Miracles, Signs & Wonders (msw) and What Matters...

I believe that miracles, signs, & wonders are for today. They are desperately needed. But not just to tickle our spiritual appetites or fancy. They are desperately needed in order to authenticate the message of God's people - the message that Jesus came in the flesh and died for our sins, then rose again to give us forgiveness and life when we repent, turning to Him for the gift of that life.

Without msw we will not get the attention of the lost in this world. Without msw we will not have authority as we speak. We will continue to win some to Jesus but a great turning, a flood of people coming to Jesus will not occur without these things. Someone might think I have become a fan of msw with this kind of talk, that I am preoccupied with signs and wonders when the great need of this time is that people discover and receive the love and grace of Christ.

What really matters is that people get to know Jesus in a life-changing way and they grow into loving and mature believers who are salt and light to the people of this world who God loves so very much. But what will bring a "fear of the Lord" to this generation if not signs and wonders? What will get the attention of people preoccupied with spirituality but unwilling to embrace that Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life?

When the present day church begins to operate in the "apostolic genius" of the New Testament church, then there will be a great spiritual awakening in our part of the world. So, how do we get this to happen? First, we must accept that this is not man's work. We cannot orchestrate this. We cannot plan this. We cannot manipulate this into being. God must do it. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." I am tired of trying to build. I want what only He can build.

This leaves me feeling helpless but not hopeless. I hope that He will listen to and respond to our repentance, faith, and seeking. I am begging Him to move in power in my lifetime. I am pleading with Him to reveal His glory and grace. And I am waiting....

How about you???

A Glorious Day

Today, June 23, 2009 is a glorious day. I spent the early part of this evening with 46 Protestants and about 14 Roman Catholics. The Bishop of Saint John had invited us to join him for a barbeque at Villa Madonna. This very warm-hearted Christian leader spoke with such obvious delight of our common ground of faith in Jesus that my heart was drawn to his with great intensity.

Following some fellowship and food, a few of us had the privilege of sitting and sharing with him around an empty table. The warmth of his love for Jesus and obvious delight in sharing with us captivated our hearts. His desire is to be (like Mother Teresa) a pencil in God's hand. The humility and servant spirit in his words were beautiful and I cannot recall a time when I have felt greater joy and hope for the unity of the church than I felt at that table.

So today, I celebrate Biship Robert Harris, a man of God and a servant whose desire is to love Jesus with all his heart. Praise God for this wonderful Christian leader.