Yury Sipko “Received grace the other day”

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.…” Rom 9:1-2.

It was Sunday. Holy meeting. Joyful worship of God. Good songs.
Prayers. And sermons.
Great sermons!
Jesus is everything! Grace and love!
Truth and life!
And most importantly, Jesus came to us.
Try to find Him yourself.
Never and nowhere. That is why He Himself came to us. That’s great.
And the preacher read!

“Peter and John went up to the sanctuary for prayer, which was held at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man who had been lame since birth was carried there. He was placed day by day in front of the door of the sanctuary, which is called the Beautiful Gate, to beg alms from those who went into the sanctuary. When he saw Peter and John entering the sanctuary, he asked them for alms. Then Peter and John looked at him alone and said: “Look at us!” He kept looking at them, hoping to get something from them. But Peter said: “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene – get up and walk!” And he took hold of the right hand of the walker and helped him up. And immediately his feet and ankles became strong, and he jumped up and stood and walked and went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Acts 3:1-9.

Feel it! Disabled since birth. Immovable.
And suddenly he stood up, walked and jumped for joy! Bless God!

For a whole hour, the brother talked about what every true Christian has! The gifts of the Holy Spirit exist! And the Holy Spirit is power! Excellent! Conquering power! And this power is within us! He spoke so convincingly that it was as if he wanted to move a mountain.

We entered into a weekday. And then it happened.
The brother described.
He was sad. His wife is seriously ill. The doctors could not give her a diagnosis. That’s why they couldn’t cure her either. Faithful brother. Went to church elder. There are many church elders now. On every corner. And the Scriptures speak clearly. “If any of you is sick, let him call the elders of the Church and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith heals the sick, and the Lord raises him up; and if he has sinned, it is forgiven him.” James 5:14-15.

“Brother presbyter, pray for my wife” – asked the member of the Body of Christ. Brother Presbyter was confused. He did not know whether it is permissible to pray for the healing of an unbelieving woman, especially if she is a brother’s wife. After all, husband and wife are one! That’s what the Bible says. You can pray for kings and enemies. You can pray for all people. It is even necessary. He knows that, but here is a special case. A brother, though a brother, and a believer, but his wife is sick.

The wife does not attend meetings. Yes, a difficult task.

So for this he had to ask permission from the church council. The brother asked the brotherhood of elders for permission. The church leaders were confused. “So, how can we pray for the healing of your wife and for your wife to be healed? Yes, and for anointing with oil? Yes, even anointing her with oil?” The brotherhood was perplexed. “We have to ask permission from the bishop.”

They sent a letter to the bishop. They invited both him and the sick woman.

The bishop questioned the woman for a long time and found out that she was not worthy of his prayer because she does not attend meetings or read the Bible. They were sent home.
Well, he went home with his wife. The rejected and sick wife by his side. The man was rejected and therefore sad. The brother is a believer. He exhorted the Presbyterian brethren, telling them that Christ healed unbelievers, both men and women. They didn’t go to meetings at all. There were heathens. But the Presbyterian brothers strictly guard the shrine. They pray for kings and rulers. They pray for all people. They even pray for the victory of the Russian armed forces. They bless the devil himself, but they did not dare to pray for the recovery of their brother’s wife.

It is cool to listen to the sermon in the pulpit about the Power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, how the Lord Jesus loves sinners and saves all who come to Him.

However, if a weak victim of evil spirits asks for help at the gates of the temple, or house of prayer, then the cunning of the teachers and the emptiness of their faith and preaching are revealed.

Of course, such a decision by the bishop and the presbyters of the church brings great shame to Christ.

But I am saddened that it is this attitude to the gifts of grace, to the power of the Holy Spirit, to the greatest commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, that turns the fraternal churches into worthless gatherings of helpless people destined to sing until their last breath, “O God! Give me strength to reach the grave!…”

Where is the prayer for healing? Where is the attack against entire forces of the enemy?

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out evil spirits; freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.

Apparently they haven’t received.

Author: Jury Sipko / https://www.facebook.com/ysipko