A few years ago, we took a mission trip to the mountains of Honduras and had a mini crusade in some of the small towns there. In one town a small crowd of about 100 people gathered in the city square to listen to Christian music. Following this, our speaker came and spoke about the good news of Jesus.
As he preached, our speaker sensed there was a young man there who the Lord wanted to heal. As a result of this, he asked if someone had been injured in an accident. Reluctantly, a young man came forward who had no use of one arm after a motorcycle accident. With this in mind, the speaker prayed for healing. As a result, this man was able to use his arm after we prayed. He had a big smile on his face as he thrust his arm up and down in the air. Because of this, it wasn’t long and he was placing his faith in Jesus as His Savior along with several other people. They now had the hope of eternal life. Through this miracle, the people saw the power of God in their midst and the the truth of God’s word.
A Man Named Stephen
In the book of Acts, we learn about a man named Stephen who God used to point to Him. Acts 6:8Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.[1]
How does Luke, the author of Acts, inspired by the Holy Spirit describe Stephen? He was full of God’s grace. God’s grace is His undeserved love. Clearly, this is the kind of love that poured out of Stephen as he ministered to the people. He was not only filled with God’s grace, but also power. God was working through Stephen in a very miraculous way. It was not Stephen’s power, but God’s power manifesting through him as Stephen performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.
What was the purpose of these miracles and signs among the people? The miracles and signs confirmed the word of God that was spoken. This gave people assurance that it was true. In both the time of Jesus and today, people walked away after seeing signs, miracles and wonders because their hearts were hard. But there are others that will see or hear about the signs and miracles and come to know Jesus as their Savior. In addition, signs and miracles encourage and minister to those who are already believers.
What about today?
God is giving us signs and performing miracles all around us and many times we don’t realize it. A person comes to faith and their life dramatically changes. This is the miracle of going from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Prayers are answered which shows the power of God at work. A person has peace in the midst of a health crisis when they know they are not going to get better.
Ask God to open your spiritual eyes to help you see all He is doing around you.
To hear more of the story of Stephen, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/hope-when-life-is-threatened
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 6:8). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.