Why So Many Miracles?

 

Everywhere Jesus went miracles followed

Why do we see so many miracles happening all the time wherever Jesus would go? 

John 4:48 (KJV) Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

Every where Jesus went signs, wonders, miracles, healings, exorcisms, and resurrections from the dead followed him.

Matthew 4:23-25 (KJV)
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee,

1) teaching in their synagogues, and
2) preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
3) healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick [a mentally ill person, often demon possessed], and those that had the palsy [paralysis, especially that which is accompanied by involuntary tremors:];
and He healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

But this is not the only witness of Jesus’ presence bringing miracles, signs, wonders, and healing. Below are some more:

Matthew 9:35 (KJV)
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Below is another, more lengthy witness of the healing ministry of Jesus the Christ from the Gospel according to Mark Chapter One. In this passage the miracle workings of Jesus created utter chaos in the small town of Capernaum. See for yourself, it is recorded in the very first chapter of the Gospel of Mark:

Mark 1:21-45 (KJV)
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee. 29 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon [immediately] they tell him of her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 32 And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. 33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. 38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. 40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed. 43 And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away; 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 45 But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

Can you see? Everywhere Jesus went the healing power of God went with Him? It is an eye opening study just to read about all the times, all the places, and all the people, and all the diseases that Jesus healed. It is monumental, and in reality, very little of the great proportion is actually reported. The Apostle John recorded in his Gospel:

John 21:25 (KJV)
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

A typical Day in the Life of Jesus

In Matthew Chapter 9, we witness a typical day (or two) in the Life of Jesus, with no frills, nor hyperbole, nor exaggerations. Just a simple plain reporting of the record of men, woman, and children being healed. The testimonies were so pure and sure and so undeniable that his enemies also confirmed the healings that Jesus performed, only they gave credit to the Evil One: The Devil, Satan, the Prince of Demons (Beelzebub, Belial, and worse), for the supernatural healings of the children of God. (BTW–Yes, we know that there are fake healers, and such around the world, but these fake persons, tarnish not the true healer’s testimony.) 

Matthew 9 (KJV)
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. [Capernaum] 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy [he was paralyzed], lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins  …

[This is a very key and critical point, that Jesus had the power to forgive sins, which is taught throughout the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and Jesus makes piercingly clear here, with an undeniable mighty work backing up his teaching, proving that His Word is coming directly from God. But as you will see, still the religiously blind, hard hearted, control freaks, hated the power of God, and the Power & Authority of Jesus, and they hated that He had power to grant the forgiveness of Sins. As a result, they called Jesus a blasphemer, and a Devil Worshipper. Why? Because they were jealous, and had no power, nor authority, nothing of the sort, and as a result, they were losing their high positions, and high standing of respect and homage among the people. Jesus knew he was threatening their false beliefs and their wrong understanding of the Work of the Messiah, and he was confronting it head on, as it turned out some Pharisees, Scribes, and Rulers of the people followed him, but many, even the majority, did not. That was exactly as God’s Word predicted would happen, that many would not believe, and many powerful men would despise and reject him, even if signs and wonders were done in order to back up the Word of the Messiah, but that he would be rejected, a man of sorrows and suffering:

Isaiah 53:3-9 (KJV)
3 He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows:
yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth:
he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment:
and who shall declare his generation?
for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death;
because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.]

… then saith he to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
           10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
           14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. 17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
          18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.
          20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
           27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
           32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Thus ends a typical day in the life of the Messiah, recorded by the very man in the Story, Matthew the Tax Collector, who in one minute, left everything and followed Jesus, and invited many publicans and sinners, to come and eat with Jesus and his disciples at his house. And Jesus proclaimed to them the message of the Kingdom of God, calling them to repent of their sins, to believe on the Message, and to become official citizens of heaven.

