Miracles that Matter

 “...rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” -from Luke 10:20.

It thrilled the disciples to see WHAT Jesus' power could do through them, but those miracles fell short of the salvation that we so desperately need. ETERNAL SALVATION is spiritual in nature, but it is a far greater miracle than anything we could see, confirmed here in Matthew 19:25,26;

“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Don't get me wrong; there are times we need miracles in our lives, and it's comforting to know that Jesus is the same, “yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), and can still provide them as needed, yet in accordance with His will.

But the problem lies with the promotion of miracles and a focus on seeking them above the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. People are being lured through the promise of gifts rather than the conviction of sin, and a concern for the eternal destiny of their souls.

“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” -Deuteronomy 16:19.

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” -1 Corinthians 1:18.

With great compassion Jesus ministered to the NEEDS of people through miracles, but He also preached for repentance from sin. The Bible shows clearly that; 1) Eternal salvation far outweighs the temporary needs we have on earth (Matthew 5:29,30). 2) The miracles people see or experience do not bring about salvation (Like 16:30,31). 3) Those receiving miracles aren't necessarily saved already;

“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” -Luke 6:35. Bold type added for emphasis.

Meaningful miracles were just a part of Jesus' outreach, but didn't bring about huge numbers of true converts. People embraced Jesus for what He gave them now, in this life, but they would not give up their own Lordship over their lives. The following scriptures show how the miracles fell short;

“Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:” -Matthew 11:20. Verses 21-25 contain the rebukes Jesus gave to those cities.

“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” -John 6:26. This shows these people weren't coming after Jesus as seeking God, but because He had multiplied food & fed them! They accepted the gifts without reverencing the giver.

“But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:” -John 12:37.

Yet the underlying basis for God's miracles is the GENUINE needs that we have, as we see;

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” -Matthew 6:33.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:19.

We will bring all of our cares to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6,7; 1 Peter 5:7), coming boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy(Hebrews 4:16); and then trusting God that He will keep His Word of promise to provide for us as He chooses, even working miracles at times.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” -Ephesians 3:20. Underlining added for emphasis.

And so let it strengthen our faith to bring all our concerns to God, for nothing is impossible with Him, even when it seems that only a miracle can help you. Trust Him to provide what is best for you!

Yet when some hear of miracles being done, they seek them inappropriately, and not because of a hope in meeting genuine needs that there is no other solution for. James 4:3 addresses this type;

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

More direct underlying motives for this misled type could be first, just for the entertainment of witnessing the miracles, or skeptically examining them for tricks. But GREED to “get” more or better material wealth is most common, which reflects a violation of the 10^th commandment against coveting.

Such people are not content with what they have (1 Tinothy 6:8), neither are they thankful.

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” -Romans 1:21.

We also find this bad type in Jesus' life, one account coming from Luke 4:16-30, where Jesus had come to His home town synagogue. Those there were desirous to see miracles such as they had heard were done elsewhere, more as a performance than out of their needs, and they considered Jesus only to be the son of the carpenter Joseph, and nothing more. Jesus confronted their hypocrisy, and they tried to kill Him.

The example I like to use occurs with Herod, from Luke 23:6-11. This was during Jesus' trials before the cross, and this was the same Herod who killed James, and/ John the Baptist, and meant to kill Peter. The Bible says that Herod had long wanted to meet Jesus, and to see some miracle done by Him. Yet Herod was a ruler, a governor, rich, and without any real need. If Herod had any real need to seek Jesus for, he had never done it in the previous 3 plus years. Herod's only desire was to see Jesus perform, and his pride demanded that Jesus come to him, and not vice versa.

In both these examples, Jesus knew their hearts, and wasn't about to perform for them. Not only would these not repent, but added yet more to their sins in their responses;

“And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.” -Luke 4:28,29.

“And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.” -Luke 23:11.

Miracles by themselves don't deserve great respect; we need to examine the spirit behind them. The Bible warns us that Satan will come as an angel of light in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15, and will even work miracles, as Jesus showed us in Matthew 24:24,25;

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.”

And beware of supposed Christian ministries that largely promote miracles, and not the need for salvation. This is a prosperity type teaching, and bribing with gifts. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:2&3;

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.”

There's a humility in these verses, not the PRIDE that typically accompanies miracle promotion. Remember we are to test the spirits (1 John 4:1), and bring all our works into the light to be sure that God is behind them (John 3:21).

So let us stand in faith upon God's Words of promise, and simply trust Him to provide for us in the way He knows is best for us. Seek the Lord privately in your “closet,” and watch Him answer you openly for things no one else knew (Matthew 6:6)! He will respond in often unique and unexpected ways, as we see in Acts 12:1-16 with the deliverance of Peter. Don't let the scope of your need dampen faith, for the Lord is still working miracles; “There is no new thing under the sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:9.

“And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” -Luke 12:29-32.

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” -Romans 8:32.

I also did a YouTube video on this subject. You can find it at https://youtube.com/shorts/U-ZhXRsSljY?feature=share.

Choosing Blessing over Busyness

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ...for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” -from Galatians 2:16.

