Magnetic Pennies
(Holy Spirit)
(Nothing Is Impossible With God)
 
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God, all thing are possible.” 
Matthew 19:26
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
The world we live in is becoming increasingly skeptical of the Bible.  There are those who adamantly say that the Bible is of no consequence and refuse to consider anything it may say.  Another segment of the population laugh at it contemptuously and deny its truth.  Others read it, study it, and believe parts of it but place the difficult passages into a file labeled “Fables and Legends”.   God is far bigger and more powerful than any of us can imagine.  We tend to define Him down to our level because it makes Him seem more familiar to us.  The truth is, He is so far above us that if we were to see Him in His full majesty and glory, we would not remain alive.  He is a God to be revered and feared.  Because He can do seemingly impossible things.
 
The Object
 
British Pennies
Bar Magnet

British pennies look remarkably similar to US coinage.  Approximately the right size and color, but with one important difference; British pennies have enough iron in them to be affected by a nearby magnet.  Typically, you can stack them on edge.  When I do this, I do not tell the audience that I am using pennies from England.  I let them assume that they are US pennies.  Usually, I embed the bar magnet flush into a piece of wood and cover it with a pieces of construction paper, and balance and build my pennies on edge in a seemingly impossible manner.  You can buy this trick as a kit from Steve Spangler web site. 
 
The Lesson
 
I am not going to even pretend that I have an understanding of the Trinity.  I don’t.  And I seriously question anyone who says they comprehend the idea.  I am constantly amazed at the complexity of our incomprehensible God.  I fall on my face in awe in response to what He has shown us in the pages of the Bible.  The concept of the Trinity is elusive because we have no parallel with which to compare.  God the Father is spirit and cannot be seen by our physical sense of sight.  God the Son, who we know as Jesus, came to this earth and made Himself like us.  We could touch and talk to and see God in human form.  And then there is God the Holy Spirit, also a spirit.  He is a person of the Trinity, just as the Father and Son are and is not just a force as in the Star Wars concept of “may the force be with you”.  God has said through the Bible that the Three work in such perfect unison and agreement that we can call God One.  Three unique, separate, distinct, beings and yet, they are one! 
 
At the moment of salvation, God places His Holy Spirit in the life of every believer.  He lives inside of us, comforting, teaching, guiding, and always pointing us towards the person of Jesus, showing us the perfect example of what our lives should look like.  He is a spirit and therefore, invisible.  But He is there.  So the question then becomes, “How can I know that He is there if I can’t see Him?”  I’m glad you asked.  The answer…by His power.  When we push ourselves out of the way and allow God to work through us, we can see the results around us as God accomplishes His perfect plan.  Jesus is the perfect example of how a Christian should operate and live by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Everything Jesus did, He accomplished through the Spirit.  The many miracles were result of the Holy Spirit doing what He does best.  Pointing to Jesus and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah.
 
If we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and are actively pursuing His plans for our lives, nothing should be impossible for us.  Look at the Old Testament and read the stories of the impossible things that happened in the lives of God’s people.  Amazing things, coincidences beyond imagination, are God’s specialty.  Now, that does not mean we should expect God to step down into our physical realm and perform miracles.  He can accomplish the impossible by much more sophisticated means.  By moving the hearts and minds of people opposed to His desires, God steers the world with intricate precision.  And if we are in the center of His will, we have a front row seat to watch it all happen. 
 
Have you ever honestly tried to stack pennies on their edges?  It is a very difficult, if not impossible task.  Pennies usually have slightly worn edges, and those rounded edges do not lend themselves well at all for stacking multiple layers tall.  But what if it were possible?  What if, by adding something extra, something invisible, we tried once more?
 
God’s desire for you and I is that we be willing to allow Him to work through our lives.  When God gets involved, everything is possible.  It is His ability, His understanding, His power at work in the world and we are given the opportunity to play a very small but important part in His plan.
 
In and of ourselves we are little to nothing.  But for some reason, God chooses to work through His children, giving them the ability and desire as needed to accomplish great things.  May we be willing to allow Him access to out hearts and minds.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PDF of Lesson