" . . . He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper." 2 Kings 5:11
Naaman the Syrian was a leper. He heard about a prophet in Samaria, of whom a little captive Jewish girl had told his wife. When he came to Elisha, the prophet simply told him to go wash in Jordan seven times. This seemed so childishly simple that it made Naaman very angry and he started back home. He expected a great display of occult mumblings and grotesque movements on the part of the healer. He wanted a dramatic spectacle of acting, but the prophet said, "Just take a bath!"
The same superstition still prevails in the world today. People reject the Gospel because salvation is too simple. They too expect noises, visions, lights, and feelings before they will believe. But the Bible says, "only believe." It just seems too simple. The Gospel needs no embellishment. That is the pagan way. They go through all sorts of contortions, cooking strange brews and mumbling unintelligible phrases. It is all a "cover up" for their deception. The Gospel needs no "props," jazz music, foreign costumes, tricks, or juggling acts. Paul told Timothy, "Preach the word."
The world is full of quacks and nostrums. They recommend a remedy because of its strange ingredients. "Only Poo-Poo Powders contain CKLZ." "Four out of five doctors recomend the ingredients in this Sucker Syrup." "Dumb-Clux Dope" contains not one ingredient but five - and so on, and so on. And the more mysterious it is, the more it deceives. This is true of much religious excitement; people are sold another gospel which is "not another." Beloved, let us not be led astray by the pageantry and display of much "modern evangelism." The pure gospel message has not lost its power - it only needs to be set free from the fleshly methods of the world. "Preach the Word!"
"Bread For Each Day"
As Jim would say, "spot on".
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