John 5, the account of Jesus healing the crippled man at
Can you imagine what would occur in our day at the next church conference if we had in our midst a person who was healed from a thirty eight year crippling condition? “How did you get to the water? What prayer did you pray? What verses did you claim? What church do you go to? Do you have a website? Did you actually see an angel?” It’s a picture of our dependency on method.
Later on in verse 10 the Jewish leaders chastise the crippled man for carrying his pallet on the Sabbath. When they find out the whole story they are incensed that the proper methods were not followed, with no happiness or concern for the man that was given a new life. In their minds it would have been better for the man to have remained a cripple than that the proper methods were not followed.
Church growth can produce a similar response in our method dependent culture, “Are you doing small groups? Do you have a Sunday night service? Are you liturgical or contemporary? Do you preach topically or expositorally? Do you do visitation? Are you denominational or independent?” But the question that is NEVER asked ( I repeat, NEVER!) –“What did God do in your own life that opened the door for such growth?” It’s not because it’s a wrong question, it’s because it isn’t close to being on our radar screen. We are addicted to methods. Yes, methods are important. Methods are important to God. What we do and how we do it is important. But methods are complimentary to the man or woman God is using. Without the man, without the woman, a method is merely….a method.
Verse 5 of the text says, “And a certain man was there.” Jesus was looking for that man. He spoke healing, even through that man’s excuses. When Jesus commanded him to rise that “certain man” obeyed. Here is what arrests me: method did not produce that healing, an encounter with the Ultimate Healer produced that miracle. Men look for methods but God looks for men. It is in seeing Jesus and hearing His voice that men are healed and empowered to obey Him. I believe that a Christ filled, Spirit empowered believer, leader, or pastor can operate in any Biblical method and make it alive because they are alive! It is in seeing Jesus and hearing Him that pastors and churches position themselves to be healed, transformed and grow.
