Rom 15:18-19
I dare not boast of anything else. I have brought the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I lived before them. 19 I have won them over by the miracles done through me as signs from God--all by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum.
NLT
According to the Bible, the Good News of Jesus Christ is powerful and is never to be communicated in word only. The testimony of the Cross of Christ is to be made effective not only by proclamation but also in demonstration of the power of the Holy Ghost.
Listen to Paul: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
Elsewhere Paul again declares, 1Thessalonians 1:5, " Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake."
When the Lord Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago, the message He heralded came not only by proclamation but also in demonstration of the Spirit. Luke 8:1 reads, "And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God...."
Mark 1:39 affirms, "And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils."
When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent representa-tives requesting that Jesus testify truthfully whether He was the coming Messiah, Israel’s and the world’s Savior. Jesus concedes that He is indeed the Savior of the world by pointing to the miraculous power of God accompanying Him. "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see : "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Luke 7:22).
Jesus’ ministry credentials was the anointing of the Holy Spirit and power:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor" (Luke 4:18-19).
What power Jesus possessed! Luke 4:40 says of Him, "When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
Again we read in Matt 8:16, "When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed ALL the sick."
Now that which makes the gospel relevant to us today is that this same Jesus who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil long ago, is still alive and is manifesting the love and power of God! The gospel has not changed! Christ commissioned His followers including us to present the gospel to the world in Holy Spirit power and might. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (but that’s not all Jesus says. He continues, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:1, 7-8).
The Early Christians, like Jesus continued in the same anointing and power preaching with authority, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out devils and even raising the dead! Know as well that it is the will of God for you and me to both experience and be employed in the miraculous today. Jesus said to His followers, "Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he shall do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12).
There are at least four reasons revealed in the Bible as to why we can expect to experience and be used by the Lord in the miraculous today.
1. THE COMPASSION OF GOD
Every miracle and healing Jesus performed was motivated by his great mercy. Consider the following references in the New Testament and be assured that God loves you the same!
Matt 14:14 "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."
Mark 1:39-41 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Luke 7:12-15 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-- the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don’t cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
2. THE COMPREHENSIVENESS OF THE GOSPEL
Matthew 8:16-17 declares, "When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
Jesus was fulfilling what was previously written by the prophet Isaiah, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4).
You will notice that there is a seeming discrepancy comparatively between Matthew’s wording and that of Isaiah.
Matthew says that Jesus carried our diseases, whereas, Isaiah claims that it was our sorrows that Jesus bore on the Cross. This is no contradiction. The Hebrew word in Isaiah’s text means, "to feel pain." It can be translated literally or figuratively. The implication of this is something we should not overlook. Get this! The Holy Spirit was saying that Christ went to the Cross to redeem us from the cause and effect of all pain.
We may become ill, but Jesus will heal us if we trust in His finished work at the Cross. If we are brokenhearted, we can be confident that the consolation of the Holy Spirit will be with us healing us of our emotional pain! Sin wounds us spiritually, even resulting in death, but Jesus sets us free from this as well. John G. Lake who saw many healed as a result of his ministry, called such revelation, "The Triune Gospel, " the Good News that Jesus died for our spirit, soul and body!
3. THE COLDNESS OF MEN:
The third reason why the Lord desires to manifest His supernatural power in contemporary society is because Gifts of the Spirit, signs and wonders, and miracles are God’s seal of validating the message of Christ crucified, risen and ascended on high. There are many today due to unbelief need powerful proof of the truth of the Gospel.
The writer to the Hebrews reiterates this:
"This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:3-4).
Jesus words in Matthew 28:18-20 charging believers to take the Gospel throughout the world are commonly known as "The Great Commission." It is called a Co-Mission because two parties are engaged in the mission: the believer as well as the Lord Himself. Mark 16:20 is a confirmation, "And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs." (NLT)
4. THE COMPOUNDING OF FAITH:
"When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. [Jesus] saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I; don’t be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened" (Mark 6:45-52).
The disciples had witnessed the hand of the Lord intervening in their lives on many occasions, manifesting both divine power and provision. Yet, here in the midst of a storm they were beside themselves crying out to the Lord for intervention. Jesus chides them for their lack of trust, pointing back to the occasions when he had multiplied the loaves to feed the multitudes. Verse 52 states, "They considered not the miracle of the loaves." In other words, they did not remember or call to mind the power, which Jesus had shown in feeding the five thousand by a miracle, and that, having done that, he had power also to save them from the storm.
Each encounter with the miraculous power and provision of the Lord is meant to produce in us an attitude of faith and trust that God will be with us and deliver us during the next test of our faith. David was confident that he could take down Goliath because of his previous faith victories. God had been with him then and surely He would be with David when he went up against the Giant! "I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!"(1 Samuel 17:36-37 NLT)
What I am saying is that we need the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives demonstrating the power, grace and love of the Lord to us. This will result in us having greater faith. Our spiritual development happens incrementally. In Romans 1:17, Paul said we grow from faith to faith. The Amplified Bible renders it this way: "For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