Matthews Response

Mark this down: Matthew’s response to the Gospel is exactly what every true believer and follower of Christ should be, and exactly the response to the Gospel you and I should demonstrate. That is: if we have truly believed, and fully and completely given over the whole of our lives to Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God, just as Matthew did. If we have had our sins made as white as snow, and we have been forgiven from all our transgressions and sins against God, and all our transgressions and sins against men whom God has made in his image, how could we not want to share that experience with others? Should we not want them to get their sins to become as white as snow? How could we not want our friends lives to turn away from the path of destruction, and eternal damnations, to the path of Life and eternal salvation?

That only makes sense right? When you have something of significance, like the healing of cancer, or the healing of being a quadriplegic, or even the birth of a new child into the family, or anything  good happening in your life–you typically share it with all of your friends personally, right? In fact, if someone doesn’t hear about your “good news” from you, they may chastise you for not telling them. Well in this case you not only have been healed of an eternal disease. You have been born again into a new Family.  You have become an eternal citizen of Heaven. Should you not want others to come with you? Should you want others to not be left behind? … knowing that death and destruction and the wrath of God, will come upon all those who disbelieve the message of the Kingdom of God? If we know what is coming, and we don’t warn those we love and hold dear, what does that say about our love, our friendship, our faith in God, and about our own personal character? Is it not vitally important that we deeply comprehend the following message?

John 3:18-21 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

In many cases, you may be the only person in someone’s life that may have an opportunity to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Would you want to waste that opportunity? 

That is just some food for thought …

 

What do ALL these miracles teach us?

How important are they to the Work of the Kingdom of God? So far we have already seen Jesus testimony: “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” So how far is Jesus willing to go to share the miracles of God to confirm the Word of His Testimony, and the Testimony of his followers? 

Well we have already met Matthew a sinner transformed. What was Jesus’ plan for his life? 

Yes. It is the same plan Jesus has for your life. To become a full fledged, fully practicing, fully operative, fully anointed, fully ordained and qualified disciple of Christ. 

The Second Stage

Jesus begin to carry the ministry of miracles and the message of salvation by himself, demonstrating it to a few faithful men whom he could entrust with both the message and the ministry (to later pass on to other faithful men, and then to other faithful men, until the until world has had the opportunity to hear and respond the the Whole Message of Salvation.

So what is the second Stage? 

We can see it in several places: In Luke we have a concise outline of the Mission Jesus commission his 12 disciples to do:

Luke 9:1-6 (KJV)
1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

In Matthew Chapter 10, we have a whole chapter devoted to the call, the challenge, the troubles, and the outcome of the the disciples predicted ministry. And of course, it happened exactly as Jesus described it would, not only for the twelve, but for everyone who would follow in his footsteps. So this is a powerful and vital passage to all who would deny all, like Matthew did, and follow Jesus, like Matthew and all the disciples did, taking up the responsibility to represent Jesus the work of the ministry, in including the preaching of the Gospel, . 

Matthew 10 (KJV)
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

about the Person and the Mission
and the Work of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel?

 

Do his actions speak even louder than his words?

I would say, Yes. He came to do, what no one had ever done, and to teach and preach, and say, what no one had ever said.

And His Work of Healings, Signs, and Wonders, and Miracles were simply proving the authority of his Word.

Another testimony from Mark showed that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, and that He proclaimed himself the Lord of the Sabbath.

Again, He did this in Word and in Deed.

Mark 3:1-16 (KJV)
1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. 2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. 4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. 5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, [these people needed a pierced heart so that the Word (Seed) of God could enter in and take root and grow, for more on this see: “The Reasonings of God”] he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
          6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. 7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. 13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

At the end of the above passage you see the beginning of the expansion of the ministry of healing and deliverance. Jesus was in the process of choosing 12 disciples in order to give them the authority: 1) to cast out devils, and 2) to heal the sick, so 3) the work of miracles grew exponentially, 4) so that the Work and Word of God penetrated even deeper in the cities and villages of Israel.

