Much like the Amish culture I grew up in, many churches are full of beautiful families who love God, but don’t expect miracles.
Somehow, a large portion of the church has decided that what happened in the Book of Acts is meant to be history.
Praying in tongues is considered a dangerous idea rather than a gift given by the Holy Spirit, and we run to the doctor without pausing to give God a chance for supernatural healing.
But I’m here to ask, “Why?”
Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever does not believe shall be condemned.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.” Mark 16:15-19, ESV
My first question to the American church is this: why do we accept the first directive Jesus gave, to go into all the world and preach the gospel—yet dismiss the directions of how to do it? If new believers were going to experience miraculous things, how much more were the disciples going to show them as they preached? Jesus “confirmed the message by accompanying signs”.
My second question is this: Why do we give so much time, money, and energy into kingdom work, yet deny its power? “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20, ESV
We send missionaries abroad and hold weekend conferences on how to preach the gospel in other countries. Yet, we deny the accompanying signs Jesus clearly said would prove His message.
If we’re honest, we have to admit that miracles are happening in many, many places around the globe—places where people are desperate for God and have no other option.
Darkness and light don’t mesh easily in those places. Demonic and Heavenly clash in outwardly visible ways, and God shows His power to prove Himself.
I think He wants to do the same thing here. But how can He, if we lean back and declare those things part of by-gone days, dangerous, or off-the-rocker-weird? Or, simply too good to be true?
“For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11, ESV
The first time I heard someone speaking in tongues, I was scared, upset, and thought it was odd and entirely unattractive.
Today, I see it as a beautiful way of connecting deeply to God when someone’s spirit has no words for the intensity of the prayer they need to pray. Scripture is clear that not everyone experiences this, but it is given to some just as all the other gifts are distributed as God wills.
Beware of anyone who would tell you that speaking in tongues is THE sign of Holy Spirit fullness. Paul asks, “Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?………Do all speak with tongues?” (1 Corinthians 12:29, ESV) Paul is making a point that not all believers speak or pray in tongues just as not all of them have the gift of teaching, etc.
Jesus told us it is better for Him to go away because He’s sending the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is better than the actual physical presence of Christ when He walked this earth, bringing healing, hope, life to all those who came to Him—how much more does He still want to show Himself in those ways?
Having the Holy Spirit is supposed to be BETTER. We don’t need to keep wishing we were on this earth when Jesus was when we truly experience the Holy Spirit and His power.
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7, ESV
It’s difficult to imagine better if we remove some of the best things Jesus brought us, left us with, and commissioned us with. He left us with a mandate to continue the work He started. No where in scripture do we read that His miracles were meant to end; rather, we see Him not reducing or changing either His means or His method except handing the baton to His followers to continue doing exactly what He was doing.
The Holy Spirit is deeply personal, as in my friend Anna’s case when He showed her how to release everyone who had hurt her, and experienced her entire body, soul, and spirit surrendered and at peace.
The Holy Spirit is external, moving in miracles across the earth to confirm the gospel.
The Holy Spirit is freedom—all His works bring greater life and deeper understanding of the love of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is peace—it doesn’t take noise to prove His presence.
God doesn’t always heal when we ask Him to. The important thing to remember is that He is our Healer. When He says no to external, bodily healing, He’s saying yes to internal soul healing that is worth far more than external comfort.
There’s something about pressing that causes us to cry out to Him and experience Him more. Like Joni Eareckson Tada, who admitted to not “needing” Christ before she was paralyzed from the waist down, but afterward came to walk with Him closely, encouraging millions of people around the world.
The Holy Spirit works in various ways—we only need to seek His fullness and worship Him without limits, agree with what He’s doing, and ask Him to use us as conduits for His work. Whatever it looks like for each individual, God knows, and formed each of us in specific ways to show His grace to the world.
Not all gifts are overtly supernatural. We cannot tell God what gift to give another, or place expectations on others. Scripture is clear that not all operate in the same gifts. We need ALL.
Some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are practical. Some of my favorite people are gifted in serving others—it makes them come alive and puts momentum in their steps. Their gift brings the love of God to others in tangible ways, incredibly needed and beautiful.
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches,in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 13:6-8, ESV
It all begins and ends with worship. Pause to pray with someone rather than walk by quickly, hoping they find help somewhere. Be brave. Be life. Be the salt of the earth and keep your flavor!
Walking with God alive and full is an exciting life. His presence is GOOD.
Perhaps this is why miracles are seen in the persecuted church more than here—they are bombarded with troubles too great to bear, crying out to God for help and deliverance.
Perhaps, more than strive for material gain, the American church needs to fall on its face in acknowledgment that our need is far greater than the material things we spend our days striving for.
We don’t need more stuff—we need more Jesus.
“For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John 1:16, ESV
Women of Purpose 