An excerpt from Kris Vallotton's upcoming book, Heavy Rain. Watch for more news about the January 2011 release!
I think we can all agree that we will need a multitude of miracles to see the Lord’s Prayer answered and our destiny fulfilled. In his best selling book, When Heaven Invades Earth, author Bill Johnson calls the Body of Christ back to our supernatural roots. He challenges all Christians to walk in signs and wonders as Jesus so clearly outlined in Bible including Mark’s Gospel.
He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:16-18).
But Jesus never meant for miracles to be in end in themselves but rather an invitation into a superior kingdom, a catalyst to cultural transformation. Jesus told the city of Capernaum, "if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day” (Matthew 11:23). To the cites of Chorazin and Bethsadia he said, "if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matthew 11:21). Our Lord’s message is clear; the most important manifestations of miracles are a world in revival.
There are some people today who want to remind us that Jesus pronounced judgment over the three cites who didn’t repent in the New Testament. I would like to point out a couple of things about the judgments of Jesus. First of all, the only cities Jesus rebuked were towns that had witnessed His incredible miracles. When people experience the supernatural manifestations of the Kingdom of God; for instance, the dead are raised, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, leapers are cleansed and people are delivered from demons; they experience two kingdoms in contrast. Most people are aware of the works of the devil because we face them daily in the current fallen state of creation. But in the absence of true miracles it is hard to distinguish between the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. Cities void of the miraculous are reduced to viewing these kingdoms through the lens of philosophies, good works and nice people. Perceived through these paradigms the Lions, Rotary and Moose clubs are usually the ones contenting for first place. This diminishes the Kingdom of God down to words, Bible concepts and religious traditions. These things may be important, but it is imperative that we demonstrate the power of our great King so the distinction between darkness and light is obvious and THE LORDS PRAYER can be answered.
There is one other thing I want highlight concerning the judgments of Christ. It makes sense that a miracle working, sinless savior who created the entire world… a man who needs no mercy can have strong feelings about the destiny of cities. On the other hand, people like us, who got into the Kingdom through the whipped skin of His back and nailed scared hands of His body (and not by our own works), ought to be a little more patient with people who are still lost in darkness! You think?