Now, not only every where Jesus went did the power of God to heal go with him. No. Now everywhere Jesus went, and everywhere his 12 disciples (later named apostles) went, the miraculous power of God went with them to heal the sick and cast out demons.

Mark 6:7, 11-13 (KJV)
7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;  11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

 

Can you clearly see the plan of God unfolding before your eyes?

First God wrote the whole Old Testament, declaring the Blood Covenant of God from the very beginning, sending all his prophets to the people to learn his ways and follow his commandments.

Then the final Old Testament prophet came, John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. He came to prepare the Way for the people to receive and believe in the Messiah of Israel. He came Teaching a Baptism of Repentance.

The God sent Jesus, to proclaim: The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, Repent and Believe the Good News.

Then Jesus performed many miracles to confirm the words and Show and clearly Prove that His Message is from Heaven.

Then, Jesus ordained 12 to go and preach the Gospel and to heal the sick, and to cast out devils, thus exponentially multiplying his ministry of might works (miracles) to the people.

 

Then, Jesus ordained and commissioned the 70 to go and preach the gospel, heal the sick and cast out devils, thus further ramping up and supercharging his ministry of God doing mighty works among the people. And all this was just a foretaste, a tiny portion of the Holy Spirit that would be poured out on ever single believer who would accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and become born of the spirit, and then baptized in the Holy Spirit.

At each stage of the Ministry of Mighty works Jesus is increasing the depth and breadth of the Work, and increasing the power and the number of the laborers in the harvest of souls, to bring them into the Kingdom of God.

Then Jesus proclaims: “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Then, the night before Jesus leaves the earth, he proclaims that if any man would believe in him, that man would do the mighty works that Jesus did, and then he said, he will even to greater works.

In essence, Jesus just throws the door wide open so that anybody, Jew or Gentile, male or female, child or mature adult, can do the mighty works and miracles of God, on the condition, that they believe on the Son of God, Jesus, and that they bring glory to the Father.

What does this progressive plan of doing the mighty works of God mean?

Why did God send so many mighty miracle working laborers into the harvest? 

This reason is simply this:

John 3:16-22 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
22 After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized…
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

Can you now see the big picture, and the progression of God’s Plan?

If we do not see the big picture of God, then we can be easily misled by the false teachings of man: who say idiotic, and evil things because of their own unbelief, and because of the demented teaching they have received from other unbelieving men. They say stupid things like: “the ministry of miracles ended with the apostles,” or “we don’t need the miracles of God today because we have the scriptures.” And yet it is the scriptures that teaches us if we believe in the son of God we can receive the miracles and even perform the mighty works of God in our day, just as the apostles received did them in Jesus day, and in the days after Jesus ascended into heaven the apostles continued his work doing even greater miracles than what Jesus did himself. And before the original 12 apostles died out, they passed on the Ministry of proclaiming the gospel and doing the miracles of God to the next generation, with the encouragement to keep doing the work, until Jesus returns to the earth.

It started with the faithful preaching and ministry of John the Baptist who did no miracles or mighty works, but faithfully baptized the people who were waiting for the Messiah to come into the waters of repentance to be cleansed of their sins. Then came Jesus who was baptized in water, and was filled with the Holy Spirit of God’s Power, and he started preaching the message that the Kingdom of God was near. And he proved the message by doing many mighty works, while he called the people to repentance and faith so that they could walk into the Kingdom of God, and become holy citizens of Heaven. Then, Jesus ordained 12 men preach the Gospel, and to do the mighty works confirming the Word that they preached was coming from Heaven, then later he ordained 70 men to preach the message and do the miracles. Then on the night he was betrayed by Judas, Jesus promises that anyone who believed in him could do the mighty works, to do the ministry of God.

How does this message apply to you and me today?

The message should be simple plain and clear.

We have been invited by the son of God to enter into the Ministry of God to become laborers in the harvest of God, and to do the mighty works in the kingdom of God, so that we will confirm the word of God, to the people of God, that Jesus is the son of God, and that he is God, and he has come to the earth to give his ministry to those who would believe in him.

