"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty."_ *- 1 Corinthians 1:27*
Sometime ago, one of our fathers in the faith shared a deep experience. He said he prayed and asked God to have tea with him, and the tea in his flask reduced. It was his personal encounter with God.
Another preacher came on national television and called him a liar, a deceiver. And sadly, many Christians joined in mocking an elderly man who was only sharing what God did for him. Some of those that sing, "He's a miracle working God" seems to doubt God when He performs His miracles.
We live in days when bloggers and social media influencers will cut a 2-hour testimony, cut out 30 seconds that sounds strange, remove the context, and push it online to cause outrage.
Then skit makers will pick it up, create jokes and slogans to ridicule the miraculous. And before you know it, even believers are laughing at the power of God. This is dangerous. Gradually, many are becoming atheists but they don't know.
As a student of church history, one of the reasons Europe lost its Christian fire was because the supernatural became a subject of intellectual inquiry, starting from the renaissance era of the 17th century. Some preachers of that time joined the fray.
Philosophical thinking about God, the bible and the supernatural were debated until they stripped the bible of its supernatural element doubting its miraculous claims like virgin birth, death,burial&resurrection of Jesus. They concluded the bible is a compendium of myths&scrap legends.
Today, Europe is a shadow of her Christian heritage from the past. Africa is the hot ground of Christianity and missions. We use to be the mission field for European missionaries in centuries past but now we are a mission force.
If we allow Satan to get away with this ongoing trend, our youths may become agnostics soon. That is why I insist that social media is not the right place to learn scriptures and grow one's faith. Unfortunately, the disciplers of most youths are on social media.
If you remove miracles from the Bible, there is no Bible left. The bible itself is a book of miracles. Your salvation itself is a miracle. How can the blood of a man who died 2,000 years ago wash away my sins today? It is a miracle.
Look at these miracles in the bible:
- A virgin who never knew a man became pregnant. *- Matthew 1:23* If that happened today, the internet would be on fire. We would say it is impossible, it is a lie.
- Jonah was swallowed by a fish, stayed alive in its belly for three days, prayed inside the fish, and the fish vomited him exactly where God wanted him to go. *- Jonah 2* If your own husband told you that story today, would you believe him?
- Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and the sun obeyed. *- Joshua 10:12-13*
- Moses parted the Red Sea. *- Exodus 14:21*
- Elijah was carried to heaven by a chariot of fire. *- 2 Kings 2:11*
- Jesus brought money out of the mouth of a fish. *- Matthew 17:27*
Every page is miraculous. Miracles are supposed to be "ridiculous" because they defy human logic. That is what makes them miracles.
Yes, we know some people fake miracles. Some people lie. That is true and it is wrong. But the fact that some people fake miracles does not mean that God has stopped doing real miracles.
*The lie of a man cannot cancel the power of God*.
You may not understand a testimony, you may not believe it, but learn to keep quiet. Don't join the company of mockers. *- Psalm 1:1*
Father, forgive me for every time I have joined in mocking Your power and Your works. I repent from every form of doubt and scoffing. Give me a heart that believes You still do miracles, in Jesus' name. Amen.