Interactions with God #74
Considering the events going on in Toronto, there was a renewed focus on God doing the miraculous in the Vineyard movement. Vineyard leadership, since the beginning, not only actively pursued the spiritual gifts but promoted their usage in order to offer convincing proof to those who do not believe in Jesus. This was also a goal I agreed with. The miraculous things Jesus did were not just for helping people, but also to prove who He was. However, to act in this way takes some guts that most of us do not have. Boldness is an action that only happens if you really believe that God just might do the impossible. That boldness, sometimes starts with a small step.
Phil Grecco was a fellow employee at Sybase. He had started just a week or two before I did in 1994, so we had become friends. Phil was a nice guy, but struggled with a lot of anger due to many disappointments over the course of his life. I had talked with him several times hoping he would find out that Jesus was not only real, but really active in the lives of those who trust in Him. Phil, though amicable with the discussions, really didn’t want to believe. Like most, he just wouldn’t consider it because the world has done so much to marginalize the message.
You don’t think there is a reason Christianity and Jesus in particular is mocked so readily in TV, Movies, Radio and pretty much everywhere? Sure, it’s a tactic. If in the ‘popular” mindset, it is considered foolish, why would anyone want to come to someone who can help them in every area of their life? On the contrary, to come to Jesus, one has to overcome that hurdle of public opinion…that is of course what Jesus said would happen in the parable of the sowing seeds.
So with the Vineyard push for taking the miraculous out to the unsaved world in mind, I began to look for opportunities to “do the stuff”. Phil stopped by my cube and sat in a chair. He said he had a headache. I said “hey, can I pray for you?” He said “sure”, then got up to leave. I told him, “Wait, I mean right here and now.” “Uh…Ok…” After looking around to see if anyone was looking, he sat back down. I then reached out, touched his shoulder and asked for God to move.
It was a simple prayer. That is all we need to do. We don’t need to be flowery or dramatic. It is talking to God. What good would it be to offer a BS prayer to the King of the Universe? “Lord, please heal Phil of this headache.” I really didn’t expect anything. Regardless of what people say, expectation is not a requirement for God to move. Does He like when we trust Him? Yes, of course He does. But God does not NEED my trust to do God-like things. In fact, He doesn’t need us at all.
God healed Phil immediately after I finished speaking. “It’s gone!” Phil got up rather disturbed by it. I know he didn’t expect anything to happen either. Clearly stunned by the event that just transpired, he quickly thanked me and left. He wouldn’t talk to me for over a week after that.
The action of a very real God disrupted Phil’s reasons to not believe. He didn’t want to believe. Yet, now he had valid evidence, small as it was. I think almost a month went by without Phil ever having any God type conversation with me. He avoided it like the plague. Then at lunch, while two other co-workers made fun of my Christian faith, Phil angrily attacked them in defense of me. The other co-workers were not being mean, mind you, and I was not bothered by what they said. In fact, I appreciate some good natured jesting regarding my faith. It helps me to stay fine-tuned. But Phil’s reaction stunned us all. “Shut up!” he said. “You should listen to him.”
I haven’t seen or heard from Phil since 1998. The healing of a simple headache clearly had a profound impact on him. Considering how God doesn’t waste time, I figure if not already, then someday, Phil Greco will come to know the King of all. I really hope so!