Miracles, Signs and Wonders

“And the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.” —Deuteronomy 6:22

Do you believe in Miracles?
If you were asked by a pollster, “Do you believe that God can heal people physically?” What would be your response? If you answered “yes,” you would agree with the majority of Americans in a study that was completed by the Barna Group in 2016. There has been a war going on between the natural and supernatural through the ages. At the center is the topic of miracles. If miracles did occur like Moses’ burning bush or the parting of the Red Sea, they defy the scientific community which is well-known for its atheistic tendencies centered on evolutionary beliefs that exclude God. The Barna Group is a research organization that reports on faith and culture with the aid of millions of interviews and hundreds of research studies. Since 1984, it has developed a reputable wide-ranging database on faith issues that concern the church and many faith-based ministries.

Barna concluded that the majority of Americans have faith in the supernatural despite what propaganda from the secular institutions of higher education state in the first paragraph,

“The results are striking, and challenge taken-for-granted notions about supernatural healing as an uncommon and disbelieved phenomenon in America today.”¹

The survey group who did believe in the miracle of healing was divided into two groups — one who strongly believed and the other who somewhat believed. Both groups were evenly split at 33% of the total group. Of interest are the Millennials who are defined as born between 1980-2000. Out of the four generations mentioned in the study who strongly disagree, Millennials made up the highest percentage of disbelief at 26%, twice the amount of the elders as depicted below:

The statistics confirm that as we move upward in the generation category, there is a decline in spiritual belief. Another critical component considered is educational levels; of those who have college degrees, only 27% believe in supernatural healing compared to 37% of those who have not graduated from college. This falls in line with research done in the past concluding that college education deters graduates from belief in the supernatural, including belief in God.

According to this study, when it comes to prayer, most Americans pray for supernatural physical healing. Their research revealed that almost 7 out of 10 people (68%) prayed for spiritual healing while a third (32%) have never prayed. There was a lower percentage, 60%, of those who prayed for physical healing who were college graduates versus those who just graduated from High School at 73%. Again, educational levels influence the landscape of those who believe in God.

Christianity Declining at Rapid Pace

Despite most Americans believing in miracles and the remarkable number of people who pray for each other regarding physical healing, research studies reveal a grave concern about the future religious landscape. The Pew Research Center conducted a telephone survey from 2018 to 2019 that in America, Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.

Their dismal conclusion is that Christianity is declining quickly at a rate of 12% over a decade from 2009 to 2019 (released October 17, 2019).² The study revealed that as those who identify themselves as a Christian went down 12% alternatively, there was significant growth of those who identified as religiously unaffiliated (26% in 2019). This group describes themselves as atheist, agnostic, or “nones,” a group that has no religion in particular. The “nones” group grew 5% in a decade and are also identified as young adults.

From 2007 to 2014, they conducted a national telephone survey on the same subject with a random digital dial (RDD) survey of more than 35,000 respondents who were asked numerous detailed questions regarding their religious preferences and practices. The center now has collected five more years of data on the state of the religious landscape from collected surveys which pertain to this 10-year study that resulted in 168, 890 interviews from Americans, which makes it a comprehensive examination of the religious landscape.

Church Attendance Declining

Also identified in this Pew Research Center’s extensive study was a decline in church attendance in the US. More Americans say they attend religious services a few times a year 54% and 45% attend at least monthly. A decade ago, the number was reversed; 52% attended at least once a month and 47% occasionally. There is a significant difference in generations in this study on church attendance as expected from previous research. There is again a gap concerning the Millennials and older Americans. The Elder generation (also known as the Silent Generation) attends church at the rate of 84% while the Millennials only at 49%. The chart below illustrates the decline of church attendance every month from generation to generation.

One of the best indicators is in actual numbers of adults who profess to be Christian. The number was estimated to be 178 million in 2009, and in 2019 it dropped to 167 million. This was even with the increase in population of more than 23 million adults entering the ranks of adulthood.

The statistical data overwhelmingly demonstrates a decrease in people who identify themselves as Christian is directly related by lower church attendance with the decline in Christians being part of the American religious landscape. The Pew Research Center in this study and the ones done in the past are also reporting on the corresponding significant increase for those who have no affiliation with religion.

Christianity in a the State of Emergency

The research above demonstrates that the decline of Christianity in the U.S. automatically directly correlates with a decrease in traditional values that America was founded on and from which it arose to be where it is today. The men and women who had a fear of God traditionally instilled and trained the next generation to move forward with Godly values knowing their Creator and Savior.

The research reveals that there is a profound gap growing between ages regarding the belief in a living Christ who has the power to transform a person, a country, and the world from death to life that will live forever. To ignore this power is a tragedy that leads to chaos and the loss of hope for America and the world.

