Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
When we see an unusual situation, the impact is very high, but then that impact too does not last long.
Since ancient times, religious leaders created gods with animal heads and stories that baffled human reasoning, yet many believed them and they impacted many lives. This impact is not for a long time thus they had to come with newer gods and greater stories and thus led to what we call today as mythology. The Chinese focused on the spirits of animals while Egyptians, Greek and Romans focused on the natural animals (at times creating their own). The ones who used natural animals did not last long but the Chinese used spirits and they have lasted longer.
Knowing this characteristics of man even God knew as man in flesh He could not have impact on man. As man He taught His disciples for over many years yet they were unstable, it was only when His Spirit took over that the disciples understood all that Jesus as man taught them. It was by His Spirit that they preached with power and manifested the glory of God. Jesus did not continue after His resurrection for He had greater purpose for man which only His Spirit would achieve.
In today’s scripture which is part of a parable we see the Lord refuses the dead form ministering saying if they would not listen to the living they would not listen to the dead. This may seem contradicting.
What one needs to understand is that more than living or dead what is important is truth. If truth is denied by someone in the flesh than even a spirit cannot help but if the truth is unable to receive fully then spirit can help which a person in flesh cannot.
When we minister any person we are not called to continually lead the person but called to build that person to a level that the Holy Spirit can take over. It is only the Spirit of God who can do what none in the flesh can.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are Almighty God. You Lord are Spirit and You Kingdom is Spirit. All that is natural will perish and that is spirit will remain. Lord we pray we understand only that in spirit and having the Truth will prosper and that which does not will suffer and perish. Lord we pray we seek the Truth and only when we seek the Truth that Your Spirit can help us and proper us…
We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Isaiah 11:1-5
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Isaiah 32:15 Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.
John 14:25-26
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you.
26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26-27
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.