Faith for Everyday Miracles

Miracles are an intrusion of the kingdom of light waging combat against kingdom of darkness.

Doug Slay

This is not superfluous promises; it’s not hype; it’s reality. The realm of the supernatural belongs to Christ and His church. The study of miracles is an existential threat to the god of this world.

If we are going to study miracles as a current reality, they are. We must begin with a deep and abiding faith in God. The person who comes to God must believe He is, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

Premises of miracles are not miracles themselves. To zero in on miracles without doctrine is to sensationalize miracles, which never was the intent. Miracles should never become the sole object of our study but rather point to a bigger picture.

I don’t mean to belabor this point but to pass it by without pointing to the bigger picture could be misleading. There is a purpose for miracles that is greater than the miracle itself. It is my intent to point to something greater than a blind man seeing, or a lame man walking, or wind and sea obeying the command of the Nazarene.

John in his gospel gives us a reason, a purpose for miracles and it has to do with believing Jesus is the Christ. “But these (miracles) have been recorded in order that you may believe He is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, through believing may have faith through his name. John 20:31 Weymouth.

If we don’t start here, we are not following the North Star. It’s amazing how easily we get off course when we sensationalize miracles. I will briefly point out a few practical things about miracles and their current reality.

First miracles have a history. Miracles happened at creation. God spoke and what he said leaped into existence.

Second miracles contain doctrine. Every miracle contains a doctrine that is beyond the miracle itself. From turning water into wine, from feeding five thousand, to walking on water, each miracle contains a doctrine we should learn.

Miracles are signs. They point to something or someone greater than the miracle itself. John as mentioned earlier, said miracles were recorded that we might believe Jesus is the Christ.

Miracles have a ‘with’ factor. For God was with him, speaking of Jesus. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with him.” A second example of the with factor. Mark in his gospel paints a picture of Jesus sitting down and the disciple going out a preaching the gospel with signs following because a sitting Lord was working with them confirming the word they preached.

I mentioned a few practical things about miracles, and we will use some of these points to share miracles as evidential testimony that God is with you.

Nicodemus saw Jesus doing miracles and concluded God was with him. No man can do these miracles except God be with him Nicodemus told Jesus. It should not go unnoticed that it was miracles that attracted the attention of the Ruler of the Jews and the miracles he saw was evidential testimony that God was with him.

As we read the Nicodemus narrative, we dwell on being born again but we should consider this conversation was initiated by miracles. Miracles was evidential testimony to Nicodemus and miracles remain evidential testimony that God is with us.

Miracles should be the norm and not abnormal in today’s church. To refer to my notes “Miracles and the Kingdom,” I made this point, by keeping miracles out of the church the enemy has robbed the church of its power.

How does an unbelieving world know there is a living God except by demonstrations of power? The with factor, God working with us and though us will tell an unbelieving world that God is with us in our day.

The Archenemy of the church, by keeping the miraculous out of the church, robbed the church of its inherent power. By keeping miracles out of the church, the enemy has limited the church in its vast scope of world evangelism.

A. J. Gordon

Prayer: Father help the modern church rediscover what the early church had that set them apart. As power was the hallmark of the early church let power once again be the hallmark of today’s church. Amen.

Doug Slay/Faith for everyday living