She (Mary Magdalene) went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either (Mark 16:10-13).

Who were these that "refused to believe" that Jesus was risen and even after further testimony by those in their own number "did not believe". They were none other than Jesus' very own disciples. I am reminded of Jesus' words to Philip, 

Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? (John 14:9)

And when the disciples finally saw with their own eyes that Jesus was risen, we are told that "He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart" (Mark 16:14).

The disciples lived with Jesus during the three years of His ministry. They saw Him give sight to the blind, raise the dead, feed five thousand men with only a few pieces of bread and fish, walk on the water, and instantly calm a raging storm with a word. They were amazed by His wisdom and authority to interpret and apply the Scriptures. They understood that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Everything He predicted had thus far come true. 

Yet, they refused to believe that He rose from the dead, even though before He died He repeatedly told them that this would happen.

Now, don't miss this. If Jesus' closest followers, who saw Him, heard Him, and knew Him better than anyone, did not believe, what makes you and I think that we are so much better? Those that think that Jesus' disciples believed in Jesus of their own free will, apart from God's supernatural enablement, are badly mistaken and stubbornly proud. Jesus had to open the minds of the disciples, so that they could understand and believe:

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

Likewise, you and I did not believe on our own. God opened our minds to believe. He enlightened our hearts so that we might believe and be saved (cf. Ephesians 1:18; John 3:3). Therefore, there is no place for boasting, not even in our faith, for it too, as with all of salvation, was given to us by grace (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). As the Scriptures also teach,

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Mark 16:14 resonnated with me today.  It's probably because amongst believers I have seen what I believe is an entrenchment of years, decades and even centuries of teaching.  Most of this is solid biblical teaching, however, over time (and we may be talking the centuries moreso than the years), there appears to be a complacency in this teaching.   When we as Christians start believing and teaching what has been passed down generation after generation, we can easily accept things that are not necessarily true simply because of traditions and even the source.  Man's stubbornness is a form of pride - the opposite of humility.

Why did the 11 refuse to believe?  I don't believe it was because they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah or specifically that he couldn't possibly rise from the dead.  I believe these men were still wallowing in their wrong understand of how Jesus was going to fulfill prohecy as the Savior of the Jews.  Wrong understanding today is a roadblock for many.  I believe Jesus rebuked them because they were stuck in their arrogance that it didn't happen the way they believed it was suppose to happen.

Yesterday I was listening to a webinar on the validity of expert witness testimony.  One researcher, Sir Frederic Charles Bartlett, conducted an experiment on our cognitive memory process.  His experiment was one that focused on one's ability to recall specific facts and how over time the accuracy of the recall diminished.  But what was interesting about this experiment is what the recall became.  In general, over time certain facts were omitted and the recall was transformed into more familiar forms.  Our brain is a funny thing.  We do not know all there is to know about it but we rely upon it so much.

 As a body of Christ we should always be predispositioned to increasing our understanding of the Bible.  In other words we should be open-minded to God's word everyday.  Even though one may have deep convictions to what God's word means, we should all be open (i.e. humble) to the possibility that our understanding may be wrong.  In doing so, it will allow us to testify to His amazing grace because he provided the increase.  I believe this is one of the things God desires from all believers.  Whether we are sitting in the classroom or pews or whether we are leading the class or congregation, we should all be seeking like the noble Berean Jews (Acts 17:11).  I remember learning that on a scale of 1-10 we as Bible readers know very little of the vast knowledge of God.  I believe this is not just a fact but intentional.  One thought that comes to mind is that the more one knows, the more that person should realize that they don't know as much as they think they do.  This very experience would open the door to the humility of considering just exactly what God's word says to begin with.  Taken in the proper dose this approach can lead to even more revelation, so to speak.

When we stop seeking God in this way we become subject to wrong interpretation, potentially wrong teaching of others and unedifying fellowship with others.  I strongly encourage anyone that reads this to consider the possibility that this simple act of humility can unify a body rather than divide.  God honors and rewards the daily seeking of His truth.

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.

