How Great is your Faith?

“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.  
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,  
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?  
Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?  
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”“ 
                                                                                     Mark 2:3-12.
Here we have five men, a paralysed man and four men carrying him. They couldn’t get near Jesus so they went up to the roof, took the roof apart and lowered him down.
These men had faith that Jesus would and could heal the paralysed man.
Jesus is the great healer. He proved himself time after time by performing miracle after miracle.
He also proclaimed his authority to forgive sins, something that upset the teachers of the law. Who called it blaspheming as Jesus was essentially calling himself God.
If we believe that God is the same yesterday today and always then we must believe that Jesus heals today.
I know in my home church we have had confirmed healings. Our pastor who had terminal cancer, someone the doctors said wouldn’t live more than two years was miraculously healed. The doctors confirming the fact that he was.
The key to miracles today is that God must get the glory. That independent witnesses such as doctors need to admit that something extraordinary has happened. And, and I say this because I’ve seen it happen, the person needs to have had the illness.
I’ve known evangelist, preachers and people in the pews claiming to have cured or been cured of an illness the person never had. Such things only bring disrepute to God.
Scripture tells us Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                            Matthew 7:21-23 
Do you believe in miracles? Have you had a confirmed miracle in your life or the life of someone close to you. If so did God get the glory?
I firmly believe miracles happen today. The sad thing is however there are far too many evangelist, pastors and individuals for lack of a more polite word, faking it. Which taints the name of Jesus.
As Christians we need to be praying for the sick. And, we need to hold accountable all those who claim to have performed a miraculous deed accountable just as scripture tells us to do.
Think about it.