"NO DOUBT, IT'S A MIRACLE!"

"Your Faith Gives You Testimony" - Continued

By Rob Bailes

How could someone who truly believes in Jesus find fault with a person who displays living proof that Jesus truly has radically changed their life? Why would anyone question this new believer when they have claimed that Jesus gave them the Truth and New Life?

Let's look at what the people said to the blind man when he came back to town!

John 9:9-11
9. Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.

Theologians could write many different lessons about this passage alone. But today, let's apply what has just happened in this passage to our own lives and how we treat someone who has received Christ that has been labeled by the sin in their lives.

I'm not talking about someone who has broken a rule every now and then. Ordinarily, the "law keepers" or the "good guys" are easily accepted into the church and falls right into place among the believers following conversion.

Instead, let's think about the unsaved teen who has been on the church prayer list for years or the unsaved person who has been hooked on drugs or alcohol for years.

Let's think about the unsaved person who has covered their body with tattoos that symbolize the destructive desires of the flesh or the unsaved person who you have seen walking the streets in town late at night selling drugs or even their own body.

Let's think about the unsaved woman who has a reputation for their involvement in the porn scene online or the unsaved husband on your church prayer list who is hooked on Internet porn or gambling.

Let's also think about the unsaved men and women trapped in the cycle of homelessness who ride the bus to your church from the mission downtown. Those people who show the signs of stress and exposure to the elements in their sad faces when they try to smile and say hello as everyone is greeting each other.

Yet you may have turned away quickly to avoid contact with this person who has come seeking what you claim to have already found by the grace of God alone.

You see, my friend, we are all just a day away from any of these situations! The events that take place in our lives before we receive the Spirit of God could easily lead us into a life of destruction; just like all of those above that I just asked you to think about.

If you had lost everything; if you had been abused; if your parents had been hooked on any of the addicting substances; if someone had seduced you; if someone had convinced you try the perverted acts of fornication or adultery; if you had been used by someone who didn't care about you in ways that would effect the way you felt about yourself; if you had been verbally abused by someone that was dear to you. If any of these things had happened to you, you may have very well been in that person's shoes today.

Maybe it has happened to you and you have walked in that person's shoes; maybe you are still struggling to break free of the past. This is exactly what we see when we read this passage about the blind man, because the people who knew about his past really didn't believe it was possible for him to instantly receive his sight.

He had been blind all his life! How could he possibly have such a radical change take place? That is exactly what those who knew him were going to ask.

Isn't that what happens sometimes when someone receives the transforming grace and mercy of God into their lives? Those who remember them the way they were cannot understand how this change is possible, so they ask questions and they keep asking questions, because they have a hard time understanding how Jesus could perform such a dramatic change in someone with such a history of sin and sickness.

Have you ever been at a church meeting when someone leaned over and quietly informed you of the past sin of someone else at the service who had recently been converted to Christ? It is at this moment that we begin to see them as these people saw the blind man; that is with doubt and disbelief. It's our nature and we have a sinful nature that prefers to judge others; to place labels on others, so that we feel better about ourselves.

Jesus Christ told us to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us! Jesus tells us that when we believe in him, our life will produce the Fruit of the Spirit described in chapter five of Galatians.

Is your life producing the Spirit's fruit today? Better go and read this chapter if your not sure!

John 9:10-12
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.

The people who knew him asked him "HOW" his eyes were opened? They didn't ask who, but rather how! They wanted him to explain the supernatural and we often expect the very same thing when we quiz a new believer on "how" they were transformed, even when it is evident that they have become a new person!

The Pharisees questioned miracles, initiating doubt and taking away from the glory of God.

Let's watch ourselves when we see someone who is radically changed by God, that we don't do or say anything that will cause doubt and give glory to our spirits. Just as young children are easily swayed, so are the young believers easily swayed until they become grounded in the Word of God. This is a time to nurture and protect them from the outside influences of satan's attacks.

I love what the blind man said to those who asked him "How?". He courageously gave HIS TESTIMONY! He told his story of exactly what had happened! No, he didn't know "HOW", but he knew "what" Jesus had told him to do and he did it in obedience and faith!

I suggest that we go back and read verse eleven before we move on!

The next thing we see happening is the people began to ask him where they could find Jesus. Let's look at what is said in verses twelve through sixteen of the ninth chapter of John's gospel.

John 9:12-16
12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keeps not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.


They wanted to see for themselves who had done this wonder, but the blind man had no idea where Jesus had gone. So some of the people decided it was time to pass judgement on him since he couldn't produce the evidence they needed to prove his story. Hmm? Does this sound a little familiar? When something amazing happens to someone you know and they share it with you, how do you react? Are you excited or sceptical? Do you trust that it is real or do you start prying with doubtful questions to find a weak point in their story, so you can discredit the ability of a miracle in their life?

I know you don't like me asking all of these provoking questions today, but it is just as true in my life as I write this lesson, as it could be in your life. Let's humble ourselves, as we think back on the times when we have had the opportunity to rejoice over the divine transformation of someone trapped in a life of corruption and perversion; someone who came to receive Christ.

Did you rejoice? How long did your rejoicing last? What did you think about that person the next time you saw them? Did you ever doubt they were truly and miraculously changed by God's Word and His awesome Spirit?

Remember my friend, the fruit of the Spirit is just that!

Not by our power or by the power of our minds, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we produce love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, temperance and meekness!

I had planned to conclude this lesson today, but God always seems to give me more than I plan to write, so we will continue this again tomorrow. I had been out of town this past week helping my father who had eye surgery and I apologize for the delay in posting the messages. I plan to continue a daily posting on this devotion site for the glory of God and your blessing!