And his ministry includes his mighty works, his signs, his wonders, his healings, his deliverance, and his holiness. And his promise includes that the one who would believe in him what do even greater works than he did. Why? Because Jesus was returning to the father, but he did not want the mighty ministry of God to end. He wanted his mighty ministry to continue. He said all we needed was the faith the size of a mustard seed, and if we had that we could do the ministry of Jesus.

Have the miracles of Jesus passed us bye?

So therefore I ask you: Is the mighty work of Jesus finished on the earth today?

The answer to that question is to fold: yes, and no.

• Yes, it is finished among those who do not believe. It is finished among those who preach that it is finished. Those who refuse to believe the promises of God will not receive them.
• No, it is not finished among those who do believe. It is not finished among those who preach that we have received the same gospel, the same Holy Spirit, the same commandment to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, open blind eyes, to open deaf ears, to make the lame walk, the mute speak, to cast out devils, and to even raise the dead, and to even do greater works than Jesus himself did. 

In other words, the promises of God are every bit as active and available today as they were in the days of the apostles, to those who believe upon Jesus Christ, the son of God, the savior of the world.

For a point of reference: The Disciple sending chapters are:

• Matthew chapters: 10 (the 12); & 13 (the 70)
• Luke chapters:  9 (the 12) & 10 (the 70)
• Mark the 23 (Mark 6: 7

 

 

 

In other words, anyone who was sick and needed healing could have been healed. At no charge. Not one single payment was ever given to Jesus for any good deed that he ever did among the people. There was no charge for his meetings. There was no charge for his healings, no charge for his miracles, no charge for his signs, his wonders, or his deliverances from the possessions of demons. It was all done free of charge. And He commissioned his disciples to do the same. He told them, freely you have received. Freely give.

Can you see the difference from ministers today, from the ministry of Jesus? They charge for their conferences. Charge for their meals. Charge for parking. Charge for their books, tapes, cds, video series, t-shirts, you name it they will charge you for it. It is all about making a profit. With Jesus it was never about a profit. 

Miracles would happen even without his own initiation. (See the woman with the issue of blood.)

The same thing would happen with his disciples. People would line the streets with the sick, just to allow the shadow of Peter to fall upon them so they could be healed. Peter did not initiate this. Peter did not tell the people to line the streets with the sick. The people themselves believed in the mighty works of God, and then acted in faith and then they received them.

Acts 5:15-16 (KJV)
 … They brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

His disciples (not just the 12, but also the 70) would also perform healings, deliverance, and would confirm the Word of God with signs following. It will take a minute to unpack this next passage because so much is going on in it:

Luke 10:14-20 (KJV) 1
4 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
           17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions (devils and demons), and over all the power of the enemy [over Satan and all of his kingdom]: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Did you know that every true and faithful believer has complete authority over the evil one because of the work of Jesus on the Cross? We are no longer slaves, no longer citizens of the world of Satan, though we once were captives, we have been set free! Not only that we have been given power and authority over all the power of the enemy, and we are called to tread on serpents and scorpions (devil’s and demons).

Here’s the Background of the above passage.

Jesus sent out “the 12” in Luke 9, with this mission, “and [He] gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases, 2 And he sent them to: 1) preach the kingdom of God, and  2) to heal the sick.”

Then, above, you will notice Jesus cursed the cities that did not repent of their sins (Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum) … “for if the mighty works [miracles] had been done in Tyre and Sidon [and Sodom], which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon [and Sodom] at the judgment, than for you.

Because the Gospel, “The Kingdom of Heaven has Come, Repent and Believe the Good News” was preached to them, and the Word of God was confirmed with Signs and Wonders, Healings and Miracles from Heaven, and because they refused to repent, great judgment and great condemnation came upon them through the word of Jesus.

