I am amazed at how many established houses of worship are so afraid of the supernatural they will do anything to discredit reports of the supernatural being manifested in other congregations. I know for some congregations it’s the pastors who are afraid of losing control, but for many it’s bad teaching the pastors received in seminary. When I first got saved I discovered very quickly that few churches actually welcome the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
How is it possible that people who claim to believe in the God of the Bible deny the manifestations of God when he has done such extraordinary signs and wonders throughout the scriptures? How is it possible for people to read the Bible and not admit signs and wonders when they read about God showing up in a burning bush to Moses? It seems some people can’t swallow God doing amazing things beyond their understanding. It seems the God of the Bible is too scary so they teach Christianity without power and without the Holy Spirit, regardless what they say.
Exodus 3:2
The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
It took Moses 80 years to learn that God was the God of the supernatural and not just some words on a page. It was Moses who complained to God about the coming Egyptian army in the desert and Israel was trapped against the Red Sea with no escape. It was God who told Moses he already had in his own hands the means of deliverance in his walking staff. Moses didn’t realize God wanted to partner with his people in doing the supernatural.
Exodus 14:15-16
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.
There are so many times in scripture God demonstrated his power through works of the supernatural for those who believed. For people who call themselves Christians, and say they believe in the God of the Bible, then say with the next breath they do not believe in supernatural manifestations of God would be a contradiction in terms and a lie. To be a Christ follower implies they believe in the supernatural working of God.
God often showed up in manifestations of the supernatural to prove he was and is the God of all creation. He never did such works just because someone wanted him to, but because he was giving people the ability to get past their doubts and unbelief. I fear that many of the churches that believe in the supernatural power of God, and his working of miracles, have come to believe that signs and wonders are more for those who already believe rather than for those who do not believe. According to Scripture signs and wonders appear to be more to attract unbelievers, isn’t that why Jesus did so many signs and wonders?
Although God desires to demonstrate his loving kindness to his people if they pray for healing and miracles, in most cases it is for those struggling to embrace God’s reality and Jesus as the Son of God. We all need to remember that when Jesus was healing people, or performed signs and wonders, it was to convince the unbelievers that God had indeed called him to be the savior of the world. How many times did Jesus heal someone and then tell them not to tell others in the Jewish community? Was it not so he could continue to preach the gospel about his Heavenly Father?
In the Old Testament there were times when God did great signs and wonders to captivate peoples’ hearts, both believers and nonbelievers. When Solomon built the temple is a case in point: when Solomon finished the temple and he prayed that God would answer anyone who prayed in that place. Why? Because he wanted people to know who it was that answered their prayers and that the God of Israel was real the Lord of Lords.
2 Chronicles 6:40
“Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
As a final display of supernatural power God sent “FIRE” from heaven to consume the burnt offering to show people that the God of Israel was the real God and not like all the pagan Gods people believed in.
2 Chronicles 7:1
Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house.
Today, if someone said the fire of God came down in church today all the religious leaders would scoff and deny such a thing could happen. Why? Because the body of Christ has been taught “NOT” to believe God does such things today as he did in the past. The history of the church throughout the ages has said otherwise, though many will not believe the testimonies written down. Healing evangelists and pastors, like William Brennan and others, have documented accounts of supernatural moves of God.
When the early church was first started, on the day of Pentecost, people who were praying for God to show up in some supernatural way experienced “Tongues of Fire” and started to speak of the greatness of God. What did all the religious minded people say? “These men are just drunk on wine.” That same spirit is alive and well in the greater body of Christ because we have been taught that such things don’t occur because we have the written bible. We have been “EDUCATED” to embrace the God of the written word but not the God of the supernatural.
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Today people still deny that the supernatural gift of tongues is operational because we don’t need the God of the supernatural, we have the written Word. There is no scripture that says anything like this. In fact, the apostle Paul wrote entire chapters on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are supernatural and not natural. How idiotic to embrace the written word of God and yet deny the power of God. How shameful to embrace one aspect of God’s hand and not the other.
Let me encourage all who read this article to ask yourself the simple question of whether you have embraced the God of the scripture but not the God of the supernatural. God wants to do supernatural manifestations both in the believer and for the unbeliever because he is the living God who moves on behalf of those who seek him.
Questions:
1) Have you come to believe God no longer acts supernaturally? Read scripture and see if you have embraced a lie about the God of the bible, and read the scripture again.
2) Do you struggle with being afraid of the supernatural? Scripture says God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Pastor Dale
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