Walking Miracles

It is expected and predictable for sceptics to distort the truth of God's Word through unbelief, but there is no excuse when professing Christians explain away the miraculous in favour of naturalistic interpretations.  Some seem compelled to avoid any subjects or doctrines which might offend modern (often secular) sensitivities.  There are few things as stomach churning for me as the almost grovelling and apologetic, hand-wringing, or soft-selling approach to the proclamation of God's Word.  There is always a place for grace and tact, but no place should be given to tamper with the true message of the Gospel to avoid potential offence of unbelievers, and in our politically correct day even Christians.

It is important we translate the meaning of unfamiliar words or terms with people, but as God's messengers we abuse our role should we attempt to dull the sharp edge of scripture intended to cut.  C.S. Lewis wrote in an address titled "Christian Apologetics," "Do not attempt to water Christianity down.  There must be no pretence that you can have it with the Supernatural left out.  So far as I can see Christianity is precisely the one religion from which the miraculous cannot be separated.  You must frankly argue for supernaturalism from the very outset." (Lewis, C. S., and Walter Hooper. God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014. page 99)  The miraculous is central to Christianity because Jesus Christ is.  He is revealed in scripture as Creator of all things, the self-existent I AM, the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire, the Lamb of God who was crucified for the sins of the world, rose from the dead, and lives eternally.  Having defeated death and Satan, Jesus Christ forever reigns supreme with all authority in heaven and earth - without apology.

How strange it is people can believe in the salvation of eternal souls through faith in Jesus but reject the biblical account of creation, the existence of Adam and Eve as actual people, the flood survived by Noah and his family, and on.  Since I believe God supernaturally created the heavens and the earth from nothing, having established the many natural laws which people have discovered, it is nothing for God to go beyond man's understanding and do what we deem impossible:  who but God can cause light to shine in the darkness and make life spring forth from death?  The Christian life is one supernaturally created and sustained by the living God, and every follower of Jesus is a walking miracle.  If we abandon the miraculous for naturalistic explanations or superstitions of a previous age Christianity is nothing more than a mirage of self-help which cannot save a soul.

Labour For Food Which Endures

When a huge crowd gathered to see Jesus He asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread to feed all these people?"  John 6:6 says, "But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do."  Philip, on the other hand, had no idea what to do.  Before he could bring himself to think about what bakery would have enough food on hand for 5,000 men plus their families, he knew they did not have enough money to buy it!  He responded that wages earned over eight months (200 denari) would not be enough to adequately feed those assembled.  Hard labour wouldn't put a dent in the needy sprawled around them.  Jesus did not ask out of ignorance, but to test Philip because He already knew what He was going to do.

Perhaps overhearing the conversation, Andrew piped up in John 6:9, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  In light of the crowd, five loaves and two small fish were nothing, hardly significant.  I imagine Andrew felt a little silly even mentioning the boy's lunch.  Yet in the hands of Jesus, this small portion would be multiplied to satisfy the most ravenous among them to the full.  After Jesus directed the people to sit down He took the bread, blessed, broke it, and handed it to His disciples to share until all were satisfied.  When they had finished eating, Jesus sent the disciples to gather the fragments and 12 baskets were filled - beyond thousands of hungry mouths!  A most notable miracle was done by Jesus that day.

After Jesus departed with His disciples, the following day people went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to meet with Him.  John 6:26-27 relates, "Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the multitude so they might recognise He was the son of God, the one who gives eternal life.  The people, however, largely missed the point.  They were willing to cross the sea for a free meal, but faltered at the point in trusting in Jesus for eternal life.  After this mild rebuke and exhortation, Jesus explained He is the Bread of Life, sent from heaven people were to partake in through faith.  Food and drink will sustain a person for a matter of days, but the broken body and shed blood of Jesus on Calvary for us is effectual by faith to provide eternal life.

This passage ministers comfort to my heart, even as those small loaves and fish brought satisfaction to all who sat down to eat - so much so they searched and crossed the sea for more!  The Bible and the words of Jesus in the eyes of some people are insignificant and nothing special, but what peace, strength, and joy they provide to believing hearts.  Many ate the loaves, witnessed the miracle, but the impact Jesus intended was missed by unbelief.  It is not that Jesus said or did the wrong things:  people took them the wrong way.  Sometimes we may think our words (or even God's Word!) are insignificant or ignored, but God is able to take a sentence or word and use it to transform the lives of others by His gracious power.  There are a lot of voices in the world, many ideas which are erroneous and misleading, even deceitful or distracting, but the Word of God rises above the all.  Like when Jonathan tasted the honey and his eyes lit up, so it is when we receive God's Word for us, owning it gladly in faith.

This morning I read the words of Jeremiah 15:15-16:  "O LORD, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. ¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts."  The prophet Jeremiah faced hard times, especially because people would not hear or obey the word of the LORD.  But Jeremiah was encouraged by God who knew him, who remembered and visited him.  Verse 16 says Jeremiah found God's words which suggests he sought, recognised, valued them, and took them to heart.  God's Word was the "joy and rejoicing" of his heart because he was called by God's almighty name.  How awesome is the power and influence of the Bible on believing hearts!  When we have eaten to the full there is more than scraps left over.

