The Matthias Chronicles

Saturday, July 5, 2008, 3:53 AM

Do You Believe in Miracles?

by Abp. Leslie Mary Trombly
Copyright © 2008

Do you believe that miracles can still happen today? Some do and some don't. Some are convinced that when the very last word was written in the book of Revelation; the miracles and answers to prayer ceased. This isn't so, in fact it is quite the opposite. The general attitude among some clergy and lay people (regular people) is that Jesus was not going to do anymore miracles or answer prayer, except to those he specifically chose to hear him! This is a lot of BUNK! We have been fed this lies for centuries and it is time the lies stop and the truth be told. The Lord will talk to anyone who wants to talk to and listen to Him. He still does miracles and He still does answer prayers from lay people (regular people). The problem is that these so-called ministers of the word have the audacity and outrageous egos that declare that God "only speaks to them", answers only their prayers or do miracles only for them. Are they ever in for a very rude awakening!

Let me tell you something, before I was even a servant of the Lord, I was talking to him and He to me. He was performing Miracles in my life that I actually and in all honesty, didn't deserve. His love for me and he desire to make me into what He had originally created me to be, needed a few miracles along the way. I will probably be condemned to hell again by someone, but what's new? Every time someone dares to question them what they preach as opposed to what the Word of God says, they call them "Heretic", "Blasphemer" or whatever else they can come up with along with condemning you to hell umpteen times. The funny thing is they get stumped when I thank them for the nicest compliment they could ever pay me. Then they wonder why? If they had an ounce of brains, they would realize why. I know that by what the Lord taught me, they

Another misconception that is often told, is the fact that God only will answer prayers of the righteous. Not So! The Lord loves His creation and if answering a prayer or performing a miracle will bring that lost child home, he will do it. You be surprised at what lengths the Lord God will go to in an effort to save one of his children. One obvious thing is the mere fact that he sacrificed his only begotten son as the sacrificial lamb for the sins of every single person that was, is or ever will be on this planet.

Want more proof? Let's take Paul the Apostle, He was a murderer of his own people - the Jewish people - pure and simple. He was on the road to Damascus to kill more of them because they believed in Jesus and the temple authorities along with the Roman authorities were determined to erase Jesus fro the face of the earth...even if it meant annihilating every believer on this earth. Guess What? Paul was stopped dead in His tracks by the Lord, himself. He asked Paul why he had persecuted him so and then he temporarily blinded him to show him the power and love he had for even him. You doubt me? Go and read Acts 9.

Another incident of a miracle, takes presence in the present day and it took a trip to hell to create the miracle of changing a committed Atheist to a believer and teacher of the Word of God. His name? Howard Storm and he is only one of several that God has reached out in the way to reach his lost child and perform a miracle by giving them back their lives. To read his story go to: http://www.near-death.com/storm.html He isn't the only one who has experienced hell. There was a person who was a believer. but though God had abandoned them in their biggest hour of need and committed suicide. They got a trip to hell as well. The thing that saved them was the fact that they admitted that they had thought God had abandoned them, when in reality -- it was the reverse because of the weakness of faith and the mistrust of others. Once that was acknowledged and they sought forgiveness, God in his great love and mercy, gave that person back their life also. The conditions were that they never try suicide again and they were to tell everyone what hell was really like. To this day they still do.

That isn't the only kind of miracles that He does today or prayers of faith he answers. Here are some examples of what Prayer has accomplished:

(1) Healed a people close to death, (2) Kept people from harm during a tornado and even caused the tornado to go around them and not hurt their home, (3) healed a diseased organ in the body completely (4) Rid the body of a terminal disease. (5) Kept someone safe during a bad car accident, (6) Gave a special gift to a child with Down's syndrome, (7) Made the lame walk again, (8) restored eyesight and (9) bring a person who was in a comatose state for years out of a coma.

