Many in the Church have found great encouragement and deeper faith through the miracles they have experienced and seen. We hear of cases where the lame have walked, and those with serious ailments have had their illnesses disappear completely. We watch as terrible trials are transformed into great blessings.
But have you ever experienced a miracle? Surprisingly, some Church members will answer “No” when this question is asked. But the fact of the matter is, there is one miracle that everyone in God’s Church has experienced—member and prospective member alike. It is a miracle we all should be aware of, and for which we should all thank God.
Parable of the Sower
Pastors are excited to receive e-mail messages from Headquarters containing contact information of people who have asked to meet with a minister, and they try to respond to those requests as quickly as they can. Some new contacts have been studying Church literature since the time of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong; others have only watched a Tomorrow’s World telecast or two. If these new contacts are ready—if God is truly calling them—the ministry tries to help them come to repentance, and to develop a good understanding of God’s truth—and even to Church attendance and baptism, if God is truly calling them.
These new contacts can generally be divided into four categories, as Jesus Christ outlined in His parable of the sower:
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:18–23).
I have counseled many new contacts who seemed to be in the first three categories. Thankfully, however, I have also met many whose fruits showed them to be in the fourth category; they received seed on “good ground”—they heard the word and understood it. These contacts are very encouraging to the ministry; they keep us encouraged that God is still using His Work to call new people into His Church.
But notice Jesus’ words immediately before the parable. Most people, He reminded the disciples, will hear His words and not understand. But the disciples were different. Jesus said, “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (vv. 16– 17).
Many have wanted to understand. But on their own power they could not. Yes, hearing and understanding is a miracle from God! We need to understand and appreciate how God has blessed our eyes and ears.
Why Some and Not Others?
Abraham was aware of future blessings that others in his day could not see. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13–16).
How did Abraham and these other heroes see? “By faith Abel… By faith Enoch… By faith Noah… By faith Abraham… By faith Sarah…” (vv. 4–40). They were looking through the eyes of faith! God said it, and they believed it. As a result, they saw what others could not see. Looking through the eyes of faith allows us to see more, not less! Believing God makes you wiser! He reveals what we cannot otherwise know. He gives us vital knowledge. Through eyes of faith we learn His plan for humanity, His way of life, and His standard of right versus wrong. We see events around us in their true context. We come to appreciate what it means that God declares “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). And we cannot know any of this unless we believe God. Faith opens our eyes!
Light Versus Darkness
God’s word illuminates our world, allowing us to see things we could not otherwise see. “To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:77–79).
And again: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Most people accept the darkness of Satan’s lies, instead of the light of God’s truth, because they live in violation of God’s divine law. Men have loved darkness, so God has allowed them to have all the darkness they want. In doing so, He has purposed to show the world a profound lesson, illustrating the contrast between the darkness of man’s ways and the glorious light of God’s ways that will be revealed to the whole world when Jesus Christ returns.
Notice these events prophesied to occur during the Great Tribulation: “Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain” (Revelation 16:10). But see how such darkness is contrasted with the great light of Christ’s coming: “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27).
What will be seen at the throne of God? We read that “there shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).
Christians today are illuminated by the light that the rest of the world will not see until the arrival of God’s Kingdom. This is a miracle.
Your Calling: A Miracle!
When people first begin to respond seriously to God’s call, they sometimes wonder, “How do I know that God is calling me?” Repentant sinners, humbled by the knowledge of their sins and the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice, may even feel unworthy of God’s calling. But a calling is not the result of our personal worthiness—it is a miracle from God! Even before God’s Spirit is within those whom He calls, His Spirit works with them to help them see what others cannot, if only they will repent, believe—and then act!
When you were first called, did you excitedly try to share the Truth with your family members and friends? Many people do—and, when they do, most find that it is like they were “talking to a brick wall.” Why does the Truth—which seems so plain and beautiful and obvious to you—make no sense to those around you? Why will they not understand?
Why are your eyes and ears open to God’s Truth? Did you pray for God to open your eyes and ears? Did you seek God’s intervention in your life? It was not your seeking that made the difference—it was the miracle of God’s response to your sincere desire to know Him! No, it is not surprising that others do not understand the Truth. Yes, it is a miracle that you and I do!
Sometimes, however, when people are first called, they may get the idea, “God is showing me all this truth, and people around me just don’t get it—this must mean I’m a super-spiritual person, unlike the fools around me!” The biblical answer to this idea, however, is not so flattering. Notice one particularly powerful passage of Scripture in this regard: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26–31).
God did not choose you or me because we are spiritually great. He chose us because He wants to put the “great” of the world “in their place” by calling those who are humble, to demonstrate that it is Christ who works in us, and that our part is to respond in faith and obedience to what He is doing. This is a miracle from God, that His ways—higher than ours as the heavens are above the earth—are being done in our lives!
We Have a Part, Too!
“And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:47–48).
God has done a miracle in our lives, allowing us to see and hear—but He now requires us to act on what He has revealed! For example, He has shown His Church the modern identities of ancient Manasseh and Ephraim. But, now that we know how to identify the United States and the British-descended nations in prophecy, what should we do with that knowledge? Can we afford to hide it under a bushel basket?
Notice what God requires of those to whom He has given knowledge. In Ezekiel 33:1–11, we learn that when a watchman sees danger, it becomes his responsibility to warn others, lest he be held accountable for the suffering of those who go unwarned. Today, the Living Church of God is preaching national repentance to the House of Israel with all the resources that God puts at our disposal. As individual Church members with that same knowledge, we each do our part in supporting that effort.
Yes, we pray for faith, and it comes as a gift from God. But God requires that we put that faith into action. We must use it for works—living faith! Dead faith—faith that does nothing—is useless (James 2:18–20).
We pray for more of God’s Holy Spirit, but God then holds us accountable to use the Spirit when He gives it. Will we quench it, or will we use it and seek even more? Remember the parable of the talents: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.… So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’… But [responding to the man who had received one talent and then buried it] his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 25:14–30).
Will a person who has only a little faith, but does a lot because of it, have a greater reward in God’s Kingdom?
God is watching what we do with what we have been given. Someone who has only a little faith, but acts fully upon it and produces great fruit, is pleasing God far more than the one who may have “great understanding” of God’s Truth but who has done little or nothing with it. Remember: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48).
Protect Your Hearing; Protect Your Sight!
We have faith, and we pray for more faith, but do we put the faith we have into action? Do we exercise it? In the parable of the talents, Jesus said… “you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.” But the “flip side” is that if we fail to exercise the faith we have, God may take it away. We need to stir up our faith—and to act on our faith!
Jesus Christ explained: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:5–8). Depending on how we respond, this may either be a sobering or an encouraging scripture.
Our faith gives us eyes to see and ears to hear. We have spiritual vision, because we believe what God reveals. People in the world assume that all they can know comes from the world around them. As Christians, however, we understand that “in Him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28) and that the physical world is sustained by God. If we are to know spiritual things, God must reveal them to us (1 Corinthians 2:12). His revelation is the light that He shines on a world of darkness.
So, we must always remember to see with the spiritual vision that God gives. Each week throughout the year, we have on the Sabbath a reminder of that vision, and then at the Feast of Tabernacles we have an extended experience of it. But we do not have it because of our own effort to see and hear. It has come to us as a miracle from God—a miracle on which He expects us to act!
If you received a miraculous divine healing, would you take it for granted? Or would you treasure it deeply, thanking God profusely? Your calling—your ability to see and hear God’s Truth—is just as much a miracle. “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear” (Matthew 13:16). Be sure to treat your calling as the miraculous blessing that it is!