Are you the One.. Or do we look for another?

[Ebn Barbara]

" Are you the One.. Or do we look for another? "
A question that John the Baptist sent to the Lord Jesus Christ with two of his disciples.. And the weird thing is that he sent Him this question after they told him that the Lord is doing miracles and raising dead !!!
And John is the one who testified that Jesus: is the Lamb of God.. The Son of God. (John 1 : 26 – 34)
So what happened?
In a village called " Nain " the Lord touched the coffin of a widow’s son, and raised he from death, and the news was spread in all Judea, and the surrounding villages, and John’s disciples told him that news:
" And John, calling two of his disciples to him , sent them to Jesus, saying: Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another? When the men had come to Him, they said: John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another? And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them: Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in Me. When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John… For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he " (Luke 7 : 19 – 28).
The Lord didn’t answer John’s disciples with a yes or a no.. But as the word says: at that very hour he cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He gave sight to many blinds.. And then the Lord answered them saying:
Go tell John the things you have seen and heard.. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in Me.
The Lord’s answer wasn’t mere words but extraordinary works !!!
Beloveds: in this special day.. The memory of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead.. Let me once again assure you.. That the Lord Jesus, His signs, His crucifixion, His redemption, His victory over Satan His smashing every authority from him, and His resurrection from the dead.. Are not a bunch of psychological illusions.. The Lord is not drug.. Nor alcohol.. Nor a medication.. Nor morphine a pain killer..
My God is a living God.. He conquered death and rose victoriously.. His tomb is empty.. He is sitting on the throne.. interceding for us.. giving us every power and authority.. to be like Him conquerors victorious performing signs and wonders.. smashing scorpions and serpents and all powers of the enemy and nothing shall harm us.. we go and conquer the land because we are able..

John was in prison waiting for his head to be cut off by Herod.. John who witnessed that Jesus is the Son of God.. and I don’t know all the reasons that stand behind his doubt in the Lord at that time, although he knew all the miracles the Lord has done.. maybe because of jail, and because of the pressure he went through while waiting for his head to be cut off, his faith was weakened and he doubted the Lord.. and the Lord said to his disciples: And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in Me !!!
And the disciples that accompanied him.. and the women that accompanied the Lord too.. their reaction wasn’t better than the one of John:
" But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her: Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them: Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him " (John 20 : 11 – 13).
This is the Mary from whom the Lord casted out seven demons, she is the one who accompanied the Lord during all His ministry, and witnessed His miracles, and heard His words about the resurrection..
Yet when she didn’t find the Lord’s body in the tomb, she didn’t give a single possibility that He might be risen, instead she was crying saying to the angels: they took my Lord..
And after the Lord rose from the death and appeared to the disciples, and after they told Thomas what had happened, he said: " … Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace to you! Then He said to Thomas: Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him: My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him: Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed " (John 20 : 25 – 29).
Thomas put three conditions to believe in the Lord:
To see the print of the nails.. to put his finger into the print of the nails.. and to put his hand into His side.
And the Lord granted him his three conditions..
But He said: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed !!!
These was the reactions of John the Baptist and the Lord’s disciples, but what was the reaction of the high priests and the elders:
" Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying: Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept… and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day " (Matthew 28 : 11 – 15).
A rumor spread out that the Lord’s body was stolen.. which means He wasn’t risen from the dead.. till the day.. when Mathew wrote his gospel..
But the scary thing is if this news is still out till date.. not among unbelievers only, but among us.. the believers.. the children of God !!!
Many among us are still accepting condolences in the memory of the death and resurrection of our Lord..
These are not words.. or thoughts.. everybody knows in his head, and confess in his mouth that the Lord rose from the death victorious and conqueror, smashing the head of Satan, giving us authority and biblical truths..

