Claiming your miracle

I’m constantly surprised by the number of miracles crusades, healing services and even (I’m not lying!) raising the dead ceremonies in Cape Town in the name of Jesus. The basic premise underlying the theology of the organisers of these events is that signs, wonders and miracles should be common place in the Christian’s life. In fact, if they are not happening, you should doubt whether you are a real, bona fide Christian.

The Bible however would differ with the theology of the “signs & wonders” (S&W) movement. In the Bible S&W occur only twice: in the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt & in the time surrounding Jesus in the 1st century. God had said to Moses: “I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.” (Ex 3.20) Moses in turn told the Israelites that God would rescue them with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment (Ex 6.6). God’s purpose was to demonstrate his power, so He told Moses: “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you.” (Ex 7.3-4)

When God acts in history to rescue his people it is accompanied by signs and wonders. The same signs are to some (i.e. the Israelites & believing Egyptians) signs of salvation and to others (i.e. Pharaoh) “acts of judgment”. During the centuries after the Exodus there were no S&W! Indeed, one of the job descriptions of the prophets was to remind the Israelites of the how mightily God had acted in the Exodus. The prophets did not perform new S&W, but called God’s people to remember the S&W performed during God’s rescue in history (E.g. Micah 6.4, Jer. 11.1-4, 34.13 etc.) Life in Israel after the Exodus was not miracle crusade after miracle crusade, but rather dogged, relentless trust in the God who rescued them. The Israelites lived by faith, not by sight.

One fine day, after centuries of few miracles, a carpenter from Nazareth turned water into award-winning wine. Then he started healing people, exorcising demons, controlling nature and even raising corpses back to life. The ultimate wonder was Jesus himself dying on a Friday and then rising that Sunday. S&W accompanied those who were delegated by Jesus to carry on his work. God was acting in history to rescue his people again. Not from Pharaoh, but from Sin, Death and Satan. By the later writings in the New Testament we see few S&W. Paul does not heal Timothy, but tells him to take his medicine (1 Timothy 5:23).

Like the believers in the Old Testament, we are to life by faith not by sight. We are to put our faith in God’s recue on the basis of what Jesus has done in history. God may and does perform miracles and wonders today, but our faith should not depend on them, our theology should not demand them, and our gatherings should not insist on them.

Suffer the Child: Jesus' disarming of Satan

Judith Spencer, tells in her book (Suffer the child) of little Jenny who was born to a mother who was member of Satanic cult. As a pre-schooler she was initiated into this group and remembers how she read from a bible that cursed God and praised Satan. She watched people have sex on the devil’s alter and witnessed torture and sacrifice of dogs, cats, chickens, squirrels and goats. She experienced blood drawn from her genitals and skin scraped over her body for use in satanic communion rituals. The title of book is from a phrase that Jenny often heard the priest use, “Suffer the little children to come to me, for such is the kingdom of hell.” Two psychotherapists have been treating Jenny, as she created over 400 personalities as a method of psychic survival.

The big point is this: Satan is around and he seeks to destroy you, your family, your marriage and your children. The bible says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and Jesus referred to himself as the stronger one who attacks and overthrows Satan (Luke 11:20-22). How did Jesus do this? Colossians 2:13-15 gives us a good description:

At the cross Jesus made the forgiveness of our sins possible (v13). The written code that was against us was cancelled (v14). The written code was a signed acknowledgement of debt in those days, much like your house bond with ABSA bank or your credit card statement at the end of each month. The debt we owe though is death, because that is the consequence of sin. That written code was cancelled as Jesus paid up our debt by his substitutional death. More than that, he nailed it to the cross (v14). The picture here is the titulus which hung above the crucified person’s head listing their crimes. Our “written code” symbolically hung over Jesus head and he died for our crimes. Not only was the written code wiped out, but the document it was written on was destroyed. The result is that the (demonic) powers and authorities were disarmed or stripped of their power (v15). That means that Satan’s power to accuse us and demand our death has been lost. We belong to God and Satan has no hold over us. We are free to love God and say no to sin. At the cross Jesus overcame Satan for us.

A satanic strategy
Satan’s popular ploy is to remind us of old sins and evil we have done. He seeks to reassert his control over us by pretending that he can re-manufacture the “written code” and accuse us before God. Satan says things like: “God doesn’t forgive you. Those sins were too evil. You deserve God’s judgement. You don’t deserve God.”

Re-read that passage in Colossians and thank Jesus, the stronger Man.

Top Billing a.k.a. getting your priorities straight

I think the programme that I dislike most on TV is Top Billing. Top Billing idolizes luxury, extravagance, opulence and excess. So we strive for bigger mansions, more exclusive interior designers, softer carpets and heated towel railings. Before you ask (I know you will): I live in a comfortable house worth over a million rand and have just painted half of it inside so it looks nice.

What I am blogging for is perspective. Sure God gives us every good thing to enjoy and as Christians do deny or reject God’s good gifts would be dumb. But somehow I think that we as Christians have got our priorities somewhat lopsided.

God, through the prophet Haggai in the Old Testament, lashed out at his people for decorating their own home while the temple (God’s symbolic home) in Jerusalem was lying in ruins. God’s people had returned from 70 years in exile and their houses were in a mess and no doubt needed some attention. Yet, by the time of Haggai’s prophecy, God’s people had been back 19 years from exile and the temple remained unbuilt.

The excuse was that the timing was not quite right for the rebuilding (Haggai 1:2). Interestingly, the people did have time to decorate and beautify their own homes (1:4). The reason for this, according to God, was that the people did not fear or revere the LORD Almighty (1:12), nor did they live for his pleasure or honour (1:8). In other words, God’s people didn’t think much of God and were living for their own entertainment and comfort. As a result, their experienced lack of pleasing and judgment. Four times in the book of Haggai God says to his people, “What’s up with this, consider what you do!” God called for his people to make temple building their priority.

I bet that if you had to ask one of Haggai’s audience where God was on their priority list, they would have said that of course in first place. But actions speak louder than words.

The temple, which symbolised God’s presence, in a picture of Jesus, who is God’s presence with us. So now, if we want to worship and meet with God we don’t get on a plane to Jerusalem, but bow down to Jesus. Getting our priorities straight means prioritising our relationship with Jesus and prioritizing Jesus’ work. Too many of us spend too much of our time, talents and treasure on our own entertainment, comfort and home decoration, than on Jesus and his work (i.e. giving generously to gospel ministry, hospitality, serving the local church, encouraging others etc).

God says to us too: “What’s up with this?”