Where Have They Gone? Part 3

The philosophy that says that once the original apostles, Matthias and the last apostle, Paul, past away, apostles, prophets and miracles also have passed away. We have seen in the other two parts of this series that the gift/office/ministry of the apostle and prophet have not past way. They may not be recognized or received by many sectors of the church, but in the eyes of God they are very much alive and functioning. What about miracles? Do they exist or have they faded away in the same way that many believe the gift/office/ministry of the apostle and prophet have? The Bible is filled with scripture that reveals God as a miracle God who wrought miracles through various people, they are to numerous to list, so let's look at a few from the Old Testament.... 

• So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children. (Genesis 20:17)
• God used Elijah in a miracle of food (1 Kings 17:2-16)
• God used Elijah in the miracle of the resurrection of the Gentile son (1 Kings 17:17-24)
• God used Elijah on Mount Carmel in a contest against the prophets of Baal and of Asherah through a mighty miracle (1 Kings 18:20-40)
• Elisha was used by God in the miracle of the increase of the widows oil (2 Kings 4:1-7)
• Elisha was used by God in the miracle of the increase of the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4:8-37)
• God brought Israel out of the bondage of Egypt with the spoils of Egypt. Not one person was feeble among His tribes. God went before them in a cloud and a pillar of fire. He brought quail, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it ran in the dry places like a river." (Psalms 105:37-41) 

Again, these are just a few examples from the Old testament where God used people to perform miracles. Next, let's consider Jesus earthly ministry. Again, the miracles that He performed are to numerous to list, so let's look at only a few...

• Jesus went about all Galilee healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of diseases among the people (Matthew 4:23)
• Jesus feeds the 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21)
• Jesus walks on walk on water (Mark 6:45-52)
• Jesus raises a widows dead son (Luke 7:11-16
• Jesus turns water into wine (John 2:1-10)
• God raises Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:32)

Now we see the ministry of Jesus which God wrought miracles through. Finally, let's look at the early church. Again, there are numerous scriptures revealing miracles being wrought by God through people, so we again will only list a few...

• Peter and John heal a man with infantile paralysis (Acts 3:1-8) 
• Mighty signs and wonders were done through the apostles (Acts 5:12)
• Stephen, who was not an apostle did great wonders and signs (Acts 6:8)
• Philip, who was not an apostle did miracles in the City of Samaria (Acts 8:5-7)
• Paul healed a lame man in Lystra (Acts 14:6-10)

So, throughout the Bible we see God performing miracles through various people for thousands of years. Why is it that many think that God should stop miracles after the decease of the apostles of the early church? Why do many conclude that the miraculous gifts functioned as scaffolding while the church was under initial construction, and were removed once the structure had been completed? Why do many believe and teach that the book we call the Bible is the totality of God’s written revelation to the human race, which it is, as a reason for God to stop the supernatural? Simply put, it is due to a lack of faith in the integrity of the Word of God that they claim to believe as truth. Jesus brought this same problem to the Pharisees when dealing with their hypocrisy, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." (Matthew 23:23) They were under the law yet Jesus tells them that they lacked faith.

Even Gideon knew God as a miracle God, though he question Him as to "where are all the miracles which our fathers told us about." (Judges 6:13 So, how can we honestly say that the supernatural ministries of Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, Maria Woodworth-Etter, John Alexander Dowie, William Branham, Oral Roberts, A. A. Allen, Jack Coe, (to name a few) are not from God or for today? How can we honestly and logically say that God does not use the miraculous any more? Honestly, we would say or think these things if we are willing to throw away these faithless philosophies that have been accepted in the church. Philosophies developed by men and women who continue to approach the Word of God with their limited intellect rather than through the spirit. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

Look at the state of the lives of the majority of the people in the church today. The number of Christians that are sick, diseased and oppressed is not much different than those who are without Christ. The sad thing is, God said that He would provide healing through the redemptive work of Messiah, "In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God.  But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-6) The apostle Peter reaffirms this very thing but speak in past tense, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24)

The apostle Paul reminds and at the same time warns the church as to why many in the church were weak, sickly and dying. They were not discerning the Lord's Body both physically and or spiritually. This was the cause for much weakness, sickness and death in the church. Problem such as this in the church should cause much concern to church leaders. However, too often we try to get rid of what causing the problem (the curse) without getting rid of the cause. "The curse shall not come without a cause." (Proverbs 26:2) This is why we are called to discern the Lord's Body. James says it this way, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed..." (James 5:16) Healing in the church is the work of the risen Lord through the His Body, that is through one another not only yesterday but also for today. James continues, "...the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16) This is the only condition for healing to take place. It has nothing to do with a dispensation.

The sad reality is, most Christians have been trained to call a physician and believe his or her prognosis rather than have faith in Jesus Christ the Healer. I am not saying that physicians do not help sick people or that they do not save lives. But we must keep in mind that they are still practicing medicine. Mark reveals this very thing, "Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse." (Mark 5:25-27) You may be thinking that modern medicine has advanced far beyond what it was then and you are correct. However, I still meet Christians who have seen many physicians and have had several surgeries and are not any better. Again, I am not condemning modern medicine one bit. My desire is to see the church believe the Word of God beyond a mental assent, "For God's Words are life to those who find them, and health (Medicine) to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:22) and be the wonderful vehicle once again that is filled with the presence, power and glory of the Lord.

In our fourth and final part we will continue to explore that fact that miracles are as much a part of the church today as they were in the early church. Remember, God is a miracle God.