Alliance Witness, 1988-08-17, P. 7-8.

The Christian life is basically a supernatural life. It is supernatural both in origin and in maintenance.

Its origin is supernatural because it begins with the new birth, which is brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Its maintenance is supernatural because it is impossible for us to live the Christian life with our natural strength. It has to be sustained by the same power of the Holy Spirit.

When we come to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, God begins to move us away from the natural plane of life, where self is the center of all things and natural abilities are the dynamics. He seeks to put us on the supernatural plane, where He occupies the central place and the Holy Spirit helps us to bear the beautiful fruits of the Spirit.

God wills that Christians should not continue to live on the natural plane but hasten on to the supernatural plane. Many Christians take the normal as exceptional because their understanding of the Christian life remains on the natural level. The Holy Spirit will take the natural and transform it into the supernatural.

What are the supernatural expressions of a genuinely Christian life? A number of them are illustrated in the lives of Biblical characters and particularly in the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.

1. The supernatural life rises above the natural social law of justice.

The supernatural life rises above justice because it demands something higher. It demands love for hatred, forgiveness for intolerance, brotherhood for hostility.

A very moving scene is described in Second Kings 6:21-23. When an invading Syrian army fell into the hands of the Israelites the king of Israel counseled with Elisha as to what to do with the captives. Elisha said, “Spread a table before them, let them eat and drink and then let them go home in peace.”

The king took this advice; and subsequently the Syrians were so ashamed of themselves that they never invaded Israel again. What a wonderful victory, a victory of love!

If I were an artist I would like to paint a series of five pictures. I would first paint Jesus on the cross, praying for His enemies, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” My second picture would be of Stephen being stoned to death by the angry Jews but praying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them. ”

Then I would portray Joseph of the Old Testament, with his arms around the necks of his brothers who sold him into slavery, weeping with tears of forgiveness. I would also paint David fasting and praying for recovery of the ill- ness of his enemy (Psalm 35:13). Finally I would illustrate spreading a feast before the invaders of his nation.

All this is gloriously supernatural. In each case the love of God was “shed abroad” in human hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, KJV).

2. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of physics that all things expand when heated and contract in a low temperature.

A beautiful verse in Job tells us, “God… gives songs in the night” (35:10, NIV). When the night is dark and cold it reminds us of times of adversity and trial. Yet the supernatural life does not shrink under such circumstances but, on the contrary, expands itself into songs of faith and victory.

When Elijah faced the 450 false prophets on. Mount Carmel his faith did not shrink but rather expanded into a strong act of dedication—rebuilding the altar of Jehovah—and a triumphant prayer. And that was the beginning of a revival among. the people of God.

Similarly, David wrote four psalms at times of danger and persecution (56, 57,59, 63). The brief prefixes attached to these psalms indicate the specific situations into which David was thrown. Yet he was full of praise to God in every one of them.

3. The supernatural life rises above the natural biological law of self-preservation.

Self-preservation is the first law of the animal world. All living creatures do their best to preserve themselves. But the first law of grace is self-denial.

When Elisha healed the leprosy of Naaman, a great general of the Syrian army, he was presented with many precious gifts by Naaman. But Elisha refused them.

The prophet realized that his acceptance of the gifts would make Naaman feel he was healed because he was a famous general. Elisha wanted Naaman to know that though he was a great general he still needed the free grace of God.

Elisha had only one focus of attention and interest—the glory of God. This was the greatest passion in his life. He denied himself for the glory of God.

But his disciple, Gehazi, was not like that. He thought his master was a fool, and he sought after the gifts in secret and accepted them.

Later Elisha rebuked him and said, “ ‘Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or to accept menservants and maidservants?’” (2 Kings 5:26). Elisha’s implied answer to that question was, No, it is time to glorify God.

4. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of mathematics that one plus one is two.

The supernatural life demonstrates the spiritual law of multiplication by division. During a terrible three-and-a-half-year drought in Israel a widow at Zarephath became so impoverished she had only a little bit of flour and a small bottle of oil left. She planned to make a small loaf of bread for her son and herself and then wait for starvation.

But God sent Elijah to her. And she was willing to share that small morsel of food with him. Then a great miracle happened. That small morsel of food became sufficient for all the need of three of them for three-and-one-half years or for 1,277 days. So here is a strange mathematical equation: 1÷3 = 1,277.

We may also remember what the Lord did in feeding 5,000 persons with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The boy was willing to give all 7 things to Jesus. And as the result of that sharing a great multitude of people were fed. In this case, 7- 7=5,000.

Such supernatural mathematics can operate in our personal spiritual life. The Lord said, “ ‘ “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’”

The North Point Alliance Church in Hong Kong, which I pastored for 30 years, regularly has used three-quarters of its income for the Lord’s work outside the church. Yet God has greatly blessed that congregation financially, according to His promise.

5. The supernatural life rises above the natural physiological law that labor always results in fatigue.

Elijah had a supernatural experience in sharp contrast to this natural law. He was completely exhausted both in body and in spirit when he lay down under a juniper tree and out of sheer despair and fatigue asked God for death. God stretched forth His hand to prepare food and rest for him. And by the strength from God’s provision Elijah walked for 40 days and nights until he reached Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

Elijah’s experience is a glorious affirmation of the apostle Paul’s testimony: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:l0).

During a walk in the botanical gardens of Hong Kong I saw a huge stony pillar with ivy around it. Ivy is almost the weakest thing in the world, unable to stand on its own.

But as soon as it took hold of the strong pillar it became as strong as the pillar. Nothing could shake it, not even the typhoons that strike Hong Kong several times a year.

In the same way, as we lay hold of our Lord in faith His supernatural strength becomes our portion.

6. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of gravity.

In nature all things fall down. But Elisha was enabled by the power of God to perform the miracle of making an ax float on water.

It is a glorious fact that as years pass by thousands and thousands of Christians have been enabled by divine grace through faith to have a supernatural upward course in their spiritual life, instead of going down.

Psalm 92:12-14 says, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, . . . like acedar; /…planted in the house of the Lord, / they will flourish in the courts of our God. / They will hear fruit in old age, / they will stay fresh and green.”

There are at least four grand old men in the Bible who still flourished in their old age. There is Abraham, who reached the peak of his love for God probably at the age of 117, when he offered his only, beloved son to God.

Daniel at the probable age of 90 defied the Persian king for the sake of his faith, at the risk of his life, by praying to God three times a day as usual.

Paul near the end of his earthly journey said that he was still pressing on toward the goal that God had set for his life.

John was in his 90s when, shortly after his great suffering for the Lord on the Isle of Patmos, wrote three epistles which were filled with messages on love, joy and truth.

Yes, water always flows downward. But when it has become steam it rises up instead of going down. That is sublimation.

We tend naturally to go down. But when the Holy Spirit moves us to the supernatural plane of life, we rise up to a sustained, united life with Christ.

7. The supernatural life rises above the natural logic that things seen are real and things not seen are not real.

Over against natural logic, we have Paul’s statement, “What is seen is temporary, hut what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). The Christian life labors for things that have an eternal value. True faith means seeing the unseen (Hebrews 11:27).

When Elisha and his disciple were surrounded by enemies, the prophet prayed for that young man. The servant then saw chariots of fire around them. Elisha said to him, “ ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” Elisha saw the unseen hosts of God, and he had victory over the enemy.

Abraham had faith, and he hoped against hope. His hope was realized, and he was crowned as “the father of faith.” Yes, “we live by faith, not by sight.”