Miracles
20.06.08 14:25 Filed in: Life
There is almost an infatuation in many of our
churches with miracles. Now, I want to say that
there is nothing wrong with that. God is a God
of miracles and I believe they are as much for today
as they were hundreds and thousands of years ago.
I have been reading the book of Matthew with a
new Scripture Project called
The
Voice. (It's
pretty awesome I recommend checking it out.)
In Matthew Chapter 4 Lauren Winner gives a commentary that I thought was pretty good. "Jesus doesn't work miracles out of the blue, for no reason, for proof or spectacle. He works them in intimate, close places; He works them to meet people's needs and to show them the way of the Kingdom."
I have to be honest, I have always been uncomfortable with the traveling evangelist healer. Not for the reason many people would probably think. (Yes there are pre-madonnas who care more about the spotlight and bowls full of green M&M's. But most evangelists are really down to earth, they're anointed men and women who are plain and simply being used of God.) I have always been uncomfortable because thousands of people would show up to see a healer but they would never stay in the church.
Then I read this: Matthew 4:25 "Large crowds from Galilee, from Jerusalem, from the ten cities called the Decapolis, from Judea, and from the region across the Jordan--these cripples and demonized and ill and paralytics came to Jesus, and He healed them, and they followed Him.
Did you catch that last line?? Many people have a real encounter with Jesus and continue to follow the man of God instead of the Son of God. The Son of God is coming for his church... Maybe you're not following some evangelist healer but I want to ask you, WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?? If you say it's Jesus, are you plugged into a local church? If not maybe you should really think about who you're following... Jesus is coming for his church.
In Matthew Chapter 4 Lauren Winner gives a commentary that I thought was pretty good. "Jesus doesn't work miracles out of the blue, for no reason, for proof or spectacle. He works them in intimate, close places; He works them to meet people's needs and to show them the way of the Kingdom."
I have to be honest, I have always been uncomfortable with the traveling evangelist healer. Not for the reason many people would probably think. (Yes there are pre-madonnas who care more about the spotlight and bowls full of green M&M's. But most evangelists are really down to earth, they're anointed men and women who are plain and simply being used of God.) I have always been uncomfortable because thousands of people would show up to see a healer but they would never stay in the church.
Then I read this: Matthew 4:25 "Large crowds from Galilee, from Jerusalem, from the ten cities called the Decapolis, from Judea, and from the region across the Jordan--these cripples and demonized and ill and paralytics came to Jesus, and He healed them, and they followed Him.
Did you catch that last line?? Many people have a real encounter with Jesus and continue to follow the man of God instead of the Son of God. The Son of God is coming for his church... Maybe you're not following some evangelist healer but I want to ask you, WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?? If you say it's Jesus, are you plugged into a local church? If not maybe you should really think about who you're following... Jesus is coming for his church.
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