Crossroads Fellowship

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Is God still at work?

This seems like a rather odd question to be asking on a church's blog doesn't it? Yet I am not sure that it is not a question that we should be asking. How many of us are blindly walking through life saying that we are trusting God to do amazing things in our lives yet never seeing it happen? I think if we get honest with ourselves and with each other we would have to admit that far to many of us "believe" that God can, but never see God do! However I would like to pose another question - is it a problem with God not doing, or is it a problem with our vision? I think the latter is the case, God is working still actively in the world, we are just having problems seeing it because we are looking in the wrong places, or we are looking through the wrong eyes. Let's talk about this for a minute shall we?

I have several Pastor friends of mine who I hear occasionally make the comment that they "used to see" God working all the time, yet the miracles are not happening today like they have in days gone by. My reply to that is, "Really?" When asked about it they talk about how God used to heal people instantly, how he used to transform lives, how he used to miraculously provide for people and for the church. How people used to be hungry for the Word, and how things used to be different. The implication is almost that God is different now than He used to be. However we know that scripture affirms in several places that God is the unchanging one. If God is the unchanging one and God is still in the miracle business then why do we not see the miracles? (Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8)

These same friends and many well meaning Christians would assert that we don't see the miracles because of the fact that we are doing something wrong. My reply, "Is that scriptural?" I mean does God's miraculous powers and God glorifying himself rely upon me and my ability? Or is God going to glorify himself apart from me? I think the answer is that God is going to glorify himself no matter what, apart from me, or within me, and I get to chose if I want to be a part of that. (Isa 42:8) So if indeed we are doing something wrong, it is not that we are blocking God from working, but it is that we are looking in the wrong place. God is still working today, he is still bringing glory to himself, he is still performing miracles. Let me share just a few examples, and you be the judge.

At Crossroads Fellowship we have already seen two people become Christians this year. Two young people, Jesse and TJ, were miraculously born again into the Kingdom of heaven. That is two teenagers repented and believed! What a miracle in a world that teaches us to do our own thing that these two would lay down their lives to follow the Lord. Several other young people were greatly impacted for global missions just a couple weekends ago as they attended a youth retreat where missions was the theme. Our church here and Crossroads is growing, even to the point that at the Sunday night service, that a lot of churches are abandoning, we have usually at least 50 people and sometimes closer to 100. I was talking to a Pastor friend of mine that had four get saved in their church last week, one on Sunday morning and three through a community outreach. Is God still working. Absolutely! What greater miracle is there than people entering the Kingdom of heaven.

God is still at work and people are still hungry for God's Word! I preach verse by verse through the Bible and people are loving it and coming back for more. So for all of you Pastors, Missionaries, and leaders out there keep walking with the Lord and staying humble before God and you will see the Lord's hand at work in your midst.

5 Comments:

  • This is timely, as on this date in 1976, as a heathen teenager tricked into a weekend church retreat (the last place I wanted to be) was presented with the Lordship of Jesus Christ and I surrendered my life to Him. Yes, He is still working and transforming and convicting (love this because it shows me that I am sealed with His Holy Spirit!)....today when pop psychology shows no answers, the living Word of God works in our lives! Preach it brother!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:45 AM  

  • Miracles can be as simple, yet as profound as a smile when it is needed, a hug, a simple act of kindness. If you're not seeing miracles all around you then you're not looking very hard, or have forgotten that miracles aren't always the big things.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:31 PM  

  • Jerry, I believe God still performs miracles. I have seen God in my life. Maybe not His face, or a sign advertising, but felt His presents and felt Him guiding me. In my line of work sometimes it is all bad but there is the one time when the little baby is not harmed in the violent explosion. I praise God every time I come back through the gate here unharmed. Because I know that He is my protection.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:24 PM  

  • God is still at work, Amen, in those who are living the exchanged life

    By Blogger pastorboy, at 5:53 PM  

  • I can completely relate to anyone who feels like God is being silent, or even uninvolved in our lives. I would dwell on that thought even to the point of unbelief in the very existence of God. Along with that unbelief came despair (which was almost so horrible that I thought I might end my life), and the only way I could get out of it was to pray OUT LOUD even when I thought it was pointless. I would pray until a peace came over me, and that's when I knew He was listening. Sometimes it would take minutes, sometimes I'd have to pray for half an hour straight. That's a miracle to me... a person being on the edge of total self destruction and fear, being comforted by the Lord after one simple prayer. He is working, even for us with little faith, and if he's doing miracles for us, how much more must he be doing for others in the world who are yielded completely to Him, letting His will be done through them?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:55 PM  

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