MIRACLES
by David Sisler
Have you ever experienced a miracle in your life? "I am not sure," you say, "but I don't think so." Are you quite sure?
If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, could God produce a big enough miracle to make you believe? "I think He could," you say. Are you quite sure?
What is a miracle? A miracle is not something that violates the natural laws of man. A miracle is not something contrary to the natural laws of man. A miracle is God's power working above and beyond our comprehension of natural laws. A miracle to God is something quite natural. To us, it is quite unnatural.
What is the purpose of a miracle? The purpose of a miracle is not to convert people. The purpose of a miracle is not to prove any teaching or doctrine. A miracle is to attract attention to the one performing the miracle, so that his or her message might be heard. A miracle, by it's pattern, demonstrates whether the messenger is from heaven or from hell.
I remember watching the televised launch of the 25th shuttle mission following the shuttle Challenger explosion. The Challenger, the television commentator said, was the 24th shuttle mission, and so this was a significant milestone. It was so significant that not one of the three major networks broke away from their regular programming to show the launch live!
Perhaps you remember the excitement in 1961 when Alan Shepherd became the first American to rocket into space. A reporter for Associated Press who covered America's second manned space mission, the flight of Gus Grissom, said many in the crowd were hoping the rocket would explode on take off. They were bored. They wanted to see something new.
That is why, when the Challenger exploded, not one of the three major television networks was carrying a live broadcast. Space flight had become boring.
Jesus returned to His home territory of Galilee one day, back to the town where He performed His first miracle by turning water into wine. A rich man came to Jesus to get something he could not buy, the life of his son.
Evidently that request caught the attention of the crowd because Jesus turned to the assembled multitude and said, "If the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had seen just the few signs you have already seen, they would have already repented of their great wickedness. Unless you constantly see signs and miracles, you won't believe."
Jesus turned to the rich man and said, "Your son lives." He believed the words of Jesus and immediately started for home. On the way, he was met by servants who told him his son was well. When he asked how it had happened, they told him it coincided with the moment Jesus said, "Your son lives."
The response of the crowd? "Give us one more miracle and then we will believe."
Have Christians become as bored with Jesus as most Americans have with the space program? Have we become so used to God's mercy and God's goodness that we are like the crowd watching Gus Grissom's launch and thinking, "This would be a lot more exciting if the thing blew up? Show us something new!"
Maybe that is why deceptive additions are creeping into the Gospel message. These new teachings violate simple logic and twist the clear word of Scripture. And if you do not acquire these incredible blessings, you are told, "It is your fault you did not receive!"
But it's new. It's exciting. It's the Gospel equivalent of a space shuttle explosion.
And spiritually, just as deadly!
If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, could God produce a big enough miracle to make you believe? "I think He could," you say. Are you quite sure?
You see, the greatest miracle is not turning water into wine, or even walking on water, or even calming a storm on a large body of water, although it's easy--especially if you made the water. The greatest miracle of all is the forgiveness of your sins and mine. And that is strictly by faith.
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Published in the Augusta Chronicle 3/19/94
Copyright 1994 by David Sisler
Your comment is welcome. Write to me at: n4so@hotmail.com