Miracles, signs, and wonders...

I imagine the majority of the people who will read this have no trouble believing that God still heals the sick. (For the sake of clarity, I will call all acts of divine healing “Miracles.”) But when you talk about signs and wonders, the other type of miraculous stuff that doesn’t involve people getting healed, most folks start getting uncomfortable and uneasy.

I understand.

There are a ton of weird people who do a ton of weird stuff. However, I can not help but see how unapologetic Jesus was as He performed what we will call signs and wonders.

Cursing storms and fig trees, walking on water, and multiplying food… These are just a few of the things that Jesus did that really didn't have a restorative purpose in and of themselves. There were certain things that Jesus did in which the sole intention was just to blow peoples’ minds (for a lack of a better phrase).

And if that isn’t hard enough to swallow, it’s not very clear if He gave an explicit presentation of the gospel every time He performed a sign or a wonder. It would appear at times that the sign or wonder WAS Jesus' presentation of the gospel.

What’s even crazier to think about is that Jesus performed miracles, signs, and wonders in the presence of people who didn’t repent and turn to God.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:21

People literally saw the Son of God do impossible feats, and their hearts didn’t respond to God’s call to them.

I say all of that to say this: We should not be afraid to do ministry the way Jesus did it. If there was something wrong with His method, He wouldn’t have told us to do it in the same manner that He demonstrated to us.

So...

Here’s Three Reasons Why Signs and Wonders Need to Accompany The Spreading of The Gospel:

1) They Reveal The Divinity of Jesus

When Jesus performed signs and wonders, the people who would witness them all had similar responses: Awe and astonishment. Everything they ever thought was possible just got rocked in an instant. They would have to concede that either Jesus was the real deal, or that He was filled with evil powers.

2) They Produce Repentance

Check out Simon Peter’s response to witnessing Jesus perform an unexplainable sign and/ or wonder:

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus ’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Luke 5:8

God uses supernatural and unexplainable events to call people into repentance. They aren’t the only way, but are a legitimate way.

3) They Show Us The Heart of God

When people realize that the God of the universe has invited Himself into the day to day events of their life- people get overwhelmed. Most people think that God is mad at them and can’t wait to send them to hell. But when the God they are running from, chases them down with His love: Everything changes.

This is obviously a subject much broader than the scope of a blog post, but my hope is that this would encourage you in your faith. Among all the things we see and read that tell us what God CAN'T do, and what we as believers SHOULDN’T do, I want my mind filled with the things that God CAN do!!