Gtcotr/ws022311
What I call the “Dynamic Doctrines” of the Gospel can be found encapsulated in the Gospel of Mark. We have already discovered several themes which run through this Gospel account including:
· Authority
· Power
· Urgency
· Demonic Realities
· Hardness of Heart
The repeated references to these themes point out their importance not only to the writer but to all who are the intended recipients of this Gospel message. There is only one story, one Bible and only one anointed Gospel. God gave these scriptures to the first church as His “New Will and Testament” and they are meant as directives to each church in every generation. The same word Mark gave to the 1st Century Church believers is the same word given to us and they are relevant for life today.
As I said, there is only one Bible and it is the same today as it was yesterday and will be forever. We are to embrace the Bible as though it was given directly from God to us … because it was!
We have discovered that the book of Mark is more about what Jesus did than what He said. However when Jesus performed miracles which often amazed His disciples, He usually took the time necessary to explain those works by teaching the dynamic doctrine upon which that miracle rested. Such was the case when Jesus cursed the fig as recorded in Mark 11.
(Tell the story of the fig tree from Mark 11:12-21 – and notice that Peter is the disciple mentioned herein but not referred to specifically in Matthew’s account in chapter 21. Again this points to Peter’s evident influence in the writing of Mark’s Gospel account.)
The evident miracle is explained by Jesus in light of the dynamic doctrine we call:
Faith and Confession
Mark 11 NKJV
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.
23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ’Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Note that one cannot believe for something which one does not believe in. In other words: You have to believe in a thing before you can believe for it. Or … We must have faith in before we can have faith for.
The dynamic doctrine of faith and confession is taught throughout the word of God. We find this doctrine from Genesis through Revelation. The Apostle Paul was a great proponent of this doctrine and declared it to be the foundational doctrine upon which a person receives salvation.
Romans 10
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way… , "Do not say in your heart, ’Who will ascend into heaven?’" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, "’Who will descend into the abyss?’" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If faith and confession works for salvation – it will work for everything else!
Even God uses this dynamic doctrine Himself. Perhaps that is what Mark is referring to when he said: “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) One scholar phrased that quote to say: “Have the God kind of faith!”
Why would God need faith? I am not an authority on what God needs or does not need, but I am an authority on what God demands from us. The Bible firmly teaches that even He uses faith and confession to affect changes He desires and to move mountains which stand in His way. No doubt, this is where His Son, Jesus, learned how to curse the fig tree.
Genesis 1
1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 ¶ Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
You know, “It ain’t dark” just would not have worked.
Faith demands we call those things which do not exist as though they did.
Romans 4:17 … God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
Calling a thing which does exist as though it did not exist is not faith – it might be fear or just plain lying but, it’s not what God did and it’s not what He instructs us to do. The scriptures tell us to let the weak say “I am strong” … not … “I’m not weak”. It’s just not the same. Faith moves us forward!
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Mark, Paul, Solomon, Jesus and even God the Father, all teach and practice the dynamic doctrine of faith and confession. It works … when you believe and say – dynamic creative power is released – in the positive realm as well as in the negative. (Psalms 141:3 – set a watch …) Watch what you believe and for godliness sake, watch what you say!
