[Faith-talk] Miracles

Thu Oct 23 22:39:06 UTC 2014

Hi all,

This relates to a previous topic here on healing. 
I found it to be very informative. Enjoy.

Blessings,

Linda

Miracles

October 23, 2014

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features 52 lessons in Christian living. It can 
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There is an extensive memory verse program built 
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God's Will, Making Wise Decisions, Christ's Great 
Commission, Suffering in the Christian Life, The 
Judgment Seat of Christ, Separation - Moral, 
Tests of Entertainment, Separation - Doctrinal, 
Fasting, Miracles, A Testing Mindset, Tongues 
Speaking, The Rapture, How to Be Wise with Your 
Money, The Believer and Drinking, Abortion, 
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There is a lot of confusion today about the place 
of miracles in the Christian life and ministry. 
Is divine healing for today? Are there apostles 
and prophets today? We have dealt with these and 
many other issues extensively in the book The 
Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements, available from 
Way of Life Literature. We advise each student to read this book carefully.

In this present lesson we will consider some of 
the foundational teachings of Scripture that can 
help us understand these issues.

1. The miracles of Christ and the miracles of the 
apostles had a special, temporary purpose and are 
not models for the entire church age.

a. The miracles of Jesus were signs to prove that 
He was the Messiah (John 5:26; 10:25, 37-38; 
14:11; 15:24; 20:30-31). These Scriptures leave 
no doubt as to the purpose of Christ's miracles. 
Even the apostles could not do all of the amazing 
things that Jesus did (i.e., quieting storms and 
feeding the multitudes); and had they done so, 
the sign nature of Christ's miracles would have been rendered ineffective.

What about John 14:12? This cannot mean that 
believers through the centuries would be able to 
do greater sign miracles than Jesus. That would 
be impossible. What could be greater than feeding 
multitudes, walking on the water, and raising the 
dead? Jesus did not say that the disciples would 
do greater miracles; He said they would do 
greater works. Though the word "works" is 
sometimes used to describe Jesus' miracles, it is 
not limited to that. Whereas Jesus ministered 
only in Palestine and saw relatively few souls 
saved under His direct ministry, His disciples 
have ministered throughout the world and have 
seen multitudes of souls saved. Whereas Jesus 
wrote no books, the apostles completed the canon 
of Scripture. God's people have enjoyed the power 
to live holy lives in the face of a godless 
generation, to withstand the most searing 
persecution, and to preach the gospel to the ends 
of the earth. God's people have continued to 
experience miracles and have done great works, 
but they have not done the Messianic sign miracles.

b. The apostles did miracles to prove that they 
were apostles (Mark 3:14-15; 2 Corinthians 
12:12). If we examine the book of Acts carefully, 
we will see that the miracles were done by the 
apostles. Examples can be found in Acts 2:43; 
4:33; 5:12. The only exceptions were a few men 
closely associated with the apostles and upon 
whom the apostles had laid hands. The vast 
majority of believers in the early churches could 
not do the sign miracles. When Tabitha was sick, 
the believers at Joppa could not heal her, and 
when she died, they could not raise her from the 
dead. They had to call Peter, the apostle (Acts 
9:36-41). If such miracles could be done 
indiscriminately by Christians in general, the 
sign of the apostle would be rendered 
ineffective. If I tell a stranger that is meeting 
me at the airport that I will be wearing a red 
hat when I come off of the plane, the red hat is 
the sign of recognition; but if other people on 
my flight disembark wearing red hats the sign is 
destroyed. There was no general miracle-working 
experience among the first churches. They were 
special signs for a special time.

2. God does not always heal, but He often does heal in answer to prayer.

a. The New Testament gives the following three 
examples that conclusively prove that God does 
not always heal the believer's sicknesses.

(1) The case of Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23). Timothy 
was sick frequently, and the apostle Paul 
instructed him to use a little wine for his 
stomach's sake and his "often infirmities." God 
did not heal Timothy supernaturally from his 
sickness nor did he instruct Timothy to curse his 
illnesses or to exercise "the word of faith" over them.

(2) The case of Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20). Paul 
had to leave Trophimus behind in Miletum sick. He 
was not supernaturally healed.

(3) The case of Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). 
Three times Paul asked God to take away this 
problem, but the Bible says God refused to do so. 
Paul was told that this infirmity was something 
God wanted him to bear for his spiritual well 
being. Upon learning this, Paul bowed to God's 
will and wisely said: "Therefore I take pleasure 
in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in 
persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: 
for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 
12:10). This is a perfect example for Christians 
today. We should pray for healing and release 
from trials and difficulties, but when God does 
not heal, we must bow to His will and accept that 
sickness or trial as something from the divine 
hand. This is not lack of faith; it is submission 
to the sovereignty of Almighty God. Some 
Pentecostals have argued that Paul's infirmity 
was not a sickness, but the Greek word translated 
"infirmity" in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (astheneia) is 
elsewhere translated "sickness" (Mat. 8:17; Jn. 
11:4) and "disease" (Acts 28:9).

b. God heals today after the pattern of James 
5:13-15. This passage describes a private healing 
situation rather than a public healing meeting, 
and it says nothing about someone who has "the 
gift of healing." It refers simply to the elders 
of the church who anoint the sick person and pray over him.

c. Romans 8:22-25 reminds us that we will not 
receive our glorified state until Christ returns. 
Until then, we are subject to the trouble, 
suffering, and death of this sin-cursed world, and that includes sickness.

3. Jesus warned against seeking miracles (Matthew 
12:38-39). This passage is a loud rebuke of the 
modern Pentecostal-Charismatic movements.

4. The Bible warns about false signs and wonders 
at the end of the church age (Matthew 
24:24).  Jesus warned that one of the 
characteristics of the end of the age would be 
"great signs and wonders" performed by false 
prophets. Therefore, it is obvious that just 
because someone is doing miracles does not mean 
that they are of God. They might be of the devil! 
The only way that we can tell the difference is 
by testing the teaching by the Bible. We must 
"prove all things" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). We 
must be like the Bereans who "searched the 
scriptures daily, whether those things were so" 
(Acts 17:11). Only in this way can we protect 
ourselves from the wiles of the devil.

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