Does God really 'intervene' miraculously? A Testimony of a Miracle in Marilla Park..

The Bible tells us that God is a "very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1), and the following personal testimony is but one example...
Sunday afternoon, June 4, 2006, my 15 year old son, Daniel, along with his 18 year old sister, Andrea, and her friend, Michael went to a local skate park. It had been raining and the skate ramps were still wet. Daniel 'forgot' to take his helmet with him as well, and against his sister's better judgment, attempted some minor moves on the 'half pipe'.
His roller blades slid from under him slamming the back part of his head to the metal surface. A resulting seizure sent him into convulsions and unconsciousness.
Andrea and Michael rushed to his side calling his name, to which there was no response. Michael called 911 on his cell phone as he was running to the park's administration building, where he thought he might find a policeman or other emergency personnel. Finding no one, he stood at the buiding and conversed with the 911 operator. Back at the scene of the accident, Andrea gently held the side of her brother's head with one hand as her other hand rested on his chest, trying to calm his convulsions. He was groaning, with labored breathing, and Andrea could feel his heart beating rapidly and violently. Suddenly, the heartbeat stopped.
Frantically, Andrea felt for a pulse and could not find any. Daniel's breathing had also ceased and his body had gone limp. From the other side of the park, Michael heard a chilling cry as Andrea screamed, "NOOO!!... NOOO !!! ... DANIEL !! YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE !!! JESUS HELP HIM -- JESUS HELP HIM !!!" Words you won't find in any prayer book... Words that would not be considered eloquent, pierced the gray overcast sky and echoed through the hollows of the near-empty Marilla Park.
This was not a traditionally religious prayer, but neither was it a prayer of desperation from a person who had previously rejected God and His Word... It was a prayer that burst forth from the heart of one who knew her God and her Lord Jesus was there--that He could hear her cry, and He could (and would) answer. And He did.
Just as Michael arrived from across the park, Daniel took a quick and deep breath, and for the first time in approximately ten long seconds, his heart beat again. This time it began to beat at the proper rate, and his breathing was no longer labored or in any way abnormal. Andrea put her head down on her brother's shoulder and began what would turn out to be hours of nearly continuous giving of thanks to her Lord, and the One who saved her brother's life.
The ambulance and the paramedics arrived at just about the time Daniel had regained full consciousness and was able to speak clearly. A CT scan at the hospital revealed no skull fractures or hemoraging, though the evidence of a major concussion was definitely there. Daniel spent the night and the next morning under observation and was released on Monday afternoon, with no restrictions. Daniel, Andrea, and Daniel's twin sister, Ashley (who was at home) are all very quick to proclaim their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as evidenced in what happened this weekend, their faith is genuine. Jesus is alive, full of power, and a very present help in a time of trouble.

Why does God allow suffering?

This is one of the most often asked questions in the world. And it is disturbing how few Christians (even pastors and teachers) can offer a Biblically correct answer. Books have been written on the subject, and even graced the best seller shelves in Christian bookstores. And if I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times--it goes something like this... "God uses trials and suffering to make us strong, teach us to trust Him, prepare us for the future, teach us to slow down, etc., etc." We are taught to thank God for all our problems, because "if we didn't have them, we couldn't see Him solve them", and so on.
There are also those who go to another extreme...
In a West virginia town nearby, the last of twelve victims of a mining disaster were recently laid to rest. Outside the church where the memorial service was being conducted were members of a certain church group who have been taught that God causes pain and suffering as a form of punishment. These people traveled several hundred miles to protest the funeral. They held picket signs saying things like, "God killed the miners", and "This was God's punishment".
Ridiculous? Of course it is. Jesus rebuked His own disciples once for even thinking along those lines, and I am sure His message for the picket sign holders would be the same... "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." (Luke 9:55-56)
God is in the saving business--not the killing business.
But what about that first list of typical answers? Actually, they are also examples of Biblically incorrectness.
The basic reason for suffering is found in Genesis. It was not the plan of God that man would ever know suffering, sickness, pain, or any form of torment. Adam and Eve were given dominion over all of creation (Gen. 1:26, Ps. 8:6). Their bodies would have lived forever, every cell reproducing itself without the corruption we now call 'aging'. Even the knowledge of good and evil was not permitted. It was not until after Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the tree of knowledge, that they experienced evil (calamity) and longed for good (blessing). God warned Adam that spiritual death would be the immediate result of disobedience (Gen. 2:17), and the earth would subsequently fall under a curse.
Adam and Eve fell from their relationship with God and were cut off from the constant influence of His life and nature. The dominion over creation they once hand, was lost. Provision would now be by the 'sweat of the brow', child birth would be in pain, and out of their new inward nature of spiritual death would ultimately proceed fear, strife, torment, pain, and suffering of every kind. Only by His meercy, would God in future times intervene and bless the man or woman who exercised faith and obedience to His Word.
The man and woman who at one time were without sin, had become its captives. Every child born to them and to their children throughout all generations (except for the one born in a manger in Bethlehem) would be born with the tendency to sin and the constant need for God to intervene and give refuge from the trials of life. Since the time man, by his own choice, walked away from the trial-free life god had given him, the earth fell under the curse of a growing hardship. Why do we face suffering? We were born into it.
The good news is, that in spite of the sinful condition of man, God still loves the world so much He sent His Son to die for us and to be raised from death's grip in victory for us. Through faith in His redemptive accomplishment, we have once again gained favor with God and free access to the 'Throne of grace', that we might receive help in any time of need.
Instead of spending all our time asking "Why", we should be praising God for His love and salvation, and praying in faith for help in our times of trial--not for an understanding of the trial itself. Jesus gave the answer to the question in a much more concise way, when He said...
"These thing I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The answer really is simple. We see so much suffering because we live in a world where, but for the mercy of God, we would have long ago been annihilated. As long as our focus is on the world and its suffering, we have no peace. But since we, through faith, now have a relationship and right-standing with the One who has overcome the world and the very source of suffering, we have a peace that surpasses natural reasoning. For that reason we can choose to change our focus, following after that peace, and rely on Jesus to intervene in our individual situations.
The bottom line?
Suffering is common in this sin-tainted world. Jesus is not the source of tribulation, He overcame the source of tribulation. Trials are not sent by God to His people for training, strengthening, or any such thing. He sent His Word for that, and for deliverance from the trials of life (Ps. 107:20). We are taught in the Scriptures to give thanks, not 'for' the trials, but in the midst of them--to give thanks to God for Who He is and what He has done for us, in order to provide a victorious life here and eternal life beyond. To God be the glory, forever!

