THE FINGER OF GOD

Through all of the goings-on in other parts, there are some wonderful things (I don’t talk about these as much) going on. This is just one. I’ve said before that miracles are more abundant in the developing world than in the “Western” world, in the developing world churches than in the “Western church.” So it’s interesting to be here, though much of the white portion of South Africa lumps itself in with “Western” churches. But it’s still an amazing thing to see.

Lex is a guy at my church who goes around the world for visits and conferences and witnesses this first hand. I don’t like to say “goes and heals people” because he’s not one of those televangelist with a huge televised ministry that takes donations. It’s like a grass-roots thing; well, it’s more simple than that. It’s just him visiting places and things happening, not planned or anything. Anyway I do work in the church here, but it’s not why the government brought me over. But if I’m able, I would like to accompany him on his next trip overseas somewhere.

My favorite is this woman in Mozambique. I really like her, again, because she’s not like the TV people. She actually is big on the Jesus’s words that say “unless you become like the least of theses [like a little child], you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” So she travels around Mozambique (she speaks Portuguese) and she shows the “Jesus Film.” Lots of people do that. No problem. But tons of miracles follow her after the film is shown. There are people with serious needs and they come to receive prayer. So instead of just praying for these people, pushing them hard so they fall down and asking for money through the radio and TV, she has a group of kids (I kid you not) who follow and accompany her on these visits to villages. And she AND the kids pray for these people. She calls these kids who ACTUALLY BELIEVE that their prayer can do something (adults don’t really believe so much; it’s true for many adults; some would say most adults especially in the Western church). And bam—deaf people hear, bones are corrected, dead are resuscitated (I don’t like to use the term resurrection; I reserve that for “conquering death” as Christians and Jesus claim he did, not coming back to life only to die again).

I have not seen her in person. I saw her in a documentary called “The Finger of God.” Check it out if you have time. Even if you don’t believe what you see, it’s a wonderfully honest exploration of someone who doesn’t or didn’t think like that.

http://www.amazon.com/Finger-God-Darren-Wilson/dp/B00116495O

It is just interesting to me, because what is amazing to the Western Church is quite normal in parts over (or Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa, etc.). The people of these regions have never felt that God has grown tired of them even in worse situations.