If anyone wishes to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and consumes their enemies. If anyone wishes to harm them, that is the way he must be put to death. These have the authority to lock up heaven in order that it might not rain during the days of their prophesying. And they have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. Rev. 11:5, 6.
At Pentecost God empowered the church with prophetic gifts (Acts 2:17, 18). The apostles exercised those gifts in conjunction with impressive signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 5:12-16; 6:8; 14:3). Such events served as vehicles to draw attention to the gospel (Acts 3:6-12; 8:6; 7; 9:34, 35; 19:10-20). And parts of the world still have miraculous interventions accompanying the spread of the gospel.
In the Western church today, on the other hand, miracles rarely happen. And those that we do experience tend to be fairly trivial, not on the scale of the biblical record. Some have reinterpreted the Bible to suggest that God stopped the flow of miracles after the completion of the canon. But this text and others (such as Eph. 4:11-13) seem to assume that supernatural gifts will continue until the end of the age. History and international experience suggest God is still powerfully active wherever it will make a positive difference.
One possible reason for the lack of miracles in the Western world is secularization. The skeptical nature of Western thought picks miracles apart and attempts to show that they are the products of manipulation or wishful thinking. If a true prophet were to arise in the Western church right now, most believers would probably reject him or her on principle. The Western church, therefore, has a lot in common with the compromised Christianity of cities such as Laodicea, Thyatira, and Sardis, which were comfortable with their situation in the world. Jesus did not do miracles in Nazareth because they found Him too familiar to take seriously (Matt. 13:57, 58).
Another explanation for the lack of miracles in today's world is the sovereignty of God. In the Bible miracles tend to appear most frequently on the cutting edge of His new initiatives, especially in relation to spreading the gospel in new areas. Miracles are more likely to occur when believers are breaking new ground than when they are self-absorbed with their comfort this side of paradise. Only when the church is prepared to challenge society with the claims of Christ will we witness the power of God in its biblical fullness.
Lord, I do not wish to get ahead of Your plans for this world. But whenever I am hindering the work You would like to accomplish in my community, do whatever it takes to get my attention. I choose to follow Your lead wherever it takes me.
At Pentecost God empowered the church with prophetic gifts (Acts 2:17, 18). The apostles exercised those gifts in conjunction with impressive signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 5:12-16; 6:8; 14:3). Such events served as vehicles to draw attention to the gospel (Acts 3:6-12; 8:6; 7; 9:34, 35; 19:10-20). And parts of the world still have miraculous interventions accompanying the spread of the gospel.
In the Western church today, on the other hand, miracles rarely happen. And those that we do experience tend to be fairly trivial, not on the scale of the biblical record. Some have reinterpreted the Bible to suggest that God stopped the flow of miracles after the completion of the canon. But this text and others (such as Eph. 4:11-13) seem to assume that supernatural gifts will continue until the end of the age. History and international experience suggest God is still powerfully active wherever it will make a positive difference.
One possible reason for the lack of miracles in the Western world is secularization. The skeptical nature of Western thought picks miracles apart and attempts to show that they are the products of manipulation or wishful thinking. If a true prophet were to arise in the Western church right now, most believers would probably reject him or her on principle. The Western church, therefore, has a lot in common with the compromised Christianity of cities such as Laodicea, Thyatira, and Sardis, which were comfortable with their situation in the world. Jesus did not do miracles in Nazareth because they found Him too familiar to take seriously (Matt. 13:57, 58).
Another explanation for the lack of miracles in today's world is the sovereignty of God. In the Bible miracles tend to appear most frequently on the cutting edge of His new initiatives, especially in relation to spreading the gospel in new areas. Miracles are more likely to occur when believers are breaking new ground than when they are self-absorbed with their comfort this side of paradise. Only when the church is prepared to challenge society with the claims of Christ will we witness the power of God in its biblical fullness.
Lord, I do not wish to get ahead of Your plans for this world. But whenever I am hindering the work You would like to accomplish in my community, do whatever it takes to get my attention. I choose to follow Your lead wherever it takes me.
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