Jennifer, you stated, "I used to doubt too until I saw a creative miracle with my own eyes.
it brought new meaning to John 14:12...it became rhema immediately. I had new revelation!
Jesus was healing the sick, raising the dead and delivering those who had demons.
I've seen tumors shrink down to nothing, I have seen a women who's leg was shorter than the other grow out and it was filmed with a video recorder. There are things happening that do not have a natural explanation but it's because these things are supernatural. God does things that we cannot explain on purpose, just for that reason!
Mr Lane I declare that you will see a creative miracle very soon. Something that will turn your doctrine upside down, but it will be God Himself. As cattle stated, God is the same yesterday, today and forever."
The healings that Christ did was signs for unbelieving Israel that he was their Messiah.
1 Timothy 5:23 �Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
I will repeat it again if God was still having the gift of haling done now, we would have no need of hospitlas.
God does heal but not the dramtic type wholesale as at one time but he either works through doctors, or in private, when the Lord is alone with a person.
Much of what you described can be done by the god of this world.
1 Peter 5:8 �Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
2 Timothy 3:13 �But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Paul began a different dispensation that had no miraculous healings in it.
Here is the proof of a new dispensation.
1 Corinthians 9:17 �For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
Paul used to heal while the sign of healing was still going on. Later all the signs ceased. If Paul could heal, he would have not to have told Timothy to take wine for his often infirmities.
God tells us to walk by faith and not to have cany confidence in our flesh. Those things you described are of the flesh, what you can see and what you feel and that is not of faith. I"ll give you a veses of scripture to show you what faith is.
Romans 10:17 �So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews 11:1 ��Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Please notice faith is about things not seen, and that is completely contrary to all these things you have described, things you can see. God also tells us what is not of faith, that is if we can' find it in his word that it is sin.
Romans 14:23 �And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
And again God tells us not to have any confidence in our flesh.
Philippians 3:3 �For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
The devil comes to deceive, to kill, to destroy. He is not a spirit of health or well being. Satan spreads obsession and insanity, jealousy and greed. Jesus healed.
I have never seen a wicked spirit in the Bible heal someone. We are told in the last days the anti christ will be wounded in the head and make a miraculous recovery to mimic Christ's return from the dead, but that is about as close as I have ever seen to a healing connected to dark spirits.
I think you will often see deceptive practices from some who claim to work in the name of the Lord, you know, the basic snake oil salesman dispelling chicken livers.
Deception is in the nature of a dark spirit. Health and well being is in the nature of our God.
But there will always be those that refuse to believe, for even when the Lord returned, Thomas heard from people he knew and trusted and still did not believe.
Anytime you find a miracle, you will find those that attach a "reasonable explanation" to it and refuse to believe the Hand of God could or would intervene in anything.
But I challenge that if the Lord your God has counted every hair on your head, then who would He not be concerned with you health and well being?
The Bible teaches that if we have but the faith of a mustard seed that we could command a mountain to move and it would. Why then if in faith we ask for the health of a brother, would He not comply if it is within His Will to accomplish without disrupting His design?
Are we going to get our every request? Most likely not, and the Lord has His reasons and we need to trust in that as much as we trust that He will not withhold His blessings when it is in our best interest.
It has been my experience that those who Trust God believe in miracles and have seen them, and those that trust in their own ways and upon themselves are the ones that are skeptical and unsure and look for a "reasonable explanation".
Those of little (or no) faith, will look for these explanations until the day that every tongue confesses and every knee bows.
But blessed are those who have not seen, and still believe.
The Gifts of the Spirit is a subject near and dear to my heart of hearts. I'm no theologyst. I don't study theology. I study the "Word". The "Word" does not change to fit mans / womens concept. The "Word" is the Truth and it does not return null and void. Nor does it contridict. God is not a God of confusion. So YES ! the Gifts are biblcal and real and very much in use today.
I've been reading a paperback authored by John Hagin "Gifts of the Holy Spirit" that my Senior and Class Pastor recommended because I always have questions. I'm a women...lol...anyway its a really good read...and it quotes much of the "Word" that was quoted on this thread...xo
Godsjude, I totally agree with what you said about He is not a God of confusion.
I have found that words like confusion, chaos, addiction, obsession,complexity, deception, self serving, and conceit are the focus of a darker spirit.
Words like Health and Well being, comfort, peace, joy, clarity, simplicity, honesty, truth and obedience are Ways of the Lord.
When we look to discern what comes at us, it is good to remember the ways of the Lord for His ways are not always our ways, the ways of the world or the ways of a darker spirit.
Dark spirits take beauty and twist it. They appeal to our sense of what we think is beautiful, but what we think is beautiful and what God see's as beautiful are not the same.
When we try to look at things with out Glasses of God on, we tend to start understanding a little more about what is important and matters in His realm.
It is our nature to think that attractive people are good, which is totally not accurate as a perception, but when you look at things with the eyes of the spirit, then you see the things I described as dark forces at work within them.
What is beautiful in a person is not their hair or teeth or the way they dress, its the things that connect them to the Lord, which are the things that are of God that bring peace, joy, comfort, clarity etc.
