The best compilation I know of is here, that of well-done videos, though I cannot say I watched most and and can vouch for all.
Posted on 01/03/2023 8:58:41 AM PST by SeekAndFind
You’re right Mr. Rogers.
Every single instance of “miracles” that many Christians claim are the result of God working through medical science to heal the victim ( e.g. recovery from cancer) , or a happy confluence of circumstances that prevented harm on someone ( e.g., an urgent matter that someone who used to work at the World Trade Center had to attend to, thus, avoiding the terror attacks on 9/11 ). I don’t call that a miracle, but God’s PROVIDENCE.
But miracles of the type mentioned in the New Testament? IMMEdIATe healing of the blind, deaf, lame, crippled? Raising of the dead? Those things, I have not seen.
And as you said, God still does miracles. When He wants. Where He wants., but I have yet to see a healer who heals regularly as Jesus did.
AS I see it, There Are Two Extremes to Avoid: 1) Absolute Denial of Miracles and 2) Finding Them When They Are Not There
The first is to deny any possibility that miracles have occurred in the past or that they can occur in the present. No one is in a position to do that. Every claim to the miraculous should be objectively examined and not ruled out beforehand.
There is another extreme to avoid – finding miracles where there are none. There is a tendency among some believers to find miracles everywhere. This is the wrong approach. Miracles, such as spoken of in biblical times, are not happening everywhere. It is just as wrong to assert miracles are constantly occurring as it is to deny them outright.
I think, There are a number of tests that can and should be applied to any so-called miracle that may occur today. They include the following.
1) The Miracle Must Be Able to Be Verified by an Independent Source.
The most important aspect of any alleged miracle is its verification. Without this verification, then all other questions are irrelevant. There was no question that the miracles recorded in the New Testament could be verified by anyone who looked into the matter.
For example, after Jesus healed ten men of leprosy ( not using any antobiotics) He commanded them to have the priest verify the healing.
The fact that Jesus sent them to the priests shows that their healing was something which could have been verified. Indeed, the priests could independently testify that they no longer had the disease.
In the Book of Acts, we have the account of Peter and John healing a lame man. The religious authorities made the following comment about their investigation of what occurred. ( Acts 4:16 )
The religious rulers concluded that they were unable to deny that such a miracle took place. Therefore, we have independent verification of this miracle from an unbelieving source.
If God is doing similar miracles through people today, then why are their powers limited? Why are their results doubtful? Why aren’t their powers evident to all as were the miracles of Jesus and that of His apostles?
2. There is something else which is essential. A genuine miracle will glory God and Him alone. Jesus made this clear in a statement which is recorded in the Sermon on the Mount.
Miracles are for the purpose of glorying God the Father. Indeed, they do not glorify the miracle-worker. We have the example of a man, Simon Magus, who took the credit himself for his so-called miracles.
3. The one who performs the miracle must be a person who believes in Jesus Christ. Indeed, we should not believe the signs of the false prophets. Jesus warned of false miracle workers who would attempt to deceive the people. Matthew records Him saying.
“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24)
4. There must be a specific purpose for any God-given miracle. Indeed, the miracle to further the message of Jesus Christ.
For example, when Philip performed miracles for the people of Samaria he did this while preaching Jesus Christ to them. The Bible says that the miracles caused them to listen to his message. This is crucial. Any genuine miracle that would originate from God would call attention to the message of Jesus Christ.
4. Finally, there must be the internal witness of the Holy Spirit with believers in Christ that this was indeed a genuine miracle. After the Apostle Paul listed the gifts of miracles and prophecy, he followed those with the mention of the gift of distinguishing or discerning of the spirits or between the spirits. ( 1 Corinthians 12:10 )
This does not seem to be coincidental. Any genuine miracle or prophetic utterance should have to be confirmed by the witness of the Holy Spirit to believers.
In sum, if someone today claims that a miracle took place it should come under the most intense scrutiny. Like the miracles of Jesus and His apostles were independently verified we should expect no less if God performs some miracle in our day and age.
That’s the way I see it.
I believe that in regions that have written scriptures and a strong Christian presence, most, but not all miracles have ceased.
In areas with no Christian presence, signs, miracles and visions are just like in New Testament times.
That’s just my belief and I’ve got nothing to dogmatically back that up.
In 1 Cor 14, the church is told to gather with the various gifts. At the end of that passage, it says,
"If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord."
..... Are New Testament Miracles Still Operational in the Church Today?......
They are in the Holy Orthodox Church!!!!
There is testimony from many Christians across the world that they were healed in Jesus Name of various diseases, some being terminal. Many years ago my pastor was diagnosed with terminal cancer; the doctors gave him days to live. Elders laid hands and anointed him to be healed. He was healed; the doctors considered it a miracle.
“Are New Testament Miracles Still Operational in the Church Today?”
Well, let me answer with another question: when’s the last time someone who claimed to have these gifts was able to raise the dead? Because the apostles (and Old Testament-era prophets) could do that.
Yep, and let me add, when the apostles “spoke in tongues”, they were speaking real languages and could be understood by the native speakers of those languages. None of this speaking gibberish nonsense. I’ve yet to see any people nowadays who can just spontaneously speak a foreign language they’ve never studied because the Holy Spirit gave them that gift.
And it seems that God is moving in the church today, in spite of the evil that is increasing.
While we are here on earth to continue to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer, the enemy’s plans will be thwarted.
Thanks for the reminder.
Amen!
RE: They are in the Holy Orthodox Church!!!!
Can you share with us examples of such miracles today?
I’m with you. Mostly I understand that real prophets, are those that expound on His word, His truths. Use scripture to point out truths, and speak His truth to warn people what will happen if they don’t. That’s prophecy.
All of which are sadly lacking in Churches today.
A while back -- after seeing threads about people fleeing NYC and COVID-villes in general -- I found myself reading a little bit about U-Haul. I was drawn in to the story about its founding and the life and death of the founder. In the mix was that
Shoen (pronounced "shown") was born on February 29, 1916, in McGrath, Minnesota, to Sophie (née Appert) and Samuel J. Shoen.>>>
In the 1960s, Shoen diversified his holdings by creating AMERCO Inc., from Advanced Management Engineering and Research Company. He pronounced the acronym, "a miracle".[4] AMERCO remains the parent company of U-Haul and related businesses which support U-Haul operations, and is publicly traded.
It all kind of fit, what was "shown": Yankee Ingenuity (the free Spirit of America) as an Advanced Management Engineering and Research Company.💡
After all, the origin of the name America has been a long-standing subject of debate, theory and conjecture.
AMERICA - she is quite a miracle. Leonard Shoen may have unknowingly shown everyone the answer to the big mystery, but who's going to pay attention to a footnote in history.
My wife and I have served several churches in the USA and planted churches in three countries. By God’s grace we have seen so many true miracles that we wrote a book about it. Originally, this was just to be a legacy item for our family. After a number of people read it and recommended publishing we were blessed with a great Christian literary agent (Les Stobbe) and sold the book to Tyndale House.
Your welcome to read it online for free here (www.voyageflagler.com) or buy a copy at the same location, or on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Miracles-Ordinary-Family-Everything/dp/1414383215/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=life+of+miracles+%22Don+Schulze%22&qid=1672777837&sr=8-1
The best compilation I know of is here, that of well-done videos, though I cannot say I watched most and and can vouch for all.
Amen!
I have witnessed many.
Thank ewe!
RE: I have witnessed many.
Can you share with us a few such instances of miracles you have witnessed?
Interesting points.
Spiritual warfare is massive in churches these days with tons of deception.
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