Ever since I was a kid in school, I loved Show & Tell.  It would be a welcome relief from all the teaching just to sit back and watch as other kids would bring in an object and then tell the class what they knew about it.  One day a boy caught every child spellbound when he told about ice cream.  Unfortunately he only brought in pictures and books and talked about how it was made and not the real thing.  But being overly familiar with the stuff, in our mind’s eye,  we could all taste it and hung on his every word.

Then one day came my turn.  So I brought in a Dutch sailboat made out of a wooden shoe with sail and all.  My parents were Dutch immigrants and had brought this fine specimen with them from their old country, Holland.  The kids loved it as I am sure they had never seen such a thing before.

Every kid loved Show & Tell and none were ever bored or looking out the window as they would with the everyday teachings.  It was a live show and a hands on demonstration that captured everyone’s attention and held it captivated every second until the show was over.  

Jesus did Show & Tell.  He was not like the Pharisees or the Sadducees or the scribes who only talked a good talk but whose heart was from far from God.  Who devoured widows’ households and for a great pretense would make long prayers.  Who strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel.  Who taught as commandments the doctrines of men.

Jesus instead demonstrated hands on the reality of the kingdom of God right before their very eyes.  He cast out demons with His word and healed them all wherever he went without exception.  Then He would tell them about the kingdom of God.  There was not one individual that he turned away who came to be ministered to by Him.  Jesus, as the express image of the Father, demonstrated and proved the Father’s love for His people by sending His own Son to do something about their individual suffering right then and there.  Is it any wonder He had such a following that up to 8,000 people at a time would attend His teachings and follow Him wherever He went?

Here is a great play on words to highlight this truth…

Jesus DEMON-STRATED the love of God for His people by casting the DEMON STRAIGHT out of them.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to set the captives free.  He confirmed His word with signs and wonders.  This was Jesus’ Show & Tell.

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  1 John 3:8

There was a perfect example of a church of young believers who demonstrated the same Show & Tell that Jesus performed.  They were the church in Thessalonica to whom Paul wrote the first of his 14 epistles around 54 AD from Corinth.

And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:  1 Thessalonians 1:6

This is the same church that was established in much affliction by Paul and Silas as you can read the full account of this in Acts 17.

Three verses back it tells us what the 3 things were that their ministry consisted of:

1. Work of faith – These believers had real faith that moved mountains and faithfully worked to perform signs and wonders just like Jesus and Paul did.  They turned away from their dead, powerless idols and worshipped the true and living God who gave them the power and  the authority to perform such works in the power of the Holy Ghost.
2. Labour of love – They performed their works of faith in the love of God and labored without ceasing, laying down their own lives to demonstrate the love of God by confirming the word with signs and wonders.
3. Patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ – They knew their “election of God. ” (1 Thessalonians 1:4) and labored their works of faith in love patiently in the hope of salvation and redemption unto eternal life in Jesus.

They did Show & Tell

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;  1 Thessalonians 1:3

You see the good news of the gospel had not come to them just in word only.  They did not just hear and receive a verbal message as many of the modern day churches preach and expect their missionary programs to do.  The gospel came to them not just by word but in demonstration of the power of God, in signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Ghost, giving the new believers much assurance and confidence that God was real and that what Paul was teaching them was true.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.  1 Thessalonians 1:5

Paul confirmed this also to the Corinthians:

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.  1 Cor. 4:20

It is high time to bring back Show & Tell to the gospel.  People are getting sick and tired of just hearing words without any demonstration of the power of God to back them up.  Why do you think that church attendance is fading and has been in decline now for years?  Because no one is backing up what they are preaching with signs and wonders.

People who profess to be Christians are backsliding into sin.  To them the kingdom is so far away.  They darken a church door and warm a pew every Sunday out of habit, but are not moved.  They are being lulled to sleep by powerless preachers who are all talk and no power to act or prove the gospel to be true.  Preachers have become slick politicians, carefully and masterfully tiptoeing around the very scripture verses that would require them to actually perform the gospel.  They purposely avoid Show & Tell at all cost and since they believe that they are powerless in their mind, have no conscious about leaving their sheep in bondage, suffering oppression of the enemy and sending them to the wolves of modern day medicine.  They would rather just explain it away, hoping that the congregation will never notice or call them to account.  How sad.  When will they ever be able to say “The kingdom has come near unto you!”?

Especially the young people see straight through this facade.  They are sick and tired of hearing a message without power.  They want the truth.  They want what is real.  They want a real Jesus.  They want a gospel of power that works.  They want a gospel that they can work themselves.

Jesus Himself told us to do the same works that He did.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  John 14:12-14

He not only told us, but He also empowered us with power from on high by the Holy Spirit to do the exact same works that He did and even greater.  We have no excuse.

So what are we waiting for?  Let’s put our hand to the plow and Show & Tell the gospel by demonstration and set the captives free!

Franciscus M. Dartee

Grow in Faith | Walk in Power

 

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