You think it was fun hanging round Jesus? Think again!

I sometimes think we present Jesus to the world in a way that is more about what we want him to be rather than who he really is.

I was in India recently and I had the chance to teach some leadership principles to a group of new converts from one of the many people groups known as Untouchables (below the Hindu Caste System). Towards the end, I felt the Lord tell me to give some prophetic words to some of them. That sort of ministry was largely new to many of them – and that can be freaky enough. I prayed for one guy – a huge man, very reserved. As I lay hands on him, I felt to pray in tongues. After a short while, I could see that he was getting light on his feet.

I’ve prayed for people in Australia thousands of times. And every now and then, one of them will end up collapsing to the floor. I’ve often wondered what was going on there. Was it God? Was it them? Had I accidentally pushed them?

This group are totally unfamiliar with stuff like that, so when I saw he was looking wobbly, I decided to take my hand away from his head. If he went down, it wasn’t going to be because of anything I was doing. You guessed it! Down he went! Fortunately there was a chair right behind him. We continued praying, and I had a great word for him which they all confirmed afterwards was spot on for where he’s at.

When I finished praying, I asked him (through the interpreter) what he thought about what had just happened. I was meaning my prophetic word. (I always ask for feedback – it gives people a chance to debrief.) He looked shocked. Literally. Through the interpreter he asked, “What happened?” He was stunned that he hadn’t been able to stay on his feet! He’d never experienced or seen anything like that before.

We had a good talk about the Presence of the Holy Spirit, but the occasion illustrates a simple point: That kind of stuff’s not in the Bible. Nor does God need to do it. So why did he? I don’t know. Why did Jesus spit in the dirt and then put the mud on the blind man’s eyes? He didn’t need to. What about when he actually spat in another blind man’s eyes? Don’t try and figure it out.

I’ve discovered that if you REALLY want to hang around Jesus, not just when he’s being safe, he’ll lead you into untrodden paths. Occasionally there will be bizarre events surrounding him. You don’t go looking for them necessarily, but you can’t reject them outright. And you can’t even be passive about them either; you have to actively accept the possibility of the bizarre.

And that’s not comfortable. If you’ve got a comfortable Jesus, I really do think you’re not hanging around him enough. …and guess where the miracles are…?

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”