The Naaman Syndrome

The Naaman Syndrome

2 Kings 5:1

Here we have the portrait of an amazing man. A man who before others was powerful, brave, courageous. This man achieved an enviable reputation as the public saw him.
Naaman's problem was not who he was in public, but who he was at home. He was a hero to all others who saw him, but at home he was a leper.
His family knew the reality behind the courage, the respect. They knew that if he took off the clothes of fame, he was a leper.

Today, how many are in the same situation as Naaman? To others they appear to be one thing, but at home they are another.
I am not talking to the ungodly, I’m talking to those within the church, who like to keep up an appearance before their brethren. They like the spotlight, fame and applause. They like to be praised in front of others. But what they show to others is not consistent with what is shown at home.

No wonder Jesus calls this type of person a Hypocrite. For such a person presents himself as being something which he really is not.
They honor with their lips, but their life is far removed. They move the world to help a stranger, but they don't lift a finger to help their family.
They are eager to help their brother take the speck out of his eye, but they can't get the log out of their own eye.

How many today are lepers in their own lives?
How many young people are trapped in their rooms, in pornography, masturbation...?
On Saturday they commit these sins, but on Sunday they get up to sing or preach.
How many men have mistreated their wives, acting as if she was not the weaker vessel, and say they don't have time to deal with the problem, or they can't... and the next day they are advising another couple how to fix their marriage.

No one can give something they don't have.
Nobody can give help if they themselves need to be helped.

Even today there are modern "Naamans".

How can we find deliverance? 2 Kings 5:10-14

Practice the Word! Not half of the Word, but the whole Word. Naaman was healed because he obeyed.
Start reading the Word and obeying the Word of God.
Live the Word in public and at home. Repent of being a modern Naaman.
Dive into the Jordan of the Bible and the leprosy will leave you.

Filipe,
you wrote "No one can give something they don't have”

Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk

What did Peter have that he gave this man ?

ello Fletcher.

We can see a few things:
1) Peter had neither silver nor gold (money)
"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none..." Acts 3:6a
2) Peter had something to give that man (much better than money)
"...but such as I have give I thee:..."Acts 3:6b

Peter had that power because Jesus had given it to him.
In Matthew 10:1 it says "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease"

Of course, Peter says in Acts 3:12:
"And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk"?

But the idea is that this power he had, does not come from him, but from Jesus who gave it to him.

Although 2Corinthians: 8:12 is in another context, here we have an interesting principle:

"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

The principle of giving what we have and not what we don't have.

You wrote,
" But the idea is that this power he had, does not come from him, but from Jesus who gave it to him."

this power,.. how would you define what you’re referencing ?

You wrote,
"The principle of giving what we have and not what we don't have”
What do you see that Jesus most desires we give ?

Well, the Greek term conveys the idea of authority.
Some passages which use this same word:

Matthew 9:6 "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins"...
This word is the same one used for power/authority.

The word power or authority conveys the idea of being over something.
A judge has power/authority over a criminal.
If someone commits a murder that Judge has the authority to send him to jail, as much as the criminal does not want to.

So it was with the disciples, Jesus gave them this power/authority.

Biblically, the most important thing to give is not signs or the gifts of the Spirit, but fruit.
It is possible for a person to have signs but still go to hell, as we see in Matthew 7:21-23

In John 15:8 it says:
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

In Matthew 7:19-20 it says:
"Every thee that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them"

The fruits show what kind of tree it is.
Therefore our salvation is entirely connected with the fruits we bear.

Amen Brother
Your posts seems like a breath of fresh air.
Blessings

Filipe,
You wrote, " So it was with the disciples, Jesus gave them this power/authority.”

Do you find that Jesus still gives this power/authority to disciples today?

Love, joy, peace, kindness, tenderness, thankfulness, faithfulness, patience and self-control....
which of these did Peter give the lame man that made him whole?

Hi J Kruger.
Thanks for the encouragement, all glory to the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Please include me in your prayers, I need God so much, also include my country, so that it is reached by the Lord.
Blessings

Yes, we can observe in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
"4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And There are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestations of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to Another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another diverse kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."

The Gifts are now distributed by the Holy Spirit who distributes as He sees fit.

Jesus said in John 14:16
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever"

Jesus would leave this world, but He would send another Comforter to stay with us.
Some things we can observe about this Comforter:
a) He is the Holy Spirit John 14:26
b) He will teach all things and bring to mind what Jesus said John 14:26
c) He guides into all truth John 16:13
d) He convicts the world of Sin, Righteousness and Judgment John 16:8
e) He distributes the gifts as he wishes among the faithful. I Corinthians 12:11

When Jesus was with the Disciples, He Himself gave this power to his apostles, but after His departure it is the Holy Spirit who gives it to us. (as He wants)

Regarding the Fruit, Peter did not bear any fruit to the lame, only an external healing. When a person receives an external healing, he is not internally healed.
Many were healed by Jesus, but they did not follow Him or recognize Him as the Savior.

No one is able to bear fruit in another person.
Galatians 5:22
"But the fruit of the Spirit..."

The fruit is His. He in us produces this fruit.

Peter healed him physically, to point to another who could heal him spiritually.
In Acts 3:12
"And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?"

and in verse 19 it says:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

The main point is not how many gifts one has, but whether it is possible to see the fruit in his life.
Whoever has the fruit has the Spirit, but he who has the gift does not always have the Spirit.

