Miracles 101 by Robert Knowles
Published by Milestone Publishing House
This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise — without prior written permission of the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are form King James Version.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright ©1973, 1978, International Bible Society.
Used by permission. 1984
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
Book cover and interior design, by Ursula Nokonoko
Copyright © 2012 by Robert Knowles
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Control Number:
International Standard Book Number: 978-0-9828393-1-7
E-book ISBN: 978-0-9828393-2-4
First Edition
11 12 13 14 15 — 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in China
Introduction
Chapter 1. Primera Iglesia
Chapter 2. Definition and Explanation
Chapter 3. Background
Chapter 4. You Can Run, but You Cannot Hide
Chapter 5. Arks - The First Ten Years
Chapter 6. Moving into Build to Minister
Chapter 7. Potters House Story
Chapter 8. Miracle Recipe
Chapter 9. You Do It!
Chapter 10. It Begins with a Need
Chapter 11. Burden Drives
Chapter 12. Makes a Sacrifice
Chapter 13. Order - God Don’t Bless Mess
Chapter 14. Don’t Forget Prayer
Chapter 15. Go to Work
Chapter 16. Results
Chapter 17. Let’s Build a Wall - An Old Testiment Teaching
Chapter 18. How Does All this Apply?
Chapter 19. Send the Money
Chapter 20. Waiting on Faith
Chapter 21. Better than Hollywood
Chapter 22. Working Together
Chapter 23. Qualifications for the Miracle Life
Chapter 24. The Greatest Miracle Ever
About the Author
When I began writing Miracles 101 both of my parents were alive and very supportive. We miss you Willie and Pauline Knowles.
My life work since 1994 has been to serve pastors of churches. For some that service was all and even more than they expected. For those I thank you for your appreciation of the effort. For some others they may have been disappointed and questioned if they made the right choice for help. For those I apologize and ask forgiveness for any failure. Please know my heart was to serve.
I dedicate this work to all pastors. Experience has shown me you are for a large part the most unappreciated and abused people in any leadership position. Often I thank God He did not ask me to be a pastor. You are the epitome of a miracle. Only by that definition can you continue day after day serving as you do. I pray God reward you abundantly for your service to us.
To all that have been and will be the miracle, keep the faith. We need your gift and depend on you to be used to create miracles on earth today.
In 2007 I met with a pastor in Orlando, Florida, to assist with building his church. He took notes as I shared a story about some things that had taken place in my consulting company, Arks Incorporated, which was founded in 1994 to help churches successfully complete building programs. He seemed excited when he heard the lessons of miracles I had learned by revelation from God’s Word.
In fact, I shared the same lesson with the PhD and MBA classes at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, earlier that year and was encouraged by the reception by and the questions from the students. At first, I thought I would give this message as often as the opportunity presented itself, but would limit it to speaking engagements. After all, it worked as a preaching subject, and I could use it anywhere I went. It turned out to be excellent lectern material, and I didn’t have to prepare to give a talk because I had lived it. I hesitated taking the time to write even a short book on it because I recalled how long it took to write, Successful Church Building. However, I feel now is the time to get the book written.
I feel compelled to share the message of Miracles 101 to hopefully encourage others to pursue spiritual gifts that are available to us as Christians. There is, in my opinion, a lack of practical teaching available, and possibly biblical knowledge, in the area of spiritual gifts to prepare us for work in the kingdom of God. We cannot accomplish those things that truly bring glory to God without His help and intervention. We need His assistance to help us please Him and work for Him. That help comes through the Holy Spirit giving us gifts that will enable us to perform beyond our natural ability. The message is, let’s embrace all that is available to us as followers of Jesus Christ and be all He wants us to be. There is the possibility we may be called radical or wacky for boldly proclaiming our calling in specific areas. Better to be labeled as such than to miss out on the wonderful opportunity we have to help bring about change on planet Earth.
This message changed my life, and I knew I needed to share it with as many people as possible. Experience has taught me that God is only interested in our obedience, not how demanding the work may seem to us. I am now being obedient, with no expectations other than knowing I did what was required. In so doing, it is my desire someone will learn from the experiences shared and will be encouraged to fulfill their own calling and purpose.
