This is one of the most exciting times for a Christian to be alive. Resources are available for the church today that no previous brothers or sisters have ever had. It is also an exciting time because we have living in a world community. The nations are open and accessible like never before. And this is an exciting time because God is moving in His church in fresh waves of revival and renewal.

Revival is happening in some of the nations of the world and is happening in spots in America. God is getting His church ready for the second coming and the kingdom rule.

Is it happening here? Is it happening in you?

The story happens around one of the three major feasts of Israel when all adult Jewish males within 15 miles of Jerusalem were legally bound to attend. Here Jesus enters through the Sheep Gate and the Pool of Bethesda is near by. Bethesda means "The House of Mercy." Around the pool were five porches were all kind of sick people lay and the pool was deep enough to dive in.

But the scene was one of hopelessness because of their belief that only certain people could be healed at certain times. Whether it was a superstition or an actual occurrence, they believed that an angel would come down and stir the waters and the first person in would be healed. Now some believe that there was an artesian well or some type of stream under the pool that would occasionally bubble up instead of an angel stirring the water. But don’t you realize it really don’t matter because whatever you believe is always more powerful than facts.

Whatever you believe determines your fate and causes your level of hope to rise and fall.

This story can be seen in the light of Israel. The man represents the nation of Israel sitting on the five books of the Law. The 38 years are the years Israel wandered in the wilderness. But Israel, like the man, is hopeless. The answer is Jesus.

I believe this analogy can be placed over our church, as well. Do we see ourselves as God sees us? Do we see our situation as less than satisfying, glorifying and healthy?

Most persons will tell you that a church has five functions: Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, and Ministry. But too many of our churches are ineffective and powerless to change even the members’ lives let alone the society and community in which we live. There is nothing wrong with the functions of the church and there was nothing wrong with the Five Books of the Law. But people are more important than function.

So, this is a word for our church.

Jesus goes up to this man who had been lying there for 38 years and did not inquire of his sickness, the nature of his illness or the history of his stay there. He asked one question, "Do you want to be made well?"

On the surface, that seems quite silly and stupid. You would immediately think the answer would be "Yes." But you know that Jesus never ask a question for his knowledge but instead to reveal the true heart of the one being asked.

You see, this man was being asked two things:

Let’s look at that in more depth.

You see Jesus knew that after 38 years this man no longer had to hold a job, provide a living for his family and most likely he didn’t even have to shoulder the responsibility of family life.

Are you sure you want to be made well and go back to shoulder the responsibilities of real life?

Jesus wanted to know if this man had given up hope or did he still believe he could be healed. No matter what his past had been or how long he had been in that past, do you believe you can still be made well.

Its one thing to still want to be made well but its another thing to believe you still can.

God is asking us the same question with the same implications.

Are we satisfied with where the church is? Where it has been? Do we really want to move forward?

John Maxwell says, "Insanity is doing the same thing in the same way but expecting a different result."

To become healed will mean that we must assume responsibility for our own actions, to become healthy individuals walking with God, take responsibility to be a sacrificial giver and to give our talents and time for the service of God.

If we are content to stay like we are, then no one can change us. No new pastor, no new program, and not even God!! The influence of your friend, your parents, and not even Billy Graham being our pastor. In this story, the all powerful Jesus was standing there to heal the man but if the man had said, "No." then Jesus would have walked away.

Do you believe it can happen? Do you have the faith that it can happen to you? I am delighted to see things happen in our churches but I want to see if happen in our church and I believe it can.

This is personal. The old saying, "If every member was just like me, what type of church would we have?" The truth is that the church is like me because I am a part of the church. If I take a picture of my family and then say, what would my family look like if everybody was like me. Well, my family does look like me because I am in the picture.

There are two things that surround this story that is essential in this man becoming healthy: The power of the Word of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Jesus healed this man with His Word, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." No touch, no reaching to get him. Just His Word.

For renewal and health to come to me and our body, we must have an awesome respect for the authority of the Word of God. We must hear it and obey it and then watch its power.

This man had to take up his pallet to receive his healing. Our obedience to the Word of God is essential if we are going to see renewal.

Heaven and earth will pass away but His Word will remain forever. The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17) Because of this, Satan fights us to keep us from the Word of God and then once there, to cause unbelief to rise in our hearts that God can actually do this for us.

There is one thing stronger than the Word of God, according to Jesus. Matthew 15: 6 "And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition."

We must not let anything keep us from obeying the Word of God. Not our tradition, not our disobedience. Let’s see what God says and then let’s do our best to put it into operation.

How do I see this? Well, the story unfolds with the discussion of this man’s healing happening on the Sabbath day. Opposition begins to rise about Jesus and His authority to heal on the Sabbath. But what this man knew was that Jesus was Lord and that meant over the Sabbath.

On the occasion of what should have been much joy and thanksgiving became an argument over whether this could happen on the Sabbath. You see the Jews stopped him (the man) to remind him that he was breaking the law carrying a burden on the Sabbath day. How silly – this man had just been healed.

Verse 18 says that Jews had been seeking the more to kill him. The verbs here are imperfect tenses which describes repeated actions. Clearly this story is only a sample of what Jesus habitually had to face in opposition.

What was the defense of Jesus? Verse 17 – God doesn’t stop working on the Sabbath and neither will I.

Matthew 12: 8 "I am the Lord of the Sabbath."

This happens today. The church begins to move and God begins to show up and people begin to be changed. Then someone will grip about how long the services last. Or someone will get upset about the color of the carpet. Or people will start griping, "They are tearing up the building." "We are getting some weird people in here." "Did you see that tongue piercing or that girl with that tattoo?" "I am going to lose the fellowship we once had."

No, I believe in being a good steward of the building and having good fellowship. But have you noticed that people normally don’t say, "I am so glad of how we are reaching all these people, but I am concerned if we have proper supervision. So, I am going to volunteer to help with the supervision because I don’t want to see this move of God stop."

Or, "I am so glad to see how new people are coming in our church and I am concerned about moving out of my comfort zone of my fellowship group. But I know that God is being glorified so I will volunteer to begin a new Sunday school class."

The question needs to be asked, "Who is the Lord of the church?" Since Jesus is, then are we doing what He has commanded us to do? If so, we must not let people with more religious concerns stop what God is doing. Jesus didn’t.

This results in a Healthy Body and a Healthy Testimony for Christ.