Rise Up and Be Healed

By the Watchman
Dana G Smith
Words: 3457
Keywords: Corinthians, Apostle, Cross, Christ, Gospel, healed,

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

The Apostle Paul established the Corinth church around 50-51 AD when he spent eighteen months there on his second missionary journey.

Acts 18:1 ¶After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

As was the Apostle’s work ethic, every shabbat or sabbath he would in in the synagogue. Here in Acts 18, see above, there were both Jews and Greeks [Gentiles] who attended the synagogue every shabbat along with Paul. This also goes along way to say that the early Apostles and the believers themselves did in fact keep sabbath on the traditional Jewish day, i.e., the evening and the morning were the first day. Shabbat would fall on the evening of the 6th day, for then according to the Word of God, the 7 th day began then. It is here we see that Paul actually reasoned with both groups, with the Jew’s demanding a sign and to many greeks or gentiles here, it was literally foolishness. But with this Apostle, signs did follow and his words came with such power that even the Gentiles were in the synagogue listening to the reasoning.

In Corinthians chapter one and verse eighteen above, the King James uses ‘preaching’, while other versions use ‘message’, and the literal meaning here for this is ‘word’. The word of the cross. To the Jews, a Messiah that came, suffered, and died on the cross, the was resurrected did not meet their ‘scriptural understanding of the situation’. They believed this Messiah would or the real one anyway would deliver Israel from their enemies, which meant the Roman power at the time. He would establish the Temple, temple sacrifices, and raise Israel to the paramount of power in the world. This was the understanding that the disciples had themselves when they asked Y’SHUA, Jesus about it. When the LORD was preparing to ascend to the Father, they had come together and the followers of the LORD asked him “Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” To this he said “it is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” After this, he told them of the coming of the Holy Ghost in power and this would enable them to be His witnesses in all the earth!

Acts 1:6 ¶When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The LORD had come to establish a supernatural kingdom in the earth. Yes the disciple’s were told, he would return as they saw him go, but until then, the creation of the kingdom of God on Earth began through the witnesses of the LORD in Jerusalem.

This is the work of the LORD. A work which defied the Roman authorities, the Jewish religious scholars, and even the sins of men could not stop this plan of God. It was a plan for people to ‘rise up and be healed.’ An opportunity to believe that this God loved them and they could join in his plan through faith in the Messiah. This was the word of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul lays out a simple outline of what the gospel contained in chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. I particularly like this portion of scripture because it lays out all the gospel in a few sentences. A gospel of a Messiah whom we must receive, believe, and follow. Because of this work, many Gentiles who thought all this was foolishness have been delivered from that blindness of human wisdom and come to understand the True wisdom of God the Father who gave his only begotten Son. This is simply called the ‘love of the truth’ in 2 Thess chapter 2 and during the days of the Son of Perdition, many will not follow nor accept this ‘love of the truth’ and will follow the delusion that God will send.

1 Corinthians 15:1 ¶Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

There is one basic eternal truth here among many that stands out. This is that God in his wisdom has decided to call those in the earth who are not rich, mighty, princes, handsome, powerful, smart, wise, educated or any of the other earthly fleshly titles that makes men and women proud. God deliberately chose that which would bring the wisdom of the world into utter foolishness and reveal the wisdom of God. For God chooses those who are not wise in the flesh, or noble, or mighty. He has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound, mystify, stupify, and confuse, all those in the flesh in this world.

1 Corinthians 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Have you ever looked in the mirror? I mean really looked at yourself and saw too much of one thing or another that made you feel inferior. I know I have. I have a mirror in our house and this mirror is one which makes me look terrible. It is here I must insist you to be real and truthful here with yourself. God doesn’t look for perfect number ten Christians! He looks for those who by faith will look to him and receive his Son “Y’SHUA, Jesus Christ as Messiah”. God uses those who will be vessels. God doesn’t look to see if your hair is all neat, or your lips are just perfect, or your eyes are set just right. He doesn’t look to see if your feet are too big, your arms to flabby, or you cheeks too puffy. God looks on the heart and takes the vessel who has sought him with all their heart, mind, and soul and begins to remake them into the image of his Son. Thank God for that. You know after it is all said and done, this body in the flesh is corruptible, it will die. It is grain that we can use for Gods purpose. When this body, as we live by faith and purity in it for God finally gives up the Ghost and dies, it becomes a seed planted for the kingdom of God. We plant the corruptible body as we plant a seed of Grain. Then that seed, God gives the increase and we gain a supernatural new body, like Christ’s. What a trade and it is all by God’s Grace and Mercy, through Faith. It is a work of God, not of man. It will glorify God and not man in the flesh. Yet all this will mean that this wisdom of God will be revealed even to the wicked on the great day of Judgment. Then they will see and understand the greatness of the plan of God and his love for mankind.

