The church can get sidetracked by losing focus of God's priorities and turning stones into bread instead of fulfilling the Great Commission, to keep the main thing the main thing.
We must realize that miracles are just unusual events caused by God-all things are caused by God in a sense and if miracles happened all the time, they'd be called "regulars." Jesus did not oblige the skeptics with miracles on-demand or with some biggie miracle that would make it impossible to deny, but His signs always took faith to accept. Jesus told His disciples that they shall do "greater things." We are told we can "move mountains" and "walk on water" by faith and that it only takes the faith of a mustard seed to accomplish. A MAN CONVINCED AGAINST HIS WILL IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL, SAYS THE PROVERB.
No miracle will convince a person who doesn't want to believe, but miracles will strengthen the faith of the willing. It is a fact that, even though Jesus had done many miracles, the Pharisees "would not believe" (cf. Faith doesn't come from miracles, but miracles from faith. It should be pointed out that miracles don't make a person believe against their will but bolster and support a faith that is already there. Jesus did miracles not for selfish reasons, but out of compassion and to be "signs" of authenticity to His deity as John's gospel portrays. Jesus could've attracted crowds and masses of disciples had He not warned of the cost of discipleship and that one must die to self and take up your cross in following Him-a cost no other religion requires. He didn't just have talking points about salvation but came with the purpose of dying-He was a man on a mission par excellence! Most people that have heard of Christ know that He's famous for turning "water into wine" or even "walking on water." They also ridicule these "signs" as ludicrous examples of Christian "myth." Paradoxically, Jesus never intended to be known as a miracle worker, for He came first to be our Savior and He didn't want to get off message.Īfter raising the daughter of Jairus, Jesus admonished the people not to tell anyone, for He knew that such an event, if publicly known, would merely attract the wrong element or crowd. The story of Helen Keller was portrayed in the movie, The Miracle Worker, and this only proves that miracles happen if our eyes are open to them. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him.'" (John 11:47-48, NLT).īY DEFINITION: A MIRACLE IS AN EVENT NOT PRODUCIBLE BY THE NORMAL FORCES AND CAUSES ACTING IN THE TIME AND PLACE THE EVENT OCCURS AND SUPERNATURAL, BUT UNEXPLAINED BY NATURAL SCIENCE OR NATURE LAWS. 'This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.