This year God has directed the body of Christ to focus their attention on the miracles of Jesus. As a pastor for the past twenty- five years, I have discovered this to be the most illuminating experience in my spiritual life.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A MIRACLE? A miracle takes place when God intervenes in the ordinary affairs of life with His divine power, suspending natural laws and defying the very laws of nature. God Himself is the miracle worker! When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he declared in Acts 2:22, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you…” Notice that it says, “…Which God did by Him.” During Jesus’ earthly ministry, it was God who performed the miracles through Jesus. Again, we read in Acts 19:11, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul…” God always moves through available vessels to perform the miraculous.
In Acts 3: 6, Peter spoke a revealing statement when he ministered to the lame man at Gate Beautiful. He said, “…Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee…” Peter had been baptized in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and now he was purposely giving what he had. As a result, the lame man was healed and restored. When we purposely release God into situations previously held in the grip of darkness, a miraculous transformation takes place. We are to consciously and purposely take God wherever we go.
In Matthew 28:20 in the Great Commission, Jesus told His disciples to teach new believers “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” In other words, He was telling His disciples to teach new believers to do everything that they had been commanded to do…“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils (Matthew 10:14).” Every Spirit-filled believer, young and old, is to walk and live in the miraculous.
Most often our response to this is, “Well, I will do that when I am more developed in my faith and character.” But God says, “No, do it now!” It is through our giving the miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit to others that God develops our faith and character! This standard was meant to be the norm in Christianity. Jesus taught His disciples to live and operate in the miraculous and to teach all believers to do so. This is how we are to live and operate…right now! Lay hands on the sick and they will recover! Freely you have received; freely give! Now is the time to be about our Father’s business.
Ready for the miraculous,
Pastor Joan Boethel