There were people many years ago who would function as physicians without the formal or established route of education. These people would start as apprentices and spend years observing, learning, and doing what their principal would do. They would have thousands and thousands of practical hours and experience with different types of patients under the sun. When the principal died, they would take over the practice. There was a lady who did this, and she visited sick people, touching and examining patients’ bodies, prescribing syrups, medicines, laxatives, and other remedies, and arranging to be paid when treatment succeeded. She was very successful in her work. The board of medicine at the time was against this and would take many people to trial. They won some and banned people’s practices, but they would also lose some. They took this lady to court because she was practicing medicine without approval from a recognized university or medical authority. They criticized her for what she was doing and for not having credentials. The striking part of this trial was her defense. A line of her patients came and one by one testified of her good works and all she had done for them. One witness said she was a better physician and surgeon than the licensed doctors he had encountered. Whatever credentials she lacked, she had demonstrated competence through actual results. I am not advocating or telling you to practice medicine without credentials. Don’t come and sue me, please. What I am pointing out is the method at which we learn, and as believers, we are to operate. Christianity, when Jesus brought it, was like that. The disciples were not learned people; they were not scholars of any kind. They did not sit in a church or school and have their heads filled. Instead, they walked with him and observed him. They did what he did, calling him teacher. The disciples were apprentices, and Jesus was the principal, and they learned from him by observing, listening, and DOING. Christianity is not theoretical nor is it certificates or a lot of English. The glory or boast of a Christian is not certificates but that he can do greater works than Jesus. Our works and results, the fruit we produce, and the tree we are, that is our boast. We are not men that say I went here and got this certificate and hang it in an office. That’s not our operation. We are life changers. Every person who crossed paths with Jesus and the disciples had their lives changed. It is in the scriptures. Go and read it for yourself.
The Lord Jesus said, “Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”. That is the purpose, not preaching to them, collecting offerings, or getting church members. What was the condition to do this? It was to observe, learn, and be taught in the way of Jesus. What he did and what he commanded. Not some seminary school or demonology or whatever. Your prerequisite is in the Word, you learn, you see, and you do. We are the miracle, not miracle seekers; we are the blessing, not blessing seekers. Religion has brought rails and confusion of the expectation of who we are and how to live. Jesus came to bring freedom and liberate the yoke and burden of religion over his people. He came to make you as he is. To teach you, remind you, and show you how your divinity is to be lived out. You are a divine being, not subject to the flesh or demons or the devil anymore. For a believer, it is written, “We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his marvelous light.”
Let’s look at the way of Jesus. If you look through the Bible, you will see there were many who did witchcraft, magic, charms, and all sorts of demonic things. There was a man who had been demon-passed and had many demons in him and would terrorize the people. It is written that they would try to bind him with chains, and he would break out of them. This guy was possessed. I mean, he was a mad man, and everyone would run away from him and would not even associate with him. As they should because before I was born again, if I saw such a thing, I would run. However, did you notice that as Jesus approached this area, he did not flee or run? In fact, the spirit of God in Jesus was so palpable that the man ran to him and said, “I know you, you are the Son of the Most High.” Jesus spoke with the man and cast out the demons in him. I mean, it was wild, and the disciples observed and saw it. You see, the mental faculty and mind of Jesus were on a whole other level. He believed in his authority, power, and his identity 100 percent. This he gave to us that we may be like him. When he saw the sick, he did not run away thinking he would get their illness or that he couldn’t do anything. He went to them and spoke life into their lives; he commanded reality as we ought to. The disciples saw this and observed this way of life for years, and they practiced and lived it out. Then in the book of Acts, they received power and the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, and they put to practice what they had been observing, learning, and seeing, and they began to heal the sick, cast out demons, and change lives. They became the blessing and the miracle they once sought for and followed. We too, who have become believers and followers, disciples, have the right to do the same. This grace has been given to us for it is written, all who believed, he gave the right to be called sons of God. So Christianity is not something you write and get certified in; it is a practical application of knowledge and observation. It is written that we should grow in grace and knowledge. The grace to heal or prophecy can only come by practice; you must practice these things and not just read them. What you learn and grow in knowledge, put to practice so that you may grow in grace. As you can see, grace is being used as a verb and not a noun, so don’t be confused. This time around when you read the life of Jesus, learn his way, the way he approached problems, the way he spoke to himself, about himself, and to others. For example, feeding the five thousand and the four thousand, did you notice that the human way of thinking was about cost? If you read it, you see that when the question of what will these people eat was asked, a disciple said not even 200 denarii would feed all these people. He was thinking from a place of lack and cost, but Jesus was thinking from a place of abundance; he said, “What do we have? Not we don’t have enough.” Even when it came to asking and performing a miracle, he did not beg and say, “God, if I am right in your sight, do it for me, no.” He gave thanks and broke the bread, multiplied, and there was surplus. For all the sick, he did not pray to God to have them healed; he did it himself because he is a miracle and a blessing, the light of the world; for behold, oh Jerusalem, a light has dawned. Then he turned around and said to us that we are the light of the world, that greater things we will do than he did, that we will lay our hands on the sick, and they we be healed. He gave us power and authority and the position at which to do these things. So I say to you, the people of Zion, you are the light of the world; let us follow the way of life that has been given to us. Life he has come to give that we may have it and have it abundantly.
Therefore, practice, practice, practice. Read the gospel, observe Jesus, and learn. Gain the knowledge, then put it to work. So you can gain confidence and grow from grace to grace as our brother Peter said.