Devon Dick | Miracle crusade in MoBay

A lady whose breast was removed by doctors some years ago had her breast grow back during the recent Miracle Crusade in Montego Bay, according to a Baptist pastor. He encouraged all to 'Come see and experience the mighty power of God'. The lady's breast growing back after some years would be a miracle. This deviates from the laws of nature and natural order was suspended.

Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still for almost a day, and the moon stopped to allow the nation to avenge the enemies (Joshua 10: 13). That was a miracle, and the sun continued operating normally thereafter. So after a miracle, the deviation from the natural physical laws ceases and normality is restored as natural occurrence returns, abiding by the natural laws.

Another Baptist pastor asked whether the new breast was an improvement on the original and had the same texture. Perhaps, this query is indicative of a lack of understanding of miracles. This new breast would not be an immortal breast but a breast that would be subjected to the ageing process and prone to diseases.

Furthermore, people need to understand that miracles are rare and Christian women and men should not start praying for any growth or enlargement most will be sorely disappointed. Miracles are not everyday occurrences. Even Jesus, the Christ, the greatest miracle worker, in his three-year ministry, did not perform 1,000 miracles, based on biblical records. How many times Jesus raised someone from the dead? Not even three times, although thousands of people died during Jesus' time. Paradoxically, seeking after signs and wonders was a sign of weak faith, NOT strong faith (John 4:48; 1 Cor 1:22). The purpose of Jesus' miracles was to settle the issue of Christ's deity (Matt 11: 2-5 and Luke 4: 14-21).

Obviously, the organisers of this miracle crusade had noble intention with the stated objective 'to unite the church, join forces with the government, the military as well as the private and public sectors; to aid in the fight against crime'. This was deemed necessary as the number of killings for 2018 up to April 27 showed a four per cent increase over a similar period in 2017. Equally important, the organisers must be careful that they are not scammed. There are some USA tele-evangelists who are con artists performing fake miracles. Someone could be planted in the congregation to make unverifiable claims and cause shame on the name of Christ. Therefore, test the spirit and determine whether the claim is of God.

VERIFY MIRACLE

What needs to be done is for this woman to show before and after pictures of her breast. Display the picture after the removal and the picture after the growth. Then the attending medical team should testify that she had the surgery to remove her breast and place these findings in medical journals. This would answer the cynics and satisfy those weak in faith. Furthermore, Jesus set the precedent by verifying his resurrection to a doubting Thomas, telling him not only to see but to touch (John 20:27). If Jesus verified his resurrection, then we also should verify every claim of miracle that deviates from the natural order. Finally, the mother of all miracles is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is more than a miracle because Jesus continuously defies the natural order and is alive forever!

Crusades should focus on the power of the resurrection to change lives, overcome evil and death, and to help people experience the fulfilment of God's good purposes for them.

- Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. He is author of 'The Cross and the Machete', and 'Rebellion to Riot'. Send feedback to columns@ gleanerjm.com.