There is too much attention being placed on "I'm right, you are wrong." type of mentality.  As a brother reminded me, that is why we have so many denominations within Christianity.  Yes, some are called to be teachers but we are all called to be learners and doers - especially the teachers.  Don't stop learning.

As I have been made aware of various conflicts within the church, I have personally been drawn to Micah 6:8 for my own walk:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

There is no humility in calling another evil.  There is no humility in rebuking an elder.  There is no humility in being closed-minded about God's word.  I believe focusing on the plank rather than the speck is in order.  Reaching unity in the faith is a life work completed by Jesus at our death but the goal of getting there is ours.  May we all focus on the great importance of being open to knowing God's word more as we pray for each other and walk humbly with our God.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well" (Mark 16:17-18).

Today, snake handlers and poison drinkers have largely been marginalized and rejected by the evangelical community. And rightly so, because they have misapplied verses like this one in Mark to mean that these first century signs have continued to this day. These kinds of miraculous signs were prevalent in the early church, as the Book of Acts, attests, for they were given to authenticate the ministry of the apostles.

Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:20).

This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:3-4).

Paul even cites these very signs as authenticating his out-of-order apostleship:

I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12).

But there are no more apostles today. And there are no more prophets today. These were only for the foundation of the church:

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20).

Yet, today, while many neo-charismatics would reject snake-handling and poison-drinking outright - after all, this is risky and dangerous - yet, they accept other manifestations like speaking in tongues and healing. There seems to be some selective sign-picking here. 

I would contend that those that claim signs today should show the real miracle in them. If they speak in tongues, let it be shown that these are real languages that were never learned. That's a miracle. Not simply a repetition of "hallelujah" or "lalala" or some other repeated gibberish, which linguistic analysts have already proven is what goes on in contemporary tongues-speaking assemblies. If they heal, let it be shown that these are real healings and not simply a sore back, a chronic headache, ulcers, a "seemingly" uneven limb, or some other psychosomatic malady. Show a group of people in wheelchairs suddenly walking. Show the blind seeing. Show the deaf hearing. And don't simply argue that these things occurred in some remote region of Africa or the Philippines and that is why they cannot be documented. If they have the gift of prophecy, don't simply speak a word of encouragement or "sound" prophetic with generic dreams and visions that could be interpreted any which way. Don't shy away from making definite predictions, although this is exactly what Mike Bickle has recently advised his "prophets" not to do after getting in hot water with many failed prophecies. Make them boldly and stake your lives, or at least your prophetic careers, on them, unless you think that the words "Thus saith the LORD" is something to be treated lightly.

I think one of the greatest threats to the doctrinal purity of the church today is the regular trips made by members and leaders to a place called IHOP, where the Kansas City prophets, as part of a neo-charismatic apostolic movement, led by Mike Bickle, are converting thousands to their misguided understanding of Scripture. In the guise of prayer and praise, a feeling of "genuine" worship, they are making visitors more open to their unorthodox teachings and practices.

Consider just a few sites that provide information about the dangers of IHOP. You won't find this on their website or their doctrinal statement or through a cursory visit there. 

Apologetic: http://carm.org/ihop

Testimony: http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2011/06/former-ihop-member-explains-why-ihop.html 

Another Testimony: http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/testimony-of-a-former-ihop-kc-attendee-stephanie/

Biblical: http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue107.htm

A Charismatic Leader's Perspective: http://discernmentministriesinternational.wordpress.com/tag/charismatic-issues-2/

A Blog that deals with heretical movements, including Emergent Theology, Rob Bell, and IHOP:
http://davemosher.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/ihops-dangerous-heretical-teachings-entering-efc-er-via-muhop/ 

There are links within these sites to numerous other testimonies against IHOP and apologetic condemnations of Bickle. Here's a recent book on the subject: Wandering Stars by Keith Gibson (Published on December 2011).

