Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 5 Jun, 2020 09:15 AM
Well, let’s see what happened in Jesus experience.
As we know, Jesus healed EVERYONE in those massive crowds who came for healing.
In other words he healed all the tough medical cases!! Jesus healings were thorough and INSTANT !!
For example, Jesus completely and totally healed severely crippled people (quadriplegic). He could raise the dead—(no one is more severely ill than a dead person)!!
So basically, when he was there, Jesus removed sickness and disease from all of Palestine!!
So did Jesus’ massive healings result in massive THANKSGIVING or in “christianizing” Israel??
NOT ON YOUR LIFE!!!
SEE MATHEW 11 !!!!!
In another case, Jesus healed an invalid of 38 years! Even though this guy was an extremely superstitious habitual sinner. But many others were also unrepentant sinners and vulnerable to superstitions. Some believed an angel would occasionally stir the waters of a pool near the Jerusalem Sheep Gate. Supposedly only the first person stepping into the stirred waters gets healed!!
So this guy keeps trying and keeps trying for years to be the first one to step into pool but he never succeeds.
But when Jesus sees the man, he has compassion and heals him !!! The man is INSTANTLY healed !!!
You would think the guy would be GRATEFUL and repent !!
NOPE!! The guy just keeps on sinning!!
When Jesus sees the little fool again, Jesus tells him to stop sinning or something worse could happen.
So did the little clown confess his sin and repent?? OR at least THANK JESUS for the healing miracle ????
OF COURSE NOT!!
He just gets on his high-horse and reports Jesus to the authorities for healing on the Sabbath (which was NOT unlawful according to Moses), GO FIGURE!!
SEE John 5 for details about the man.
The guy wouldn’t repent or thank Jesus but he could find the time to aid and abet Jesus’ persecutors who were a bunch of false teachers!! INTERESTING!!
That man is no different than people today who desire God’s goods but not God!!
On another occasion, SEE JOHN 6, crowds would argue with Jesus as they denied his deity EVEN AFTER WITNESSING his many miracles!! All because he dared to confront their sin!!
Even many of his of “disciples” turned away!! SEE JOHN 6
Many of his “disciples” except for the twelve, in this case, see John 6
Us sinners just don’t like to have our sin being brought up—EVEN IF ITS JESUS doing it !!!
Even when we’re surrounded by many matchless miracles—We tend to cling to our sin and unbelief!!
We just want the miracles but not the miracle worker!!
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 6 Jun, 2020 03:03 PM
Good post David. It reminds us of a couple of important parts of human nature. It has been my experience with signs and miracles that seeing the miracle take place and knowing it to be such a miracle requires a level of openness to seeing and recognizing such things on the part of the observer.
To be led to God by way of a miracle, there tends to have to be a search or hunger to reach Him in the first place. This does not diminish the significance of the sign, of course, but it is a possible reason why something you or I might identify as a clear miracle might fall on dulled senses for someone else and even be repaid with cruelty and hatred. In many ways, this points back to the fact that we tend to have to want help in order to accept it.
Gratitude is another issue we still seem to have problems with. There have apparently always been people who are ungrateful for the blessings in their lives. How many times do we treat God the way we treat a business service: only filling out a survey or filing feedback if we have a complaint? What is the structure of our prayers most days? How much of that time is spent thanking Him for blessings and how much of it is spent giving Him our proverbial Christmas wish list?
Complaints and requests come easily, like the instinct of an infant to cry when hungry or lonely. This is natural and instinctive. Gratitude must be taught. How many times do we hear a parent say "What do you say?" to their small child when someone does something nice for them? I guarantee it's not the first and only time that child has been reminded to say "thank you." In fact, I would bet that the more exasperated or stern the parent sounds when dropping that hint to their child, the more often they've had to give that reminder.
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 6 Jun, 2020 06:59 PM
Hi RM, Thanks for responding!
l wish I could write as clearly!! You and a few others on here have excellent writing and composition skills along with a communicable flare for clarity.
Seems I need to revise revise and revise and still not make sense!!
Some people might think I believe miracles are unimportant but that’s not the case with me.
Miracles are very important. They prove that Jesus is God and they validate everything he says. See, John 14:11, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves”.
But even though Jesus did many miracles, some of the Jews still wouldn’t believe he was the Messiah!!
I think all believed Jesus was given power to heal and work miracles, because it was too obvious to deny, but some said he did it by the power of Satan!! Talk about really stupid people!
All through history, Satan has never created life and he has never miraculously healed anyone because he can’t. Yet the false religious leaders falsely accused Jesus.
But some people claim that Satan can work miracles and will do so in the last days to deceive people. But those people must be careless readers because the Bible says Satan will only be able to do “lying wonders” intended to deceive.
See Matthew 24:24 and other verses, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
See also 2 Thessalonians 2:9 New Living Translation, “This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles”. English Standard Version, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders”,
It’s really not much of a trick to deceive people with false miracles. In fact, fooling a bunch of gullible people with fake miracles goes on all day at TBN with Benny Hinn and others!
But the difference between Satan’s fake miracles and those of Benny Hinn, Satan at least comes “close” to deceiving the elect, not just the gullible.
I’m sure some Christians might be fooled by Satan in the short run but sooner or later figure it out.
