John 17:14-16 (NKJV) 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
We have been talking about the journey Israel took from bondage in Egypt to destiny in Canaan. We found that everything they experienced in their deliverance and on their journey was supernatural. When they finally arrived in the Promised Land, it required supernatural power for them to conquer the people who lived there. However, we also found that the need for the supernatural in Israel’s life did not end once they had occupied Canaan. God’s purpose for them was that they live in Canaan as a supernatural people.
God placed them at the crossroads of the east to west trade routes of their day. In a way, he put them in the center of the world. The people knew that they believed in one God. God wanted them to live as supernatural people in the midst of the natural world. I believe that if they had been able to be consistent in their faith in the supernatural, they would have shown the nature of the God they served to those around them.
Of course, they were not able to stay consistent. They continually yielded to their flesh. At the time of the birth of Jesus, the Pharisees had become the dominant religious force in the country. They did not understand the supernatural. They were committed to keeping the law, but in a very natural way. The manifestation of the supernatural in the life and ministry of Jesus was something they could neither understand nor accept.
I believe that the will of God has not changed. He still desires a supernatural people that can live supernatural lives in the midst of the natural world. This does not mean just the spectacular supernatural. We should expect the spectacular things like healings and various kinds of miracles, but we need to believe for a supernatural touch on all that we do. Supernatural and spectacular are not interchangeable terms.
As the Lord was speaking to me about being a supernatural people living in the natural world, I asked myself if there was a scripture from the New Testament that would back up this idea. I believe the lord led me to today’s passage.
There are a number of things I want to point out from these verses. First, in verse 14 he makes a statement that is really quite significant. He tells the Father that he has given us his Word and because we have received it, the world hates us. You might say he was just talking about the disciples in the upper room. However, verse 20 tells us that he is not praying for them alone but for all who would believe because of them. That would include you and me.
Certainly, there is an aspect that applied especially to the disciples with him. I believe that there is a principle stated here that applies to all believers. James 4:4 tells us that friendship with the world is enmity with God. We cannot be a friend of both. Any believer in Jesus Christ that tries to live with one foot in the world and one foot in the church will fail. We must choose.
There is a reason this is not possible. Jesus tells us that we are not of this world just as he was not of this world. What does that mean? I believe it means many things including the idea that we are to be supernatural people. We are to live with the touch and the sense of the supernatural in everything we do. We are not of this world. This world is not the source of our lives any longer. We have been born again and our life flows from the supernatural world where the Father lives.
In the next verse, Jesus says that he is not praying that the Father would take us out of the world. Early in my experience with Pentecostal people, it seemed that this was what we thought was necessary. We were supposed to be “other worldly” in our behavior. It seemed that we should not partake of anything the world had to offer. In effect we were to separate from the world physically in every way we possibly could.
I believe the bible teaches that the church should be spiritually distinct. I believe we must separate from any activities that are sinful or will lead us to compromise our Christian character or witness. However, Jesus prayed specifically that God would not take us out of the world. We are supposed to be living separated lives spiritually and morally right in the midst of the natural world.
What good is the supernatural life of God if we hide it in the church? What good are supernatural people if they will not be supernatural in front of those who do not yet know the Lord? I believe Jesus’ prayer is clear. Just as Israel was to live in Canaan as a supernatural people that would finally produce a supernatural savior, we are to live as supernatural people in our natural world to show them the supernatural savior.
If you are born again and especially if you are spirit filled, you agree with what I am saying. You will say, “Yes. We need to be supernatural people. We need to believe for a manifestation of the supernatural.” I know that this is what we believe but what do we expect? I see many Christians who talk about the supernatural but when trouble or pressure comes, they tend to lean on the natural. I do that myself too often. That is why I believe God is calling us back to a dependency and awareness of the power of the supernatural in our everyday living.
Many of us have learned how to live the Christian life in the natural. I know in ministry, there is much that can be done without the touch of the supernatural. I know how to preach and teach. I know that I can move people even without the supernatural. I can teach people useful things with the natural ability I have to present the Word. I can touch emotions and inspire with that same ability.
Too many ministries have found this to be true. Some have stood for years for a manifestation of God and have not seen what they thought they would see. I could say that about myself. When natural methods work, it is easier to forget the supernatural. Whole denominations have decided that things like healing and miracles have passed away because they stopped seeing them. It was easier to forget the supernatural than keep believing for it and being disappointed.
We need to stop this trend this year. We are a supernatural people. Salvation is supernatural. It is a supernatural thing to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We have a supernatural relationship with a supernatural God. We may use natural tools to preach the gospel. We may use natural things to live life. Nevertheless, we must never forget that the supernatural is our true identity.
There is nothing in the bible that says signs, wonders and miracles are no longer valid in our day. Mark 16 is still true.
Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
We live in the natural world. We have been sent to the natural world. We must do many natural things. We do not live from one spectacular miracle to another. However, I believe we can live every day drawing on the supernatural power of God. That is our assignment for 2022. We are not of this world, but we are supposed to be very much in it. We are to be “supernatural people living in the natural world.”
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