Torn between faith and miracles

We cannot deny the fact that miracles are an important part of faith; Jesus performed 30 of them in the New Testament. These included healing of disabilities such as paralysis and deafness.

Raising of the dead, walking on water, feeding a crowd of 5,000 people and transforming water into wine at a wedding in Canaan among others.
However, today faith is driven by a religious leaders’ ability to do something miraculous since believers consider that as proof of that particular leader’s anointment.

Pr. Solomon Male relates that nowadays, working miracles and prophecy are on the top in several religious beliefs.

Today’s believers, he says are mostly delighted by miracles and thus the reason many flock the different prayer grounds.

Monica Lubega a parishioner at St. Thomas of Aquinas Mulago states that faith and miracles move hand in hand.
According to the bible, miracles happened only when there was a sign of faith.

“At the time Jesus, turned water into wine, His mother told the disciples to do whatever, ‘He tells you.’ When Lazarus died, his sister Martha told Jesus “Lord if you were here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21).” All these were signs of faith these people showed,” she explains.

However, Lubega says her concern today is the rate at which miracles are advertised with preachers calling on believers to go witness what they can do.
“Seems like a competition.”
Every TV station has a preacher showing off miracles and sharing a contact for ‘special’ prayers.

In 2016 in a documentary that aired on NTV, people testified of how they were paid to miraculously heal from conditions they were suffering from in the first place.
Quotation from the doc

In the same documentary, some believers had to part with a certain amount to see the man of God.

“I am not critiquing anyone, but it’s not written anywhere in the bible that Jesus called upon crowds to showoff what he could do and neither did those that he healed pay,” Lubega says.

Agnes Nakamanya a born Christian at Lukuli Christian Fellowship says believers today are not thirst for God’s love. She says only a few are working towards uplifting their faith, instead, they are desperately seeking for miracles.

“All you ever hear is ‘I receive my miracle, my house, my marriage, piece of land among others.’ Yet when God asked Solomon what he wanted, he asked for Knowledge. He knew with knowledge he would get everything he desired.”

She says sometimes it is worrying to hear people glorify their pastors instead of God. Such people go on to invite friends to witness what ‘their’ pastors are capable of doing. But the question is, is it your pastor or God’s will.

She express that it is fine for religious leaders to pray for their congregations, but followers should not go on to gratify them. Because of the miracles they perform is like focusing your faith towards human beings.

“I believe in miracles because my life too is a miracle,’’ Ronald Mawanda a parishioner at Namirembe cathedral expresses.”

Noting that Jesus performed a number of miracles, but what drives him crazy is the rate at which different believers are seeking for miracles. Failing to appreciate the air they breathe.
Continuing to say, some believers flock churches, spend days and nights seeking for miracles forgetting that the bible says God’s timing is not our timing.

Matthew 17:20 states “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.