Acts 8:5-8 (NIV)
Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.
As an example of the scattered disciples preaching the word wherever they went, Luke focuses on Philip, one of the seven, “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3), and a coworker with Stephen. Some would have been scandalized at Philip’s going to the Samaritans with the gospel, but he was simply following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself had gained a following in the Samaritan town of Sychar (John 4:39-42), and word of Him had spread to other towns in the vicinity, so there was indeed a harvest waiting there.
Philip’s message to these people was simple and direct: Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. But the validity of his powerful message was backed up by the powerful miracles that he was doing as well. These miracles included healings and casting out many demons. When the people saw the miracles, it opened their ears and their hearts to listen to and receive the gospel message.
This illustrates the true purpose for miracles. Many in the Church today seek miracles for themselves or for others in the Church who are ill or who need a blessing. But the purpose of miracles, from the earliest days, through the days of Jesus and the early Church, all the way to today, has been to get the attention of those who are not yet among God’s people.
When Moses did the miracles of the Egyptian plagues (Exodus 7-12), it was to demonstrate God’s reality and His power to the doubting Israelites and to the Egyptians. When He parted the Red Sea, enabling the complete escape of Israel and the complete destruction of Egypt’s army, it was a sign to the as yet doubting Israelites as well as to the nations in the Promised Land and the surrounding country (Joshua 2:10-11).
When the prophets like Elijah and Elisha did mighty miracles, it was a testimony to the rebellious Israelites (1 Kings 18:38-39), as well as to the pagans who lived among them or nearby (2 Kings 5:15-17). The gods of the nations were inert; they were made of wood or stone and could not answer prayers of do miracles. But the miracles that these prophets did proved that God is the living God who is all-powerful, and who acts.
Jesus most frequently followed His miracles with a time of teaching about God and His kingdom. And the apostles and early Christians followed His example. The miracles that God did through them gave credibility to their message.
Miracles that are sought as an end in themselves or for the benefit solely of believers are rarely granted. They are sterile, a dead end. They don’t advance God’s goal of bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. But God still does miracles that are designed to give credibility to the message of Jesus and the kingdom He inaugurated, and to the messengers delivering the gospel. So those who are eager to share the gospel will naturally experience many more miracles. That is one reason why miracles seem to be so much more plentiful on the mission field!
Father, this makes absolute sense. You don’t do miracles for our comfort or convenience – You are not a genie intent on granting us whatever we wish for. You use miracles to glorify Your name and to advance Your cause. Help us to see You and your wonderful works for the right reason: to glorify You and to share with everyone we know when You do act in miraculous way, so that You are lifted up and magnified, and so that we will have the opportunity, an open door, to share the good news with everyone who sees or hears about what You have done. Amen.
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