The research conducted matches the personal observations that we have seen over time, the gradual decay of American values that are biblically based. What is missing is the invisible bond that once held us together. It gave us our shared values that many agreed came from their Creator and Savior Himself in His holy Word of God. As the tiny threads of this beautiful tapestry unravel, we begin to see the shredded holes that the Apostle Paul warned us about in Romans 1. He emphasized that man, if left alone, we will self-destruct. In verses 1:24 – 25, it is summarized,

Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

God and Country: The Declaration of Independence

History teaches us that our founding fathers lived and understood the fear of God. Our country is founded on basic Christian principles. The proof is in the people that our heavenly Father anointed to establish this nation. They came from homes where children were taught the Bible and the Word of God was the cornerstone not only for their homes but in their entire way of life. They lived the truth of God and entwined it into our America’s roots.

There are remnants of our foundations everywhere, like fossils that tell us about life’s history, that our countrymen believed that this nation belongs to God and His Word. There is an overwhelming amount of written documents such as our Declaration of Independence, that demonstrate God and Country.

These expressions refer to the ultimate source that all rights come from God. Therefore, the American colonies had a right to separate from the sovereign King of England. It goes on and mentions the Creator, referring to Genesis 1, establishing that we are created equal because each man is created in the image of God. It also states with unalienable rights that can only be endowed by the Creator.

The Declaration of Independence ends with the last sentence referencing God as the divine Providence, containing this expression, “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” This means that everything God created on earth and in the Cosmos is under His control. He is the absolute and perfect being that everything is subject to, including the past, present, and future.

The colonists and signers of the Declaration of Independence believed that God was in full control and was calling them out of bondage and leading them to the promised land as it says,

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

The verse above from the Old Testament was King Solomon’s prayer. It was John Adams, one of the chief founding fathers of our country and the second president of the United States, who referred to this biblical passage with his wife Abigail the day the Declaration of Independence was approved. In celebratory gesture, he said in the letter he wrote to her, “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by Solemn acts of devotion to God almighty.”³

The historical statement is from David Barton’s Original Intent (1977), which is a thoroughly research publication with actual quotes from the letters and documents left behind. Congress also approved the appointment of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin to propose a seal to characterize this moment in history, Barton reports the following,

Franklin proposed, Moses lifting up His Wand, and dividing the Red Sea, and the Pharaoh in His character overwhelmed with the waters. This motto: “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Jefferson proposed, “The Children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.”⁴

Memorials and Monuments to God and Country

There are numerous memorials and monuments that give testimony referring to the traditional ties of how the early pioneers depended upon God and the authority of His Word. The Liberty Bell, symbolizes a memorial marker in history that demonstrates that our freedom is centered on God’s Word as he spoke it in Leviticus. It is a monument declaring our liberties that were conceived by the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1750 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s Charter, which was an inspiration in establishing our United States Constitution.

More recently, it miraculously survived without a window being broken after the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001. It naturally became a sanctuary for all the recovery workers at Ground Zero. By an act of Congress on April 30, 1789, the first inauguration of President George Washington would be enacted, and the country’s leadership would move to St. Paul’s Chapel for Devine services. The Congress Annals state, “The President, the Vice President, the Senate and House of Representatives, &c…, then proceed to St. Paul’s Chapel where the chaplain of Congress performed divine service.” This is a fantastic testimony of how the Government supported God’s Word and Country. It involved a two-hour worship service consecrating our nation to God. The National Capital was located in Manhattan at that time for two years. St. Paul’s Chapel is where Washington and many of our early leaders met to worship every week since then. The plethora of old documents and numerous national memorials define who we were, and today, we struggle to be. It is difficult because the spirit that was once breathed into the life of America was founded in the spirit of God’s Word. If we leave this truth that is so evident, we know we will destroy ourselves. It is guaranteed, according to God’s Word.

Now is the Time

We cannot lose hope when the research and the observations we experience day to day is shouting out that our nation is on a slippery slope leading to decay and death. We see the warning that Moses gave His people about the continuation of God’s Blessing into the next generation, teaching them diligently about God’s commandments in all our ways, day and night. Moses declares that when they ask us, “What is the meaning of these testimonies?” in Deuteronomy 6:20, we should be prepared to teach them how we have been saved with God’s promises. He also mentions that we should talk about God’s “Signs and Wonders before our eyes” to make them realize there is someone much greater than us that we need to worship and honor.

Footnotes:
1. Barna Group, “Most Americans Believe in Supernatural Healing: Research Releases in Faith and Christianity,” September 29, 2016 https://www.barna.com/research/americans-believe-supernatural- healing/
2. The Pew Research Center, ”In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace: An update on America’s Changing Religious,” October 17, 2019 https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at- rapid-pace/
3. Barton, David, Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution, and Religion,1st edition, Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press;1997: p101 from John Adams Letters, Vol.1,p128, to Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776
4. ibid.