It Was a Miraculous Church (Acts 2:43b)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/17/2017 9:36 AM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus:  It was a Miraculous Church

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 2:43b

            Message of the verses:  “and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”

            God was using the spiritual gifts that He had given to the apostles to do wonders and miracles for the purpose of causing people to turn to the Lord as seen in Acts 9:35.  I have mentioned in an earlier SD that the Lord gave what is called “sign gifts” to believers as the church began in order to call people to Himself, and once the Bible was completed then these sign gifts were no longer needed for people had the entire Word of God to see the way of salvation and spiritual growth.  I realize that there are people today that still believe in healings, and I also believe in the fact that God heals people too, but I don’t believe in what is called “faith healers.”  When I first became a believer I spoke to the man who was my mentor and he told me that God heals you every time but the last time when as a believer you go to be with the Lord.

            Now as we look back at the gospels we see that our Lord did His miracles for the same reason.  Jesus says the following in John 14:10-12,

“10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.  12  "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”

            John MacArthur writes “The ability to perform miracles was not given to all, but was limited to the apostles and their close associates (such as Philip; cf. Acts 8:13).  The writer of Hebrews said,

‘3 How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.’

“God attended the preaching of the apostles with miracles to confirm that they were indeed His messengers.  With the passing of the apostolic age, and the completion of the canon of Scripture, the need for such confirmatory signs ended.  Today we can determine who speaks for God by comparing their teaching with God’s revelation in Scripture.” 

            As we look at when a person comes to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord so that they can have their sins forgiven and promised to one day be with Him in heaven we see the greatest miracle that God continues to do each and every day of the church age.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to trust the Lord to continue to show me many wonderful things from His written Word in order to bring glory to His name.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to seek wisdom from the Lord in order to bring glory to His name as I teach Sunday school this coming Sunday on a different topic other than John 17 which we finished last week.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jerusalem” (Acts 25:9-11).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who was King Agrippa’s lady companion?”

Answer in our next SD.

8/17/2017 10:01 AM