A New, Unopened Box Of God (repost)

(originally posted Oct 18, 2012)

Remember miracles? Remember when the people of God saw visions and dreamed dreams, and the Spirit of God moved in the Church, filling and causing some to speak in tongues, and some to interpret, and some to prophesy, and some to heal, and some to discern good spirits from evil?

Remember that?

Whatever happened to that,  anyway?

Does all that seem a little far-fetched? A little science-fictiony or scary? A little bit kooky, perhaps?

Why is that? Paul talked about exactly these things to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 12), didn't he? Are things so different now that God has ceased to move in these ways in our Church, and in His people? Surely, some Christians -- even pastors -- will say, even if He really DID cause miracles to happen (which, depending on your church, may now be seen to have a perfectly natural, logical, and un-supernatural explanation), He no longer moves that way now.

Now the Holy Spirit moves us to... what? Tentatively raise our hands in church? Clap shyly and without rhythm -- but only if everyone else is clapping, too? Pray for one another by nodding along when the pastor says their names, and then grudgingly put our check in the offering plate?

I miss miracles. I miss the Supernatural power of God. But I begin to wonder: did God pull His Power away from us, or did we merely stop asking for it?