Letters to the Family of God
by Joe Franzone | July 27, 2023 | Pastor's Blog
July 27, 2023
The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
All I need is a miracle…
Mike + The Mechanics
What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
Dear friends.
The popular idea that miracles happen all the time in Bible days is untrue. Miracles clustered primarily in the time of the Exodus, Elijah and Elisha, and Christ and the apostles.
The scripture, Old and New Testaments has no single word that best describes miracles in the original languages. Most have understood three terms that seem best. They are wonder, mighty work, and sign. Let’s take them each in turn.
Wonder
Wonder is something done by God that triggers a complete awareness of His presence and power. Everyone seeing the miracle is clear; only God could do this. Which, in turn, brings praise to God.
For example, in Mark 2:12.
He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone, and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!
Mighty Work
Mighty Work is a work of God's power acting on the created world that came from nothing.
For example, in Genesis 1, as God spoke, vox dei (the voice of God) and creation out of nothing ex nihilo (no materials used) came into existence.
Dead people raised to life is another example of God's mighty work. Jesus did this mighty work three times in His ministry. Elijah, Elisha, Peter, and Paul each did this once.
The mightiness of this work was that previously, the person was alive, then died, and there is no way creation itself can resuscitate the person. In other words, the natural processes of human life or the immune system rebooting and bringing life back is impossible.
Therefore, God's mighty work restores the person to the way they were meant to be, which is common among Jesus' miracles. The sick healed, the lame walk, the blind see, and the dead are made alive.
So that when the mighty work takes place, it is seen as it is, a work of God Almighty alone.
Sign
In the Gospel of John, the miracles of Jesus were referred to as signs. There are seven such sign miracles recorded. Each of these signs had a message, along with the miracle, giving the truth about Christ or the Gospel.
Subsequently, when these signs took place, they validated the message of Christ or the Apostles, affirming they were God’s messengers who represented God; therefore, they were to listen to them.
For example, the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11 was a sign that Jesus has power over death. And we should remember that immediately after the miracle, some put their faith in Jesus, and the Pharisees called the meeting of the Sanhedrin and began to plan to put Jesus to death. (They saw this as a power struggle, nothing more.)
John 2:22 is another example.
After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Wonder, mighty work, and signs are expressions of miracles, powerfully pointing to the presence and power of God active. They draw full attention to God alone. They validate the message of God’s messenger that God’s power flows through. They point to Jesus, His finished work on the cross, and that a better day is coming. God has the power to bring it to pass.
We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proof that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus' miracles are not just a challenge to our minds but a promise to our hearts that the world we all want is coming.
Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.
Theologians, churches, and pastors who deny miracles miss the core of the Gospel—for this reason. The truth of the Gospel depends on two. The incarnation and resurrection of Christ.
Suppose there was no incarnation—God becoming a flesh and blood man, then there would be no justifiable substitute to pay for our sins. Or suppose there was no resurrection. Then death is not defeated, and our justification is untrue. (Romans 4:25)
Therein belief in miracles for Christians is reasonable. It is doubt which is unreasonable.
Loved ones, please leave plenty of room for miracles in our life. Yes, there are charlatans masquerading as miracle workers, but don't let them ruin God's truth. I suspect we will all come to a place or many places in our life where a miracle is what we need. Do you need a miracle? Well, we can certainly ask God; it is not beyond His power, and leave the answer to Him.
God bless you with all you need and more besides.
Pastor Joe