The miracles and prayers of faith that have been done in today's world can be seen if one would open their eyes and their hearts. Have you even thought of how there is a miracle everyday of your life in you own life? Don't think so? How about waking up to see the new day? How about the birth of children -- one of God's most precious gift, with the first being his son as the sacrificial lamb for our sins? How about being able to get up and walk, to speak, to lift, to see or to hear? For those who lack these, How about the way God provides another means to replace what you may have lost through hearing, speaking, seeing or walking or lifting? How about being able to say I love you and having one say I love you back? There are miracles everyday of your life and you take them for granted or do not realize how much that life in and of itself is a miracle.

In Closing; I will show you some of the miracles Jesus performed when he walked the earth and they are still performed today. Remember the woman with the issue of blood (in the list below) and simply reached out and touched the men of his garment? Remember what Jesus said to her when she confessed that it was she who did. He told her that her faith had made her whole. It will. Just remember God heals what He feels is most important to heal, even if we do not understand it. He may heal both body and soul or just the body or just the soul. Never let anyone tell you that you were not healed because you didn't have enough faith? If you have the faith of a grain of a mustard seed and tell the mountain to move it will move (the mountain can be anything in your life that hinders you and your walk with the lord). I can not tolerate this evangelists or televangelists that tell someone they were not healed because they didn't have enough faith! The truth is these televangelists or evangelists have no power to heal and they cove it by blaming the one whom they were supposed to have healed. The other side of the coin is the ones who tell their parishioners or followers that they are healed simply because they prayed for them or touched them. It is just charismatic hogwash. The only one that has that kind of power is the Lord God or a Doctor that the puts in place for the person in need. Now the Miracles of Jesus:

I. Jesus and His Healings:

(A) Healing a Syro-Phoenician Girl - Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

(B) Giving Sight to a Blind Man (or 2 Men) at Jericho - Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43; John cf. 9:1-41

(C) Restoring Sight to Two Blind Men - John 9:27-31

(D) Cleansing a Leper - Matthew 1:40-45; Luke 8:1-4; John 5:12-16

(E) Healing a Paralytic - Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26; John cf. 5:1-18

(F) Giving Sight to a Man Blind since Birth - John 9:1-41

(G) Cleansing a Leper - Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

(H) Restoring a Woman Crippled for Eighteen Years - Luke 13:10-17

(I) Healing Simon Peter's Mother-in-law - Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39

(J) Healing a Slave's Severed Ear - Matthew 26:51-54; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:49-51; John 18:10

(K) Restoring a Man's Withered Hand - Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

(L) Healing a Woman's Hemorrhage - Matthew 9:19-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48

(M) Healing a Deaf Mute - Mark 7:31-37

(N) Healing a Centurion's Servant - Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10

(O) Healing a Man at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem - John 5:2-47

(P) Cleansing Ten Men of Leprosy - Luke 17:11-19

(Q) Giving Sight to a Blind Man at Bethsaida - Mark 8:22-26

(R) Healing a Royal Official's Son at Cana - John 4:46-54

(S) Healing a Man with Dropsy - Luke 14:1-6

II. Miracles Of Raising The Dead:

(A) Raising from the Dead a Widow's Son at Nain - Luke 7:11-17

(B) Raising from the Dead the Daughter of Jairus - Matthew 9:18-19,23-26; Mark 5:21-24,35-43; Luke 8:40-42,49-56

(C) Raising Lazarus of Bethany from the Dead - John 11:1-44

III. His Miracles in Nature:

(A) Catching Unusually Many Fish in the Sea of Galilee - Luke: 5: 1-11; John 21:1

(B) Stilling a Storm on the Sea of Galilee - Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

(C) Feeding Five Thousand People - Ma) Turning Water into Wine at a Wedding in Cana - John 2:1-11

(I) Catching Numerous Fish at the Sea of Tiberias - Luke cf. 5:1; John 21:1-14

Jesus is the same as he was yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. rely on Him, not man! MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN! PRAYERS ATILL ARE ANSWERED (perhaps not in the way we would like or understand, but they are answered , nevertheless) And God's Grace is sufficient for all who come to Him.