"Life is a series of small unnoticed miracles which happen with great frequency" Kevin quoted this in yesterday's sermon. Yup, I think that just about sums up a study on the definition of modern day miracles. Why don't most people see or know this. Because we have a noticing and acknowledging problem.
Following our service yesterday, as we began to look back over the last couple hours of Church, and put the pieces together, we saw that GOD, once again demonstrated HIS gracious, and YES - miraculous - ORCHESTRATION that morning.
Kevin spoke on "The Gift of Miracles," the next in line from the 1 Co. 12 list, which he's been systematically working through since January. He cited over a dozen different verses from the Gospels, Acts and the Epistles, where people (Jesus, the apostles and ordinary people without honorary titles) performed "miracles," which served to authenticate their gospel message. MOST of the "miracles" remain a mystery, as to what they consisted of specifically. But whatever, these "preachers" were doing, caused whole villages and crowds of people to BELIEVE in the message regarding JESUS as the Christ, and follow the performer of these "signs" and "wonders" around, with a spirit of awe.
Back to our morning service..... day before, actually. Saturday, Pastor Kevin called Shane, who was to teach the morning's "Hearing God" - 1st-5th grade class, to make sure he knew that "Miracles" was the gift of the day. And after their short conversation, both men got to work on their lessons. Without any mention of Heidi Baker's ministry in Zimbabwe, or raising the dead, etc.., both Shane and Kevin were led, that evening, to the same youtube video of a testimony from 2008 - about a young man named Francis who was revived and completely and instantly healed an hour after being beaten to death by four attackers in South Africa. Both Kevin and Shane showed this clip as a part of their teaching Sunday morning, Shane, cutting also to the end of the interview with Heidi Baker. Shane considered this end section of the story particularly significant for the children to hear, because Heidi, who runs an orphanage with her husband, speaks about the little children she lives with as her PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM. She has THEM pray for miracles because they have not yet been tainted by teaching that GOD can't or won't move in miraculous ways. Their faith is pure and strong; they see many miracles - even the dead raised!!
So, simutaneously, on Sunday morning, the children downstairs and the adults upstairs heard a teaching on miracles, watched the same video - the children hearing also the end bit about kids praying. Furthermore, it is our custom to bring the children upstairs to the ministry center at 11:45, so they can experience and participate in ministry time. Yesterday, right before the children joined us, Pastor Kevin followed his sermon with an invitation to wait quietly for Holy Spirit's leading. After this time Matt spoke up from the back of the room. "I believe GOD wants us to invite all the children up front to pray for miracles, for they have the faith for this." Matt, also wasn't privy to the children just hearing this part of the video, and in they marched, right on cue. Kevin called them up front, about 10 of them that day, (mostly 8-10 year- olds,) and matched them with those who came forward asking for miracles.
Reports are still out on many "requests" of the morning - but as of Sunday night: one of our leaders shared about his instant relief from leg pain and tightness, for which he's been receiving physical therapy, as two youths laid praying hands on him. AND another man from our congregation walked away relived of back pain after a 10 year old boy prayed for him. :)
I'll add any reports in the comment section, as I receive them and I am hoping for healings and other miracles and lasting fruit. But I also will take note of the wide response and expectation to ministry time, which shows a growing FAITH among our body. This, I will also count as great gain in the kingdom, as we all need to keep our antennae up and become "noticers" and "acknowledgers" of the moves of GOD on our behalf, AND the way HE speaks frequently to us.
