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Come And See |
The Bible Says: Miracles By Mark Hatfield Part 8 Many people, today, have a hunger to sense God through signs and wonders…and especially some kind of miracle. It is apparent as you are flipping through the channels of your television, that many are claiming to be performing such things today. Although many of the claims of so called faith healers have been exposed as false, many people still continue to follow these men and women. What does the Bible say about miracles today? What was the purpose of a miracle? Who had the right to perform such? Let us take a look at the Bible. JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES Jesus performed many miracles to establish the claim that He was the Son of God. Unfortunately, like many today, the people would not take the Lord at His word, but wanted to see a sign. His miracles performed by Divine power proved to all men that He was the Messiah of promise. Even Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews could say to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with Him” (John 3:2). The Bible only records a few of the Lord’s miracles as we understand John to write of, “many other signs…which are not written in this book…” (John 20:30). However the ones that are penned in the New Testament are there to produce faith. Below is a list of some of the miracles Jesus performed: The blind receive sight (John 9:1-12) The lame were made to walk (Matthew 21:14) The lepers were cleansed (Luke 17:11-19) The deaf were made to hear (Mark 7:31-37) The sick were healed (Matthew 8:14-17) Demons were cast out (Matthew 8:28-34) Walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33) The wind and the sea obey (Matthew 8:27) Thousands fed with a small lunch (Matthew 14:13-21) He raised the dead (John 11:32-45) He died and rose again (John 20:19-31; Acts 1:3) John says of these miracles, “Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). The signs recorded should be enough to produce faith. Why do people still have to see miracles today? THE APOSTLES PERFORMED MIRACLES After Jesus ascended to be with the Father, the message had to further be established as the true gospel. This being the case the apostles were given the ability to perform miracles. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would speak through the apostles reminding them of all that He had taught. He would also bear witness of the Christ, guiding them into all of the truth. This began on the day of Pentecost as they were clothed with the Spirit. (See Mark 13:11; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Luke 24:48, 49). Since the New Testament was not in existence to show the signs of Christ and produce faith, the Bible says, “And they (apostles m.l.h.) went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed” (Mark 16:20). The Hebrew writer also reiterated this same purpose (Hebrews 2:3, 4). Since we have the word of God in written form, and it is confirmed by the testimony of inspired writers, why do many continue to search for a miracle? The only ones ever recorded in the Bible to have the ability to manifest these miraculous events were the Lord and the apostles of the Lord. Sure the apostles could lay hands on one of the disciples of Christ to impart spiritual gifts. The only difference, is that nobody who received these gifts by the apostles could then impart them to others. This means that once the Lord chose the apostles, and the apostles imparted the gifts to as many as they had, as soon as they all died all of these miracles would cease. Paul tells us that these gifts would last as long as the knowledge of the Son of God was not fully revealed in Ephesians 4:8-13...but now it is. Paul also suggested that there would come a time when the “perfect” would come and these gifts would cease (I Corinthians 13:8-10). James describes the “perfect” as the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25), which is the doctrine of Christ that we have recorded for us in the New Testament today. Will you believe the teaching of the word of God and let it be the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), or will you still seek a miracle?
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