Reasons to Believe
Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 5:35 pm
Hello, my name is Harrison. I've registered at this board to correspond with fellow Christians for the purpose of increasing my faith, and hopefully the faith of others around me. I've come here for knowledge, and answers to some of my questions as well as the questions of people whom I've met and have yet to meet. I have no scientific background and so in that regard I am a layman. I cannot by any means answer scientifically any Biblical questions, however God has blessed me by revealing to me His works through phenomena that is unexplainable. I feel extremely grateful for these certain experiences as it makes it far easier to believe in God, and the Bible. I've always believed in some shape or fashion of a god, but did not truly come to believe in the personal God of the Bible, and the Bible it self, until seeing the power of God through miracles. I will give an account of what happened to me, as I feel it is our responsibility to share what God has done for us, so others that have not had first-hand accounts of God's power may know that He still works today, just as He did in the Bible.
It was 1997 and I was in my twelfth summer. I was on vacation with my parents and my older sister, we were traveling to Florida by car to get to Disney World. On our way we stopped in Pensacola, where apparently "Revivals" were being held. My mother being quite spiritual decided that we had to stay and witness the power of God if indeed it were here. My reaction was just about the equivalent the Feminist movement would have if the 19th amendment had been removed, in other words, I was horrified. There was no way I wanted spend 4 or more hours of my vacation time in church, the idea disgusted me and I had no qualms about complaining. As I continued to complain my mother said "God wants you in church", and I arrogantly responded "God doesn't want me board on vacation" "God if you want me to go to church, say something!" to which I of course got silence. Despite my protest it was decided that we would stay and go to this "Revival" we entered the church and my sardonic comments continued. The church was packed with quite a few thousand people, and at the beginning the church had "praise and worship" with people dancing and singing, I however remained quite quiet and still. After the singing, the preacher started his sermon, and at this point I was still wondering how many miles I was from "It's a small world", but soon, my attitude began to change. After the sermon, the pastor asked for people to exit the pews and stand in a line between them. Lines started to form, and soon the pastor was walking through the sea of people, touching one person at a time and screaming "fire!" when he touched each individual. As he did, the people that he would touch would just collapse to the floor. Now at this point, I was surprised, but my mindset was still one of doubt. I had been in plenty of churches before, and seen people fake this same thing. I also had been PUSHED down by a pastor long before I'd ever visited here, and as such was not convinced, though admittedly I could "feel" something at this point. One by one the people fell as the pastor worked his way through the aisles, and at this point, the number of people were easily in the hundreds. Now I wasn't the only one who was not convinced, there was a very attractive teenage blond girl sitting with a guy on each side of her that was 2 rows in front of me. They did not get out of their seats, and instead they pointed and laughed at the people who were falling on the ground, and basically had the exact attitude I had earlier, but with more mockery than even I dared to exude. When the pastor had worked his way to the area in the aisle where they would be standing, he saw them still sitting in their seats, but instead of passing over them he went into the pews and touched each one of them as well! When he walked away they were all totally unconscious! Most of the others before them had remained conscious just not able to stand, but that girl and her friends were just completely out. Her eyes were closed and she and her friends were rather oddly leaning on each other, and just remained completely unmoving. Now at this point, my thoughts were quite shaken. Before I had come to this church I was questioning the Bible's veracity and indeed weather God even existed. In many ways the Bible seemed like some kind of fairy tale my parents told me to make me be a "good boy" and obey them, but after seeing these incredible things, well there was a great deal of ambivalence towards my disbelief. So then and there I told God "Prove it to me. God if you are real, prove to me this is not fake, prove this is you. I'm going to resist this with every ounce of strength in my body so If I'm knocked down, I'll know that YOU had to do it, and that it was not my mind or this man. Prove it." So now the preacher is right in front of me, the moment of truth, or falsehood. He reaches out his hand and GENTLY touches my midsection and screams "fire!", instantly I feel weak, but I resist. Again he lightly touches my stomach and screams "fire!". Now my body almost collapses, and I double over, but still I fight it. I refuse to go down, like a prize fighter who know's he can't win, but fights anyway. Then for the third time the preacher does the same thing, gently as always, almost like a feather falling on a pillow he touches me and screams "Fire!". The feeling I then had is hard to describe, but perhaps is best described as powerlessness, and not in a pejorative way, just as if you're encompassed by something that is 100 times larger than you. My legs buckle, I give up. I can't take anymore. I fall to the floor and say, "It's you God." With a critical mindset, a sardonic disposition, and an actual physical resistance to the power of God, I still fell.
That's my testimony, or I should say part of it, as I have witnessed things that are arguably even more incredible, but the one above is certainly the most personal. I plan on writing on my other accounts of God's miracles at a latter date, but feel this one is long enough on its own. In closing I have a few questions and statements.
