This short post about miracles will give you something to think about.
Why do we not see miracles today? There is more than one answer to that but here is one we seldom consider and it could be the most important.
“And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Matthew 13:58. NIV.
In the account of Jesus’ return to his hometown, the people hear him teach and see his power, but they questioned him. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers” (vs.55), and “Isn’t this the carpenter's son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary…etc.” (vs.56), and they go on and on. Eventually they “took offense at him,” (vs. 57).
We say, “familiarity breeds contempt.” It suggests that we become acquainted with someone and start to take them for granted. We get used to the person and think we know them, so we make assumptions, and cease to discover the person. Did the people of Jesus’ hometown have this problem? More alarming is the question; does today’s church have this problem? Have we become too familiar with a Jesus to know the wonders of the true Jesus?
We have a kind of “Jesus idolatry,” a false image of Jesus in our market driven modern culture that has caused us to stopped seeking the Jesus of the Bible. We are infatuated with the “Baby Jesus in the Manger” or the “Suffering Christ on the Cross,” or the picture of the “Misunderstood radical teacher on the hillside.” We need to rediscover who he really is. He is the one who said, “I am the truth the way and the life.”1. “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.” 2. The Apostle John knew him as, “Lord of Lords and King of Kings” 3. The Apostle Paul said, “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.”4.
We need to nurture our faith, since “faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God, 5.” May I suggest:
• We need to apply ourselves to reading the Bible diligently.
• We need to memorize verses that teach who Jesus is.
• We need to confess our idolatry of shallow ideas about Jesus.
• We need to spend time with Jesus in prayer and worship.
• We need to set about to do the things he did and commanded.
What would happen in our lives and churches if we abandoned the superficial images of Jesus and sought to embrace Him afresh? Who knows? Possibly revival answered prayer or miracles. Certainly, we will worship The Lord afresh with more passion and we will experience a change in our lives.
To learn more about how Jesus can be Your Savior read my other post.
1, John 14:6; 2, John 10:11; 3, Revelation 19:16; 4, Philippians 2:10; 5, Romans 10:17.
Why do we not see miracles today? There is more than one answer to that but here is one we seldom consider and it could be the most important.
“And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” Matthew 13:58. NIV.
In the account of Jesus’ return to his hometown, the people hear him teach and see his power, but they questioned him. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers” (vs.55), and “Isn’t this the carpenter's son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary…etc.” (vs.56), and they go on and on. Eventually they “took offense at him,” (vs. 57).
We say, “familiarity breeds contempt.” It suggests that we become acquainted with someone and start to take them for granted. We get used to the person and think we know them, so we make assumptions, and cease to discover the person. Did the people of Jesus’ hometown have this problem? More alarming is the question; does today’s church have this problem? Have we become too familiar with a Jesus to know the wonders of the true Jesus?
We have a kind of “Jesus idolatry,” a false image of Jesus in our market driven modern culture that has caused us to stopped seeking the Jesus of the Bible. We are infatuated with the “Baby Jesus in the Manger” or the “Suffering Christ on the Cross,” or the picture of the “Misunderstood radical teacher on the hillside.” We need to rediscover who he really is. He is the one who said, “I am the truth the way and the life.”1. “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.” 2. The Apostle John knew him as, “Lord of Lords and King of Kings” 3. The Apostle Paul said, “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.”4.
We need to nurture our faith, since “faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God, 5.” May I suggest:
• We need to apply ourselves to reading the Bible diligently.
• We need to memorize verses that teach who Jesus is.
• We need to confess our idolatry of shallow ideas about Jesus.
• We need to spend time with Jesus in prayer and worship.
• We need to set about to do the things he did and commanded.
What would happen in our lives and churches if we abandoned the superficial images of Jesus and sought to embrace Him afresh? Who knows? Possibly revival answered prayer or miracles. Certainly, we will worship The Lord afresh with more passion and we will experience a change in our lives.
To learn more about how Jesus can be Your Savior read my other post.
1, John 14:6; 2, John 10:11; 3, Revelation 19:16; 4, Philippians 2:10; 5, Romans 10:17.
(c) Adron Dozat 8/12/10
