We are kicking off January as Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Awareness Month. Hat tip to Vincent Cheung for nailing that label and pushing this idea forward. Look, we’ve got churches full of folks tiptoeing around miracles like they’re handling nitroglycerin, but Jesus didn’t mince words on this. Blasphemy against the Spirit isn’t some dusty relic from the Pharisees’ playbook; it’s a live wire humming in modern pews, zapping faith before it sparks.

A lot of so-called theology out there is just dressed-up unbelief, whispering that healing and power are “not for today.” That’s not piety—it’s soul damning peril.

First off, Jesus didn’t just waltz into ministry with a sermon and a smile; He launched it by claiming Isaiah’s prophecy as His own blueprint. Flip to Luke 4, where He stands in the synagogue, unrolls the scroll to Isaiah 61, and reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then He rolls it up, sits down, and drops the mic: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Boom. The Spirit’s anointing wasn’t for show— it was for action. Healing, healing, healing, and preaching gospel to the broke and poor. Isaiah paints a picture of liberation from demonic oppression, sickness, and poverty, all under the Spirit’s power. Jesus embodied that, storming Satan’s kingdom like a one-man demolition crew. Demons shrieked, bodies mended, and the poor got the VIP treatment in God’s favor. This wasn’t optional flair; it was the core of His mission, fueled by the Spirit to crush the devil’s works. If you’re sidelining miracles today, you’re editing Jesus’ job description—and that’s not faith, that’s demonic vandalism.

Now, fast-forward to Mark 1, Jesus wastes no time showing what Spirit-empowered ministry looks like in action. What miracle does Mark show Jesus starting out with? Casting out a demon in His own house. Not out in the pagan wilds, but right in the synagogue—His own house, the heart of Jewish worship. A man with an unclean spirit cries out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus shuts him down: “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The demon convulses the guy and bolts with a shriek. The crowd’s buzzing: “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” Notice the venue: not a Roman temple or a Samaritan street, but the synagogue. Demons weren’t just lurking in heathen lands; they were comfy in God’s house, oppressing His people with torment and bondage. Mark makes a point to show Jesus starting His miracle spree by evicting the kingdom of demons out of His Father’s house. It’s a stark reminder—the kingdom of darkness doesn’t respect sacred spaces; it infiltrates them. And Jesus, anointed by the Spirit, confronts it head-on, freeing folks from pain and possession. If your church is demon-free but miracle-starved, ask why. Maybe the Spirit’s flow got dammed up by doubt. Maybe there are more demon filled people in the pews and Spirit filed ones, including your pastor. Jesus didn’t start with outsiders; He cleaned house first, because oppression in the family of God is an affront to His Father’s love.

That house-cleaning didn’t sit well, though, and by Mark 3, the resistance boils over into outright confrontation—from Jesus’ own kin and the religious elite. His family hears the crowds and buzz, thinks He’s lost it, and shows up to “take charge of him,” saying, “He is out of his mind.” But here’s the kicker—Mark slips in that Jesus was furious. In verse 5, amid healing a man’s shriveled hand on the Sabbath, He looks around at their stubborn hearts “in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.” The Greek word for anger there is “orge,” raw fury at their hardness. His own people, resisting the Spirit’s breakthrough, opposing the liberation He’d come to bring. They saw demons fleeing, bodies healing, and instead of rejoicing, they resisted God’s love and power. Sound familiar? Jesus got mad because this wasn’t just bad theology—it was blocking freedom for the oppressed. The Spirit’s anointing was for healing and deliverance, yet His own house pushed back, preferring tradition over transformation. If you’re in a camp that slows the miracle flow, you’re not just missing out; you’re mirroring that resistance, and Jesus’ anger at stubborn hearts hasn’t cooled.

Jesus doesn’t back down from that pushback; in Matthew 12, He goes on the offensive, turning the tables and issuing a chilling warning that cuts to the core of this sin. It starts with a bang: Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who’s blind and mute—bam, the guy sees and speaks. The crowd’s electric: “Could this be the Son of David?” But the Pharisees, those gatekeepers of unbelief, sneer, “It’s only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus dismantles their nonsense: divided kingdoms fall; if Satan’s evicting his own, he’s toast. Then He clarifies: “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Boom—He attributes the power not to Himself, but to the Spirit. The Pharisees thought they were jabbing at Jesus, but since it was the Spirit at work, their words landed on Him. They saw undeniable divine power smashing demonic oppression—sickness, blindness, muteness—and credited it to Satan. That’s not a slip-up; that’s an idle word of unbelief slung at the face of the Spirit’s healing ministry.

And that’s when Jesus drops the hammer: “Every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Why the Spirit specifically? Context screams it’s tied to miracles and healing. Jesus didn’t nuke them for botched tithing or weak preaching; it was their direct assault on the Spirit-powered healing right in front of them. They witnessed liberation from pain and bondage—the very mandate from Isaiah—and called it demonic. That’s blasphemy: attributing the Holy Spirit’s work to evil. And Jesus ties it to gathering or scattering: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” No middle ground. Lazy on miracles? You’re actively opposing Him, hand-in-hand with demons without realizing it. The Spirit’s anointing was for healing those in pain and good news to the poor; resist that, and you’re walking on unforgivable turf.

Fast-forward to today, and the church is riddled with this sin dressed up in Sunday best. Folks dismiss miracles as “not for now” or hedge with “if it’s God’s will,” attributing the Spirit’s healing ministry power to Satan’s playbook or human hype. That’s blasphemy in piety’s clothing, folks. And get this: Even careless words count. Matthew 12:36-37 says we’ll give account for every idle word—by your words you’re justified or condemned. Speak against the Spirit’s healing ministry? You’re playing with eternal fire.

Look at 1 Corinthians 12-14. Paul corrects abuses in the gifts—selfish showmanship, disorder—but does he shut it down? No way. He urges more: “Earnestly desire the greater gifts,” “do not forbid speaking in tongues,” pursue love and eagerness for spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. He didn’t cross into blasphemy by telling them to slow down or stop. Instead, he pushed for more Spirit-empowered ministry, done right with love and not self-seeking. The line? Criticize selfish abuse, sure, but never hint at less healing, less miracles, less tongues, less prophecy. If only an idle word touches the Spirit you are eternally dammed, which is why if a cessationist tries to do what Paul did, they will likely commit the unforgivable sin. If someone even whispers, “dial it back,” get very suspicious; a whole bunch of red flags should be popping up in your mind. They are likely channelling demons without knowing it. It might already be too late for them.

Bottom line: Rally behind miracle ministry like your soul depends on it—because it does. Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead; it’s gospel in motion, or at least charge in faith till it happens. Jesus promises: seek, and you’ll find. Neutral on this? Jesus brands you an enemy. You’re unwittingly teaming with demons, holding their hand in the dark.

But as for us? We’ll stoke the fire in ourselves and others for more Spirit-powered healing and miracles. No other reality exists. No other God but this One. It’s the path of health, freedom, liberation. Why settle for shadows when the light’s blazing? Let’s make this awareness month count—expose the blasphemy, embrace the power, and watch Satan’s kingdom crumble.