"The main point is not how many gifts one has, but whether it is possible to see the fruit in his life.
Whoever has the fruit has the Spirit, but he who has the gift does not always have the Spirit.”

The gifts of the Spirit are distributed to the Body according to the Will of God. Brother Pilipe, you are right that there can be gifts in operation with no fruit, but this is very dangerous for the Body of Christ, and the one operating in the gifts.

Hi brother Mike,
I agree with you, this would be completely disastrous for the church, people with gifts/signs but no fruit.
I wonder what a catastrophe it would be if Simon Magus had access to the gifts the apostles had in Acts 8:9-24.

We can never forget what our Lord said to us:
Matthew 24:24
"For There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shell great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect"

When God asked Moses to turn the staff into a serpent, the wise men and sorcerers were able to do that too (Exodus 7:8-12)

So we are not deceived when we see great signs and wonders. What really matters are the fruits in life.
Matthew 7:15-16
"15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

Filipe,
You wrote " Regarding the Fruit, Peter did not bear any fruit to the lame, only an external healing. When a person receives an external healing, he is not internally healed.
Many were healed by Jesus, but they did not follow Him or recognize Him as the Savior.
Many were healed by Jesus, but they did not follow Him or recognize Him as the Savior.”

How do you see, "in the name of Jesus Christ” functioning as relating to the use of the gifts and/or authority?

Felipe wrote:
//Many were healed by Jesus, but they did not follow Him or recognize Him as the Savior//

Then why did He heal them?

Luke 4:17

"And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

2Kings 5:1

"Now, Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper."

2 Kings 5:12-15

"Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel;"

Naaman was a Syrian, but as written in the bible, he was someone who had been greatly favored by God. He was an example of one who had shown trust in the God of Israel better than God's own people.

Matt 9:1-7

"Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed... He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!”

But Jesus..."Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?..."

To command and actually make a paralytic walk is simply out of this world phenomenon and incomparably different from just saying words of forgiveness. It is an awesome proof of divinity of the Lord Jesus.

Christian character I guess, can also be pretended or contrived, and many among the followers of christian churches exhibits more uncharitable behavior than unbelievers.

We can see in the Gospel of John 20:30-31 that the purpose of Jesus' healings was for people to believe

"30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; God and that believing ye might have life through his name"

However, we can observe other points about the signs Jesus did:

- Compassion - Matthew 14:14
"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick"

- Making an analogy:
In John 6:1-14 Jesus multiplies the loaves, but the application is in verse 35
"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life..."
In John 11 Jesus Raises Lazarus, but the application is in verse 25
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"

Seeing the signs is no guarantee that they would believe in Jesus, and He explains why:
John 10:25-27
"25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that i do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as i said unto you 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me: "

"So we are not deceived when we see great signs and wonders. What really matters are the fruits in life."

We should never seek after the gifts of the Spirit and neglect the fruit of the Spirit, but both gifts and fruit are needed for us individually and corporately. The Cessationist does not have a leg to stand on scripturally.

A believer in Jesus Christ does not have to have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and operate in the gifts to be saved, but without the power from on high we will not be effective in our ministry, and every believer has been given gifts for the building up of the Body of Christ.

These spiritual gifts are not for us to make some kind of a show, but are for the building up of the Body of Christ. All of the gifts of the Spirit are to be operated in the love of God.

A believer that moves in a true gift of prophesy but has not allowed Jesus to be Lord of their lives can end up using this gift for self promotion, and end up making shipwreck of not only their lives but the lives of Christians that are giving heed to their prophetic words.

We should not as many denominations have done to pick and choose what we like in the Word. We should embrace the Apostles doctrine, and be obedient to all of the Word of God, the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit, to build up the Church of God in love.

We can see that Jesus has Power/Authority

In Matthew 28:18
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth"

In Philippians 2:9-10
"9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth"

We can see that the name of Jesus is above all others, in heaven, on earth and under the earth.

You've been asking me a lot of questions, but now it's my turn to ask:

If the name of Jesus has power/authority why in Acts 19:13-16 did those men call on the name of Jesus to cast out the evil spirits, but they didn't come out?

Filipe,
You wrote,
"If the name of Jesus has power/authority why in Acts 19:13-16 did those men call on the name of Jesus to cast out the evil spirits, but they didn't come out?”

it is as you say,... they can’t give what they don’t have and they had not received from Jesus.

Which is equivalent to saying they do not have the seal of the Holy Spirit and were vainly using the name of Christ as incantation formula.

2Cor 12:12

"Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds."

That was for the testimony and glory of God, not for fame, fortune, perpetuation of their names, nor establishment of an ecclesiastical empire,

"That was for the testimony and glory of God, not for fame, fortune, perpetuation of their names, nor establishment of an ecclesiastical empire," Good points

When Jesus reinstated Peter He asked him 3 times
"Simon son of John, do you love Me?”
This is still the key question today.
The question is not if we know all the right theology and have all the gifts etc so that "we" can do mighty works .

To the church in Ephesus he said:…
Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. 5Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first.
Soon afterwards those churches disappeared! They didn't fall because they lacked the gifts, they fell because they lacked the first love

Another key verse is Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
This is also something we are lacking today!