Acts 3 :: Oh man...

Acts 3 - The Message and Today's New International Version

For 9 months, I watched a good friend fight cancer. A month ago, he lost the battle and passed away. Kevin was a worship leader, who moved to Colorado, to set up a ministry to other worship leaders and pastors. His life mission was to glorify God in how he lived and to lead others to a right understanding of their identity in Christ. As a modern day psalmist, he had a way of making everyone around him smile - the kind of person this world needs...really.

Now, I think I understand death and sickness. I realize that we live in a world that is not functioning the way the Creator intended it to function. Our bodies fail us, the creation reacts with volatility and disasters take lives and we have fellow humans who make horrible choices and lives are lost as a result. I am comfortable with knowing that when sin entered the world in Genesis 3, our world became messed up. I really think I am.

That said, when I read stories like Acts 3, I put my Bible down with a puzzled look on my face. You see, Jesus doing miracles and healing people was one thing, but then the Holy Spirit (the same one living in me) filled the disciples and they healed people, that feels totally different. Did those sick people have more faith than my friend? I don't think so. I'm just not sure I'm willing to accept the line any longer regarding the miraculous: "that happened then, but we now have the Scriptures to see God's power." I have too many friends that leave for other parts of this world where they see and experience things like this.

My resounding question right now is this: Is there something in our western culture that inoculates us to the miraculous? Have we "reasoned" out the possibility of the impossible? Are we missing something because we are "civilized"? Anyone have thoughts or experiences to share?

Matthew09::Hocus-Pocus?

Matthew09

He tells a paraplegic to get up and walk, and he does.  A woman with a 12-year period is healed just by touching his robe.  He raises a dead girl to life.  Two blind men follow him home (which strikes me as a little funny), and Jesus restores their sight.  A man struck mute by an evil spirit comes and Jesus casts out the evil spirit and the man regains speech.  This all sounds a lot like crazy talk doesn't it.

I mean, think about it.  When we hear stories like this today, what do we think?  I know what I think and it's very similar to this response by the Pharisees...

"Hocus-pocus.  it's nothing but hocus-pocus.  He's probably made a pact with the Devil." (9.34)

Now, it may come out more like, "That's just group think.  He's planted those people.  Nothing has been substantiated.  He's ripping people off.  I bet he flies off in his private jet to one of his ten mansions."

While I do think that there is rampant fraud in the midst of televangelistic healing services, there are a few phrases that strike me in today's reading:  impressed by their bold belief (9.2), risk of faith (9.21) and really believe (9.28).  These are phrases used by preachers on television.  They offer a sort of prerequisite for Jesus' healing in your life.  "If you boldly believe...If you will only take a risk of faith...Do you really believe?"  Their message is simply this, sickness and suffering is a byproduct of a lack of faith.  If you want to be healed, then you have to have faith...and maybe your healing requires more faith than normal.

Do you have a set of good friends that can call you out when you're lying?  They call "bullsh*#" on you?  This is sort of what I want to say to the television guys, but am I just a 21st Century Pharisee or is something really different between them and Jesus?  Some people do seem to have had a faith that prompted Jesus to act on their behalf?  Just in chapter 9, there were three of the healings occurred without a mention of the recipient's faith.  What about the people who have faith, but aren't healed?  Faith is not a coin for the healing vending machine, is it?  What about my friend in Colorado, who has more faith than anyone I've ever met, but cancer is winning the fight?  Does my questioning just show my lack of faith?  

How do you respond when someone you love is suffering?  Have you ever witnessed a "miracle"?  What role does faith play in suffering?  What does that role have to say about God?