I was telling Thomas (fictitious name) the supernatural signs we were having in our meetings – the gold dusts, money miracles, leg lengthening and gemstones from heaven. His facial appearance showed disbelief, irritation and mockery. When I paused, he pop out this all too familiar question to me –
“Where’s that in the Bible?”
Still feeling his derisive smile, I was tempted to reply back, “Thomas, do you believe that you have a brain? Last time I check nowhere in the Bible does it say – Thomas has a brain?”
The funny thing is, these same people who demand there should be a Bible illustration for every claim of modern miracle, are in themselves guilty of practicing the same thing. The following are commonly accepted Christian practices that are not found written in the Word – Sunday school, discipleship manuals, Bibles with chapter and verses, church programs, baptism in swimming pools (early church baptized them in rivers), communion using juices and biscuits (they used bread and wine), preachers in coat and tie, church announcement, bulletin board, Lcd projector, guitar (they used harps) – just to name a few.
No, I am not against the practices I mentioned, I am just demonstrating the inconsistency of these people.
I do not believe in Bible-Letterism. Bible-Letterism means you have to see it in the letter of the Bible before you an activity is seen as legitimate. I believe in Bible-Principles. You see, not only is Bible-letterism inconsistently observed by it’s advocates, it is also unbiblical and impossible to do in real life.
Well, someone protested, “We go by Bible principles in all things except when it comes to Signs and Wonders. You’ve to be able to discern what’s from the Devil you know.” Really? I suspect, the real reason why you put an exemption to signs and wonders is because you would never be guilty of that, after all you don’t signs following you. Ouch! (Sorry, slashed that last statement out.)
Anyway, back to the Bible.
Have you ever thought that the statement – “Where’s that in the Bible?” – is actually nowhere in the Bible?
Go ahead, flip through your Niv, your KJV, your Bible concordance or your Greek lexicon – it’s not there! After turning water into wine, did we see Peter checking his Old Testament,? “This can’t be the Messiah. He did something not in the book!” How about coins in the fish mouth? Cursing of the fig tree? Pasting mud on your eyeball or putting saliva in your tongue? Yuck!
When Peter stood up in the day of Pentecost and tried to convinced the people that the tongues and drunkeness manifestations is of God, by Divine inspiration he used as the book of Joel as the scriptural proof, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people…I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below”. If this was done today, Pentecostal theologians all over the world would be frowning as they check the book of Joel, “Joel talks about prophesy, signs and wonders, but there’s nothing in his writings about a manifestation called tongues and people looking like drunk!” None of the Jewish scholars then objected against Pete’s proof. God did not think to put anything on the book of Joel on tongues and drunkenness. Why? Because there is no need to. The words, “I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below” is an all inclusive terms. It was all inclusive in Peter’s opinion, it should be in ours also.
Not only is – “Where’s that in the Bible” statement nowhere in the Bible, it is actually Anti-Bible.
The Bible teaches that God will do unprecedented things. If this it not so, it will take a lot of rationalizing to explain away the natural meanings of the following scriptures.
- John 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
- John 14:12-13 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
[Jesus, are you sure you said, whatsoever thing I ask? Are you sure I will do greater things? You did things that are not even recorded. ]
- Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?…
- Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
- Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
Again, the practice of Bible letterism has no Biblical support. The practice of applying Bible-principles has overwhelming examples in the Word. I would rather based my belief in that which has Bible support than one that does not have any. Wouldn’t you?
In limitting God’s activity only if he had already written about it 2,000 years ago, are we not imprisoning the Author in his own book?
While teaching one time, I waved to everyone a thousand peso bill. I said, “If I give this money to Ptr. Bernard, would anyone in the audience object? Would they have the right to object? Of course not, I can do what I want it is my money. Right? I waited to see the affirming reaction of the people before I continued, ” Now, what if God himself give Bernard a thousand peso bill?” I waved the money bill above Bernard’s head then strategically let it go, so to let it slowly flew down where he was able to pick it up. “Money coming miraculously from heaven. Now, if God did that, many would object. Can you see the inconsistency? I can do anything with my money, but God can’t. God is imprisoned by his book!”
(I, of coursed made sure I took my money back from Bernard after the illustration.)
I spoke for another thirty minutes or so. Then I began to demonstrate the supernatural power of God before I ended that session. Ptr. Bernard was the next speaker. A few minutes before he spoke, he made a quick stop into the men’s room. To his surprised – he found another one thousand bill with no owner!
Psalms 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.