Bible Matters 213: 1/5/23 Miracle

On 1/15/23, I attended a morning church service where a very experienced bible teacher preached a simplified version of salvation as presented in Acts 16:31. 

Acts 16:31- And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

While this is a verse out of the bible, Jesus made it clear in his Gospel, that salvation is obtained by believing in his death, burial and resurrection, repenting of your sins, being born again as a child of God and living a righteous life for Jesus by serving only God with the end everlasting life.  (See Gospel of Jesus Christ – Bible Matters 184, Know Him – Bible Matters 159, Road to Heaven – Bible Matters 160, Walking in Light – Bible Matters 196, and more.) 

If you believe in Jesus, then you repent, believe the gospel and don’t continue your life of sin and darkness.

Mark 1:15 – And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

John 12:46-I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

God made it clear to me in the miracle that occurred on 9/6/21 by texting me Romans 8:28 that he does not support such a simplified message of salvation. (See 9/6/21 – Bible Matters 129).  At that time, I was struggling with my church sending people to the jail ministry wanting to essentially use this verse to save inmates without repentance of sin as required by Jesus.  I prayed for guidance.  With this Romans 8:28 text, I acted and communicated with my pastors and jail ministry team that I did not support this practice anymore.   The outcome is that God is smiling and he now has the jail ministry, teaching the truth in God’s Word and without any interference. 

So why 1/15/23?  During the morning service, a visiting bible teacher taught this false doctrine.  I prayed to Jesus.  I was prepared to meet with the bible teacher after service, but God told me not yet.  He distracted me and when I looked up the bible teacher was gone.    This guy had made me mad.  I could have skipped the evening service, but I knew God wanted me there.  God told me that this bible teacher had to convince himself that he was in error.  At the evening service, this same teacher taught on miracles performed by Jesus and that you can either be part of the miracle or be the recipient of the miracle.  How you respond will determine, if you make God smile or not.  If your heart is hardened or not.

Jesus performed many miracles.   These were not always at the most convenient times.  In Mark 6, after spending much time with Jesus, the disciples buried the corpse of John the Baptist. They did not even have time to eat.  Jesus met with the disciples and he says that they should go on vacation!  Let’s go to a desert place. 

Mark 6:31-And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

When they arrived to the other side, people were waiting for them.  Jesus begun to teach them.  The disciples came to Jesus and said this is vacation.  Now the time is far spent.  Let’s send them away to get something to eat.  But Jesus told them to feed the people.   These disciples were not happy.

Mark 6:35-37 – And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

In this miracle, God fed five thousand men, with women and children with five loaves and two fishes.   The disciples collected the scraps in twelve baskets.  

Mark 6:43-44 – And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

He sent his disciples away on the ship and he went to pray.  Later he saw the disciples toiling on the sea, so he walked to meet them.  They saw him and were troubled.

Mark 6:49-50 – But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

Jesus had healed many people, just fed over five thousand people and still the disciples did not believe in his power.  Their heart was hardened.

Mark 6:52 – For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

These two messages were from God.  These two messages were meant for me on this day, from this man of many years of teaching bible.  I was told to share my miracle with this man.  After service, I met with the bible teacher and told him that I was a recipient of a miracle on 9/6/21 and I made God smile.  I readily handed the bible teacher several Gospel Tracts, including 9/6/21 and Gospel of Jesus Christ and he said he would read them.  How he responds to miracles will determine if he makes God smile or not. 

You see, God is not happy with false teachings.

Mark 9:42 – And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

So why on 1/15/23? 

In bible numbers:  

1: One (aleph) Unity – Aleph is an ox in Hebrew. It signifies strength or being first or “Number One.

15: Fifteen (yod-hey) New Direction – To write fifteen in Hebrew, they wrote two Hebrew letters: yod-hey. These signify the hand (outworking) of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which gives us a new direction in life.  15 follows 14 which signifies Fourteen (yod-daleth) Deliverance, Release – To write fourteen in Hebrew, they wrote two Hebrew letters: yod-daleth. These signify the hand (outworking) of the door. It pictures a release or deliverance from the prison with the opening of the door.

23: Twenty-Three (kaph-gimel) Death and Resurrection Life – To write twenty-three in Hebrew, they wrote two Hebrew letters: kaph-gimel. These signify the open palm in the act of lifting up—in this case, lifting up from death.

Once again, I called on God and he delivered.   

Psalm 118:5 – I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

God is asking you today if your heart is hardened?   Today, will you bury your old life and be resurrected and born again as a child of God.  Will you accept this new direction in your life and be one with God by following his Word, his Gospel.  Living your life for God and not the devil. 

Today, decide to love Jesus and follow him. Study and abide in his doctrine and not a single verse.  Be aware of false teachers.

2 Peter 2:1 – But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

 God will direct you and your life by his word and miracles.  Listen, act and make God smile!

To God be the glory in all you do, Amen.