Our expectations for the Christian life matter and those expectations tend to create a gulf in the body of Christ. On the one hand, a major stream of theological thought holds that Jesus came, lived a life of miracles to prove that he was the Son of God, and purchased the forgiveness of our sins through his sacrifice on the cross. His intent for us is that we come to faith in Him and his completed work on the cross, live a moral life, teach others the tenants of our faith, and do good to the people around us. The expectations of these believers keep them from ever seeking more.
A second stream of thought is that Jesus came and lived a life of miracles to not only demonstrate that he was the Son of God but also that the Kingdom of God had come with power. His intent is not only that we would come to faith in Him but that we would also continue to demonstrate his reality and the power of the kingdom of heaven by doing the miracles he did as we lead others to Christ while doing good to those around us.
Perhaps, it seems like a small difference but in practice it is not. The first stream of thought believes in the historic miracles of Jesus and the early church but holds that the historic record is sufficient for belief. No current miracles are necessary to bring others to Christ and, therefore, the Holy Spirit no longer distributes gifts of prophecy, tongues, healings, miracles, and so forth. Moral living, loving others, and preaching the gospel are the defining marks of the church.
The second stream of thought would echo moral living, loving others and doing good but would add the element of miracles not only for the purpose of evangelism but also as an ongoing expression of the love and compassion of God for hurting people. Jesus did public miracles in order to establish who he was but he also did many in private telling the person who was healed to tell no one. His motivation for healing as much out of compassion as it was to prove that he was the Son of God. He is still compassionate.
There are all kinds of religions and religious groups who claim to have revelation from God concerning salvation. They also point people to living a moral life, loving others, and doing good. They nearly all have some form of historic miracles on which their doctrines and stories stand. So…how will a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Scientologist, or a Satanist determine that Jesus is the real God versus the one they have been taught to worship since birth?
Moses seems instructive in this matter. Remember when he had his showdown with Pharaoh and the false gods of Egypt (Ex. 7-12). Pharaoh called on his magicians to match the miracles of Jehovah….and they did….for a while. Moses had Aaron throw down his staff and his staff turned into a snake, but so did theirs by “secret arts”. The snake from Aaron’s rod ate the snakes of the magicians, but both displayed impressive power.
Moses then commanded the waters of Egypt to turn to blood. Pharaoh’s magicians did the same by their “secret arts”. Moses called up a plague of frogs. The sorcerers of Egypt matched that as well. However, Jehovah through his servant Moses continued to display his power and when a plague of gnats was called out, the magicians could not match it nor any of the plagues that followed. Then those same magicians declared to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”
There came a point when the works of darkness could not compete with the works of God and those who saw the miracles began to believe. Since our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12), we need to understand that miracles were not just to impress men, but also to demonstrate the superiority of the Kingdom of Heaven over the kingdom of darkness. Jehovah declared that his plagues were not just judgments on the men who had enslaved his people but also were judgments on all the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12). In most parts of the world, men still do not need to be convinced that a spiritual realm exists. Their question is not whether there is a god but only whether the God we serve is more powerful than the god they serve. That can only be demonstrated by the miraculous hand of God.
Jesus reflected that same reality when he said to the Pharisees, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20). A demonstration of power was always at the center of Christ’s ministry as well as those he sent out. When he sent out the twelve and the seventy he gave them power and authority to heal and cast out demons. When he gifted the church, he gave gifts that demonstrated the power of the Kingdom of God through prophecy, healing, miracles and so forth.
Throughout the book of Acts we see the supernatural move of God through miracles, angelic activity, and moves of the Holy Spirit. That is the model of evangelism and church growth that we see in the New Testament. Interestingly, many of the churches that reject the miraculous move of the Holy Spirit today claim to model themselves after the New Testament church and yet omit the very things that demonstrated the reality of Jesus over the demonic spirits that were being worshipped throughout the New Testament world.
Jesus made an interesting comment about John the Baptist in the gospel of Luke. He declared, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Lk.7:28). How could a brand new Christian or even a mature Christian be greater than John the Baptist? Certainly, he would not be greater than John in character and faith but he would be greater in capacity because the baptism of the Holy Spirit makes a lifestyle available that not even John had access to.
By Old Covenant standards, John was the culmination of the prophets although we have no record of him doing any miracles. But Jesus said that the least New Covenant follower would be greater than John. He said that because he was going to send the Spirit for all of his followers after he returned to the Father. Why would Jesus give us such capacity for power through the Holy Spirit, but not want us to exercise that power just as he did? After all, he promised that anyone who had faith in him would do the works he had been doing and even greater things (John 14:12). That sounds like an expectation for all who have faith and he did not put an expiration date on that promise.
In a world where no one knows who to believe or what to believe, it will take authentic demonstrations of the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven and the finger of God to convince the world that Jesus is who he says he is. Living a moral life and doing good is praiseworthy but it does not set us apart from others who claim to have God’s seal of approval and who live relatively moral lives and do good. Even Satan appears as an angel of light. It will take miracles that outstrip what others can produce even by their secret arts just as in the days of Moses so that the truth of God’s word and the reality of Jesus become undeniable. My hope then and my prayer is that the church in America and each of us will begin to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in order to duplicate the ministry of Jesus that will once again turn the world upside down. The apostle Paul summed it up when he said, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20). The question for each if us then is, “How is that power being displayed in our lives or our churches?”
Blessings in Him.