The true stories in this book reveal how God works through willing vessels who are weak—God can accomplish anything, as long as people obey His word. The stories in this book follow a pattern God has given through Jesus Christ and His teachings, showing how we can be used by Him to still work miracles on the earth today. There is nothing magical or mysterious about what takes place in the stories. In fact, it simply follows spiritual laws God has put into place. We are simply asked to listen and obey. As we do that, God is working through a very orderly pattern He has initiated for our obedience to His word, so we can complete that which will please Him.
How do miracles take place? Hebrews 1:13–14 says, “But to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” God is talking about using angels to carry out His plan for us when we are obedient to Him. When we see angels responding to God’s will and our obedience, it is often referred to as a miracle. Things we could never have completed on our own are manifested when we obey what God has spoken to our spirit.
By being obedient, we do what He wants even when we do not understand all of His directions. In every case, a miracle follows the principles established in the Bible and Jesus’ teachings.
Some of my stories may be very different from anything you may have heard before. Let’s face it, I am going to suggest that God uses us on earth today as conduits to work miracles with Him, and that He even provides some people a gift to work miracles, if they ask Him. When was the last time you met someone who told you their ministry gift was working miracles? When was the last time you heard a preacher say from the pulpit, “Pray and ask God for the gift of miracles”? I must confess I never have met anyone that bold.
I have not had any formal theological training at all. Regardless, each day I get up early and spend time reading my Bible and searching my Concordance to study the Hebrew and Greek meanings of scripture I don’t understand. Sometimes, I just sit and meditate on what I have read, and then I listen to what the Holy Spirit has to say. It is nothing short of amazing the revelation that can come by keeping my mouth shut and listening—even the revelation of miracles.
Our faith increases through experience. Once we have experienced something, it cannot be taken from us. I don’t consider my understanding of scripture to be better than anyone else’s. I believe God gives us revelation of spiritual things as He determines we need them and ask for them. What you need may be different from your friend, and what I need may be different from you. That doesn’t make anyone wrong or bad, just different. After all, I have not walked in your moccasins and do not have your history or heritage, and vice versa. But, I will stand on those lessons I have learned through experience and refuse to be convinced that my understanding of scripture is wrong, if I have experienced it operating in my life.
By reading these stories of miraculous events, I pray someone will be encouraged to allow God to work through them to bring about miracles on earth, for His glory and honor. We must, as the “body of Christ” on earth today, realize who we are in Jesus Christ and move into our rightful places as instruments, so God can use us to create miracles for all to see.
The stories are told through my eyes and are only intended to enhance the teachings. My desire is someone will see a truth that will help them step out, using a God-given, biblical guideline for us—as the only Jesus on earth today—to do what only could be described as a miracle. Miracles still happen today, and this writing is to help educate those interested in pursuing them.
I am not smart enough, experienced enough, educated enough, talented enough, or good-looking enough to have accomplished what has taken place in my life over a fifteen-year period. Many miracles experienced through the business/ministry of Arks during this period are outlined in the stories found in this book. Other people, more experienced in the church finance, development, and building business have verified what I will describe as nothing short of a miracle. In fact, as I look back I would say only by divine intervention could these things have taken place. The stories are examples of the teaching and not the focus of this writing. The teaching will make a difference in lives; the stories only help make more real that which has been learned. I give God all the praise and glory.
One day in November 2009, I was introduced to Pastor Sergio Vitanza, of Primera Iglesia Church, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He had contacted our office at Arks, through an introduction by a leader in his denomination whom I had met at a conference. At the time we met, I had no idea what God intended through our meeting. Little did I realize how God would use this particular situation to demonstrate and teach the lessons I had spent several years learning. And, little did I realize how this encounter would open my eyes to the ministry gift God had given me, and how it could be used in an expanded way to bless many others.
I spent an hour and a half with Pastor Vitanza and his wife listening to their story of the past twenty-five years, and the subsequent growth of Primera Iglesia Church. They shared with me the challenges they had faced and the tremendous success that had been realized as the church had grown over the years.
At this time, they had about three hundred members and were holding several services each week to accommodate them all because the facility they met in was inadequate. The building they used, a rented facility, could only seat about two hundred people at one time, had one small office, and offered almost no classrooms or teaching area.
“If only we had a larger facility,” Pastor Vitanza said, “we could grow and reach more people for Jesus.”
