Foreword
Before I was born, my mother suffered at an early age from arthritis in her knee. After living with this condition for some time, she went to a meeting and the speaker was Billie Adams, the prayer coordinator for the Kenneth Copeland Ministry. Mom still has her prescription dated 9-11-77 for anti-inflammatory medication and it looks pretty full, so she guesses that, "That is the month Jesus healed me by his stripes. I heard the word of God preached at that meeting and the topic was "How to pray to change things" and was based upon praying the scriptures as the perfect will of God, and speaking in line with your prayer. At the point where I came up for prayer in response to her word of knowledge about a woman in the audience with pain in the knee, she placed a gentle hand on my forehead and I instantly felt the love of the Lord, like liquid love, flow from the Lord Jesus into me. What felt like being plugged into my source, or what felt like His love so true, probably lasted only a few seconds, but it was such a wonderful feeling that I didn't want it to end. As this experience was occuring, the Lord spoke the word "whole" into my spirit. I knew that this was more than a physical healing but a healing of my emotions and deliverance from something: fear and depression. Then I went to the bathroom to be alone and said to myself, I'm whole! I'm whole. Then I went jogging that afternoon until I got blisters, praising the Lord. The healing was not totally instantaneous, rather, it took a few months to be complete. Nobody believed it at first, either. Kenneth Hagin's teachings helped me during that time, along with a book by Oral Roberts and the prayer of the pastor at the Oakland Park Assembly of God (He prayed for me the evening of the day after the Lord healed me and a calcium deposit on my left wrist instantly disappeared). The main scripture helping me was 1st Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." The Oral Roberts book gave me the knowledge that I am God's property and the devil has no place in me. One time I was home alone and I suddenly had a real bad pain grip my leg. Rather than treat it gingerly, I stomped my foot down real hard and yelled at the devil, "In the name of Jesus!" and he fled and the pain left. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I also experienced return of symptoms if I harbored a lot of negative resentment feelings against Dad. I found out that I could not afford to hold onto grudges without possible repercussions physically." I take my own mother's healing as an example of God's power and love working in these days.
After sophomore year at the University of Florida, I took a break from computer science to share with and befriend others on the other side of the world. What I have learned abroad, I hope you will take to heart. May all the glory be to God through Jesus Christ His Son.
Introduction
In this world filled with curiosities in which we live, many often try to understand why things work as they do, and in the process develop scientific laws and theories to help us along our way. Miracles fascinate me and I have made it my mission over the past few months to identify miracles and their effects on the surrounding people. In order to delve deeper into this issue, I have chosen to take a look into the Word of God as written in the Bible for further guidance.
In the Yunnan province of China, there are 26 officially recognized groups of people, and among them are many varying beliefs concerning religion. It is not uncommon to witness old women selling incense sticks at the entrance of a Buddhist temple. Neither is it rare to find a small idol lodged on the wall of the small restaurant at which you eat. I've heard from someone who visited a blind Shaaman (one who calls on spirits) who after 30 or 40 minutes of beating a drum, began scratching the ground like a chicken and arose possessed and ready to answer questions. Praise God that there are also many who believe in Jesus Christ, His precious Son.
According to the Bible, thousands of years ago miracles were performed by prophets such as Elijah, who called on the LORD and then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed an animal sacrifice, the stones it layed on, the dust, and even licked up the water in a nearby trench. Another example is Moses, who stretched out his hand over the Red Sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back so that the children of Israel could pass through. Not only prophets performed miracles, but also magicians such as those in Pharaoh's court in Egypt long ago, who were able to have their rods change into serpents. Nearly two millenniums ago, Jesus walked among us and performed many miracles such as raising a man from the dead and healing many of various ailments. Jesus said in John 14:12-17, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." One thing he told his disciples was that he would go to be with the Father, and then he would send the Holy Ghost. After he ascended to heaven, many followers of his were endued with power from on high just as he had said. Miracles continued to take place such as when one of his disciples named Peter told a man lame from his mother's womb to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Then he took him by the right hand, lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. The Gift of the Holy Ghost continued to be received, and Acts 2:38 tells us that, "The promise is unto to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Just as magicians and spiritists who were not of God performed miracles before Christ, the annointed one, Jesus came, so we are warned that men will arise and work lying wonders deceiving many. We are told in 1st John 4:1-3, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." "James Fraser, an early missionary to the Lisu people of Yunnan, and his colleagues frequently were confronted with demon possession. Often the cases were so violent that, like one Gospel account, a boy was at the point of throwing himself into the fire. Fraser then asked others to join with him in prayer until "the power of the name of Jesus" brought deliverance. Once a professing Lisu Christian claimed to have the gift of prophecy, and what he said seemed to come true. One day Allyn Cooke found him shaking in a partial trance. When the "prophet" did not respond directly to Cooke's query, "Do you confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh," Cooke concluded he was possessed by a demon and cast it out" (The Liberating Gospel in China, 139).
Today, miracles continue to take place throughout the world. Benny Hinn, a worldwide Christian evangelist, "Has seen God heal people from terminal diseases when their doctors had given up all hope, and crippled people walk again as God restored strength to their bodies." He insists, "Those miracles, as wonderful as they are, cannot begin to compare with the greatest miracle of all, Salvation." I watched his television program online a few times while in China and was very encouraged by all the miracles and praise to the name of Jesus. In Africa, I know a missionary whose mother-in-law received the Zulu language and was able to read, write, and speak Zulu fluently after people prayed over her. Yet another worldwide Christian evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, who holds many meetings in Africa, has seen many miracles occur to the glory of God. Just a short while ago on November 11, 2001, in Ibadan, Nigeria, 1,300,000 people came to a crusade and they witnessed miracles. "The deaf heard and the blind saw, etc." Today in Yunnan, God's power is still demonstrated with miraculous signs and wonders. Take for instance about three years ago, when two Chinese church workers went to bring Jesus to the Shui people and saw many healed, not to mention a church was established with people hungry for more of God. (more)