For the Atheist: Can you really afford to not examine God from the Christian perspective and look only at the evidence against, and not for? Answer yourself this; What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain?
For the Muslim: Why would Allah use His power through a Christian in a Christian church and answer my request when it would lead me to Jesus?
For the Christian: Take joy that our God is the living God, and still does great works today! Let this testimony increase your faith and trust in God as you continue to seek Him.
It was 1997 and I was in my twelfth summer. I was on vacation with my parents and my older sister, we were traveling to Florida by car to get to Disney World. On our way we stopped in Pensacola, where apparently "Revivals" were being held. My mother being quite spiritual decided that we had to stay and witness the power of God if indeed it were here. My reaction was just about the equivalent the Feminist movement would have if the 19th amendment had been removed, in other words, I was horrified. There was no way I wanted spend 4 or more hours of my vacation time in church, the idea disgusted me and I had no qualms about complaining. As I continued to complain my mother said "God wants you in church", and I arrogantly responded "God doesn't want me board on vacation" "God if you want me to go to church, say something!" to which I of course got silence. Despite my protest it was decided that we would stay and go to this "Revival" we entered the church and my sardonic comments continued. The church was packed with quite a few thousand people, and at the beginning the church had "praise and worship" with people dancing and singing, I however remained quite quiet and still. After the singing, the preacher started his sermon, and at this point I was still wondering how many miles I was from "It's a small world", but soon, my attitude began to change. After the sermon, the pastor asked for people to exit the pews and stand in a line between them. Lines started to form, and soon the pastor was walking through the sea of people, touching one person at a time and screaming "fire!" when he touched each individual. As he did, the people that he would touch would just collapse to the floor. Now at this point, I was surprised, but my mindset was still one of doubt. I had been in plenty of churches before, and seen people fake this same thing. I also had been PUSHED down by a pastor long before I'd ever visited here, and as such was not convinced, though admittedly I could "feel" something at this point. One by one the people fell as the pastor worked his way through the aisles, and at this point, the number of people were easily in the hundreds. Now I wasn't the only one who was not convinced, there was a very attractive teenage blond girl sitting with a guy on each side of her that was 2 rows in front of me. They did not get out of their seats, and instead they pointed and laughed at the people who were falling on the ground, and basically had the exact attitude I had earlier, but with more mockery than even I dared to exude. When the pastor had worked his way to the area in the aisle where they would be standing, he saw them still sitting in their seats, but instead of passing over them he went into the pews and touched each one of them as well! When he walked away they were all totally unconscious! Most of the others before them had remained conscious just not able to stand, but that girl and her friends were just completely out. Her eyes were closed and she and her friends were rather oddly leaning on each other, and just remained completely unmoving. Now at this point, my thoughts were quite shaken. Before I had come to this church I was questioning the Bible's veracity and indeed weather God even existed. In many ways the Bible seemed like some kind of fairy tale my parents told me to make me be a "good boy" and obey them, but after seeing these incredible things, well there was a great deal of ambivalence towards my disbelief. So then and there I told God "Prove it to me. God if you are real, prove to me this is not fake, prove this is you. I'm going to resist this with every ounce of strength in my body so If I'm knocked down, I'll know that YOU had to do it, and that it was not my mind or this man. Prove it." So now the preacher is right in front of me, the moment of truth, or falsehood. He reaches out his hand and GENTLY touches my midsection and screams "fire!", instantly I feel weak, but I resist. Again he lightly touches my stomach and screams "fire!". Now my body almost collapses, and I double over, but still I fight it. I refuse to go down, like a prize fighter who know's he can't win, but fights anyway. Then for the third time the preacher does the same thing, gently as always, almost like a feather falling on a pillow he touches me and screams "Fire!". The feeling I then had is hard to describe, but perhaps is best described as powerlessness, and not in a pejorative way, just as if you're encompassed by something that is 100 times larger than you. My legs buckle, I give up. I can't take anymore. I fall to the floor and say, "It's you God." With a critical mindset, a sardonic disposition, and an actual physical resistance to the power of God, I still fell.
That's my testimony, or I should say part of it, as I have witnessed things that are arguably even more incredible, but the one above is certainly the most personal. I plan on writing on my other accounts of God's miracles at a latter date, but feel this one is long enough on its own. In closing I have a few questions and statements.
For the Atheist: Can you really afford to not examine God from the Christian perspective and look only at the evidence against, and not for? Answer yourself this; What do you have to lose? What do you have to gain?
For the Muslim: Why would Allah use His power through a Christian in a Christian church and answer my request when it would lead me to Jesus?
For the Christian: Take joy that our God is the living God, and still does great works today! Let this testimony increase your faith and trust in God as you continue to seek Him.
I know love is not of this world-God is love and the source of love, matter is not love, and does not express love, and cannot give love, etc. Love, though, is manifested in this world!