In other words, God set his seal of approval and upon the message, but the people obviously hardened their hearts, refused to repent of their sins, and refused to believe God’s Good News. As you can see from Luke 10, this lack of repentance and faith, did not sit well with Jesus. The Father was very faithful to meet the people’s needs, heal their sicknesses, remove their diseases, and remove their demons, but they did not respond with righteousness. 

Then in Luke 10, the next chapter, Jesus sent out the 70 disciples with a similar mission, and the seventy returned again with joy! That the devils submitted to them in Jesus’ name. And Jesus reminds them not to rejoice in that, but to rejoice that their names are written in the Book of Life.

 

Can you See Jesus’ attitude towards
the Unbelief of the Towns that did not repent?

That is in a word scary. Why? Because those towns, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, are just like the towns we live in today. Our churches are just like their synagogues. They liked the good news but they didn’t repent of the sins, they didn’t change their lives, they didn’t embrace Jesus as the King of Heaven? The one true Ruler over the Earth. They didn’t repent and make him Lord of their lives.

As a result, they just kept following the god of this world, apparently all the way to hell, the final destination of the devil and all those who listen to him and follow in his ways.

Can you see how serious this is?

This is the eternal spiritual reality being made piercingly clear.

Yet, the people didn’t change their ways. Same as today.

It would have been important that the people would have known the scriptures and the purpose of the coming of the Son of God into their towns and villages. It was to declare the Word that the Kingdom of God has come, REPENT AND BELIEVE the Good News of the Gospel. The signs, wonders, miracles, healings, deliverances were for the confirmation of the Word. They were the unmistakeable fingerprint of God, yet the people didn’t heed the Word.

 

 

Jesus told his disciples: 

Matthew 28:20 (KJV)
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

That was the last full sentence in the Gospel of Matthew, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world–Amen!”

• If Jesus us is with us, doesn’t that mean his presence is with us, that His Holy Spirit is with us?
• Does that not mean that His Power and His Grace are also with us?
• Did Jesus not pass on the Baton of His Ministry to Us?
• Did he not say: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19)

If we have the same Spirit Living in Us, that was living in Jesus, and had the power to raise Jesus from the Dead, won’t that mean we would have access to the same power that raised Jesus from the Dead? 

When Jesus walked the earth after he been anointed with the Holy Spirit of God there were miracles everywhere he went.

The first miracle in his ministry was the supernatural voice of the father speaking from heaven to the earth about his approval of his son and the physical presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending upon the Son of Man, the son of God, the holy one of Israel.

Now wherever you have the father the son and the Holy Spirit you have an abundance of power and wisdom and energy and strength and compassion and truth to perform any work that will bring glory to the kingdom of heaven.

From that day forward, wherever Jesus went, he took the power, the wisdom, the holiness, the love, the grace, and the truth with him, and all of his life, and all of his grace, and virtue, was available to those who would believe.

In other words, the grace and power of God or available to individuals, and whore towns and villages and communities that would believe and would receive the gift of God to come into their midst.

But to those who would believe not, and to those who were offended, and to those who are controlling, manipulative, and demonically influenced, who actually opposed the kingdom of God to come and rebelled against the finger of God in their midst, to them The workings of God‘s miraculous power were not available.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees and us and Hedron did not receive any miracles.

Herod the king did not receive any miracles.

The crowds mocking Jesus on the cross did not receive any miracles.

The thief on the cross who trusted in Jesus, did receive a miracle from God.

The woman caught in adultery did receive a miracle from God.

Zacchaeus in a little tax collector and his friends who are sinners, tax collectors, drunkard‘s, prostitutes, and the lowest of the spiritual society in which they lived, or receive Jesus and receive the miracle of repentance and faith in him. And this was their salvation to believe on the one and only be gotten son of God.

The woman at the well received her miracle acceptance from the only begotten son of God. The woman caught in adultery got her miracle the acceptance of the only begotten son of God. Matthew the tax collector got his miracle, acceptance from the only begotten son of God. The centurion received his miracle the healing of assert serpent servant through the power and authority of God.

