30 REASONS WHY MIRACLES HAPPEN
BY TODD BENTLEY
PART TWO: CONCLUSION
| 2006 - Jul 04 | 30 REASONS WHY MIRACLES HAPPEN - UPDATED & REVISED - PART 2: CONCLUSION - BY TODD BENTLEY | |
 | ||
| 2006 - Jun 26 | 30 REASONS WHY MIRACLES HAPPEN - UPDATED & REVISED - PART 1 - BY TODD BENTLEY | |
RECEIVE JESUS AS GOD, THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR
Physics, natural laws, winds, seas, heaven, earth, and bodies obey God. He is Elohim, the Creator. All of creation is subject to Him and His Word, so it shouldn't surprise us that sickness and disease are subject to Him, too. Because He lives within us, sickness and disease are subject to His power within us.
Jesus so clearly wanted the disciples to have this revelation, but they still did not have it when the windstorm arose on the sea and threatened to capsize their boat (Mark 4:35-41). "But He said to them, 'Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?' " (v. 40). The disciples were not yet ready to receive Jesus as God. Today, we need that revelation of Jesus as the Almighty creator, Elohim. What is the difficulty in God giving us a new heart when He is the One who gave us our first heart?
There is a difference between healing and miracles. Healing is a process. The Bible says, "They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:18). Miracles happen when the supernatural laws of God override the natural laws of man--they are instant.
Let's continue now with the final of our fifteen reasons why miracles happen. Understand that this list is not exhaustive! There are many reasons why God heals, but as you'll recall, the first and most important reason, is God's love.
16. GOD IS SOVEREIGN
This is a simple reason that is good enough for me. Clearly, the Bible shows us that God sometimes acts in sovereign ways and doesn't necessarily explain everything to us: "Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him" (Eccl. 8:3). Why healings? Why miracles? Because He is sovereign and does whatever He pleases!
In Scripture we read how God sent an angel to the pool of Bethesda at a certain time to stir the waters so that the first person in would be healed (John 5:4). In the original Greek, God sent the angel at a kairos time (a set, convenient or due season). This was a sovereign healing visitation not based on the fulfillment of any conditions by those who were sick.
Yes, God does give us principles as well as reasons for the things He does--but not always. If He wants to do something, He just does it; He doesn't have to explain it to us. He is God and we are not.
17. CHARITABLE GIVING
You will see more miracles in your ministry through charitable giving and prayer. Our alms and offerings open the heavens! Tabitha's good works and charitable deeds caused God to raise her from the dead (Acts 9:36-41), and God brought salvation to Cornelius's house because of his giving (Acts 10:1, 2). Alms are not tithes. They are resources given to the poor beyond the tithe. They are love offerings--special gifts to the poor or for children--for the sake of mercy. "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies" (Ps. 41:1, 2). Scripture also promises that He will give us victory over our enemies and strengthen us on our sickbeds (Ps. 41:2, 3). These verses declare not just healing, but divine health. God will preserve us and keep us alive. He'll strengthen us on our beds of illness. Why would the Lord do all this? Because we consider the poor. That's one reason God does miracles today--charitable giving.
18. IT'S THE GOSPEL
Miracles happen because of the Good News. We need to preach the gospel! As the apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The gospel is the power of God for everyone who believes. A person cannot be saved without power. The power of God to save is found in the preaching of the message. In the Book of Romans, Paul talks about his ministry among unbelievers. He goes on to talk about the ministry of Jesus given to him: "In mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 15:19).
Do you know what Paul just said? He clearly said that he has not fully preached the gospel if he does not do it with miracles, signs, and wonders in the power of the Holy Ghost! Wow! Signs and wonders are a powerful confirmation of the truth of the gospel. "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mark 16:19, 20).
What did they do? They preached everywhere. What did they preach? It was the full gospel message of salvation with power--signs which included deliverance, healing, and miracles. Healing signs specifically accompany the message of the gospel of Christ.
19. FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD
Friendship with God is another reason God heals today. Jesus said to His disciples:
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:15, 16)
When you become a friend of God, the first thing you get is the inside scoop on what He is doing. Why? Because you are friends. Whatever you ask of the Father He will give to you. God hears the prayers of His friends. There is a wonderful connection between intimate friendship with God and working miracles today. As we abide in the Vine, we ask for whatever we wish and it happens. He is saying, "I am going to answer your prayer and you are going to bear much fruit" (John 15:7, 8).
20. THE GLORY OF GOD
Miracles bring glory to the God of Israel (Matt. 15:31). Jesus healed the maimed--a creative miracle that restored arms, legs, or other missing body parts. He also healed the mute, lame, and blind. Why? So people would give glory to the God of Israel. God sometimes does miracles so that we will praise Him. Miracles make us aware that God is good and all-powerful. Through healing, He reveals Hispowerful goodness. Our faith grows and we experience breakthroughs when we see His faithfulness. Abraham grew strong in faith by giving glory to God (Rom. 4:20).
God may use miracles to bring favor on our lives and ministries, but if our motive for ministering healing is for the attention to turn to us, then we are stealing God's glory. We need to be passionate in our pursuit to give God the glory. Yes, God does miracles so people will glorify Him and be drawn closer to Him when they see Him as the God of great power and goodness. Miracles are for the glory of God.
21. THE CURSE OF THE LAW
God also heals today because, according to Galatians 3:13: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law." God will heal you today because Christ redeems from the curse of the law "that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:14). God wants us to receive the blessing of Abraham. God wants to free us from all the diseases described under the curse of the law in Deuteronomy 28.
That description includes just about every sickness that you can find in the world today as well as blindness, tumors, boils, skin conditions, insanity, confusion, mental illness, chronic conditions, and miscarriages. Although certain diseases today may have different names, they still fit under the criteria of "every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law" (Deut. 28:61). The bottom line is that to redeem us from this curse of the law and to fulfill His covenant with us (which was paid with Jesus' blood), God has to heal us from every sickness and disease. Christ paid the price for our complete freedom from the curse of physical sickness.
No comments:
Post a Comment