1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 ¶Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I put the section above in which talks about the ‘sowing the seed of grain’ which is our natural bodies. Thank god for this! Because we can live, work, and then when we die, there is hope, in Christ, because of his work on the Cross. This is the Word of the Cross. It is first love, then forgiveness, repentance, reunion, rejoicing, resurrection, inheritance, and eternally in heaven with the LORD of Glory. This is the perspective you and I both need. For while we live in this body there is troubles and tribulation, yet we have a hope none other in this world does. A hope that came from heaven and one that hell cannot touch. Hell can come against us, but the LORD is with us. Hell can persecute us, but the LORD will not allow any temptation to overcome us!

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Hell can kill us, this body anyway, but Hell cannot touch our soul, prevent us from accessing heaven, nor stop our reward! In short, through the Gospel, the work of Christ, and the love of the Father, we can ‘rise up and be healed’ in the name of Jesus. In body, in mind, in soul, in spirit, and in this world. Even the Apostle Paul talks of running the race and that as he said “I keep under my body and bring it into subjection”. He did this so that when he would not be a castaway. In other words, Paul did not let his inhibitions, lusts, flesh, mind, and carnal ways take hold of him or his body. He beat it down, so to speak in the Spirit of God. He took control by the power of God and his Word. Unfortunately today many Christians in America allow the carnal lusts and inhibitions to take over and they end up in misery. Others have left the faith altogether having given themselves over the ‘desires of the flesh and of the mind’. Thus as the Apostle Peter says “it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

1 Corinthians 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

2 Peter 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

In our work and life here on earth let us also be aware that the enemy works overtime to thwart our lives for Christ with snares, temptations, and persecutions. I want to touch on a Pauline example here in Corinthians. It is about Israel. The Apostle speaks about them being ‘baptized unto Moses’ when they passed under the sea and the cloud. The Apostle tells how that Christ was the ‘spiritual meat and drink’ for Israel at the time. Christ was that Rock, wherein the water flowed out of. He warns that what happened to Israel was a stern example that we should not ‘lust after evil things as they did’, nor ‘commit fornication as they did’, and not to be ‘idolaters as they became.’ We are not to murmur, tempt Christ, but are to understand we must take heed how we stand, lest we fall. I put previously the verse about temptation before this section. That verse you read before on ‘Temptation’ is verse 13 of Chapter 10 in First Corinthians. It comes after a warning from Paul that says, “wherefore [or because of all this] let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall”. It is after this warning that the Apostle gives the word of comfort and assurance here that temptation, the ones you and I face today are common to all men, even to the children of Israel who lived afore. It is these temptations that can snare, trap, enslave, and take away your hope and reward. But here, the Apostle says that God will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able. This is so powerful here. Many of us quite early in the game. We give in to temptation, when the reality is, we never gave the effort to fight in the Spirit of God and stand upon the Word of the LORD. But if we do stand on God’s Word, trusting the LORD, here the Apostle says, that the LORD will not suffer or allow you to be tempted above that you can stand or endure and will make a way to escape that you can bear it and overcome it! Praise the LORD! Here again, I say “rise and be healed” in the name of Jesus, you can overcome all snares, traps, and temptations.

1 Corinthians 10:1 ¶Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 ¶Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

I know at times I have said, “LORD I can’t take anymore”. The body is weak, it is flesh and I know the LORD then continues to strengthen me. In the end I kept going and did not realize until I made it through that I could take it all along, I just did not know it. In these perilous end times, let us who are of the Faith of God, stand up and then be healed of any and all things that are not taken care of. Rise up and get rid of that bitterness. Rise up and be healed of that loss of Hope! Rise and be healed of that lack of vision! Rise and be healed, seek the LORD and find his comfort, strength, and the promises which he has given you. I say the first five verses of Psalm 103 on a regular basis to remind of the ‘blessings of the LORD’. I remind myself, my flesh, my mind, and my spirit that there are many benefits that stream from the LORD God, even our Father who gave his only begotten Son Y’SHUA, Jesus Christ to die for me, my family, and all those who will receive this hope and walk in it. So my friends, ‘Rise and be healed’.

Psalms 103:1 ¶<<A Psalm of David.>> Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Originally posted 2009-07-12 05:20:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter