MAKING SENSE OUT OF THE EXPERIENCE

BLOG 11 September 26, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine intervention from an objective point of view. How can 21st Century people understand how the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

In previous blogs I related my conversations with struggling people about their healings and experiences. They knew a force that Christians called the Holy Spirit had invaded their lives and filled them with a renewal that often literally saved their lives. The emotional pain and their fear of death was usually gone. A divine encounter had changed their future.

How do we understand such an occurrence?

The context for insight into such miraculous events is in the scripture. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with these amazing occasions. More importantly, the Bible gives us a larger picture for our understanding. As I talked with people who I considered legitimate, I’ve found that their “happenings” fit biblical categories that explain why miracles occur.

The Old Testament tells us that a miracle is a sign. The Greek word σήμεoν suggests that events like Moses’s struggle with Pharaoh, crossing the Red Sea (the Sea of Reeds), the Exodus itself, were all signs of the reality of God. This Greek word is used 73 times in the New Testament as well. We find it ten times in Matthew, 23 in Mark, 10 in Luke, 24 times in John, and 13 signs in the Book of Acts. Miracles were a sign.

In the New Testament, the birth of the Messiah came with a total uniqueness. When the shepherds came running to see the baby, their appearance was a sign to Mary. In John’s Gospel, miracles are messianic. Whether it be turning water into wine at Cana, or feeding the multitude, John made it clear that what Jesus accomplished was a sign that he was the Messiah they had been seeking.

In all of these instances, something had occurred that told observers that the intervention was not an ordinary act of nature. It was a sign of the presence of God. Beyond the influence of man, the events came from God and put a new responsibility on the observer. These signs kept pointing beyond themselves to the One who was the true source of life. They were humbling and produced obedience.

Let us be clear: A sign is not a miracle; a miracle is a sign. There are many signs throughout scripture that were not all understood by observers. However, when an authentic miracle occurred, it was a sign that pointed beyond the miraculous experience to the transcendent God, a sign that the Holy Spirit was clearly working in lives.

This recognition of the miracle as a sign does not end with the Gospel’s story. As the Apostle’s ministries were recorded in the Book of Acts, their stories were filled with the miraculous. Acts 4:16 and 22 tells the reader that the unbelieving Jewish leaders even recognized that the works of the Apostles were “signs.” The Sanhedrin feared that these signs had the power to establish faith.

They do and continue to do so today.

EACH WEEK WE WILL BE HERE. TUNE IN. miraclesneverceaseblog. word press.com

Please send your divine intervention experience to: miraclestoday44@gmail.com

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A Surprise at Assisi

Blog 10 September 19, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

George Vey was an interesting guy. For years, he had been a Dutch dairyman in Orange County, California and a staunch Calvinist (very) conservative Christian. Before Los Angeles spread all over Southern California, there were many such diary farms around San Dimas, Irvine, and the rolling countryside that was always warm and pleasant in the winter. George was contentedly running his farm when a real estate developer came along with a deal to build a mall on George’s pasture. Overnight George became a multi-millionaire.

One evening I was talking to him about faith and the subject of St. Francis of Assisi came up. George abruptly told me that he had a devotion to St. Francis. I was surprised because that idea couldn’t have been more contrary and foreign to his Protestant Evangelical faith. George told me this story.

Struggling with painful ulcers, his wife pressed him to go with her on a trip to Rome. George didn’t want to see the Eternal City, but agreed to go if she’d go with him to Assisi. He didn’t know a great deal about St. Francis, but profoundly admired him, his work, and his spirit. In order to get George on an airplane, his wife agreed.

Well before the last earthquake shook the Basilica, St. Francis’ grave was beneath a pile of rocks under the church where the famous frescos of Giotto hung. With his ulcers stinging, George walked down the stairs and sat down only feet away from the grave of St. Francis. He had no idea what he might see, but wanted to express his admiration. As George looked at the sight, abruptly before him a figure appeared in a brown robe with a robe cinch around his middle and wearing sandals. George instantly knew he was looking at the 12th century Francis of Assisi. Francis smiled and communicated telepathically that he was moved that George had taken the time to come to his grave to express respect and appreciation. Francis conveyed a blessing to George.

George stared in astonishment, almost not believing what his eyes saw. And then the figure was gone. George sat transfixed. After a long period of contemplation, he went back upstairs to join his wife.

Three days later they were back in Rome. For the first time, he explained his experience to his wife. She asked why he had waited days to tell her. “Because I wanted to make sure what happened was real. I know it is because my ulcers are gone.”

The condition never returned.

I would not call George’s experience a miracle or a divine intervention, but I would call it a divine intrusion. Uniquely for His own reasons, our heavenly Father can interject something wonderful into our lives. Could it happen to you? Sure.

Divine intrusions happen all the time.

Please send your divine intervention and/or miracles of intrusion experience to: miraclestoday44@gmail.com

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Miracle or Divine Intervention?

BLOG 9 September 12, 3016

For the purposes of this blog, I am making a distinction. A miracle is a Divine Intervention; a Divine Intervention is not necessarily a miracle. While the two categories are used interchangeably, fundamentally a miracle is an undeniable supra-natural event that radically changes something. A Divine Intervention is an act of God but less noticeable and more in the natural realm. The condition can return. For example, a blind child receiving her sight is a miracle. A nudge in your thinking to call a friend only to discover a desperate need is a divine intervention. The touch of God occurs all the time though we tend to miss it. However, a miracle cannot go unnoticed. I hope I am increasing your sensitivity to discover both expressions of the Holy Spirit.

Joanie is a Research Analyst who confirms agency compliance with a major charity. For a number of years, she struggled with immobility in her knees. The pain in her knees was a constant problem and an Orthopedic doctor had diagnosed osteoarthritis and noted the right knee had no cartilage left. The only possible medical offering was a knee replacement.

During a Sunday morning worship service on May 31st, 2015, a visiting bishop spoke at her church. Known for his powerful prayers, he invited the membership to come forward for a time of special prayer following the morning Service of Holy Communion. She had studied biblical passages that promised healing following the orthopedic prognosis. She found in II Kings 20:5 the promise, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you.” Joanie immediately came forward and ask for prayer for her knees.

The bishop often anoints believers with oil as the scripture describes and lays on hands. On this morning, he made the sign of the cross on both of her knees. Joanie quickly felt the impact. While the cartilage had gone from her knee, during the prayer she felt a sensation like a powerful hot fluid was running through her knee joints. As the bishop prayed for her, he felt this result was occurring. Joanie’s faith was quickened. Her faith in what God can do increased and a more profound sense of what the Lord was doing followed. She knew the heavenly Father was touching her at a deep level. After the service, she still sensed some pain but knew she was much better. The physical limitation in both knees lessened. She could walk further and drive with less pain. She didn’t need the knee replacement.

Miracle or divine intervention? I’ll leave the decision with you although I’d call it a divine intervention. Aspects of the problem would probably return from time to time for Joanie, but the Holy Spirit had certainly made a difference.

Keep looking, expecting, and praying. Divine Interventions happen everyday.

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FINDING THE PATH

BLOG 8 September 5, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

I became interested in this subject because of a totally unexpected happening. A friend had invited me to attend a non-denominational gathering called Camp Farthest Out, a name given from the place where the movement began. The group emphasized love and healing prayer for all needs. I was a college student who certainly wasn’t into that type of expression, but I was in for a big surprise.

During an afternoon prayer session, I witnessed a woman recover sight in an eye that had been blind since she was five-years old. I was shocked, but knew I had stumbled on to some type of new paradigm I couldn’t explain or understand. Students in my university would not have believed in such a thing, but I had seen it with my own eyes.

Ten years later I came down with acute Nephritis, a serious kidney disease, causing my kidneys to begin shrinking. Once shrinkage begins, there was no cure at that time except to go on dialysis (not much hope there for a young man four decades ago). Later in another blog, I will describe the amazing experience that not only cured my illness but restored my kidneys. I had received a miracle (when I wasn’t even open to such a possibility).

When I tried to tell ministers and pastors that I had experienced a healing, most looked at me like I was still sick. The sympathetic didn’t know how to respond. Fundamentally, no one knew how to make any sense of my recovery. They just let it go.

That’s the problem. In most of today’s churches, folks don’t know what to say and let the subject drop. Pastors who don’t want to be thought of as fanatics won’t explore the subject. A high percentage of television evangelists have been discredited and clergy don’t want to go through that washing machine ringer. The subject of miracles simply hasn’t been considered. My concern is to see this blindness healed.

What can we learn from these two experiences that initiated my interest in miracles?

First, illness, sickness, and brokenness are an invitation for God to work. While disease and disaster often make us run for cover because nothing seems to work, they are also an invitation to turn to our heavenly Father with new expectations for His touch. God works directly and indirectly. Sometimes, He uses doctors, hospitals, and surgery. On other occasions, the Lord works directly. The basic issue is to recover trust in Him.

Second, we need to become open to trusting Him in every situation. Regardless of how events transpire, we expect Him to accomplish His purposes. Many people never pause to recognize they are simply not open to seek a Divine intervention. Open the doors of your heart and see what follows.

Please send your Divine intervention experience to: miraclestoday44@gmail.com

READ THE WISE ON THE MIDDLE EAST BLOG FOR INSIGHTS ON CONFLICTS, PERSONALITIES, AND EVENTS ACROSS THE REGION!

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ARE CORRECT VIEWS ESSENTIAL?

BLOG 7 August 29, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

In our quest to understand how and why miracles occur, people often suggest that having the correct doctrinal viewpoint is essential. Some folks might even say that you have to belong to the right church. Since today there are over 40,000 expressions and denominations of the Christian faith, it might prove a tad difficult to identify which is the right group.

As a matter of fact, I have discovered that Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, as well as Jews have experienced divine interventions. Bit of a shock there for some good people. The heavenly Father appears to be far less concerned about the right group than we are.

Here are some famous examples of Divine interventions that have occurred over the centuries. In the twelfth century, St. Francis received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ from the Crucifixion) while in a retreat on Mount Verna, Italy. Brother Leo, who accompanied Francis at the time, described the wounds on his hands, feet, and side as being exactly what the scripture details occurred during the crucifixion. The sanctity of Francis’s life through the centuries stood as a sober testimony to this miraculous experience.

However, these unexpected interventions did not stop. One of the most remarkable events that continues to bring healing is the story of Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes. In 1858, she and two companions were gathering sticks when Bernadette disappeared. Later found in a small cave, she seemed to be in a trance. Crowds followed her to the grotto where she prayed. In one of her sessions, she was told to dig in the soil and a spring sent a new stream of water down the hill. From that pool of water, a man had his blind eye cured. A woman with a paralyzed hand regained its use. Five more miracles occurred that spring.

The grotto of Lourdes still records such miraculous events even to this day. For the Roman Catholic Church to accept such events as divine they must be spontaneous, complete cures, and permanent. However, many other cures have followed that don’t fit their tight definition but are just as real.

With some similarities, in the town of Medjugorje, Bosnia, three girls and a boy envisioned a young woman holding a child. They came to believe it was Mary, the mother of Jesus. The young seers held conversations with the apparition that gave them messages of pending warnings. In August, 1981, mysterious phenomena were seen in the sky by at least 150 onlookers. One of my friends was there when this occurred and shared with me how amazed he was as the sun changed and he looked at it without any injury to his eyes.

I am not suggesting that what we believe and the doctrines that we hold are unimportant. Certainly they guide and give us direction. However, the interventions by the hand of God appears to be totally independent of these positions. To put it another way, the love of God appears to occur because of need, not belief.

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AND WHY DO MIRACLES HAPPEN?

Blog 6 August 22, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

Frankly, I don’t know.

Miracles are one of the mysteries of God. A mystery doesn’t mean we’re not smart enough to understand. Rather, that there are no human analogies to explain what is beyond our comprehension and everyday observations. For example, what is beyond infinity? No one knows because we cannot go there. The final explanation for why a Divine intervention occurs is in the mind of God – and we sure can’t go there.

Explaining why miracles happen or don’t happen is God’s business. Having put the ball in the heavenly Father’s court allows me to sit back and shrug. However, that is exactly what I don’t want to do. I write these weekly blogs because I have stumbled on to some answers for how we can position ourselves to receive a Divine blessing as well as participate in an ongoing ministry that can bless other people. I am sharing my discoveries in hopes of encouraging others to join the search for greater understanding and insight. You can be part of that adventure.

The problem is that most theologians, pastors, priests, denominations, and churches are avoiding the subject and would probably be scandalized by what I am suggesting. They are all in different ways products of the secular age in which we are living. Secularity has become a box that shuts out the immediate presence of God. When the world was created, God gave us free will which means when we say “no” to Him, the Almighty doesn’t break the doors down to prove that He’s here. God accepts your “no” at face value. The current religious scene is saying their “no” through indifference, disbelief, doubt, and close minded systems of thought.

But maybe you’re thinking, “if all these people Robert Wise is writing about had a miracle, why not me? Again, that’s a more complicated question than it appears to be. Every individual situation is different and the answers would be different for every person. However, I am describing principles that can be of significant help.

So far, we’ve taken a brief look at a pastor who had a prayer gift, a woman who hears angels tell her what to do, and a woman with an aneurysm who trusted the promises of the Bible.

The common denominator in each of these instances has been obedience to their faith, a strong trust and commitment to what their faith promised. At the same time, there are folks out there who experienced miracles with little or limited faith. I’m still working to understand how these encounters are alike and different. We keep walking into a mystery.

In the following weeks, we’ll continue to explore these often unexpected experiences to see what we can discover. At this point, my suggestion is stay tuned. Be open to the possibilities. We’ve taken on a big subject, but it is more than worth the effort to see what we can discover.

