All This Stuff
The Miracle of Salvation
Some people might argue today, "If Christianity is the correct religion, then why doesn't God make it obvious through miracles as mentioned in the Bible?" Well, first, I think it's important to address the definition of a miracle.
If a person prays for a car and gets one, he'd better say thank you! Now some people might argue, "Well, he would have gotten that car regardless of his prayer!" How do you know that? Now let's make the scenario more exciting! Let's say you have a car, and it breaks down. The next day you have work! And for whatever reason.. If you're not there 7 A.M. sharp you're fired! So you pray to the Lord the night before. "Please fix my car!" you beg. You sulk a little bit and lose some sleep over it before eventually falling asleep. The next day you wake up at 6:30 A.M., a little later than usual since you've lost so much sleep over the whole thing, to the sound of your phone ringing. You pick up and it's your work! Your boss tells you that you've been promoted, and that you officially start next week! Is that a miracle yet? The Lord will often "one up" prayers. In that example, not only did you get extra time to figure out your transportation dilemma, you got promoted! What if we change the morning scenario a little bit? You wake up at 6 A.M. and get ready for work (daily morning routine of eating, showering etc.). Let's just say you're an extraordinary man/woman of faith! Try to stay with me here! Ha ha. So then you hop into your car and say, "Please fix my car!" You turn your key and........nothing happens. "Why have you forsaken me!" You might think as your faith is shattered. Then you sulk with your head on the steering wheel for about five minutes. Suddenly you see a car park in front of your house. A man steps out and says, "Hey I'm running a little late for work. Can you help me out?" You think to yourself, "Alas! I am defeated! But I should still help this man. 'Do unto others'! That's right!" So it turns out that all he needed was your garden hose, and his car is fine in about ten minutes. Then you realize that the man is wearing a uniform from the coffee shop across from your work! "Hey, do you mind if I get a ride from you? My car is actually dead broken, and my work is across from yours." And he says yes! Is that a miracle? Now suppose you woke up that morning and you didn't get ready for work. Instead, you thought, "My car isn't fixed! Who am I kidding? I'm not even going to try to start it. Why risk the disappointment?" So you lay in your bed all morning sulking. The man with the car problem simply asks your next door neighbor for water and is good to go for himself. (Let's say your neighbor hates you for some silly reason. Or, better yet, let's say, for whatever reason, he has no car. It's just an example! For the sake of it, let's just say your neighbors can't take you to work for one reason or another.) You're fired! Now if you say to the Lord, "I want a brand new car to fall out of the sky!" Well, I think you've been watching too many movies! Greg Laurie made an interesting point at the Harvest Crusade, and I don't want to quote him exactly so as to not spoil his joke! If you were Jesus, would you walk anywhere? Wouldn't you just fly around or something absurd? So if He didn't preform needless miracles for Himself, why should you expect a bolt of lightning to hit your car and turn it into a space shuttle?
If a person prays for a car and gets one, he'd better say thank you! Now some people might argue, "Well, he would have gotten that car regardless of his prayer!" How do you know that? Now let's make the scenario more exciting! Let's say you have a car, and it breaks down. The next day you have work! And for whatever reason.. If you're not there 7 A.M. sharp you're fired! So you pray to the Lord the night before. "Please fix my car!" you beg. You sulk a little bit and lose some sleep over it before eventually falling asleep. The next day you wake up at 6:30 A.M., a little later than usual since you've lost so much sleep over the whole thing, to the sound of your phone ringing. You pick up and it's your work! Your boss tells you that you've been promoted, and that you officially start next week! Is that a miracle yet? The Lord will often "one up" prayers. In that example, not only did you get extra time to figure out your transportation dilemma, you got promoted! What if we change the morning scenario a little bit? You wake up at 6 A.M. and get ready for work (daily morning routine of eating, showering etc.). Let's just say you're an extraordinary man/woman of faith! Try to stay with me here! Ha ha. So then you hop into your car and say, "Please fix my car!" You turn your key and........nothing happens. "Why have you forsaken me!" You might think as your faith is shattered. Then you sulk with your head on the steering wheel for about five minutes. Suddenly you see a car park in front of your house. A man steps out and says, "Hey I'm running a little late for work. Can you help me out?" You think to yourself, "Alas! I am defeated! But I should still help this man. 'Do unto others'! That's right!" So it turns out that all he needed was your garden hose, and his car is fine in about ten minutes. Then you realize that the man is wearing a uniform from the coffee shop across from your work! "Hey, do you mind if I get a ride from you? My car is actually dead broken, and my work is across from yours." And he says yes! Is that a miracle? Now suppose you woke up that morning and you didn't get ready for work. Instead, you thought, "My car isn't fixed! Who am I kidding? I'm not even going to try to start it. Why risk the disappointment?" So you lay in your bed all morning sulking. The man with the car problem simply asks your next door neighbor for water and is good to go for himself. (Let's say your neighbor hates you for some silly reason. Or, better yet, let's say, for whatever reason, he has no car. It's just an example! For the sake of it, let's just say your neighbors can't take you to work for one reason or another.) You're fired! Now if you say to the Lord, "I want a brand new car to fall out of the sky!" Well, I think you've been watching too many movies! Greg Laurie made an interesting point at the Harvest Crusade, and I don't want to quote him exactly so as to not spoil his joke! If you were Jesus, would you walk anywhere? Wouldn't you just fly around or something absurd? So if He didn't preform needless miracles for Himself, why should you expect a bolt of lightning to hit your car and turn it into a space shuttle?
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." NKJV
I think that the Lord focuses His attention and power on saving souls for His kingdom above all else. It is almost pointless for me to point at miracles in or outside my life (not saying I won't). If I point at miracles in my life that might prove the Christian faith, then my honesty is in question, and if I point to books or articles, then those sources are in question. Then, if you so happen to believe, you might make the argument that Judaism or some other religion also claim to witness miracles. Let me instead point at the often overlooked miracle, salvation. For what does it mean to be able to cast out demons or move mountains only to end up in hell? This year, at the Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, California, many stepped forth to believe in the Messiah. I personally witnessed thousands step down onto a baseball field to either re-accept or accept the Lord. Harvest statistics claimed a total of 11,789 people stepping down in the course of only three days. In affect, many souls were diverted from the depths of hell. Of course, sadly, through understanding of the parable of the sower, we can't say they will all remain in the faith. My point is this, I think the people who came were an assorted bunch. Now how can simple preaching make, say, atheists, agnostics, or perhaps Buddhists to step down to accept Him? Through my observation of the event, I saw clever advertising, music, and preaching with amusing jokes on the side. But the somewhat hidden component is something emphasized throughout the whole event. Prayer. Now you might think this constitutes "blind" faith. But let us remember that each egg cracks differently, so to speak. The disciples are a prime example. The way they came to believe in the Messiah varies from one to another. You can still witness the spectacle at http://www.harvest.org/crusades/2010/southern-california/. Simply choose Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, and feel free to skip near to the end if you don't care to watch the whole thing to witness thousands of people appear as tiny little ants as they crawl down to accept the Lord. This, to me, seems to be divine endorsement.