Talk about fake miracles, I saw a lady on stage in a wheel chair. She came to a TV healer, and they put her up front on stage. I forgot which “healer”. Anyway, the guy tells her to rise up in faith. Slowly and with great difficulty she rises but only to a stoop. The gullible crowd WENT nuts clapping and praising Jesus! BUT THE LADY WASN'T HEALED!! She didn’t even walk off the stage!! NOT A JESUS HEALING FOLKS!! She brought herself only to a painful stoop. This dear woman was aided only by an adrenaline rush in hopes of getting a real healing!! SADLY, it was learned later damage was done to her body because of all the excitement of trying to stand. The fake miracle caused her to seriously relapse to a much worse condition. Just another reason l can’t stand fake healers!
Her experience and others are documented on a Discernment Ministry CD.
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 7 Jun, 2020 02:40 PM
Matthew 7:21-23: Jesus says, "not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. **MANY** will say to Me on that Day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I **NEVER** knew you. Away from Me you evildoers!'
James 5:14-16: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call the elders {See I Timothy 3:1-8!} of the church, to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up . If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a **RIGHTEOUS** person is powerful and effective!
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 7 Jun, 2020 04:27 PM
DougH7, as much as you desperately want to hang tightly to your hope of modern day miracles, your own group testimonials do nothing but let you down. They only expose your doubt and lack of faith.
There are basically 2 groups who offer opposing points of view concerning modern day miracles.
One group, (non-cessationists), believe NT miracles happen today.
The other group (cessationists), believe NT miracles do not happen today like they did when Jesus and the apostles were here.
But both groups actually disprove miracles happen today.
Ironically, those who believe miracles happen today
inadvertently disprove themselves because they cannot show ANY such Biblical miracle taking place ANYWHERE today.
The other group, cessationists, simply shift the burden of proof to non-cessationists, who, although vigorously disagree, can offer no miracle. >>All<< it takes are REAL >>>NT<<< MIRACLES!! But what have we?? Nothing in 2000 years!!
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 7 Jun, 2020 04:36 PM
Hi RM, Thanks for responding!
l wish I could write as clearly!! You and a few others on here have excellent writing and composition skills along with a communicable flare for clarity.
Seems I need to revise revise and revise and still not make sense!!
Some people might think I believe miracles are unimportant but that’s not the case with me.
Miracles are very important. They prove that Jesus is God and they validate everything he says. See, John 14:11, “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves”.
But even though Jesus did many miracles, some of the Jews still wouldn’t believe he was the Messiah!!
I think all believed Jesus was given power to heal and work miracles, because it was too obvious to deny, but some said he did it by the power of Satan!! Talk about really stupid people!
All through history, Satan has never created life and he has never miraculously healed anyone because he can’t. Yet the false religious leaders falsely accused Jesus.
But some people claim that Satan can work miracles and will do so in the last days to deceive people. But those people must be careless readers because the Bible says Satan will only be able to do “lying wonders” intended to deceive.
See Matthew 24:24 and other verses, “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
See also 2 Thessalonians 2:9 New Living Translation, “This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles”. English Standard Version, “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders”,
It’s really not much of a trick to deceive people with false miracles. In fact, fooling a bunch of gullible people with fake miracles goes on all day at TBN with Benny Hinn and others!
But the difference between Satan’s fake miracles and those of Benny Hinn, Satan at least comes “close” to deceiving the elect, not just the gullible.
I’m sure some Christians might be fooled by Satan in the short run but sooner or later figure it out.
Talk about fake miracles, I saw a lady on stage in a wheel chair. She came to a TV healer, and they put her up front on stage. I forgot which “healer”. Anyway, the guy tells her to rise up in faith. Slowly and with great difficulty she rises but only to a stoop. The gullible crowd WENT nuts clapping and praising Jesus! BUT THE LADY WASN'T HEALED!! She didn’t even walk off the stage!! NOT A JESUS HEALING FOLKS!! She brought herself only to a painful stoop. This dear woman was aided only by an adrenaline rush in hopes of getting a real healing!! SADLY, it was learned later damage was done to her body because of all the excitement of trying to stand. The fake miracle caused her to seriously relapse to a much worse condition. Just another reason l can’t stand fake healers!
Her experience and others are documented on a Discernment Ministry CD.
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 7 Jun, 2020 05:09 PM
Then there are others who reference James 5:14 to prove modern miraculous healings. But the passage in context says absolutely nothing about the promise of signs, wonders and miraculous healings on par with those of Jesus and the apostles.
Many scholars remain somewhat divided on the proper meaning of this particular passage, its interpretation or translation.
Does the passage speak to the type of illnesses due to unchecked sinning similar to the experiences here in 1Cor11:27 “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against thed body and blood of the Lord. 28Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the bodye eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
More could be said about the James passage.
Certainly all concerns, conditions and sicknesses could be brought to church leadership for prayer because it’s ordered here and since God is the ultimate healer still in charge today. But no one should assume or promise anyone else a right to some spectacular miraculous healing. I think that just sets vulnerable people up for disappointment. Joni Erickson-Tada has some relevant things to say about her heart break experience regarding false promises of miraculous healings.
Do Signs, Wonders and Miracles Turn People into Christians ?
Posted : 7 Jun, 2020 06:18 PM
Good post David. People want the miracles not the miracle worker. Like dogs they bite the hand that feeds them. I do believe in modern miracle healings but they are not typically on Benny Hinn or TBN. There is something wrong when a Church asks the poor to give to the rich. I also think Satan's "miracles" are destructive technology. The fire from Heaven in Revelation is possibly lasers or scalar weapons. Foolish people are easily decieved.