I listened to Pastor Vitanza and his wife that day, and I began to realize their sincerity and dedication to the calling of ministry on their lives. The more they shared the more I sensed the purpose of their visit. I began to realize the experiences in my life over the past years had been preparing me to help this church through a period of transition that would provide the facilities they needed to grow and reach people for Jesus.
I began to realize that a divinely prepared bonding of calling and destiny was happening before my eyes. This was more than just another church coming to Arks for help with a building program. I knew in my spirit, more than in my mind and intellect, that something special was taking place, and I needed to pay attention, listen, learn, and then do what I was led to.
Pastor Vitanza is the senior pastor for Primeria Iglesia and national director for all Spanish-speaking churches in the denomination of which he is a member. As we were meeting in my office that day, I noticed a presence about him that projected far beyond his appearance. He was very well-dressed and distinguished looking, and there was a gentleness and peacefulness that spoke decibels above his soft-spoken voice.
“We need a new building that willhouse the current congregation, as well as the growth we anticipate,” he said. It had become apparent that it would take a miracle for this to happen due to the lack of available funding in the credit markets in 2009.
After telling me about the church’s history, the current need, and their current financial status, I began to realize what they really needed—a miracle. By this time, the Vitanzas had captured my heart, and I knew I had no choice but to do all I could to help them realize their miracle.
When we first met, I was almost finished writing my newest book, Miracles 101, or at least I thought I was. A tremendous opportunity lay right in front of me to take the lessons I learned and put them to work to help these wonderful, deserving people.
Pastor Vitanza and his wife sat across from my desk, and they listened as I shared with them my understanding of miracles and my personal life experiences with miracles. They were in agreement with the message I shared, and they saw how past experiences at Arks fit the situation they were in and the need they had.
“Please speak to my congregation,” Pastor Vitanza pleaded. “Encourage them to pursue the miracle of a new building.” He felt in his heart that the miracle would take place because those who were a part of the ministry understood the concept of a miracle and accepted the message and opportunity to participate. As a good leader and shepherd of his congregation, Pastor Vitanza wanted them to experience and learn how to be used by God, in realizing their much-needed miracle.
One of my most memorable experiences came the night I met with the Vitanzas and spoke to their congregation. I met some wonderful people who were totally open to spiritual truths and hungry for more of Jesus. We congregated in a larger facility that another church allowed us to use, and I figured there were about three hundred and fifty people in attendance. The ambience in that building was almost overwhelming. It felt as though angels were hovering over the congregation, and the Holy Spirit was so real He seemed almost palpable. The spirit of worship was like nothing I had seen in my life. Even though they were singing and praying and praising in Spanish, which I don’t speak, I could understand everything that was taking place. I did not need an interpreter to realize this was a special gathering of people precious to God.
My speaking style is very demonstrative, and I cannot stand still while speaking, especially when there is such an anointing as I felt that night. Pastor Vitanza was my interpreter for the message, and I really felt sorry for him by the end of the evening, because he had to work so hard to keep up with me. Poor Pastor Vitanza not only followed me all over the stage, and at times, onto the floor of the sanctuary, but he also added the same inflections in his voice as mine and “parroted” everything I said. He even coughed once when I did. He really earned his pay that night!
The people in attendance accepted the message. It was obvious they not only understood the teaching, but accepted it as a divine word for them as a congregation and as a mandate to act on what they had learned. Not only did they grasp what I was saying, they were appreciative and humbled that they had been chosen to be part of something much larger than they could have accomplished on their own. The importance of being a member of Primera Iglesia wasn’t lost on the congregation. They understood the role each of them would play in achieving what they had been called to do. They also realized they were now responsible for the teaching and truth they had received. There were no excuses for not moving forward to complete their calling.
The message the members of Primera Iglesia were taught that night is the same as is taught here in Miracles 101. Everything I shared with them, and in the upcoming chapters, came from Jesus’ teachings to His disciples, all of which came from the Bible. The people heard the message that night and accepted it as truth from the Word of God. Not only did they accept it, they acted on what they had learned. They took what was given to them by faith and followed the scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit. They went forward to accomplish something that would make a difference in their lives, as well as many others’ lives.
