Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.
Act 19:11-12
As I said last time, the book of Acts is full of unique, visible experiences which were not intended to continue as the church walked by faith and not by sight. Our text above contains one such incident. Some teach that God doesn’t perform miracles any longer. I see no biblical basis for such a definitive statement. God can do what He wants when He wants! I do, however, believe we have strong biblical evidence that these signs and wonders were disappearing shortly after this time. Once they had served their purpose, they were no longer necessary. So, what was the purpose of these New Testament miracles?
The first person to perform miracles in the New Testament was, of course, Christ Himself. These amazing displays of the power of God were not merely about the Lord flexing His spiritual muscles. There was a reason for them as Peter explains in Act 2:22: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know…” The miracles validated that He was the Messiah who the prophets had foretold! Another event that Jesus and the prophets said would come to pass was the giving of the Holy Ghost. How would we know the Holy Ghost had been given? You guessed it…signs and wonders! When men began to supernaturally speak in other languages or tongues on the day of Pentecost because they had received the Spirit of God, Peter said, “…this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh…” Repeatedly in Acts, we see these amazing occurrences as the Gospel spread to new people groups and more men received the indwelling Spirit. We must understand that the church was experiencing something new. The Spirit had been with believers before but never permanently dwelling in them. (Joh 14:17) By the time Paul wrote the book of Romans, this experience of possessing the Spirit had become common to all believers: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom 8:9)
Finally, miracles accompanied the word of the apostles to prove they were, in fact, chosen by God to declare the resurrection of Jesus Christ, of which they were eyewitnesses. Paul referred to these miraculous events as “the signs of an apostle” in 2Co 12:12: “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” How would we recognize these men who would form the foundation of the New Testament church? (Eph 2:20) By signs and wonders performed by their hands! As was the case with Christ, these men were shown to be attested of God because of the miracles they performed. The signs and wonders were to warn us that we’d better heed their words. “…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Heb 2:3-4) And so, “with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” that we might recognize these men who God had called to that office.
If the office of an apostle was intended to continue, we might expect to continually see such signs to identify these men, but Paul says the following concerning the apostles: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” (1Co 15:3-8) Paul said he got in on the apostolic office at the very end, like “one born out of due time.” He was like that “oops” baby you find in some families. You know, that last child born ten years after his siblings. 🙂 Unlike the other apostles, Paul was a witness to Jesus’ resurrection on the Damascus road, AFTER Christ had already ascended! He got in on the office of the apostle when it was coming to a close. We’ve already referred to Eph 2:20 which says we have been built on “the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. We all well know that the foundation of a structure is only laid once; likewise, the apostles were only necessary at the beginning of the formation of the New Testament church. So, with the apostolic office disappearing, the signs and wonders used to validate that office were no longer necessary.
Next time we’ll see some specific evidence showing that even the apostles were no longer performing miracles in later years. I want to leave you though with the reason why our topic is an important one. Though signs and wonders were used by God to prove that Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled, we are warned that they will be used by the enemy to deceive in the latter days. Paul wrote in 2Th 2:9, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders…” Christ came and fulfilled that which the prophets declared. The miracles validated that truth, but we’re now looking only for one further fulfillment of prophecy. The Lord is coming back! Don’t let signs and wonders prior to Christ’s return catch you off-guard and generate confusion in your mind. The enemy will use them to deceive and draw people away from the true Christ. Be watchful and ready. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mar 13:21-23)
Jamie