Inspiring Story: Will the Dead Rise?

The following is an excerpt from Rhema's The Word of Faith magazine. Mike Keyes is a 1980 graduate of Rhema and he has a ministry based in the Philippines. His testimony is amazing; I found how he got started in his ministry to be fascinating -- you can read it here. His ministry's Scripture is Mark 16:15-18: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel..." Today, I'd like to share this portion of his story for Inspiring Story.

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For two-and-a-half years Mike worked for [another] ministry teaching in the Bible school, holding crusades, and traveling throughout the islands ministering to as many churches as possible. Preaching in churches, getting people saved and healed, and casting out demons was the easy part. The hard part, many times, was getting to the churches."We would wade rivers, hike up mountains, and sleep on the ground using the Bible as a pillow," he said. "Many times it would be pouring rivers of mud, and we'd be on our hands and knees clawing our way up the mountain with our Bible in our backpack. We'd get to the service soaking wet, drop our bags, and start preaching."The Philippines comprise more than 7,00 islands, and 88 language and dialects are spoken there, so Mike saw a need to get to other areas that Rudy Trigo's ministry wasn't able to reach. In January 1983, Mike started his own minstry based out of Ozamiz City. His goal: find people who had never heard the Gospel."We are still looking for the places that haven't been preached to, that haven't been reached," he said. "That will never change. We'll do that until Jesus comes, We've gone to thousands of villages over the last 30 years. Everything we do is based on the foundation of winning souls."

Mike estimates that during his time in the Philippines he has seen half a million salvations -- a number he says is "conservative." Of course, when miracles and healings are taking place during the services, salvations are likely to follow.

During one crusade, a man showed up with his dead baby boy. He had just left the hospital where they had told him there was nothing they could do for his son. The doctor informed him of a crusade taking place in a local park and suggested that maybe he should take his son there.

When the man arrived, Mike and his team were already praying for the sick. Thousands were in attendance and thronging the altar. Unable to get through the crowd, the desperate father handed his son to the person in front of him and watched as one person after another passed the infant overhead all the way to the platform.

Mike grabbed the lifeless baby and prayed, and the child came back to life! Not knowing who the baby belonged to, Mike gave him back to the person who handed the infant to him, and he watched as the live baby was passed over the heads of the crowd back to his father.

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And this is only PART of the miracles that God did through Mike Keyes! To learn more about him and his ministry visit: mkmi.org

I share this story because not only is it amazing, but all too often, people claim that the dead are not raised to life. Their reason? They do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead; to admit that anyone has risen from the dead in modern times would mean that is at least possible that Jesus did rise from the dead, and they can't admit that! Another reason that the skeptics give for not believing that Jesus rose from the dead is that "I've never seen anyone rise from the dead, so therefore, it doesn't happen!" The only problem with this is that many things happen that we don't personally witness; if we were to use that logic, then not very many things happen in life! Also, to say that it doesn't happen because you haven't seen it is to claim that you know everything -- you'd have to know everything to be absolutely certain that the dead do not rise; and we all know that only God is all-knowing! The Apostle Paul was aware of this skepticim; he wrote, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)But the great news is that every time that we hear of someone rising from the dead by the power of God, no matter how anyone wants to interpret the miracle, it is evidence that resurrections are possible. And if resurrections are possible, then Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He did! Our faith is not futile; it is sound. The very reason for our faith in Christ is due to His resurrection! Jesus is alive! And that both inspires me and makes me smile.

This post is linked to Smile Sunday!

If you would like to link to Inspiring Story, leave me a comment with your link and I'll come by and check it out!