Who is God today?

[HisHomeMaker]

Should we believe that what God did in Biblical times is what he can do for people today or should we believe that Jesus was here as the sinless human example and was supposed to rise again, leaving his mission to others?

 

[EricOntario]

A very interesting question. I believe that God has complete control to do whatever it is that He wants of course, but at the same time the world is at a stage now that requires us to patiently have faith while we wait for Jesus to return... in the meantime I wouldn't presume to say that miracles can't/don't happen, but if they do I think they're probably very rare. Bottom line for me is that I don't know but I have faith that God can do anything, any time, any place

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

We are to believe that Jesus is God (second person of the one triune God) who became a human being to bring salvation to His creation. If Jesus is not both God and Man than the central teachings of the Christian faith is a lie.

To deny the deity of Christ is to leave the Christian faith.

 

[EricOntario]

I don't think HisHomeMaker was denying the Holy Trinity, I think she was asking for opinions on whether Jesus continues to perform miracles on earth in the time between the First and Second comings.

I personally don't think there's a definitive answer to that question that doesn't presume to be able to know more about God's methods than is actually possible for us, but still, the question is a valid one.

 

[HisHomeMaker]

I think she was asking for opinions on whether Jesus continues to perform miracles on earth in the time between the First and Second comings.

Thank you, Eric. You said it better than I did. I am a Christian and I do not deny the trinity. I do wonder if my role is intended to be more than just a believer, though.

 

[Cajun Huguenot]

Sorry I misunderstood your post.

 

[mark46]

The OP seems to be asking whather God performs miracles today and what our role might be.

I believe that God performs miracles today in many ways. But more important in some sense is our role. We are not to accept Jesus and sit around and wait for heaven.
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I believe that Jesus has risen (indeed he has risen) and that he has left the Holy Spirit within us to perform miracles through us. As Therese of Avilla put it (from wiki),

"Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

As Tony Campolo observed,
Jesus says to his disciples, even as he says to you and me "The work that I do, ye shall do and greater works than these shall ye do because I go unto my Father." John 14:12. May each of us live out this verse and may it be said of you, he did, she did the work that Jesus would have done if Jesus was here in the flesh. It’s in that context that we have authority when we declare the good news of what Jesus did for us on the cross. May God bless us and do great things through each of us in his name.
Tony Campolo - Doing Greater Things

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When we ask "What Would Jesus Do?", we should be serious. We are to be Jesus to the world. We are to heal, to take care of the sick and the weak among us. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to act through us.

We are adopted daughters and sons of the living God: we should act that way. As we mature, and are more like Jesus was on earth, then it makes sense that we will be able to do as he did.

 

[HisHomeMaker]

Thank you, Cajun and Mark.

What role to you take? I question mine.

I understand the mission of the church to be to worship God, to educate each other and to spread His word through evangelism and mission. I am not much of an evangelist. How do I choose my mission as a Christian?

 

[mark46]

"to spread the word through evangelism and mission"

I think that this wording is somewhat restrictive.

We are a Christian example (good or bad) in our every act in the world where we interface with other people. It is in this way that most of us are evangelists and on mission. If we see Jesus in all who see, and we are Jesus to all that we meet especially the weak, we will truly be evangelists (and praying always through our actions). IMHO, words of evangel;ism are rarely necessary.

But yes, I question my role also. This is part of discernment. What would God have me do? My biggest failure is not spending enough quiet time listening to His answer, and not paying enough attention to His speaking to me through those situations and people he puts in my life each day.

Thank you, Cajun and Mark.

What role to you take? I question mine.

I understand the mission of the church to be to worship God, to educate each other and to spread His word through evangelism and mission. I am not much of an evangelist. How do I choose my mission as a Christian?