Healing

Spiritual gifts are a controversial topic on today's Christian circles. Some say they died out with the establishment of the global church in the early centuries, while others believe that they are still very much in operation today. The evidence supporting the latter view in overwhelming and is getting to a point where the body as a whole cannot deny the work of spiritual gifts in today's spiritual climate. I myself have seen mighty miracles here on the campus of Appalachian State University and Boone this past month. Believers and non-believers alike have been touched by the raw love and power of Jesus Christ in recent days. I have testimony after testimony of legs growing out inches, knees twisting into realignment, years of back pain being taken away in an instant, and more. I would say I witnessed at least 25 miracles last week alone! Now either we are all lying or there is something to all of this. Do your research and you will find that the underground church in China has been fueled by signs, wonders, and miracles. Same thing in India. On my recent trip to Little Rock, I met someone who ran a missions sending agency through which 300,000 people have come to faith in Northern India because the blind see and the deaf hear. The miraculous is a natural and expected thing for them.

Unfortunately in the US, many people are left using man-mad techniques to confirm the reality of a God that is anything but man-made. Years of unbelief have resulted in what I call the Nazarene mentality. If you recall, Jesus was unable to perform many miracles in his hometown of Nazareth due to their unbelief in Him. Instead most believers in the U.S. are left thinking that God exists while in other places they know He does.

As Bill Johnson says, and I'm paraphrasing, "Signs, wonders, and miracles are not the fullness of the gospel, but the gospel is not full without them." The Lord is so ready to reveal the truth of who He is to people, and gospel confirming miracles will become a reality in the U.S. when a change in thought and identity in Christ occurs as a whole. It all starts with believers acknowledging that we are found in Christ. Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7). As a whole, we are great at the seeking part, while neglecting that we are found! Seeking the Lord has almost become a stumbling block to believers left and right. Instead of seeking more of the Lord, we need to see that we have found Him. When we witness to people, we are not inviting them into a seeking relationship, we are inviting them into a relationship where their identity is found, and as the bride they are being pursued by the bridegroom, who is Jesus Christ. After all, He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20). We see so many "seeker churches" in today's society. Imagine what could happen if they instead became "found churches" where people understood their identity as a follower of Jesus.

Signs, wonders, and miracles are therefore my focus when I am out witnessing in the world. I choose to let Jesus accomplish in minutes what it would take me years of talk and debate to do. That is, to confirm that God is real and His nature is to love. Scripture even says that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20). Miracles confirm the truth of the gospel and are a wonderful invitation into a relationship with a God who loves people with a perfect, everlasting love. I'm not a miracle chaser. I'm just passionate about seeing people come to the realization that Jesus is chasing their hearts and pursuing them with a perfect love. Miracles just so happen to follow.