After that night with Pastor Vitanza and his people, I came to see much more clearly their need for a new facility in which to minister. I visited the building they met in and saw how woefully inadequate it was for the number of people in the congregation, and the ministries they were trying to carry out. Not only did I see the need, but I became so burdened for their need I could hardly stand it. I could not get them out of my mind and continued to seek God for a way to help. My wife, Lynne, heard so much about Pastor Vitanza and his church members she felt as though she knew them too. The burden I had for this church was uncomfortable and was driving me to dependence on God to show me a way to help.
While speaking to the congregation and Pastor Vitanza, I learned the church had sacrificed and bought a five-acre tract of land and paid for it. They were trying to obtain financing for the project. They felt they could build a fifteen thousand square-foot building as a first phase, even though they needed a larger building in order to grow.
This was no small undertaking based on the value and cost of the land. From this, I realized the people were seriously willing to sacrifice much to see the vision of a new facility come to pass. In addition, the annual income for the church was well above the national average for churches this size, which spoke volumes about the commitment of the people to give for God’s work.
One of the first things I learned from getting to know the church was that they lacked the understanding of how to obtain a building for the land they had purchased. Also, there was little understanding of the process for preparing financial information for a presentation, so that a lender could consider a loan request for a building project. There was also a lack of knowledge of what goes into building plans and how to prepare a contract to build once money was in place. A key missing ingredient for proceeding was a proper order of information and professionalism that would make the church a candidate for a loan and a successful building project. Obviously, that was the reason they had visited Arks in the first place—they had a need for order in pursuing a building project.
For about three months, we worked together with Pastor Vitanza and others to prepare the necessary information to demonstrate the creditworthiness of the church. Then we went to work. First, we made presentations to banks asking for a loan to build a fifteen thousand square-foot building on the land the church owned. Due to the lending climate at the time, no lenders would make an offer to the church. After those rejections, we decided the church should make an interim move into a leased space, or sell their land and use the income from the sale to buy an existing building and renovate. For twelve months, we spent hours looking, negotiating, and doing all we knew to find a building that would accommodate the vision of the church. Every door we knocked on closed, and nothing was working out. During this time, my burden for the needs of the church was growing stronger, and my desire to help them continued to drive me to find a way.
One of the buildings we looked at was located about eight miles east of town and really did not interest Pastor Vitanza very much due to the location. He felt it was too far from where they wanted to be, and he was not interested in looking at it.
Additionally, the owners of the building, which was a church facility of thirty thousand square-feet on twenty-six acres of land, were not interested in any sort of financing for the sale of the building and would not entertain anything I presented. In spite of the position of the seller, I continued to speak to them about a sale to Primera Iglesia with some seller financing. Each time, I was told thank you, but no.
For several months, we continued to search for a building to lease, or purchase and renovate, that would accommodate the church. After talking about a church east of town that I refused to give up on, Pastor Vitanza finally agreed to look at it. I knew he was just being kind to me and wanted to shut me up about it. When he saw the land, how beautiful the building was, and understood it was not that far away, and had easy access, he realized it was closer to most of his members than the current location. With this knowledge, Pastor Vitanza became excited with the prospects.
So, with his blessings, I went back to the sellers again. Please bear in mind this building was twice as large as the one the church was planning to build. As a bonus, this building would accommodate all their current programs, as well as significant growth in the membership. In addition, there were twenty-six acres of land included, while the property the church owned was only five acres. And, the price of the property was considerably more than they had considered for a building budget.
When I presented an offer to the sellers again, they said they were in the process of finalizing a deal with another buyer and should have a contract in place in a couple of days. They then told me who the buyer was. The potential buyer was a group with whom I was very familiar, and I knew they didn’t have the means to support what they were negotiating with the sellers.
I asked the sellers if they would consider our offer if the other party didn’t go forward with what they had presented. The sellers said they were at the point they needed to do something; and, yes, if the other deal did not materialize they would negotiate with us. One week later, they called and asked for a meeting with Pastor Vitanza and me.
We followed the teachings on miracles presented to the members of Primera Iglesia, and just over a year (after the teaching was given, received, and acted on), I was standing in the pulpit of a one thousand seat, beautiful sanctuary the church owned, along with twenty-six acres of land they could use for church growth. What they had just purchased was much more than what they had planned when they first asked me to get involved with their mission. The building was thirty thousand square feet, with all the classrooms, offices, and space they needed and then some.