P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

Catching Miracles--1

CONNIE: Have you caught any miracles lately? Two out of three Americans pray for miracles, and almost half of us have witnessed a miracle. Join us today as we look at the secret of Catching Miracles.

Giving God’s trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko.

CONNIE: You know Lonnie we’re talking about miracles today, and I’ve had some dramatic things happen in my own life, but the older I get I’m beginning to appreciate the small things, things that people might even say were coincidence, but to me they’re Gods miraculous intervention.

LONNIE: Big ones or little ones they’re still miracles just the same.

CONNIE: Do you have a personal miracle that you want to share?

LONNIE: Actually, several different experiences have happened along my life. I remember when I very first started pastoring, and I prayed just a very brief prayer over a mother’s little baby, an infant, that had been to every doctor clear through the city of Los Angeles, and there were no results. The baby was in serious trouble, but you know that child was instantly healed, and within days was back to normal, and I just thought well this is nobody special and God heard that prayer. Then I think of the timing of God in my own life when I encountered cancer. When I was traveling with your dad to Australia, in 1978, nothing short of a miracle put me where I was, to find out that I had melanoma 4th level and get me some help in time. That was a miracle.

CONNIE: I think it's interesting that a survey taken by Newsweek Magazine last year revealed that the vast majority of Americans believe in miracles. In fact, 84 percent of those questioned said they believe God performs miracles, and 79 percent said they believe the miracles described in the Bible really happened.

LONNIE: That is fascinating, Connie, because we tend to think we're living in a technological age when people would rely more on science or some new medication to solve their problems, but I'm thankful that belief in God and His power is still alive and well in our world.

CONNIE: The same survey revealed that 67 percent of Americans have prayed for a miracle, and almost the same number has either experienced a miracle, or knows someone who has.

LONNIE: God is still active, doing great things in our world. Recently we had a man here at our office who seems to be almost a miracle magnet--great things are always happening in his life as he travels all around the world sharing the gospel. So, we invited Harry Mhando into the studio to share with us just a few brief stories of how he has seen God's hand at work.

CONNIE: He's a fascinating man, with some great stories. Let's listen to that interview now.

LONNIE: Today in our Voice of Prophecy studios we have Harry Mhando from Wanza, Tanzania. Welcome Harry.

HARRY: Thank you very much, I am honored to be here.

LONNIE: You are a world evangelist, you have had audiences of 150-200 thousand people at one time, and God has worked some wonderful miracles for you. Little did I know that you were a student in seminary in Michigan, when I gave a challenge to the seminarians, the international ministerial students there, and you caught the vision and you ended up in the Philippians doing evangelism while you should have been studying. How did God work miracles making it possible to study and evangelize?

HARRY: Yes, God is very good. I had made up my mind to just do evangelism, to study, and to spend much time with God in prayer. And when I made up my mind to do that I saw the Lord opening every door of opportunity for me to be invited to conduct evangelistic crusades all over the world. I had made up my mind to only conduct 2 crusades every year…

LONNIE: 2 a year, as a doctoral student.

HARRY: …but only one year I was conducting 4 or 5 crusades. In 1999 when I was finishing my doctoral studies, I conducted 6 crusades in 1 year.

LONNIE: Now just a moment Pastor Harry. You were supposed to be a seminary student studying, and you were a good student. You were supposed to be working, because students from overseas had to have extra work to financially support themselves. God must have worked some miracles to make this possible.

HARRY: Absolutely! That is exactly what happened. In fact at one time I had just conducted 3 crusades in the summer between June, and September and my wife and I came back from conducting those crusades, one in Tanzania, one in Russia, one in Libya. When we came back we found that we had a bill to pay, it was 6 thousand US dollars, before we were to be registered. I was told that I could not register before paying the bill, and I did not have the money.

LONNIE: You didn’t have all the money from the Kimberly Diamond fields from Rhodesia did you?

HARRY: No. But God worked a miracle. Within 2 days we saw the hand of the Lord, the money was available to pay all of the 6 thousand dollars. In fact, at the very same time the money was available to pay our bill for the following quarter. A miracle just happened, and within that week almost 10 thousand dollars was paid.

LONNIE: You even got to go over to the Philippians with us didn’t you?

HARRY: I did.

LONNIE: What part did you work with?

HARRY: I worked down south in the Midinow island, in the capital city of Mindanao, and the Lord just really blessed us.

LONNIE: In America your name is not as familiar, but over in Africa you have held series of meetings and miracle after miracle has opened doors for you. Tell us about the one over there in Hurari, and how that big stadium became available to you?

HARRY: A miracle just happened there. We had been told that there was no money available and the churches are poor, the members are poor, and that we may not be able to get that stadium. But upon arriving to the city, I told the members of the steering committee, don’t you have a least three people in the city who are rich, who just love God and they just love spiritual things? And the people said, oh no, we have rich people in the city but…don’t say but just give me three names of people who you consider the richest in the city. They gave me three names, and one of them owns a bank, a bank of his own, and I said this is the one. And I sent two of the members of the steering committee to go and see this man, tell him that Harry Mhando, the evangelist, is in the city and he has come to evangelize Haraie for five weeks, and he wants you to do two things. Number one to communicate with the owners 0f the stadium, because he needs that stadium for five weeks. Number two: Harry Mhando has specially sent us to you, to tell you that you are the one who will pay the price.