I think our spiritual gifts develop as we study the Word and become closer to the Lord, for how can those gifts develop or become strong in someone who does not understand who the Lord is or what He wants or expects with us?
I think He wants us to Want these thing through Him and when we learn to Trust in Him, He reveals His ways to us.
Is intertesting, so far in the last two replies, both parties have given their feelilngs on the subject and not scriptues to prove what you all believe from God's word.
I have done that and covered everything with God's word with anyone wants to accept it or not.
I gave scripture and no one can persuade me that God is done performing miracles today or no one would be getting saved~which is the greatest miracle of healing to exist! :applause:
The scriptures you gave do not prove the gifts are done away with but I don't want to contend with you anyway because you flamed Cattleman so much that I lost all respect for you and an apology is due him and you should have already done that if you truly love the Lord~He is your brother in Christ.
dear folks, ya know its not a wonder you have non believers on this as even when JESUS did it standin right in front of em some didnt believe then. so when HE performs one now through others by layin of hands or prayer some wont believe now either... but remember this is just one of the many gifts.. all the others are for today as well..
and there is not a scripture that says the HOLY SPIRIT quit giving out the gifts individually as HE wills..
heres an interisting read.. ole cattle
By Marcia Greenwood
The Authority that Jesus Passed Onto The Disciples
(Healing for Today)
"He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness" ( Matthew 10:1).
"As you go, preach this message: �The kingdom of heaven is near.� Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons" (Matthew 10:7-8).
Even a man, who was not one of the disciples was driving out demons in Jesus name. The disciples told him to stop but Jesus said "do not stop him." No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me for whoever is not against us is for us (Mark 9:38).
While Jesus was still on earth, He gave authority to others and told them to follow in the same ministry He was doing; teaching, preaching and healing.
The last thing that Jesus told the disciples before His resurrection was to: "Go into all the world, preach the gospel to all creation, andhe who believes will be saved and he who doesn't will be condemned. And these signs will follow them who believe:
They will cast out demons in My name.
They will speak in new tongues.
If they drink poison it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick and the sick will be made well"
(Mark 16:15-18).
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things then these because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).
What did Jesus do? He went around teaching, preaching and healing.
How can we do even greater things than Jesus? Because, when we believe Jesus� Word then we will act on what He says and more of us will be laborers to gather people for His Kingdom, bringing the lost to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We will teach others what their inheritance is that Jesus left them. We will be bold and lay hands on the sick, casting out demons from the sick and dying world that has been so deceived by Satan.
How can we do this? Because Jesus said we could, and His Word is true. It doesn't matter what you have been taught by other people. If you believe, you will receive!
Jesus said He came to destroy the power of the devil, and He did just that. (I Jn. 3:8)
John preached how God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him (Acts 10:38).
"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing hem in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18).
The disciples used this authority, before and after Jesus was resurrected.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you" (I John 3:19).
A cripple man was begging at the temple gate, and he asked Peter and John for money. Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk" (Acts 3:6-8).
Peter told the people that healing people was not through any power of their own, but God was glorifying His Son Jesus. It is by faith in the name of Jesus, that this man was healed. (Acts 3: 12-16)
Jesus even healed through Peter's shadow falling on people. Crowds gathered and the sick and those who had evil spirits were healed, all of them. (Acts 5:15-16)
The crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, delivering those with evil spirits and healing the crippled and paralytic. (Acts 8:6-8)
"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that he had touched were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them" (Acts 19:11-12).
James was the last of the apostles, and he told the people about healing. "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up"
(James 5:14-15).
God has not changed! He does not want anyone sick, depressed, or demon possessed. We are no different than those living in the Old Testament times. Actually we are better off, we have the authority of Jesus to continue to carry on His ministry on earth today.
He is in heaven watching that His Word is fulfilled. If you believe you will receive!
If you believe than you can carry on the ministry of Jesus, through teaching, preaching and healing to a lost world. What a wonderful privilege!
God and Jesus love you so much! Jesus left you a wonderful inheritance. Now it's up to you to take hold of that inheritance and live with all the blessings that were meant for you!
Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
1 Tim. 4:7
But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
1 Tim. 6:4-5
He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, [5] Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
What is being discussed is people focusing on rumors, myths and things unrelated to the greater teachings of the Gospel. They were focusing on "old wives tales" e.g. babblings! These verses have nothing to do with the gifts of the Spirit listed in the book of Acts.
Why does God do miracles? In order to corroborate His self- disclosure and in order to confirm His own revelation. Miracles are in Scripture for one purpose: to prove God is speaking, whether it is in the Old Testament written Word, the New Testament living Word, or the New Testament written Word. Miracles corroborate God's revelation. When God wanted people to know He was speaking, He did miracles. God normally operates the universe according to His created natural law, but when it comes time for God to make a self- revelation, He will, contrary to natural law, make things occur which have no explanation other than that God is revealing Himself. So, the purpose of Jesus' miracles were to reveal His deity.
In Christ
Steve
P.S.But I also beleive God can do anything,so if he wants to do miracles.....He will