A Keeper

When I went fishing as a kid, we were taught to keep and eat what we caught - that is, if the fish was edible and a keeper.  At Lake Cuyamaca there was a no-release policy regardless of size, but in the ocean bass and halibut had to be an appropriate length. We were also told if we caught a garibaldi to release it because it was the California state fish and protected.  Many times we caught fish that were just an inch short, but we kept the law by throwing them back.

There's plenty of fish in the sea, it is said, and this cliche is often used in reference to people.  In the right time of life it is important to choose the right person to be a lifelong spouse.  A woman may have many potential suitors, but it is her choice which man is a "keeper."  Unlike fish, height or weight probably has little to do with it.  As a follower of Jesus Christ she needs to determine if he also is a man of faith:  will he be faithful, a provider, and rear children who know the LORD?  Does she love and respect him?  Is she willing to commit the remainder of her life in a covenant before God to be united as one in marriage with him?

As I read the Bible this week I was amazed by the love of Jesus, that He gave His life to purchase the church.  The church is comprised of sinners who in themselves are no prize at all:  I am not a "keeper" because I do not measure up to God's righteous standard in any way.  The love Jesus demonstrated in sacrificing Himself to save sinners is the way a husband ought to love his own wife.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:28-30, "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."  Jesus nourishes and cherishes each member of the church like we are His own flesh and bones.  How miraculous is God's love and acceptance!

In the history of the world I doubt a man has chosen to marry a woman who he knew was a compulsive liar and thief, committed adultery with every person she laid eyes on, was a drunkard and drug addict, in poor health, cursed him to his face when he visited her in prison, and told him she hated him above all others.  I can't imagine any sensible man happily saying at the prospect of such a match, "What a dream come true!  What a catch!"  Compared to the holy purity of God I was worse than this ridiculous character, but Jesus loved me with an everlasting love.  He saw me as a keeper when I was fit only for eternal punishment and death in hell for my sin.  Jesus saves all who trust Him as Saviour, He transforms us from within, and will keep us forever.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."  How great is our God who gives an eternal, living hope to those fit for destruction!  We are not keepers, but because Jesus loves us He delights to be our Keeper.

Acceptable to God

It's ironic how knowledge is capable of hindering learning.  A great challenge is presented for those who have gained understanding to keep their minds open to new ideas which could also be true.  We were born needing and wanting to learn, and it's possible along the way we have latched onto deceptions we are convinced are true.  In a world filled with deceit, conspiracies real and imagined, and boldfaced lies, when we find the truth we ought to hold fast to it.  Followers of Jesus Christ have the Bible which is a source of genuine truth with does not change, and how privileged we are to have a fixed point of reference as the wind direction and sand continues to shift.

A question for believers is how to best deal with those who hold to faulty interpretations of scripture and their minds are closed on the matter.  The first perhaps is to realise you too may be that person; you have been that person.  I have been rigid in belief where God is flexible, and I have harshly judged people to whom God gives more grace.  Haven't your views changed over the years?  God was patient in His sovereign manner in teaching us, and we ought to give Him time and space in faith to teach others as well.  Romans 14:1 says, "Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things."  Paul went on to explain there is unity in Christ between those who eat meat or only each vegetables, between those who observe a day as special and others have no such conviction.  I could add to the list those who drink alcohol and teetotallers, those who believe the earth is round or flat, or concerning eschatology.  Each of us are called to be convinced in our own mind, not expend all our energy in trying to make others agree with our opinion.

But they are plain wrong, something inside you protests.  And they are leading people astray by their beliefs or example!  Ah, but they are not leading you astray, correct?  How concerned we can be about the beliefs of others when it is before God alone we stand or fall, and God is able to make others stand.  Romans 14:3-4 says, "Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ⁴ Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand."  It is clear God makes allowances for differences we judge as wrong:  should we reject whom God has received?  Our personal convictions matter, and the convictions of others matter too.  Most of the time these differences of belief have nothing to do with the nature of God or the Gospel but are topics of far less importance.  If you are willing to go to war and die concerning a matter of opinion or interpretation with a believer, you may be the extreme and unbalanced one.  If someone else is preoccupied with a particular doctrine and you are preoccupied with them, what is the difference?  We all need Jesus!

Paul went on to say in Romans 14:10-13:  "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." ¹² So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. ¹³ Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way."  Knowing someone is family changes our perspective about them.  We have been made one with Christ through faith in Him, and we are part of the same body.  Instead of trying to trip up others or push their buttons, to shame and humiliate over opinions, we are to edify one another in our holy faith.  In Christ we have much more in common than the combined total of our differences in perspective, opinions, or preferences.  We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ where we will give account for ourselves before God - with no mention of others or their beliefs.

If you become aware of a difference in doctrine or practice, we should be careful to avoid offence in that area.  Love dictates that if I know someone is a vegetarian, I will consider this when preparing a meal for them - even if I enjoy eating meat.  It is not an opportunity for me to win them over to my view by preparing select cuts.  If I know someone has sworn off alcohol, it shows kindness to avoid drinking around them.  Our differences need not be a constant topic of conversation since the love of Christ binds us together as brethren forever.  There is naturally in all of us a desire to be heard, to show ourselves right and others wrong, to stubbornly hold our ground, and frankly to a large degree this springs from pride.  Love is quick to listen, slow to speak, and is not easily angered.  Instead of being a grief to others, let us follow the exhortation of Paul to love one another and walk on a higher plane of grace as Romans 14:17-18 explains:  "...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men."  If we desire to be approved by men, how much more should we desire to be acceptable to God by walking in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit!