“You have made me act like a fool. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these “super apostles,” even though I am nothing at all. When I was with you, I certainly gave you proof that I am an apostle. For I patiently did many signs and wonders and miracles among you. The only thing I failed to do, which I do in the other churches, was to become a financial burden to you. Please forgive me for this wrong!”
2 Corinthians 12:11-13 NLT
You can’t help feeling sorry for Paul, as he was forced to write uncomfortable truths, both for him and the Corinthians, in this letter. He was a humble man, never wanting to promote himself, and certainly not in the way the Corinthian “super-apostles” did. In his first letter, Paul wrote, “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). That was Paul in his comfort zone, preaching about Jesus so that the focus was on Him, not Paul. Preaching in a way that pointed to God, in a way that encouraged the early believers to look up and not at the messenger or each other. But word had reached him that there were some in Corinth who had a different approach, with a focus on their gifts and preaching rather than the Jesus whom Paul preached.
There was no substitute for a simple sermon by those early Apostles, backed by signs and wonders. They had been with Jesus and had seen with their own eyes what their Master had done through the power of God. And they had heard Jesus say, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father” (John 14:12-13). In Acts 19, we read about the signs and wonders Paul performed in Ephesus. We read, “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled” (Acts 19:11-12). This happened after his first visit to Corinth, so it can be assumed that “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles” there as well.
In Mark’s Gospel, we read the Great Commission, and Jesus said, “… Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptised will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed” (Mark 16:15-18). It was an expected phenomenon that the preaching of the Gospel was confirmed by signs and wonders, and we read that this was the case in Acts 14:3: “But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders”.
What has happened to “signs, wonders and miracles” after the preaching of the Word today? There are a number of possible reasons. Firstly, in the first Century, the Apostles were preaching mainly to unbelievers and through God’s grace, He gave them the power to validate the Gospel message of Jesus, and Him crucified, in a way that convinced their hearers of the truth of the message. Peter’s great Acts 2 sermon followed a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and we read that three thousand men were saved after believing the message. Secondly, the signs and wonders followed the preaching of the Gospel, something that only rarely happens in churches today, with sermons being focused more on discipleship than conversion. Thirdly, in some denominations or movements, the general belief (unbelief?) is that miracles were for the early Apostles only and died out with them. But “miracles, signs and wonders” have continued right up until modern days, confounding this view. Fourthly, perhaps the lack of signs and wonders is more about a general lack of faith than God’s willingness to provide them. The Holy Spirit will distribute gifts as He sees fit, and to fulfil His purposes.
We pilgrims today are a counter-cultural people who challenge the status quo with an expectation that God is alive and well, and He wants to bless His people, with spiritual gifts if necessary, and see others come to faith. We are the key to that happening, and so we put aside our pre-conceived thoughts, and instead we look up, saying to God, “What do You want to do through me today?” A dangerous prayer to pray, as we see from Isaiah in his reply to God. He wrote, “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me”” (Isaiah 6:8). That question is still hanging in the air today. Are we a “Send me” generation? We have to be, because God desires no other.
Heavenly Father. We pray that prayer today, that You will use us to fulfil Your purposes in our communities today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 