The leopard got his healing. The lame man got his healing. The man born blind from birth got his healing. The paralyzed man got his healing. The man with the weather arm got his healing. Peters mother-in-law got her healing. The man with the legion of demons got his healing.

Wherever Jesus went, the power of God, and the grace of God went with him. And it was available to all those who would receive it.

Then he released to the power of God and the grace of God to heal to his disciples. And wherever they went they brought the healing power of God with them to heal the sick declined so lepers, too bring the glory of God to the people.

When Jesus left the earth the commission to go into all the world and bring the gospel of power and peace and grace was granted to all who would believe.

That grace was never intended to be a one time deal.

God commissioned all is believers, Tanaka would believe.

Yes good preaching is a blessing. But even good preaching that is only based on intellectual understanding does not bring the glory of God and the power of God in the presence of God into the midst of the people.

Only Jesus, in the presence of God with him, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit through him, brings the glory of God and the power of God and the grace of God to do his signs, wonders, miracles, and healing‘s.

The wonder is, that with so much offered, there is so little received.

The wonder of unbelief is shocking to the son of God, it is shocking to the father,

It was shocking to God in the Old Testament. And it was shocking to God in the New Testament. Nothing has changed.

In the Old Testament the Israelites rebelled against the power, and the promises, and the workings of God. Their hearts were hardened. They were not pierced by the word of God. They were mentally, and emotionally, disconnected from God.

We see the same problem in the New Testament as we looked at earlier in the town of Nazareth, and among the Pharisees and Sadducees and the priests and the temple. And Herod the king. They all were aggressively unbelieving, and aggressively not understanding, and aggressively not receiving, the power of God, the wisdom of God, and the grace of God, because they were all threatened by the work of God, because they were fearful of losing their own positions of authority which were held by deception and manipulation, and were being exposed by the son of God.

When a man is threatened by God‘s power, gods authority, gods grace, and God‘s mercy, it is because it exposes the demonic strongholds in the heart of the man who is threatened by God.

It is actually a threatening of the kingdom of darkness, that the man identifies with.

When the kingdom of darkness is threatened, all the servants of darkness are also threatened simultaneously and there is a panic running through the ranks of both spiritual beings and their human counterparts. You can see this all throughout the gospels, and all throughout the New Testament, and all throughout the Bible.

Whenever Jesus comes into the presence of the people and confronts the demonic strongholds, he tips over the Apple cart. And then the chaos begins. The enemy is furious. And he tries his best to retaliate against the son of God. He threatens the son. And he threatens the servants of the son of God.

And he has been doing this throughout history from the very beginning until now. Nothing has changed.

Today, when the presence of God the father, and God son, and God the Holy Spirit, come into the immediate presence of the people of God, there will be miracles, there will be signs, there will be wonders, there will be healing‘s, I will be the glory of God, and the wisdom of God, and there will be confrontations between those who believe, and those who refuse to believe, between those who love God‘s presence and seek his glory, and those who are afraid of God‘s presence and are threatened by his glory. Because God‘s glory exposes the darkness. And when men love darkness rather than the light, they resist the light, they resist the presence of God, they resist the glory of God because it exposes their dark souls just as it did in the days Jesus. It also exposes the spirit of unbelief that exists in the church today. It exposes the lack of desire for the presence of God in the church today just as it did in the days Jesus walked the earth.

The word of God says there is nothing new under the sun. What was, will be. From the wisdom of Solomon.

As I see it, every man, every household, every church, every community, Hass to make its choice. Will they diligently and purposefully and righteously seek the fullness of the kingdom of God, will they invite the presence, and the power, and the glory, and the wisdom of God to come into their midst, and take control,.

Will they invite the Holy Spirit to be the head of the church, the leader, the Director, the guide, the one to whom they submit all authority and all power to?

The reason why there are so many miracles in the New Testament, is because the people invited the presence of God, and the teaching of God, and the working of God into their midst. The reason there is so many …