I finally got a new computer so hopefully I can keep this thing updated now. I just want to share with you some questions God's been challenging and encouraging me with for awhile now.
Where are the miracles? Why is there such a disconnect between what I read in the New Testament and what I see in my life? Jesus told the disciples in Mark 16:15-20:
"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 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.”
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
The account of the early church in Acts shows that miracles were commonplace. Believers saw the POWER of God in their lives daily, not just the power to forgive sins but the power to supernaturally change things in a physical, visible way. And they changed the world. In just a few short years, the church grew from a handful of disciples to millions of believers. The good news spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world, without the advantages of modern technology. No internet, no television, no radio, not even a printing press existed…yet in just 300 years Christianity became the offcial religion of the Roman Empire, covering the entire known world.
When I compare the early church to what I see in America, it breaks my heart. Why does the primary function of the church sometimes seem to be merely defending the Bible through apologetics and pointing out what is wrong with modern culture? Or why do our sermons tend to be either extremely dry and academic or extremely shallow and spineless? Why do we have to spend thousands of dollars on our buildings and services making Jesus attractive so people will come and keep coming?
On a personal level, why does the extent of my witnessing boil down to trying to live a cleaner life than the next guy and hoping someone notices? Why do I worry so much about how much sense my life makes to people who don't know Jesus? Why do my my prayers tend to be a request for barely more than I know I can accomplish on my own anyway? How is it that I can read "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you" and then settle for praying that my sick friend finds a good doctor?
Let me just say that I'm not trying to condemn or talk crap about anyone or any church here. God is doing some amazing things in my church and I know he's moving in many churches around the country. I'm a believer in modern technology and a huge fan in using the resources we've been given to make Jesus famous. I also realize the importance of digging into word and presenting it in a logical way.
My point is so much of how I operate is superficial and I think that's mirrored by a large part of the church in America. For awhile now I've had a growing sense of unease and dissatisfaction with type of life I've been living. I'm tired of seeing myself and others talk about a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe and then live like He's only an accessory. I'm tired of using God as a backup when things go wrong instead of the source of Life. I'm tired of copping out of what God wants to do through me by writing off tough situations and sickness and pain as "God's will."
I want to see miracles.
Over the last few years I've had the privilige to see God's miraculous provision several times. I've seen friends healed, lives changed, divine appointments, and financial needs met. I saw God give me a truck. I believe in the power of God. In the past six months I've learned more about God's will and my part in it than ever before. I'm still learning.
But I'm not there yet. Not where I want to be. I want to see the sick healed, blind eyes opened, deaf ears hearing. I want to see lives radically changed, starting with mine. I want to see the dead raised. And why not? Jesus said "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works (miracles) I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father."
If Jesus promised I would do greater works than even He did, why would I settle for less?
What would the church look like if we took Jesus at his word and did all the things we are meant to do? How many people's lives would be changed if we realized we have their miracles inside of us? Would we have to worry as much about appealing to pop culture if people at our churches were walking out of wheelchairs? Would we have to spend as much time constructing logical arguments to defend the Word if we could say with Jesus: "Do not believe me unless I do the works (miracles) of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
If even Jesus used miracles to show the power of God, why would we use anything less?
