I am a radical Christian (?). I hate using the word Christian...UGH!!!!!!!!! Tear my hair out...Ugh...
I have read the Bible, mulled over it, studied it, and found that there is no church or person that embodies what I believe. Many people twist God and religion into what fits. I take it literally. Very literally. Like when Jesus said, "You will do greater things than even I." No, I am not quoting word for word, as I do not have a Bible handy, and because I do not care...You want to cite it, chase it down yourself...anyways, according to the Word, he raised dead, healed people, blah blah blah...That means I have that power, right? Right! That's radical. But an example...from MY life.
A young woman, my age came to the church I was attending and I was drawn to her so while pastor was talking I got up and went over and she had a little baby boy with her, named Skylar. I held him and didn't notice anything right away...But I told his mom, from nowhere but my heart, that he would see. She looked at me, and I was shocked too, and said he has no muscle behind his eyes...He will never see. Well, Skylar has perfect vision now. Before, he never giggled, never played, all he did was fuss...he got to touch his mom's face and see it for the first time within days of me saying he would. I like to say, I spoke it into existence...demanded that he see...and God delivered. I believe in that.
The Bible is clear about not judging and I like to tell people, "If you are without 'sin', cast that first stone..." especially when they are condemning my lifestyle. From the Old Testament to the New, God changed from Law to Love...and times keep changing. What is marriage anymore? A joke...why would I make a worse mockery of it...I live with my boyfriend...so stone me. We have premarital...or no marital sex. I do naughtier things than that...so what...Jesus, by the very definition of his nature could have stoned her as he is said to be without sin...he did not. I love the diversity of humans.
I don't judge based on anything but what you have done to me...and I forgive but I don't forget...that's my human nature. Like if you stab me in the back once, I will not open up to you and allow it again, but I won't shut you out altogether...Anyways...That's just a little..but I know people who had diabetes...trusted God and do not now...Terminal cancer..gone with a prayer. You can discount God if you want, but I have seen what some call miracles. I call it power.
I got hit by a semi two days after telling a man, "Even if I got hit by a semi I wouldn't die, God has a plan for me." And guess what? I am still here. I can't even describe the wreck...I shouldn't have made it...I was hit into oncoming traffic...a four lane highway by a semi and yet there was not a bruise or cut...The witnesses say they don't even know what they saw because I was in line to be hit by about 14 vehicles in a pack...it should've been a pile up, but somehow my car went right past them all and stopped straight on the side of the road, like I had parked it there all along...My body hit shock and was shaking but I was cracking up...
God is crazy...not explainable and that is scary...even to me. I am not where I would like to be with God...but I believe...I don't claim to be anywhere close to good....I admit all of my faults, hoping that someone somewhere can learn from all of my failures...look back at my blogs...all failures...LOL. Anyways...that is just the tip of the iceberg...start the witchhunt.
You are right, we are supposed to be able to do miracles in the name of Jesus Christ and through the will of the Father, but it's not about us; it's about the Father, and glorifying him, so that others may come to know him. We are supposed to be going from glory to glory, which means that, though it is a struggle, we should be getting "better and better" each and every day.
I think that you should check out a book called "A More Excellent Way" by Henry Wright, who pastors Pleasant Valley Church in Georgia. They are the closest to God and what the true church should be that I have ever heard of. You can find the book on Amazon.
Yes, I certainly believe that God's power is still alive and active. He's the exact same God that He was 2,000 yrs ago with Jesus. He still does unexplainable miracles. I went to a mission's trip to India last December. While we were ministering at a village church there, we prayed for the healing of a boy who was mute all his life. According to his father, he never smiled. We declared healing in Jesus name. The next day as we were getting ready to leave that state, the young boy's father found us to show that his son was HEALED. And he was finally smiling!
We're no big preachers or evangelists. Our group was just a few simple, passionate teens with our youth pastor. And GOD used us to touch someone else's family. What a blessing. I'm so glad to know that He is continuing to work in radical people all around the world.
Oh, I also wanted to ask why you hate using the word "Christian"?
People equate Christian with judgement...