Alive Again!

For humans, death is the one experience that is challenging since there is no away around it and no way to fix or repair it; it is permanent! When someone has an accident or is quickly overcome with an illness that causes death, we are perhaps surprised and sad. Then comes the funeral, the grief, and an adjustment to life without the individual who has died. Death is an expected event with an unanticipated timeframe. Most people believe this irreversible action will happen at some unknown time, but they do not really want to think about it, for ourselves or others. Linked with physical death is the end of all opportunities to change one’s spiritual relationship with God. But what if, there was a way to reverse physical death? Would you view it as an expected event with an unanticipated timeframe? However, what if something happened that was totally unexpected, shocking – a person did become alive again after experiencing death. This actually happed around Jesus at one time, and they were shocked and news spread far around. “Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. ” – Lk. 7:16-17 (ESV). Only God can overcome physical death. Would you be shocked if a similar thing happened today? Well, it did! Extracting the information from major US News sources, the story was this: On January 19, 2015, a similar think did happen. John Smith, a 14-year-old young man from Missouri, was walking with friends and fell through the top of an icy lake. While his friends escaped with minor injuries, Emergency crews required 15 minutes to arrive and extract John from being underwater. Efforts to revive him continued another 30 minutes. After John displayed no heartbeat for 45 minutes, doctors said they called his mom, Joyce, so she could say goodbye. Reports say that a distraught Joyce began praying. "A few seconds later, we had a heartbeat," Dr. Bauer said. "It gave me goosebumps." The next morning, John opened his eyes. Nurse Wendy Hoff described the story as "a miracle." "I remember everybody just kind of started crying," she said. But even after John woke up, doctors weren't immediately sure that he would be the same. John had been without oxygen for much longer than the time it takes to cause major brain damage. Within 48 hours of regaining a heartbeat, doctors say, John opened his eyes. And they decided to test the young basketball player. "We said, 'John, pretend your left hand is Lebron James and your right hand is Michael Jordan,'" Dr. Jeremy Garrett said, adding that the teen also correctly answered a series of questions, indicating that his brain functions would return to normal. "It's really amazing," Garrett said. But doctors say John still has a way to go before he's fully back to normal. He has a persisting cough and must undergo physical therapy to regain movement in his hands.”
This was not an exact duplication of the healing done by Jesus in the first century, but nonetheless, only God can restore physical life. Later John said, "I'm thankful that I'm alive now." Also important is the area to which the news spread, this time it was essentially the whole world via media outlets. Even a Movie, “Breakthrough,” has been made, but it is not focused on what John experienced during the time he was dead, it recounts the events surrounding his life being restored. And only God accepts the sacrifice of Jesus to restore our spiritual life and set us on a unique individual spiritual journey led by the indwelling Holy Spirit. This amazing recovery for our spiritual life is available to us all and we can experience the feeling of being happy we are alive now and forever with God.