Why so many Christian Denominations--so little unity?

The one primary cause for so many sects or Denominations in Christendom is the low and varied levels of knowledge and understanding of God's Word. The Roman Catholic church is built almost entirely on church tradition and very little Scriptural foundation. The Protestant church began in the 1500s when Christians, led by Martin Luther began 'protesting' that very problem and moved back toward a Bible-based faith. Yet, over the centuries of Protestant church history, there have been many factions, resulting in a large number of modern Denominations--again, all as a result of differing levels of knowledge and trust in the Bible.
Denominations, as they currently exist, were not designed by God. They are the product of man. In most cases, someone gained some level of understanding of a particular Biblical principle and essentially tried to build a wall of protection around it. A name was assigned to the group of people within the wall and thus, a Denomination was formed. Others were gaining some understanding about different Bible Truths, but they were also building their own walls at the same time. This has been problematic, in that through our attempts to protect a little revelation, we alienated ourselves to a lot more. We seem to have missed a major point... God's Word does not need our protection. God intended for His Word to be proclaimed, not protected.
There are two types of 'unity' discussed in the 4th Chapter of Ephesians. There is the "unity of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3). And there is the "unity of the faith" (Eph. 4:13). Unity of the Spirit is a gift of God... "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). And it is applied in the lives of two or more believers who make the conscious decision and effort to 'walk' in that unity.
The "unity of the faith", on the other hand, is that which comes only as two or more believers gain knowledge of the Word and come into agreement doctrinally. There have been movements and revivals in church history which have motivated us to draw near to the presence of the Lord and to one another in unity of the Spirit, yet we seem to have moved farther from unity of the faith.
The solution to this problem is also found in Ephesians, Chapter 4:11-14...
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine...
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ."
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers have some different functions, but they all have this in common... They were given to the church to preach/teach the Word until the church ceases to be 'blown about by every wind of doctrine' and comes into a true unity of the faith. People change. The Word of God does not. When the ministeres come back to preaching the Word instead of religious philosophy, unity will follow.

Bible Questions and Answers

One of the most effective ways to spread the Word of God other than from the pulpit, is through one-on-one communication. Though the church sadly lacks Biblical expository preaching, which by God's design, builds faith and develops godly maturity in the believer, there remains yet another way.. It is the ability to give Biblical answers to simple questions. This also, has become rare. People in general, never seem to run out of questions, but Christians in general, seem to have run out of readily available answers.
God's message to Christians (not just pastors) through the apostle Paul, is to 'walk in wisdom, especially toward the unchurched or unlearned, and to know how to give answers to their questions' (Colossians 4:5-6 paraphrased). People came from great distances to Solomon, simply to ask questions and receive godly answers. Jesus also, spent much of His ministry time, answering questions, not only from His disciples, but even from those whose motives were deceitful. And to some of the latter, He followed His answer by telling them the reason they did not already know the answers to their questions... "You do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).
It applies today. Many Christians (in pews and pulpits) have never even read the Bible. They are also in great error, because they do not know the Scriptures... Neither do they know the power of God, manifest in His ability to turn 'head knowledge' into revelation and an ever-deepening understanding of His Word.
In my Christian experience, I have had the opportunity to disciple new or less seasoned believers on a one-on-one basis, especially during times when I was not pastoring full time. In each situation, these people would come to visit at our house, but instead of just chatting, playing games, or being otherwise entertained; they would bring questions. If I did not have the answers, we would search the Word until we found the answers. One couple would bring a legal pad with them, with previously written questions, every time they came to visit. Even if our planned agenda that day was a picnic or a birthday party, etc., we would always end up feeding on the Word through a question & answer session.
Many of the questions I have had, and many I have heard from others are to be added to this 'blog', along with Bible-based responses. The purpose is not to provide the answers to all of life's probing questions, but to at least steer the inquirer toward God's Truth and away from the error of worldly wisdom and vain philosophy. It is also to motivate the seeker of Truth to pull the Bible off the shelf, dust it off, open it up, and turn a little curiosity into a tenacious, daily quest for the treasures of godly wisdom.