Miracles and Wonders

H. S. Linn

            “And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee.  And great crowds went up into the hills, and sat down there.  And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb and many others, and they put them at his feet and he healed them so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” (Mt15:29-31)

I.       What is a miracle?

Miracles (Greek - Semeion) are supernatural events performed in the Old Testament as well as New Testament by God, Jesus, prophets or disciples of Christ - (Mk 16:20, Ac 2:22, 43, 14:3; Rom 15:18, Heb 2:4)

A.     Miracles Performed by God

'In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp.  And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground.  When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it,?' and Moses answered it, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat…” and the Israelites ate the Manna for forty years until they came to the land of Canaan. (Ex 16:13-35, Jos 5:12)

Manna from heaven which fed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness is perhaps the greatest miracle given by God.  Another great miracle is the fall of the Walls of Jericho. (Jos 6:2-21)

B.     Miracles Performed by Jesus

1.        Healing of Sickness:

 a.      The son of an official (Jn 4:46-54)

 b.      An invalid for 38 years (Jn 5:1-9)

 c.      Leper cleansed (Mt 8:2-4)

 d.      Woman with hemorrhage (Mt 9:20-22; Mk 5:25-34; Lk 8:43-48)

 e.      Deaf and dumb person cured (Mk 7:32-36)

2.        Casting out Demons

 a.      Demoniacs (Matt 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luk 8:26-39)

 b.      Canaanite woman's daughter (Matt 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30)

 c.      An epileptic child (Mark 9:14-29, Luk 9:37-43)

 d.      7 demons cast out of Magdalene (Luk 8:2)

3.        Supernatural Wonders

 a.      Water turned to wine (Jn 2:1-11)

 b.      Calming the wind and the sea (Matt 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41; Luk 8:22-25)

 c.      Feeding of 5,000 people (Matt 14:13-21, Mark 6:34-44, Luk 9:11-17; Jn 6:1-14)

 d.      Jesus' transfiguration (Matt 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luk 9:28-36)

 e.      Resurrection of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-44)

C.     Miracles Performed by Prophets

1.        Fire sent down from heaven to burn offerings.  Prayers by Prophet Elijah (I King 18-30-38)

2.        Prophet Elisha parted the water with the mantle of Elijah (2 King 2:14)

D.     Miracles Performed by the Disciples of Christ

1.        Peter healed a cripple in the Name of Jesus (Ac 3:1-10)

2.        Philip healed cripples and cast out demons (Ac 8:4-8)

3.        Peter resurrected Dorcas (Ac 9:36-41

4.        Paul healed a man crippled from birth (Ac 14:8-10)

The above miracles were done by the power of God.  They are different from demoniac powers.  "The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders (2 Thes 2:9).  Miracles should be wonders, signs, and great works done by the power of God. (Lk 23:8, Jn 3:2, Ex 7:9, Deut 29:3, Ps 78: 11; Mk 9:39; 1 Cor 12:10)

II.    Why Does God Perform Miracles?

A.     Miracles show the Divine Power of God

While Jesus was preaching in Galilee, he touched and cleansed a leper whose heart was humble and full of faith. (Mk 1:40-42) Then, he went into a house in Capernaum and a paralytic was lowered down to him from the roof.  Jesus saw his faith in him and said, "Your sins are forgiven." Some scribes thought Jesus was mad for no one but God has the power to forgive sin, but Jesus  replied, -the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.  Thus, the paralytic was healed and the divine power of Jesus was recognized.

B.     Miracles Prove that Jesus is From God

In Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate, Jesus healed an invalid who had been ill for 38 years on a Sabbath day.  The Jews wanted to kill Jesus for He had done work on a Sabbath.  Jesus replied, "My Father is working still, and I am working.  The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.  These very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.   And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me.  (Jn 5:36)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Him.   (Jn 3:1-2)

Here it clearly states that miracles performed by Jesus are to show us that Jesus is from God and has the power of God.

C.     Miracles Tell us that Jesus is the Messiah

John bore witness for Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world ... I saw the Spirit descended as a dove from heaven' upon Jesus, the Son of God. (Jn 1:29-36, Mt 3:16)

While John was in jail and his faith was low, he asked one of the disciples, 'Is Jesus the one to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered, "Hear what I have done: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are risen.  Blessed is he who endures to the end.' (Mt 11:2-6)

Jesus wanted to console his disciples and said, "Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me.  I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me. The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves." (Jn 14:1-14)

Whatever wonders and works done by Jesus are to testify that He is the Messiah, the Lord.

D.     Miracles Establish and Testify for the Message of the TrueChurch

1.        3 Qualifications of the TrueChurch in the Apostolic Times

 a.      Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9, Jn 20:21-23, Eph 1:13, 14)

 b.      Preach the Truth (Eph 2:19, 20, Jn 2:9-11)

 c.      Accompanied with miracles (Mk 16: 17-20, Heb 2:4, Ac 14:3, 2 Cor 12:12)

2.        Questions:

 a.      How to tell the true miracles from false ones?

 b.      Do all miracles certify the message necessarily?

The same qualifications should apply to the TrueChurch in the last days.

I believed that miracles did not apply to our modern age, but God soon corrected my misbelief.  One night, during a curfew exercise, I had a sudden attack of bronchitis.  There was no doctor available and I was in pain so I started to pray with my wife.  She was filled with the Holy Spirit of God and began to place her hand on my back and my bronchitis was instantly healed.  If I had a doctor, I would have gone to him for medication.  But thanks to the grace of God, He wanted to show me that miracles are limitless and timeless and they still happen in the TrueChurch.

E.     E. The Path to God's Grace

The first believer of Hua-LienChurch in Eastern Taiwan is Bro. Santo Tien.  In July, 1937, Bro.  Tien had lung cancer and the doctor diagnosed it to be medically hopeless and told him to prepare for the funeral.  By that time, Bro- Shen Lien Wu witnessed to him about the greatest physician-Jesus Christ and His body - the True Jesus Church.  Bro. Tien believed and by prayer, he was healed within 3 weeks.  At that time, the Japanese greatly afflicted the Christians.  Japanese soldiers caught Bro.  Wu, Deacon Lin, Bro. Tien and several other believers and put them in jail.  The villagers thought Bro. Tien would surely die of malnutrition in the dingy jail.  But Bro. Tien strangely had a good appetite even for the coarse food that was served and came out of jail 4 months later well and healthy.  Because of this miracle, many villagers believed in Christ and gave glory to the Almighty God.

Jesus said, 'Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." (Jn 4:48 )

Undoubtedly, miracles and wonders led many people to God.  True believers have been convinced that Jesus wants every Christian to fully grasp and receive the words of life.(the Truth), the Spirit, and the miracles as the firm foundation of devotional life.