I just attended an evangelical anglican church, and i truly enjoyed it. it was a new experience to walk into a very ornate church (cathedral like) and have a praise band there and a screen hanging from the ceiling. the man who preached (was filling in for the pastor) was michael green (an author) and he spoke on John 4:43-end of the chapter. the story is about the nobleman whose son is sick and he asks Jesus to heal him, jesus' words heal the boy, and the nobleman and his family all become believers. the main point of the sermon was that God's promise is just as powerful as His presence.
ever since i walked back to my dorm room i have been pondering that statement... i believe that this is a very important thing to remember and believe. all to often we run into those (and even believers fall into this trap) who say that "if i witnessed a miracle done by God, i'd bel
ieve then" or "how can you believe in something you cannot see?" the bible is full of stories of when Jesus performed a miracle and then the people who observed it did not have saving faith (the feeding of the 5000 is a great example, after Jesus fed the mass of people, he went out on the water and the crowd met him on the other side of the water, they asked Jesus to feed them... they were not asking for spiritual food, they wanted their physical hunger to be met once again. even the disciples who witnessed this miracle still had a hard time believing that Jesus was who he said he was). today we have the bible, the inspired word of God, which is full of God's promises to us, his people. God is revealed to the people through Jesus, Jesus is revealed to us through the Bible (Word of God), the word must then be preached to the hearers (John 1:1)... that is how God's promise is as powerful as his presence.as i sit here (at the coffee shop once again) i am amazed how down the road from me men were killed for believe that very concept, that God's promise is just as powerful as his presence. their faith was so great that they know the promise of salvation offered to them through Jesus, and revealed through the scriptures. i am reminded how small my faith is. how feeble my trust in God is. would i give of my life for that same promise? i hope and pray that i would...
as i continue through this growth experience, i pray that God's presence become just as real in my life that others confront me for my faith. in acts the face of stephen is described as shining the glory of the Lord... may that same light shine from me, and all of us.
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