the doctor and invited me to stay in touch with him and come hear the word at church. I wouldn't be healed today and wouldn't be saved today without his healing anointing and instruction! What if I didn't follow up on what he told me to do? That encounter with my pastor about 17 years or more ago led me to Christ and to a commitment to serve him. And by listening to him and going back to the doctor, and coming to church, I was able to share God's power with others by showing people that God healed what no man could -- through the prayers of Chief Apostle Gunn. Because of that healing I am able to write this blog today.
This is why you surround yourself with people who tell you the truth no matter what you want to hear. Naaman's servants who were with him dared to stand up to him and told him to accept the Prophet's instruction. They reminded him that he would do the instructions if his healing process involved elaborate ceremonies or pomp and circumstance. But since it required non-public and straightforward obedience, he was unwilling. This counsel and truth from his servants pricked his heart, and Naaman humbled himself, listened, turned, went to the Jordan river, and washed seven times precisely as instructed by the Prophet.
And what happened next is what I believe God is trying to show us today on The Watch Letter.
Naaman came out of the water praising and believing in God, and it caused others to bow to God too. He returned to the Prophet Elisha with respect and humility and insisted on offering something to him to express his gratitude. He said: "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant." Elisha could not take the offering, but even so, Naaman insisted. He wanted to give oblation (keep reading to find out what this means).
Even when your Pastor doesn't ask for support or does not accept your offering, what else do you try to do to show gratitude and care? How willing are we to come back and humble ourselves and show respect to God first and then to our leader after the instruction works, after the healing happens, after the promise is fulfilled?
The word of God requires it:
1 Timothy 5:17: Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13: And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
How many of us are willing to show our oblation as Naaman did?
So what is oblation? It is an offering of what you possess and an offering of your faithfulness (worship) to the glory of God's Kingdom. It is an act of devotion and a willingness to get involved in what God is doing.
Time and time again, God documents in the Bible that after someone encounters God and is set free or delivered by Him, they show their gratitude and give him their devotion. Because of that devotion, they freely give toward the work of the Kingdom, toward the church, and toward the Pastor, Prophet or Apostle set over them. Just like in the Bible, the priest (leader) of the church is the one we are to entrust our oblations to God to. God is a spirit, and he uses human hands to have his will done.
And most of all, we are to render the oblation of obedience. Not just take the blessing and go. The Bible tells countless stories of those who chose to listen to and support the one who gave them the instruction that set them free. Mary Magdalene did it. Matthew did it. Peter and Andrew did it. Lydia did it. Paul did it. The list goes on and on throughout history.
Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." If we avoid instruction and the word of God (the truth), our healing, provision, or deliverance doesn't matter because we will never be free. How can we enjoy blessings, or health, wealth, or peace, when our rebellion or sin still traps us?
Going back to Naaman: After he humbled himself and freely offered unto the man of God, he felt so free that he had to do something to let God know he believed Him and did not take his healing lightly. He wanted to be accountable.
When Elisha told him he could not accept the offering, Naaman said: "If you will not, please let me, your servant, be given as much earth (dirt) as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord."
Naaman, who at first complained about washing in a river that he considered dirty and beneath him, was so grateful that he asked for dirt from the land he was healed on to take home as a reminder that he would now be devoted to God. Also, because Naaman decided to humble himself and take the instruction, as it was given, he became who he was called to be as far as I can tell. His name meant pleasant and agreeable. He went from being miserable in his sickness and stubborn in his pride to rejoicing and worshipping. Don't you want to be who God called you to be? You will never attain your true calling or purpose if you live in pride, disobedience, and abandon instruction.
Now this is powerful: Jesus said in Luke 4:27: "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." When you encounter a life change with God, a grateful heart doesn't want anything to do with any other God or any other sin, and you will want to devote all that you have to God and to the place/land (church) you received your breakthrough (your time, talent and treasure included). This is what I believe set Naaman apart from the other lepers. What if the difference was that God knew that through it all Naaman would choose instruction and accountability?
During a special called service on a Saturday, July 10, 2021, Chief Apostle Gunn said two things we should hold on to.
1. DON'T BE LIKE AN OCTOPUS. An octopus has many "hands." So, in other words, don't always have your hand out toward God, the ministry, the pastor, and saints, and not want to contribute, support, or do any work in the church body. Don't always expect someone to have an answer or a blessing for you, but you're not willing to do the work to listen and be obedient. Also, he said an octopus can blind itself. When an octopus feels offended or feels it has to be defensive, it lets out a dark cloud of ink. No one can see in such a dark cloud. Usually, when we are disobedient or don't take instruction as God gives it, or our Pastor gives it, we are on the defense or are operating in offense because we don't want to do what has been directed. So, we let out a dark cloud of rebellion around us, and we can't see clearly. That is why we need the word and the teaching and counsel. That is why we need a teacher, a leader, and to respect him, and God.
2. INVEST IN GOD. Are you invested in the Kingdom and the church body? Are you sowing yourself, your abilities, resources, and your obedience and willingness, or are you just looking to be invested in?
In closing, I'd like to share something God brought to my attention during our Saturday family teaching time today. I was reading aloud the story of Noah, in faith to my future children, and what I kept noticing was this: Obedience saved the world. Following instructions saved the world. The devotion of skills and talents to God's will saved the world. Noah obeyed God, no matter what he was tempted with or faced. He followed God's instruction about building the ark to a "t" and used all his resources and skills to build the ark. Hence mankind was saved from total destruction.
And many years later, Jesus did the same. He obeyed God's every word. He followed God's instruction to a "t." He used his talents and resources to lead all humanity to God. Yes, He was a carpenter; yes, He went fishing and cooked for people too; yes, He used his knowledge of God to teach the disciples; yes, He prayed faithfully for others; yes, He instructed thousands upon thousands of people in the word and most of all he sowed/sacrificed his whole self and body on the cross. Hence mankind was saved from sin and eternal separation from God. If God's only begotten son and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords did all that, what excuse do we have?
So, if you're waiting for your miracle, your answer, your breakthrough, it is already here. And you can find it when you choose instruction, accountability, faithfulness, and oblation.
Chief Apostle Gunn always tells us that when we feel stuck or lost to go back to the place where we missed it and disobeyed God, repent and go again. In other words, let us go down to the river Jordan, the river of instruction, and wash so we can be and do all that God has set before us. The word Jordan means to flow down. It is also the place of baptism throughout the Bible. Baptism is a symbol of commitment and devotion to God.
Nothing else will work or flow right in our lives until we find ourselves washing in the Jordan river - the place of obedience and accountability.
Be sure to listen to today's episode of FORREAL Radio Broadcast "God Kind of Faith" here: https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=9028415509914184&wix-music-comp-id=comp-kjfzbgmx
On March 4, we will celebrate our Pastor's appreciation. If you are a member of our local body, please be sure to get with the Apostles Josey to do what is right by the man of God. If you are not local and want to contribute, because I am confident the teaching you have heard and read on the website or the broadcast has benefited your life or that he has directly impacted you, click here to donate toward the appreciation by March 3. The laborer is worthy!
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