School of the MiraculousНамуна

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture verses are taken from the King James Version Easy Read Bible.)

 God’s Eternal Purposes for Miracles 

I vividly remember a time when I was preaching in Australia, and there was a man present who’d permanently injured one of his eyes in a motorcycle accident. The tissue between his eyeball and his brain had been disconnected, resulting in total blindness in that eye. He had been in that condition for over six years, yet as I preached the Word of God, this gentleman felt a “pop” in his eye, and all of a sudden, he could see. He was in utter shock! He began to weep as he beckoned to his wife to inform her of what had happened. They were so excited and filled with joy.

No one had placed their hands on him and prayed for him. But the message of the kingdom releases miracles. Because the spiritual atmosphere had been established and Jesus had been glorified in the meeting, the presence and power of God were manifested and healing came.

God’s Signposts

Throughout Scripture, it is clear that miracles are part of God’s plan for interrupting the natural course of human operations. In other words, He always manifests His supernatural power to show us that His agenda is infinitely more significant than our agenda (unless our agenda is already His agenda!). Miracles are powerful because they reveal something higher and greater than ourselves and this physical world. 

Through the power of miracles, God invades time with His eternal purposes. Miracles are His signposts in the earthly realm. They point to the eternal King and His kingdom of “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). Just as a street sign tells you what lies ahead, God’s signs and wonders point the unbeliever and believer alike to the power of the world to come. Jesus told us: 

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17–18)

The word “signs” in this verse is translated from the Greek word sēmeion, which means “a sign, mark, token.” It can refer to “an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature: of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s.” The Greek word rendered “follow” is parakoloutheō, which means “to follow after”; “so to follow one as to be always at his side”; “to follow close, accompany.”

Note that the Scriptures say these signs “follow” or “accompany” the believer. We are never to chase signs and wonders for their own sake. Instead, they should accompany us as we proclaim and pursue the kingdom of God. The Bible clearly instructs us to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness in our lives. (See Matthew 6:33.) The kingdom of God is His government and dominion over every sphere of reality. When Jesus preached the kingdom, healings occurred, demons were evicted, people were set free from oppression, and miracles happened. As we proclaim the kingdom, we activate the inevitable result: miracles. And the greatest miracle of all is the miracle of salvation. 

One of the Greek words translated “miracles” in the New Testament is dunamis, among whose meanings is “power for performing miracles.” This is the term from which we derive the English word dynamite. The word picture here is very vivid. God’s power is like dynamite! This is the word the apostle Paul used in Romans 1:16:

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Paul equated the gospel of Jesus Christ with the power to perform miracles, or miracle-working power. Jesus told His disciples,

But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The Greek word for “power” here is the same word that we have been discussing: dunamis. The Holy Spirit provides every believer with miracle power. The question is, what are we going to do with it? Power that is not recognized is power that is not released, and power that is not released is power that is not realized.

A Powerful Engine

For various reasons, many Christians have not yet recognized the full potential of a Spirit-filled life. They are like an automobile with a powerful engine that has never been driven more than twenty miles an hour. Some have never even left the parking lot! Jesus paid the ultimate price to release His power in and through us. In my experience with God, I have found that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. In the kingdom of God, faith is spelled R-I-S-K:

1. Release your faith for more.

2. Instigate heaven by stepping out.

3. Stand on the Word of God.

4. Keep pressing until you see a miracle.

The more we step out and take a risk (such as praying for someone or proclaiming the gospel), the more heaven will meet us at the point of faith and expectancy.