The most dangerous aspect of IHOP is that there is truth mixed with falsehood. It also has some notable endorsements, albeit, by some who are also subject to criticism for their departure from orthodoxy: Jack Hayford (Pentacostal founder of King's College), Bill Bright (Campus Crusade), Loren Cunningham (YWAM), and C. Peter Wagner (New Apostolic Reformation & a member of Fuller Seminary). Now, just as a disclaimer, these endorsements do not mean that they endorse everything IHOP and Bickle represent and teach. Also, too much should not be made of endorsements, for even people like Rob Bell, who denies a literal hell and teaches a kind of universalism in salvation, have some notable endorsements.

Several people have encouraged me to go to IHOP to see that it is a good ministry. But I have heard the messages of its leaders and read their writings. Isn't that more significant than participating in a prayer meeting. Would I know Islam is false by participating in a Muslim prayer ceremony? A pastor once told me that I had to speak in tongues before I could critique tongues. Does this even sound reasonable? When I studied Hinduism in my World Religions class, I learned that they try to make you say "Hari Krishna" three times, because they believed that once you do, you would become a Hindu yourself. I hope this pastor did not have the same idea. 

Friends, Jesus warned that there will be many false prophets in the last days. They will even seem to perform miraculous signs, so that even the elect might get deceived (Matthew 24:24). It is a wonder that we have to go to this or that special place for prayer, healing or prophecy. Isn't it sufficient that we study God's Word and pray within the context of God's local church? Shouldn't this be sufficient? Aren't we being more like the "wicked and adulterous generation" when we seek after more signs? Haven't we received enough of them in the record of Scripture? I fear that while Jesus commanded, "Watch and pray," the people who go to IHOP are praying without watching. Their zeal for God is overshadowed by a lack of alertness to truth being compromised. 

Friends, we read in Mark 15:38, "Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." What is this veil? What does it mean that it was torn in two? What signficance is it that it was torn starting from the top?

This is where a knowledge of the Old Testament becomes critical. There you will learn that when God delivered His people out of Egyptian bondage to make them a nation after His own Name, He promised to dwell with them forever. And until they came into the Land of Promise, He commanded that they build for Him a tabernacle (i.e. a large tent), where individuals could come to worship the LORD. It was in the form of a tabernacle because they were constantly on the move. When they were established in the Land of Promise, this tabernacle would be replaced by a more permenant temple. The superstructure of both the tabernacle and temple was the same. There were three primary sections: (1) the outer court, (2) the holy place, (3) the holiest place ("holy of holies"). While every Jew was permitted in the outer court, only the priests could enter the holy place, and only the High Priest could enter the holiest place, and that just once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). As one proceeded from the outer court to the holiest place, one was coming nearer to the presence of God.

The entrance to the holiest place was covered with a thick veil, which separated it from the holy place. Only the high priest could enter the holiest place. And even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins. Anything amiss could mean the death of the high priest (Leviticus 16:2). In Numbers 4:15-20 we discover that touching, improperly approaching, or even looking at any of the holy things within the veil could mean instant death.

The veil separated the common from the holy, sinful man from a holy God. Only the blood sacrifice brought in by the high priest once a year could bridge that gap. And only temporarily. It had to be performed every year. However, when Christ Jesus died, we are told that the veil was torn, which means the separation between God and man was removed. The fact that it was torn from top to bottom may represent the activity of God (above) on behalf of people (below). We did not initiate this new-found communion with God. God initiated it Himself. And when Christ died, it was His own blood that was offered and not the blood of animals, which was what the high priests brought in the OT. Also, when Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice, it would be once for all and for always, unlike the yearly ritual of the high priest.

So we read in Hebrews 9:11-15

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come,with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

And by this one sacrifice, all of us can now boldly come before God through Christ (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus has removed the veil that separates us from God. In a sense, He Himself has become that veil, and through Him, since He lives within us who believe, we have direct access to God the Father.

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:9-25).

Friends, as this Scripture commands, (1) let us draw near to God with the confidence that we have through Christ Jesus, (2) let us hold fast our hope that God will accomplish our salvation for us in due time, and (3) let us consider how we might spur each other toward love and good deeds, even as we see the day of our gatherng together to Christ approaching. This is not simply theological truth but also practical instruction. On the basis of what Christ has accomplished for us as our High Priest, we are called to boldy trust and diligently obey Him with our lives.