Scripture: Colossians 1 v 23 - 24: "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church."
When you mature in your faith you begin to understand the deeper workings of the Holy Spirit and how He uses each one of us to do "body ministry". This is where Romans 15 v 1 shows up - "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Body Ministry is when we are being used to reach other members of the Body of Christ who are struggling.
We all go through periods of suffering; we get influenza, or colds, or headaches or heartache and we medicate appropriately and recover. However I learned a great deal from my two young sons which continues to this day. I learned that a lot of our afflictions are not actually ours, but that we carry them for those who are weak. Influenza can also be out-flew-enza!
We had been praying for a lady suffering with cancer and the next morning my youngest son, aged about 7, told me solemnly that he could not go to school that day because he could not walk! On further inquiry he said I am helping Cathy, I have her legs today! This was the first of many creative sick notes to his school!
Once he came home from school feeling terrible. I put him in a hot bath to relax him and he said Mom I am seeing a vision (a very common occurrence) of a boy who was knocked off his bike by a car. He is in a coma and has broken some bones. He has a gold crown on his head with wires on it. I have to help him. He was in bed for three days. On the Saturday in the newspaper headlines MIRACLE COMA BOY WAKES!
There was a photo of a smiling child with a gold coloured crown with wires, with plastercast on his arm! How magnificent is our God! How precious it is to serve Him! How to write another creative sick note!
I share this testimony so that you can understand what out-flew-enza is. When Jesus is cleansing you of spiritual problems they leave your body with flu like symptoms. Except you are not getting flu, it's "something leaving" and very often it does not respond to medication. With the coma boy, my son was manifesting that affliction or infirmity for one who was weak to enable him to be healed. It was leaving through his body. This is body ministry.
Jesus did this several times. It only became clear after my sons and I were already aware of it that we were following in His footsteps. In Mark 7 v 32 - 37 Jesus heals a deaf and dumb man. He put His fingers in His ears and spat something out. He touched his tongue and sighed. The deaf and dumb spirit manifested out through the spit and the sigh. It came out through Jesus!
Similarly, in bringing Lazarus back to life in John 11, look at verse 33 where Jesus groaned in spirit and was troubled. In verse 35 He wept and people thought He was grieving. Verse 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself cometh to the grave. Read Romans 8 v 26: "Likewise the Spirit also helps th our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning that cannot be uttered."
Jesus was manifesting the spirit of death out of Lazarus! Through groans and tears He bound and dealt with that spirit. This is when Heaven and Hell meet and the power of God is overcoming all evil.
When Adam gave this Earth to Satan, God had to make legal precedents to save us. Abraham had to sacrifice Isaac and at the last moment God provided a ram so that Jesus could be sacrificed for us. Abraham and God made a legal precedent for that miracle. Jesus became our Passover Lamb.
In the raising of Lazarus, and the manner in which it occurred, a legal precedent for the Resurrection was established. In John 11 v 25 Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. It was spoken into being for His own resurrection.
We have to make up what is behind of His sufferings. In our bodies and souls they are made manifest. When you become aware of this truth in its reality your manner of praying will change and you will know that you are fulfilling the will of God by helping unknown others be set free.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your wonders never cease to amaze us as You use us to perfect the body of Christ. Let us give thanks in all things as You draw the weak into Your strength. Let us rejoice with faith even when we are afflicted so You can be magnified, the saints can be edified and Satan can be horrified. In Jesus' name. Amen.