But the problem is that we act totally against what we think or say.. our behavior asks most of the time the same question that John the Baptist asked the Lord: are you the coming One.. or do we look for another?
Our behavior reflects, as if the Lord’s body was stolen from the tomb and didn’t rise.. as if He is not alive sitting on the throne..
because if we are not waiting for another.. and if we trust that the Lord is alive sitting on the throne, having all authority, and that He gave us authority to smash all the powers of the enemy, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to deliver the captives, to comfort those who morn, to conquers lands, to bind the strong one and enter his house and deliver the captives and steal the wealth:
Our life should be different from what it is now..
Our church should be different from what it is now..
Our fiends, our parents, our families, our villages, our country, and our surrounding should be different from what it is now..
What do you think about these words in the morning of the memorable day of our Lord’s resurrection?
Are we preaching and telling about a man who died 2000 years ago?
Or are we telling about a God who’s grave and death couldn’t stand His existence, but the grave and death were exploded by His reverence and the power of the resurrection spirit, and the Lord who heals, delivers, raise dead and do miracles rose from death?
Beloveds: most of us are living in dark prisons like the one of John, and most of us are crying like Mary, thinking that the thieves stole the Lord’s body.. and most of us are like Thomas not believing God’s promises visions dreams and prophecies, unless the three conditions of Thomas were met..
But.. in this great memory.. the resurrection of the Lord.. let me tell you that the Lord is full of compassion, encouragement, He is God of all good mercy, and He doesn’t judge us according to what we deserve, for He despite the doubts of John, Mary and Thomas, said to the people that were around Him after the two disciples of john went away: that among those born of a women there is no greater prophet than John the Baptist..
And He appeared to Mary Magdalena and talked to her easing her heart..
And He appeared to Thomas also and granted him his three requests.. and today He wants to do with you more than what He did to them, because He said:
The least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (John the Baptist).
If you see yourself least than all those who are in the kingdom of God, you are greater than John the Baptist who no woman gave birth to one like him, who no one is greater prophet than him.. the Lord wants to ease your mind this morning, and take you out of the prison, and build your faith again..
But.. don’t forget that the kingdom of God is taken by force.. with violence, with power, not from the Lord’s hand, but from Satan’s hand who is trying to veil all the blessings, promises, visions, dreams and prophecies that the Lord had given you..
Paul and Sila’s prison couldn’t weaken their faith like John.. they worshiped and praised the Lord at midnight despite the beating the wounds, and the result was:
" Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone ’s chains were loosed " (Acts 16 : 26).
This is our God.. it is He and we don’t need to wait for another.. He is risen, glorified.. has all authority and nobody stole His body.. He is the God who honors faith.. he shakes the foundations of prison and open closed doors.. He breaks the chains.. all chains.
Beloveds: no day will come where the Lord will do with you like He did with Thomas.. But He says to everyone: blessed are those who do not see and yet believe !!!

What the Holy Spirit captured me in today, is to tell all those who are called by the Lord, and who received clear revelations from His Word, and visions, dreams and prophecies, but their circumstances today are contradicting to all this, maybe they are in a dark prison, and maybe there is no sign that what he Lord had promised them with will be fulfilled, there is no wind or rain to wait for water..
But don’t forget what Abraham said when the Lord promised him Isaac while Sarah’s body and his were dead: " … In the presence of Him whom he believed - God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken: So shall your descendants be. And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform ". (Romans 4 : 17 – 21).
He believed.. despite all contradictory circumstances.. because he knows that the Lord gives life to all that is dead, and He calls the things which do not exist as though they did.. He calls from nothing..
God’s people who needed water in one of their battles , Elisha told them:
" For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord… Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water " (2 Kings 3 : 17 – 20).
There is no wind.. there is no rain.. from where water will come?
Water comes from the miracles maker when you believe that He is able.. that He rose from dead.. that He is the one coming and there is no need to wait for another.. when you believe that they didn’t steal His body but that He rose.. when you believe without seeing the nails print neither the pierced side..
Have you read from where the water came?
It came from Edom.. the land of the enemies.. a place that you would never think it would be a source for fulfilling the promises, the revelations, the dreams, the prophecies and the visions.. because as Samson said:
" Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet " (Judges 14 : 14).
It was a morning when the offering was given, then water came.. and today the perfect sacrifice was given 2000 years ago and for once.. but its results didn’t and will not ever end.. trust this sacrifice that was given for you, today, and believe that the slained lamb is risen from death and wants to ease your heart, and assures you that He didn’t forget you at all.. all that He had promised you, all the visions, the dreams, the prophecies and the revelations that He gave you, will be fulfilled 100%, no promise shall fall, but all will come to pass, because God’s mouth had spoken..
all you have to do is to respond to His message, believe in Him today anew.. don’t wait for wind or rain, because you will be surprized by the water coming soon from a different place..
in condition that you don’t wait for another one !!!
And then you will cry to Him like Job did saying: " I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You " (Job 42 : 5).

Christ is risen.. indeed He is.. Happy Easter to all of you !!

[بنت معلم الاجيال]

Thank you

very beautiful