What They Are Why They Happen and How They Can Change Your Life Eric Metaxas Eric Metaxas Born 1963 in Queens NYC Father a Greek immigrant mother a German Raised Greek Orthodox later became Evangelical ID: 579920
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MiraclesWhat They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your Life
Eric MetaxasSlide2
Eric Metaxas
Born 1963 in Queens, NYC
Father a Greek immigrant, mother a German
Raised Greek Orthodox, later became Evangelical
Attends an “Evangelical Episcopal Church” in NYCPolitically conservativeShow host and author
Wrote
If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American
Liberty
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet,
Spy
Numerous children’s books
7 Men 7 Women
Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, and How They Can Change Your
Life
(2014, NYT best seller)Slide3
Miracles
Two Parts:
Part One: The Question of Miracles
Discusses philosophical arguments about miracles
Believing in MiraclesWhat is a MiracleMiracles and ScienceIs Life a Miracle?The Miracle of the Universe
Questions About Miracles
The Biblical Miracles
The Resurrection
Generally similar to C.S. Lewis’s
Miracles
, with more recent arguments addedSlide4
Miracles
Part Two: The Miracle Stories
The main point of the book. Includes stories only from people Metaxas knew (and believed)
Conversion Miracles
Healing MiraclesMiracles of Inner HealingAngelic MiraclesVarieties of Miracles
Touching Eternity
How Miracles Can Change Your LifeSlide5
What Are Miracles?
Strict definition (David Hume): “a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent.”
Broader definition (Metaxas): “when something outside time and space enters time and space, whether just to wink at us or poke at us briefly, or to come and dwell among us for three decades.”
Also entails God’s attempt to communicate with us.Slide6
Evaluating Miracles
Miracles, by definition, are not subject to natural laws and so can’t be tested in a laboratory.
Principles of forensic science (courtroom) CAN be used to evaluate them.
Is the person reporting the miracle truthful?
Did the person reporting the miracle perceive it correctly?Did the person interpret it correctly?
Is the person’s memory correct or faulty?Slide7
Overview of Miracle Stories
Many of the miracles reported included visions or non-audible “hearings”
Seen and heard internally, not necessarily with the eyes and ears
Dreams were sometimes involved (particularly for Metaxas himself)
Except for visions, the Conversion Miracles do not entail violations of natural laws, but the Healing Miracles very well might
The Miracles of Inner Healing are especially interesting from a pastoral perspectiveSlide8
Overview of Miracle Stories
The Angelic Miracles are especially impressive
My focus on these stories:
“Cisco” – A Brooklyn Drug Dealer Finds God
Paul Teske – A Watch Stops
Eva Meyer – Seeing Jesus
Eva Meyer – Touched by an Angel
Elisa
Leberis
– “You Are Not Going to Die”Slide9
“Cisco” – A Brooklyn Drug Dealer Finds God
Cisco had a hard life. He became a drug dealer , was arrested, and sent to prison. He was also bitter toward God.
One day, he went up to a prison church service. He saw his mother in the service leadership team (the woman actually looked nothing like her). He gave himself to God and later became a minister. He’s also featured in one of the Miracles of Healing stories.Slide10
Paul Teske
– A Watch Stops
Paul
Teske
was a Lutheran minister (LCMS!). One day, while talking to a group, he lost the use of his left leg. He had had a stroke. (His watch had stopped at the exact time of the stroke – hence the title.)Four years earlier, a pastor from Ghana had prophesied over him that God would do something over a span of 21 days. On the 21st day after the stroke, Paul was at a Benny Hinn healing service. He was healed.
While remaining pastor of his church, Paul began his own healing ministry.Slide11
Eva Meyer – Seeing Jesus
Eva Meyer’s older sister was a drug addict with children. She dumped her kids on Eva, but later took them back after Eva had bonded.
One Christmas, the sister returned with now 6 children and left again. Eva was furious! She also didn’t want to be hurt again, and so she refused to bond with 18-month-old Jonathan. Lying in her bed, filled with anger, she cried out to God, “Where are you?” She soon saw a vision of Jesus, who stayed with her that night. Her heart was healed. She bonded with Jonathan. Ten years later, she and her husband became his legal parents.Slide12
Eva Meyer – Touched by an Angel
Eva Meyer started a new school when she was 13. A new friend invited her to a sleepover. The three other girls were interested in the occult and wanted to hold a séance, but Eva wanted no part of it. So they decided to go to the beach.
They crossed a bridge over the heavily traveled Interstate and came upon a tall stockade fence. The girl whose house they were staying at said she crossed the bridge lots of times – they’d only have to go over the fence. Eva should go first. They heaved her over and … there was no bridge! Just a drop down to the highway below! Eva tried to hold on to the fence, but was losing her grip. She cried out “Jesus!” She felt herself scooped up, carried back over the fence, and dropped down to safety 10 feet away. The other girls shrieked and ran off.Slide13
Elisa Leberis
– “You Are Not Going to Die!”
Elisa
Leberis
was a student at Stanford. In her first summer break, she returned home and worked at her old school. She was quite frustrated, not happy with her job and not knowing what she should major in.She was riding her bicycle home one day as fast as she could. Up ahead, a truck was preparing to turn left into the intersection. As she drew near, she saw that the truck wasn’t stopping! To the left was the truck, to the right a concrete traffic island with a signpost. It was too late to brake. She sat up, let go of the handlebars, and thought: “This is it for me!”She heard a voice “You are not going to give up that easily! You are not going to die!” She felt something grab the handlebars, jerking to the right to avoid the truck, then to the left to avoid the island, and she went through a narrow gap between them.Slide14
Discussion
Were these real miracles? Are they believable?
Why do some people have visions, hear voices, have revealing dreams, and others do not?
The result of these interventions was, people were either brought to faith, strengthened in their faith, or given strength to face difficult situations. Is that their purpose?Slide15
Discussion
Were these real miracles? Are they believable?
Why do some people have visions, hear voices, have revealing dreams, and others do not?
The result of these interventions was, people were either brought to faith, strengthened in their faith, or given strength to face difficult situations. Is that their purpose?
Taken at my house on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017