Grace and Miracles.
5/28/2010 1:31:08 PM
May 16, 2010 'Tales from Long Beach'


 

Grace and Miracles.

Yesterday morning, I told Danny’s story to my Long Beach street friends.  Our purpose on Friday mornings is to praise God for his goodness and thank him for his work in our lives, and then take our requests before him.   I thought it would build the faith of my friends to hear how God had miraculously healed my two-year-old son of kidney failure almost 10 years ago.   Yes, Danny’s story was the perfect illustration of God’s grace poured out . . . and I had preached on grace in Long Beach the day before.  (You know, that amazing thing called grace!)  People are hungry for grace, and to see how the grace of God changes things, brings hope, and breathes new life.  In short, people are hungry for God, but sometimes they just don’t know that is what they’re missing—and that only his grace can fill the gaping God-size whole inside of them. 

One fella, Marcus, approached me and told me that he was a walking example of God’s grace.  His past included heavy gang activity, drug sales and then drug use to cover how bad he felt inside; he had done prison time, and all of it together  was a cesspool of his own making.  It was while he was in prison that he was still, and had the opportunity to meet God.  Oh, he met him all right, and then he let God change him.  He is now free from all those entanglements of the world’s sin.  He just wanted me to know.  Cool. 

When people ‘get’ (understand) grace, they want others to know—take this note I received: “Christine, THAT THING CALLED GRACE....My favorite briefing of all. You nailed it. So beautiful.  ‘Think you were definitely on to something when you spoke of how dramatic GRACE feels to those of us who are relieved of addictions and depression and hopelessness almost over night. And it happens exactly when you do RECEIVE it, allow HIM to pour HIS GRACE upon you. It is amazing. For the faithless, hopeless, and confused to finally "get it" .....it is awesome. Thank you for reminding me of how blessed I am that GRACE has been shown to me in such a dramatic way.....most things about my life have been pretty "dramatic" sooooo thankful also was the GRACE!!!!”  Grace . . . receive it.

The big old basement room in which we gather could be anywhere; there are no markings of anything that speaks of our God.  But I couldn’t teach on grace, or that Jesus was the embodiment of grace to us, without the old rugged cross!  (So my friend, John, was kind enough to build one on his day off this week for the basement, and oh man, I am so thankful!)  In addition to the six foot cross, I took a gnarly crown of thorns, a burgundy wrap to put on the crossbar, and seven-inch nails like Jesus would have endured.  These symbolized the claims that Paul made in 1 Corinthians 15, that Christ was crucified according to the Scriptures.   It seems to me that so many people have become ‘Christian’ or preach Christianity without the reality of the cross these days, when it is the cross that sets us free—I don’t quite understand it. 

It was powerful to have back-to-back days, first to teach about grace and what it looks like, and then to follow it up with the miraculous power of prayer.  As I concluded my teaching on how God healed Danny, when the doctors couldn’t, showing slides of a sick baby boy and then a little boy with blonde hair and dark blue eyes, who has grown into a bigger boy, so full of life.  I explained that

            when God performs a miracle, he doesn’t do a half-way job.

God did not just barely restore Danny, he made him into quite a boy—and filled him with courage, humor, and athleticism!  In fact, just this week, he hit two out-of-the-park homeruns; I brought the leather baseballs as proof.  The symbolism was so very powerful.  When God does a miracle, he hits it out of the park!

“So, if you need God to do a miracle in your life, stand up!”  The first one on his feet was Lamont.  “I need everything because my life is a mess,” he said, clutching his Bible.  “I know the right way, but I’ve walked away from God so many times.  I just need his help.”  Others stood to ask God to heal their marriage, for just a little more time from the judge to pay a fine, for sobriety . . . We reached out and laid hands on one another as we cried out to the God of the Universe to come and do what only he could do!   

There is so much more I could report, but let me conclude with this for now:  on Thursday, just before we started, a crazy-eyed looking woman came into the basement, and made her way to me.  After asking my name and being assured she had the prayer lady, she said, “I need you to pray for me; I gotta demon in me.  Could you pray that it would get out?” She looked like she had a demon in her—she had black skin and reddish hair, but her face was painted; she was sweating profusely, and could not sit still, as she clutched her pillow.  “Yes, we’re going to start in just a minute.”  “Can you just pray now?  I gotta get outta here!”  I had been hoping to buy a little time, but that was not to be.  I called another believer over to lay his hand on her shoulder, and I prayed with fury, and invoked the blood of Jesus to remove the demon.  She quickly left.  And then we started.  Mmmmhmmm.

And then yesterday, (day two), she came for the noon meal.  She looked like a different woman—calm, not nervous or sweating, with no paint on her face, and no craziness in her eyes.  I cannot say for sure what had gone on, but I will tell you that I was thanking God that she looked so peaceful. 

Oh, there is never an uneventful day at the Basement Gathering; ‘matter of fact, there is never an uneventful day when people cry out to God either!  The God of the universe loves to extend grace to his children by hearing and answering their prayers.  Miracles are proof that God is a God of grace.

Amen.

Christine