With the technology that exists today, it's become very easy for people to be constantly busy in efforts to give meaning to their lives, and these attitudes have largely infected the professing Christian church, as well. But is this really what God wants for us? To answer this, we must consult the Word of God, and bring our works before the light to be sure they are done according to His will (John 3:21).

Just to “keep busy” should never be an objective by itself, yet that is what many people do-even believers. We have been taught to do this, and blindly follow the world's example.

Service for the Lord Jesus is a natural desire for the sincerely born again Christian; yet we must seek God diligently in prayer, and wait for His leading IF it is to be of any eternal spiritual value at all. Not only is this aspect important, but there is a risk of our backsliding into a works-based salvation like the Galatians were in danger of in the early church. Look again at our opening verse!

The danger with busyness is that it is a pride-based emphasis on our own works; not a humble obedience that trusts in God the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will. Salvation is from God alone, and apart from Him we can do nothing; not even PRAY! Just let the following verses sink in;

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not...I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” -Romans 7:18,21.

These verses testify to our sinful natures, and struggles with the flesh; even after salvation.

“When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” -Matthew 19:25,26.

Here we see that salvation is truly a work of God alone, and not of any good works that we do.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” -John 15:4,5.

Our dependence rests in Jesus; all good things come from God (James 1:17).

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” -Romans 8:26,27.

We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit as our helper, for we cannot even pray well without Him.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” -Ephesians 2:8,9.

This is our core scripture which tells us salvation is an unearned GIFT from God we receive by faith.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” -Galatians 2:20,21.

These verses tell us that if we could earn salvation by our good works, Jesus need not have died!

“For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.” Galatians 2:18.

We can take this verse as a sobering warning, can't we? The Galatians were beginning to add religious works to their worship, and turning away from their faith as a gift of God's grace; backsliding into sin.

But the Bible is much more direct than this when it speaks against busyness in our Christian lives, and those examples will follow. Yet one problem we may have is when the service we've been called to makes it outwardly appear as if we're doing nothing. This example is taken from Acts 6:2-4;

“Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables...But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Bold type has been added to emphasize.

It's no wonder that Jesus told us not to judge only by appearance! To study the Word, pray, and wait for God's direction is CRUCIAL to any service the Lord may have for us, but to others it might seem as if we're doing nothing-it may even feel that way to us, as we wait for Holy Spirit guidance. God alone will be glorified when we allow Him to work in His way, not presuming to work for Him. In this passage there was a real issue to deal with, but it wasn't the Apostles' service to physically do.

Please consider this list of scriptures as God's direction to rely on Him, and not just keep busy;

“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.” -Psalm 116:12,13.

How can we repay God for all His goodness toward us? We can't. We take the salvation He provides, and cast all our cares upon Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6,7; 1 Peter 5:7).

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” -Psalm 127:1.

All of our efforts will fail apart from God.

“He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” -Psalm 147:10,11.

God isn't impressed by our strength or abilities, because He gave them to us! We need to trust in Him.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” -Proverbs 15:8.

It can never be about what we give to God, but about our dependence on Him.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?...But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” -Matthew 6:25,26,33.

Bold type is added here to emphasize, and these same thoughts expressed in Luke 12:29-32. Don't these scriptures discourage obsession with physical work? God wants to be first in our lives.

But a single great example of our topic can be taken from Luke 10:38-42, printed out here;

“...a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” The bold type was added to emphasize.

No one can really fault Martha, for she was also serving the Lord; but something else was more important than waiting on houseguests. And this is exactly how many professing Christians handle their service for the Lord; they become encumbered by doing things they've assumed God wants them to do, but haven't taken time to be actually taught by Him; they just run ahead and work. Remember that we can do nothing of our own power, so let us seek God and wait for His anointing as the early church did.

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” -John 6:27.

Once again, here Jesus is de-emphasizing working for material wealth, and focusing on eternal life, instead. When the people wanted to know what work they could do that was God's work, Jesus told them to simply believe on Him, the one God had sent. We don't need to be very busy to do that work, do we? Anything we might give to God, He has FIRST provided for us (1 Corinthians 4:7).

“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” -Romans 9:15,16.

It's all about God's grace and mercy, not our efforts.

Brethren, we must slow down. How much time are you taking in prayer, Bible study, and waiting to be sure you're walking in God's will? And it wouldn't be necessarily a judgement on whether or not a work in itself is good, but...1) Does God want you to do it? 2) How does He want it done? 3) When should it be done? 4) Does this leading come from God, or is it of self, and others?

19^th century saint George Mueller was known for the orphan work God led him to do. But when he was being moved toward building houses 2&3, he sought the Lord deeply for seven months before announcing this objective-he told no one during that time, not even his wife!

Let us follow this example, and seek God privately in our “closets” as described in Matthew 6:6 and bringing our works into the light (John 3:21) to be sure they are God's will. As we have already seen, there is really nothing we can give to God outside of obedience and dependence upon Him. Wait for the Lord and seek Him, laying aside those busy lives which only hinder.

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” -1 Samuel 15:22.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” -Matthew 7:7,8.

Here is a link to the YouTube video short that I did on this subject https://youtube.com/shorts/OCkjFN1ZGsw?feature=share.