The Plausibility of Miracles

It’s wonderful how science is making the idea of an all-powerful, all-knowing and omnipresent God so much easier to believe.

Take for example Skype. If we lived only 200 years ago and I said to you one day you could be on the other side of the world and you will be able to see me and talk to me instantaneously, you would probably think I’d gone mad. The thought of God being able to hear our prayers instantly doesn’t seem so strange anymore does it?

And what about the thought of God being able to receive, process and remember millions of incoming prayers all at once, or the thought of God being able to create billions of things in just six days? Well, now we have computers. The world’s most powerful computer can perform billions of calculations and other functions per second.

Need I also mention the x-ray machine that sees through into our inner parts just as God can see what’s going on in our minds? Need I mention the wonders of the internet and surveillance technology that can record all we do and can keep a permanent record of it until the Day of Judgment?

It shouldn’t be too hard then in this age of technological wonders for us to believe in a God who can do these things so much better than us.

Jesus’ various miracles should also be more plausible to us. Why not then take another look at the greatest man whoever walked the earth?

A Dying Saviour - An Oxymoron?

The skeptic may well wonder how a dying saviour can save anyone. Indeed those who passed by Jesus on the cross mocked he saved others, himself he cannot save. Dying saviours, however, are not so unusual.

In London’s Postman’s Park, people who died after saving others are remembered in The Memorial to Heroic Self-sacrifice. For example, one memorial reads, Mary Rogers – Stewardess of the Stella March 30,1899 – self-sacrificed by giving her life belt and voluntarily going down in the sinking ship.

It’s not unusual to have a dying saviour and it should not have given cause for many of Jesus’ fellow Jews to reject Him since their own scriptures predicted the Messiah’s sacrificial death (e.g. Daniel 9:25-26, Isaiah 53 & Psalm 22). What is unusual though is to have a risen Saviour. Of the major religions, only Christianity boasts an empty tomb for their leader.

It’s unique in history to have such a well-attested-to death and resurrection of an individual who was dead for a significant time. The Bible records there were over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive from the dead over a period of 40 days after His very public death. Post-resurrection, some even ate and talked at length with Him. Their words can be believed as they would not have been willing to in turn sacrifice themselves for a resurrection lie they’d made up.

It’s not strange to have a Saviour who sacrificed Himself, but it does show we have a very loving and committed Saviour. The great news is – He’s alive!

Be Careful When Your Buttons Are Pushed

Even the best of us sin against God. That’s why we all need the Saviour.

One day in the wilderness the Israelites complained bitterly against Moses. God therefore instructed Moses to get them water from a rock by speaking to it. However, rather than speaking to the rock, Moses said Hear now you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock? He then struck the rock twice, perhaps making it appear he brought water from the rock rather than God. God was so displeased He denied Moses the Promised Land.

Why did Moses sin? Was it his lack of knowledge? No. God had filled Him with wisdom. Was it due to his poor relationship with God? No. His relationship with God was described as a very personal face-to-face relationship. Was it because Moses was prideful and wanted to show off? No. He’s described as the humblest man on Earth. Moses was certainly a most righteous man. What then caused him to sin?

How would you feel if you’d been wholeheartedly serving others and all they did was grumble and rebel? Moses felt angry. Perhaps he also felt betrayed and unappreciated. He may have even had righteous anger at the Israelites disrespecting God.

We must be especially careful whenever our emotions, whether positive or negative ones, are stirred. Even righteous Job sinned because of his emotional need for vindication (Job 40:1-8 &42:6).

Everyone sins against God. That’s why we all need Jesus’ atoning blood. We can’t save ourselves!

Feeling the Squeeze in the Bay of Plenty - There's Hope!

Please email us at churchofgodslove4@gmail.com if you would like to receive an e-version of David Kidd's new short booklet encouraging the reader with a Christ-centered message of hope. Much assistance in the writing of this booklet was given by Alaster Gibson of Living Waters church Tauranga. 

Churches in Ohauiti

All welcome to our home church services every Saturday morning at 10.30, 8 Atkins Way Ohauiti.

Phone David on (07) 5444164 or 02041283124 if you want to know more.