My Journey With Cancer, Part 38 By David Maddox
We are beginning the third week after chemo starts which has been our “good week”. Every chemo infusion is different in its side effects and that difference is individual to each patient. I had two really difficult days relative to other days and lots more nausea, but take a look at cancer websites and see what others with a similar diagnosis experience and all I can do is rejoice and say Praise the Lord. Some of the cumulative effects of the chemo are irritating like the numbness in the hands and feet which makes some little things difficult – but again – so what. God is good. We have blood tests scheduled on January 27th followed by a CT Scan the next day which will lead up to a meeting with our chemo doctor on February 8th for an update on treatment effectiveness and other options if needed. Please be praying for our doctor to have wisdom even now – and that God be glorified by what he learns from the tests. We expect nothing less. Our next chemo infusion week is February 1st. We are taking an extra week to travel to Vancouver, Washington to see our third grandchild baptized (Praise the Lord) – and so that I will be at my best physically for the 2016 Revive Arizona Kickoff Banquet which we are holding at our home January 29th.
Spiritually God has been opening my eyes more and more in expectation to what the last verse in the Book of Mark means in application. It reads, “And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed” (Mark 16:20). I know that many would point out that the verses after Mark 16:8 are not in the earliest manuscripts discovered to date, but clearly the Apostles prayed for this (Acts 4:29-30) and God affirmed that He was pleased with their prayer by sending an earthquake and by clearly answering the prayer (Acts 4:31-34) (Acts 5:12) (and beyond in the rest of the Book of Acts). That last verse of Mark cannot reasonably be disputed as being true whatever manuscript you may be looking at. If true, what then does it mean to Believers today? The answer to that question is what God has had me seeking this week and earlier.
Some of it is obvious – first we must be out – and be speaking His word boldly as was the Apostles prayer in Acts 4:29 and as Mark 16:20 says the Apostles did (most fail here and so experience an absence of God’s power in their lives. The second is that they relied on God to do the work through them – Jesus “worked with them” – not in reliance on their own ability, education, training, or experience. The Book of Acts teaches that it was the Holy Spirit through whom the Lord led and guided and worked to accomplish His purposes through these men (and later others both men and women). The extra which we seem to see so little of today is the Lord having “confirmed the word by the signs that followed”. The reason we don’t see that often today is because we are not out – speaking God’s Word boldly in complete reliance on and obedience of the Holy Spirit. If we were – the clear teaching of Scripture is that Jesus would work with us and confirm the word spoken and would also do all the other things through the Holy Spirit which Jesus taught in John 13-17.
If indeed we go out and speak God’s word boldly in total reliance on and obedience of the Holy Spirit – what “signs” or “wonders” should we expect so see? The answer to that is anything God can do which Scripture tells us is “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). Let that one soak in for a moment – “immeasurably more that all we can ask or imagine” – literally beyond what we are even capable of believing is possible. That is what the angel told Mary – “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Unfortunately few teach about a God for whom nothing is impossible – a God whose power is at work within us – a God who wants to work with us as we go out and boldly proclaim His word in obedience of and in reliance on the Holy Spirit – and a God that is prepared through signs and wonders to confirm His word. What that means is few teach about the only true God which explains why we see so little power in and through Believers today and why so many church members are not born again.
Many seek to find a way to explain away the lack of power in the Church today. Some have created a false teaching that the miracles ended with the Apostles (a teaching nowhere supported by Scripture or history) – and that the letters in Revelation 2-3 are not simply to individual churches but rather describe what they in error call “church ages”. They then reason from the false assumption that Jesus’ letter to the churches are in fact descriptions of church ages – that we are living in the final age which they call the “Laodicean Church Age” which means we can’t expect much or anything. You will remember that the church at Laodicea was the one Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). I have never understood why someone would seek to justify living in such a way that it makes the Lord sick and He wants to vomit us up. Additionally what Jesus said would happen immediately before his return is a worldwide revival and awakening as the Gospel is shared with everyone everywhere (Matthew 24:14). But then that takes us back to the original issue – how is that possible if Believers continue to refuse to go out and boldly proclaim God’s Word. Clearly that is not God’s will.
My conclusion thus far (this is a continuing study) is not to focus on what are the signs and wonders as much as it is for me to focus on getting out and boldly proclaiming the Word of God in obedience of and in total reliance on the Holy Spirit. The promise and the prayer are that God act – after I obey. One last thought – the signs, wonders, and miracles will be done by the Holy Spirit – not by us. They will “confirm” the Word of God – not that we are miracle workers. We may not even be aware of what God does, but it will be whatever is required to affirm His Word. Just seek to be found faithful and God will do the rest.
Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership along this journey. May you be blessed even as you have blessed me.
About David Maddox – After a legal career in both Texas and Arizona that spanned over 40 years as a civil litigator, God called David to leave his law practice and work full time as Discipleship Director for Time to Revive. That call is really the fruit of decades of prayer for revival and teaching God’s Word, writing discipleship materials and seeking to make disciples. David married Janet Whitehead in 1976 and they minister together from their Phoenix home. God has blessed them with four children and thus far seven grandchildren.
