Would We Believe?


Acts 5:12-16
12Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
13None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
14And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
15so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
16The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Whenever I read this passage of Scripture I wonder what it would be like if these events were to happen today. How would the world react? And we know that there would be a global reaction because the news of someone with this type of healing power would make them a social media superstar – maybe. Or would our cynicism and unbelief cause a different reaction?

In an age of CGI and Photoshop we tend to believe less and suspect more and perhaps not without reason. Credited to Benjamin Franklin is the saying “Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” So that temptation to be skeptical can go deep. Just imagine community that hears the story of Ananias and Sapphira or of these miraculous healings. Two people drop dead because they lied to God; a shadow with the power to heal? I can tell you, we wouldn’t believe it. There would be an investigation looking for cause and effect. There was cause and effect but it was supernatural. The Holy Spirit not only works the miracles, He also causes our belief in His power to work them. And all of this serves only one purpose; to point us to the saving work of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Finally it comes down to our own response to a holy God. We can observe miraculous events but do we hold them away from ourselves with suspicion or do we embrace the truth that God is powerful and amazing? Benjamin Franklin was wrong. I did not see the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus with my own eyes. But the Holy Spirit has come into my life and I believe it all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv
Read more

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl
Read more