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CHECKING OUT REALITY

BLOG 5 August 15, 2016

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of Divine intervention from an objective point of view. Can 21st Century people believe that the hand of God touches people in today’s world?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

The ultimate objective for this Blog is to help restore a ministry that the New Testament suggests should be constant. Regardless of various theological debates, the work of healing, restoration, life re-orienting events, hearing the Divine communicate, etc. have never stopped. Unfortunately, many churches just aren’t up to date.

The Old and New Testaments are filled with these amazing stories. The Red Sea split for the children of Israel and they were miraculously fed by manna in the wilderness. Jesus turned water into wine, stilled the storm, and fed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves. An exorcism at Capernaum liberated a man possessed by evil. As the stories unfolded, paralytics walked and the blind regained their sight. The raising of Lazarus and Jesus’s own resurrection were the ultimate expressions of the miraculous.

While skeptics have offered various natural explanations for many of these experiences, the stories stand on their own and have done so for 2,000 years. The Christian era records that the divine expressions continued to occur. For forty days after the resurrection, the appearance of the risen Christ touched more than 500 people. The conversion of Saul into Paul was one of the major milestones in the beginning of the universal Church. Held in jail and bound in chains, Peter was awakened by an angel and led out of the prison. The angelic visitation saved him from King Agrippa. The on-going stories of the apostles related many such events.

I became interested in this subject because of a totally unexpected situation. When I was in college, a friend had invited me to attend a gathering called Camp Farthest Out, a name given from the place where the movement began. The group emphasized love and healing prayer as well as meeting a variety of needs. I was a college student who certainly wasn’t into that type of expression, but I was in for a big surprise.

During an afternoon prayer session, I witnessed a woman recover sight in an eye that had been blind since she was five-years old. I was shocked, but knew I had stumbled on to some type of paradigm I couldn’t explain. No one in my university would have believed in such a thing, but I had seen it with my own eyes.

Over the years that followed, I started collecting similar events that I am sharing in these blogs. I hope you are intrigued and may feel challenged to explore the possibilities that could exist around you. You may be surprised to discover that these events are still happening in your backyard!

I’d like to hear your experience if you’ve encountered a Divine intervention. Please write me at:

Miraclestoday44@gmail.com

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THE UNEXPECTED

Blog 4 August 8, 2016 MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today?

Read and you’ll find new insights.

My hope is to challenge individuals and the church at large to re-examine their perspective on the possibilities of God affecting our lives in a direct and often dramatic way. Currently, that idea is marginal. We are living in a time dominated by secular ideas with no expectation that the Holy Spirit still does anything.

Sorry. I hope to change that mind set.

Liz Morley is an example. Pressed with emotional issues, Liz thought she was having a heart attack. A medical examination revealed a 4.1 centimeter ascending aortic aneurysm. An aneurysm appears like a rapture in a rubber inner tire tube. The bulge could break at any moment and the person would quickly bleed to death. A 5 centimeter aneurysm requires the placement of a stint. The only medical advice Liz received was to stay calm and keep her blood pressure down.

Fat chance! At that moment, her mother was at home dying with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease 0r Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) while her husband struggled with severe kidney stones. To top it off, their youngest daughter was preparing to get married. In the midst of the turmoil, Liz’s mother died.

She was terrified. The doctor’s warned that such emotional stress could rupture the artery. Liz had nowhere to turn – except to her faith. Earlier, she discovered a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and began earnestly studying the Bible. With a medical crisis descending on her, she read in the scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth came to set the captives free. Liz made a decision that this passage applied to her. She made a firm resolution to accept the Bible for what it said. She would no longer live in fear but trust what the scripture promised.

Thoughts of the aneurysm bursting were pushed aside each day as she daily affirmed that Jesus Christ would be enough. A month later a sharp pain in her chest sent Liz to the hospital in an ambulance. After a thorough examination, the hospital staff was baffled. They couldn’t find any signs of an aneurysm. She was immediately referred to a cardiologist. After putting her through a stress test, the doctor requested a letter from her thoracic surgeon.

Looking at her sternly, the doctor said, “This simply doesn’t happen. Aneurysms do not go away. Yours did!”

When I ask Liz about how this miraculous event happened, she assured me that it was totally because she trusted God and the promises in the Bible. It wasn’t magical thinking, positive thinking, or any form of mental manipulation: It was her trust. In the midst of the confusion in her household, she had been speaking death. When she started speaking life, she was healed. Liz concludes that miracles have never ceased.

Think it over! You may be missing an important link!

EACH WEEK WE WILL BE HERE.

TUNE IN.

miraclesneverceaseblog. word press.com

Please send your divine intervention experience to: miraclestoday44@gmail.com

 

 

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