LONNIE: For a 50 thousand-seat stadium, because they wanted to put you in a tiny little place somewhere. They thought you were going to come up with lots of money, but you had no money. So what happened?

HARRY: So they were frozen when they told him that you are to go there and to see the man and tell him so. So they went reluctantly. They left and went, and after one hour they came back smiling, and I said, please give me the report. They said, “It is wonderful.” The man has agreed. He paid for five things; number 1 he paid for the stadium for five weeks, number two he paid for the advertisements, he paid for the PA system we rented, he paid for the telephone, he paid almost half-million in Zimbabwe dollars, which is about twelve thousand US dollars equivalent.

LONNIE: And really the bottom line miracle was what resulted in that big vision you had of the miracle of 1600 baptisms.

HARRY: Yes, we praise God for that.

LONNIE: How do we put ourselves in a place for God to use us, and have miracles happen in our lives? Tell us about the sick lady who was diabetic?

HARRY: Yes, one of those sick ladies came there, and she said she was a diabetic, and I said within the next five weeks you will be completely well, and it happened within those five weeks she was completely well until today…

LONNIE: But she was seriously sick. What did her doctor say when she came back?

HARRY: The doctors examined her. It was a miracle for them, but finally they admitted that Jesus is still in the business to do miracles.

LONNIE: Talk to that person listening right now, somewhere driving on the freeway, hearing you today, and saying but God will never do a miracle for me. How can they put themselves in a place to see God work in their lives?

HARRY: As long as they are willing to let God do the miracle, and they believe it, God is still in the business to do a miracle

CONNIE: We have come this far by faith, haven't we, Lonnie?

LONNIE: Well, we certainly have, Connie. Voice of Prophecy was founded as a faith ministry, and we continue on that way--always turning to the Lord and seeking His guidance. And He's always been faithful in leading us. It is by faith that we continue on, relying on Him to provide for us each and every day.

LONNIE: And one of the chief reasons we are here is to encourage others to have faith in God. Our long-time listeners will remember that H. M. S. Richards loved to write poems around the phrase "Have faith, dear friend, in God."

CONNIE: Well, Harry Mhando certainly seems to be a man of faith too.

LONNIE: We literally could have gone on for hours talking about the ways that he has seen God work miraculously in his life, as he's dedicated himself to serving the Lord. He's come this far by faith, and he's certainly not turning back.

CONNIE: By the way, that was Ponder, Harp and Jennings who sang the song "We've Come This Far by Faith."

LONNIE: Speaking of people who have walked by faith, we have a wonderful little book here that we're offering to our listeners today as our gift. It's called Unshakable Faith, and it's just 75 pages long, but it's packed with stories of people who stood strong in their faith--often against great odds. People like Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, and Martin Luther.

CONNIE: And many other--less-well-known men and women who, through the ages, have stood for their faith. People whose faith was unshakable. It's a great little book, and it's our gift to you today.

LONNIE: We'd like you to have a copy of Unshakable Faith, and it can be yours free, if you'll call us at our toll-free number 1-800-872-0055. And ask for it.

CONNIE: We'll give you our mailing address and e-mail address too, a bit later, in case you'd like to contact us that way, but right now it's time for Lonnie's message for today, "Catching Miracles--Part 1"

Catching Miracles--1

Could it be that you have a basket full of miracles right in your hands, but you just haven't noticed?

If so, you wouldn't be the first person. In fact, that very thing happened to twelve of history's most famous Christians one day. Come, let's look at a story from the Gospel of Mark.

We're going to pick up right in the middle of the story, but I think you'll recognize it.

"How many loaves do you have?" [Jesus] asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five--and two fish." Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand (Mark 6:38-44, NIV).

That, of course, is taken from the story of the feeding of the 5000--actually more than 5000, since they only counted the men. All together there may have been 8 or 10 thousand people who had their supper that evening, courtesy of Jesus and a little boy who shared his sack lunch.

Talk about miracles! If you had been there, you'd have been amazed, wouldn't you? I know I would have. I'd have gone away shaking my head and marveling at the miraculous power of Jesus.

But there were some people there that day who just didn't get it. They just didn't catch on. And as a result, they failed to catch a miracle--even when it fell right into their laps.

Has that ever happened to you? Has something great and wonderful come your way and you were too busy or too distracted to really appreciate it? Do you have a family--a wife, a husband, maybe some children that are just a wonderful miracle, but right now you just don't have the time or energy to really appreciate them? Has something wonderful come into your life recently, that you've forgotten about our just failed to notice?

