People saw Jesus and his miracles, but didn’t follow him. I wonder whether I would have. We’re very good at coming up with alternative explanations to justify unbelief and just keep on going as if nothing really happened. I remember one person who was prayed for at a meeting and experienced a significant healing, quite amazing – but didn’t want to know Jesus at all afterward; no interest in God – she just wanted healing, not the Healer.
The disciples recognised the miracles as ‘Signs’ – that’s what the apostle John called them. You know what signs do? They point beyond themselves – to something or perhaps to someone.
If I’m going to meet someone in another city and I see a sign pointing to that city I don’t get out and hug the sign – I follow it and it helps me get to the person (and I hug them because I’m a huggy kind of bloke).
I’m praying for signs. I’m praying for signs and wonders and miracles today because I believe Jesus is alive and still does them. Sometimes the signs are healing, sometimes they’re transformation from a broken life to a whole one. Sometimes it’s an addiction broken, or a hard heart softened. I’m praying for him to do that kind of sign here in Manchester – if you want to pray that to go to 1millionhours.com to sign up.
In John 2 we read about Jesus’ first ‘sign.’ It says when those closest to him saw the sign they followed it to its logical conclusion; ‘they put their faith in him.’
Yes, people often say if God would only “prove” He exists they’d believe in Him. Well, look at the Israelites wandering the desert! They had the pillar of fire, the pillar of smoke, lightning around Mt. Sinai, daily manna, quail, water, miraculous parting of the Red Sea, plagues that stopped and started on God’s command and Moses’ intercession… and they STILL didn’t believe!
Today I think God could show His face in the clouds and yell “I am here!” and there would be write ups in the papers about the “mass hallucination” that occurred.
Why is the onus always on Christians to prove God’s existence, and not on unbelievers to prove that He *doesn’t* exist? Anyhoo, I’m rambling. Loved your post.
As I was watching the Rowan Atkinson video, I caught myself laughing and I immediately felt convicted by the Holy Spirit. I felt the spirit of God speaking right into my heart and saying: “You cannot declare to the world that your God is Holy; that your Lord is without sin, and then be a partaker in the laughter and the mockery that such a parody of my son Jesus Christ, provokes. When your actions and the attitudes you harvest in your heart contradict what you declare with your lips, your testimony becomes completely ineffective.” It hit me like a double-edged sword.
I felt convicted because God is Holy and by laughing along with thousands of others at a video which clearly mocks and puts into question the Divine Nature of our Lord, I am not giving Jesus the veneration, respect and utter devotion that He deserves.
Perhaps the explanation behind the lack of miracles, signs and wonders amongst the Western Church lies in this very contradiction between our words and our deeds; our complete and utter lack of understanding of what a “Holy God” means and how he must be treated.
In love and in prayer,
Ransom33 @ http://www.ransom33.wordpress.com
Okay if it’s unhelpful to you i completely apologise – don’t want to put any stumbling block in anyone’s way. I am editing the post now.