Written by: Liz Hill. Los Angeles, California, USA.

Raising the dead? Girlllllllll, you’re crazy!

Just hear me out for a second. I know it sounds completely wild and maybe even a little Halloween-esque, but it's really not, I pinky promise.

Is this a normative or regular Christian experience? We don't hear this happening everyday—truth be told it's seemingly infrequent and rare. In my experience I believe it's a moment in time where God invites a person to partner with Him in this specific experience for His special purposes.

I think it's safe to say we all have varying *special moment invitations* from God. He invites one person to defend the vulnerable, and another is invited to help orphans or kids in foster care. Others are invited to evangelize, some to pastoring, some to miracles, some to encourage the discouraged & hurting, others to making millions of dollars to help those in financial need, and some are invited to marriage or parenthood to raise *vibrant arrows*... and these invitations are just the tip of the iceberg.

Theologically speaking it's important to say this: the kingdom of God is more than raising the dead...it's sitting with the poor and those who are suffering and in need. It's helping widows & orphans. It's giving generously to others, it's sacrifice, it’s being kind and loving even when being kind and loving doesn't come easy. And yet, raising the dead is also part of the kingdom of God too.

Raising the dead is more than someone coming back to life—it's about the power of the blood and the resurrection of Jesus Christ that is vibrantly alive within followers of Christ. It's about God's heart for people, and the authority we inherit from who He is, who we are, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross. It's a foreshadowing of the promise for those of us who love God; we won't simply just be dead in the ground forever, but we'll be raised & live with Him for all eternity. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

I have experienced raising the dead twice, for the sake of time I'll share my first experience with you today. Before we get there let's talk scripture. What does the Bible say about raising the dead? Did anyone else raise the dead, or was this just a Jesus thing? 

There are 10 accounts of people being raised from the dead in scripture. 

1. Elijah raised the widow's son.  (1 Kings 17:17-24)

2 Elijah raised another young boy.  (2 Kings 4: 32)

3. A dead man who was thrown on Elisha’s grave.  (2 Kings 13:12)

4 Jesus raised a young boy.  (Luke 7:11-17)

5 Jarius’ daughter.  (Mark 5:21-43)

6  Lazarus.  (John 11:38-44)

7. Jesus, himself!  (Mark 16)

8. Many were resurrected from their graves when Jesus died on the cross.  (Matthew 27:52-53) 

9. The woman Dorcas (Tabitha).  (Acts 9:36-42)

10. The man Eutychus.  (Acts 20:7-12)

The first account mentioned above is Elijah: the colorful, powerful, and bold prophet of God. His life was dedicated to God, he was full of confidence in Him, and miracles came through his life. Jesus was the next person in scripture to raise the dead. Thirdly, in Matthew 27, the manifestation of God's authority & power raised people from the dead without anyone praying for them—they were raised simultaneously right as Jesus died. Then, in the book of Acts, Paul and Peter raised the woman Tabitha (Dorcas) and the man Eutychus from the dead. 

There are several types of resurrection: past, present, future, and spiritually.

• Past: As mentioned above, Christ and others raised people from the dead. (See scriptures above)

• Present: Globally, people are being raised from the dead, as we speak. (like this testimony)

• Future: Our bodies will be raised with Him in the last days. The dead in Christ shall rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, John 6:39-40)

• Spiritually: (yes, spiritually!) We are resurrected in our spirits the moment we believe & accept Christ as our Savior, giving our life to him. (1 Peter 1:23, John 10:10, Romans 6:8-11, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, Colossians 2:13-15, Colossians 3:1)

Without further ado let's dive into my story!

I was on staff at my church in Southern California. My office was located at the front of the church building, near a large intersection. It was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon and I was sitting at my desk when I heard the screeching of tires. I assumed there was an accident so I jumped up, headed to the door, and started praying in a different language (mentioned in scripture as "praying in tongues" in 1 Corinthians) Praying in tongues might seem a little "weird", and I'll be the first to say it kind of is! —But, it happened. 

I ran from the church office across the parking lot, through the field towards the intersection, praying. “What are we gonna do, Lord?". I was game for whatever He had in mind. The Lord said two things; "Somebody died. And somebody is getting saved." —"Just let me know what You want me to do and I'll do it." I responded.

Raising the dead is part of God's heart and an expression of WHO HE IS. "I am the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25). God broke the curse over sin and death, freed us from the stronghold of sin, liberating us from eternal death.

Back to my story: as I was running towards the accident, I saw people pulling a young girl out of the car. They were crying as they laid her on the ground and were trying to do what they could to help her, but she was already dead. She was young, maybe seven or eight years old. When I arrived, her forehead had been crushed in and there was blood everywhere. How horrific this must have felt for her parents and siblings. 

By this time the intersection was starting to get backed up with cars, people were coming over and surrounding the girl & her family. There were maybe 10 to 15 people in the area at that time. Her parents & siblings were crying. People were startled and concerned.

I felt God's peace & involvement for all that was happening. I squeezed between the family, knelt beside the girl, and asked God what to do. The Holy Spirit said "Touch her and say “by his stripes you are healed, in the name of Jesus”" (this is one of our promises in scripture!). I was all-in to participate however God wanted me to, but I'll be honest, I was concerned by all the blood. 

Not wanting to get a disease, I looked for any tiny spot on her body that didn't have blood, which ironically happened to be on her forehead, near where her skull had been crushed in. I lightly touched her and whispered what the Holy Spirit said, "by his stripes you are healed, in the name of Jesus". 

And within a mere moment, her eyes slowly opened... God brought this precious little girl back to life! —How incredible.

Jesus imparted to us His resurrection authority saying "raise the dead, heal the sick, restore the blind, cleanse the lepers". We are seated with God on the throne with him & seated in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), having all blessings of the heavenly realm (Eph. 1:3). Nothing is too great for Him (Jer. 32:27) and nothing is withheld from us (Rom. 8:32). Mark 9:23 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “If I have faith of a mustard seed it shall be done” (Matthew 17:20).

Raising the dead is an outward expression of who our God is, the author and Creator of life. In John 11:25 Jesus says he is "the Resurrection and the Life". Raising the dead is an expression of God's love and power to the person who is raised, to their family, and for all who are involved. Plus, honestly guys, it's fun doing cool things with God. Your relationship with God can be a fun adventure.

The Bible says the life of Christ now lives in us. The Spirit of God is alive in us. We have been energized to a new life. That's why people call it being "born again". 

We have the resurrection life flowing through our veins & our fingertips—ready to be activated when God calls us to something beautiful like raising the dead, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and breathing the life of hope & joy back into people's hearts through the gospel message. And if He invites you into a special opportunity to raise the dead, I encourage you to jump in with both feet!