Listen, while I tell you the story of 12 disciples who missed a miracle. And while we're considering this story, take a little time on your own to look around you and consider what miracles you might be missing out on today. And take some time to tune in on those things and begin to appreciate them for the miracles that they are.

You're probably wondering why I'm saying that the disciples missed out on the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Well, it's right here in the story in Mark, chapter 6:

Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened (Mark 6:51, 52, NKJV).

That's verses 51 and 52, and they tell about something that happened later that same day. When the disciples left the place where Jesus fed the 5000, they got caught in a storm out on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus walked out on the water to join them and then calmed the storm.

Now, that got their attention, and they were amazed. But they hadn't been amazed at the miracle Jesus did earlier that day. Why not?

Let me walk you quickly through the events leading up to this story, and I think you'll understand.

Earlier in Mark 6 we read about the disciples' own experiences in working miracles. Jesus commissioned them to go out and preach and heal, and in verses 12-13 we read that "they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them" (NKJV).

But then something happened that kind of put a damper on their activities. Mark tells us that John the Baptist was imprisoned by King Herod, and then beheaded.

Now, when the disciples heard about that, they quit their preaching and hurried back to find Jesus. I think I can understand that.

You see, they were out preaching that people should repent. That was exactly what John the Baptist had been doing when he got arrested. When he was executed, suddenly the idea of preaching seemed to lose its appeal for the disciples. You could get yourself killed for doing that! And so they went back to find Jesus and hear what He had to say about it.

I can almost hear Judas--or maybe Peter or Thomas--saying to Jesus, "Lord, don't you think maybe we should just lay low for a while--I mean, if Herod killed John, don't you think he'll soon have his soldiers out looking for us?"

And the amazing thing is that Jesus apparently agreed with them: He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat (Mark 6:31, NKJV).

So, they got into a boat and went across the Sea of Galilee, hoping to find a place to rest. But people wouldn't let them escape that easily. They watched from shore, and as soon as the boat landed, crowds started to gather around Jesus again--pressing in on Him, wanting to be taught, wanting to be healed, wanting to be with Him.

"Oh, great," I can hear Thaddeus saying. "This is just what we need--a big crowd gathering around us so Herod won't notice where we are!"

But Jesus didn't feel that way at all. He was concerned for the people, so He spent the day ministering to them and teaching them. By the end of the day, the disciples couldn't hold their peace any longer. They came to Jesus and gently reminded Him that this was supposed to be the deserted, quiet place they were coming to for a little rest and recuperation: When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat" (Mark 6:35, 36, NKJV).

But Jesus wasn't ready to send the people away just yet. His response to the disciples? "You give them something to eat!"

It seemed like a ridiculous idea, but friend, you know, one of my favorite sayings that I've clung to through the years is this: "All God's biddings are enablings." In other words, God doesn't ask us to do something without giving us the power to do it.

Jesus miraculously provided the food for the disciples to give to the people to eat.

And then notice what happened--it's found in Mark 6:43: "They took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish" (NKJV).

Twelve baskets full--did you notice that? How many disciples were there? Twelve.

One miracle basket left over for every disciple.

But still they didn't catch on. Somehow they didn't see the miracle that was right in front of their faces--right in their laps!

It would take a different type of miracle to get their attention--to wake them up to what Jesus had done. Feeding people--that was just too common a thing to shake them up and make them aware of the power of God that was operating all around them.

We're going to continue this story two weeks from today when my topic will be "Catching Miracles--Part 2." I hope you'll join us then. But as we close today, let me just ask you: Do you need a miracle in your life today? I think we all have needs--secret or expressed--we wish the Lord would take care of instantly--miraculously.

We pray about those kinds of needs continually. And often we see miracles--big miracles.

But today, I want to challenge you. Look around you. See if there isn't a basketful of miracles right there in front of you that you might not have noticed while you were looking for something else. Thank the Lord for the small miracles, and cling to your faith as you continue praying for the big ones.

Don't be discouraged. He's still in the business of doing great things. And His heart of love wants to give you just exactly what you need most.

CONNIE: That was Michael J. Harris singing "His Eye is On the Sparrow."

LONNIE: You know, Connie, speaking of catching miracles--just the miracle of life is a big basketful all by itself, isn't it?

CONNIE: It is, and God has much more in store for us each day--whether it be in big miracles or small.

LONNIE: As Harry Mhando said, God hasn't gone out of the business of working miracles. If we'll just reach up to Him in faith, He'll supply just what we need most.

CONNIE: I have to admit though, it takes a strong faith to believe that--especially when things don't seem to be going my way.

LONNIE: I know what you mean. Every week when our staff meets for the Worldwide Prayer Circle, we read prayer requests from people who are in need of God's hand to do something really big, right now. And we uphold them in prayer. Asking God to be with them, to bless them, and to increase their faith.

CONNIE: Many of them need unshakable faith.

LONNIE: I guess we all do, don't we?

CONNIE: You're right. Even when everything seems to be going all right, our faith needs to be growing stronger--until it's unshakable.