The
Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the New
Course: The Gifts of the Spirit
Lesson
6
Lesson Title: The Working of Miracles
Text: ' To another the working of miracles; ' 1 Corinthians 12:9.
Introduction: What is the gift of the Working of Miracles?
1) A miracle
(Gr. dunamis) can be defined as a supernatural act of
the Holy Spirit that cannot be explained by logic.
A miracle is
either:
a.
A creative work of the Holy Spirit, or
b.
An act of the Holy Spirit that defies the laws of nature.
2) The gift is called the gift of ‘working of miracles’.
‘Workings’ (Gr. energema) means ‘the energising power to work a miracle’:
c.
It is the empowering of the
believer by the Holy Spirit to meet a need at a particular time.
d.
It is God who empowers – it is
the believer who acts.
‘Workings
of Miracles’ means this is more than ‘prayer for a miracle’.
The
believer must act ‘in the name of Jesus’.
Examples
of the Gift of Workings of Miracles
‘Workings
of Miracles’ can be a provision in a time of need.
‘Workings
of Miracles’ can be a creative work of the Holy Spirit.
‘I was brought
up in the
He told
me how Stephen Jeffreys prayed for a young baby who
had no eye balls. When the baby was
taken to hospital the doctors and nurses were amazed to see the eyes balls had
begun to develop in the child’s eyes.’
This was more than ‘a healing’ this was ‘a creative miracle’.
‘Workings
of Miracles’ can be a restoration of life.
It is
reported that at least 14 people were raised from the dead under the ministry
of Smith Wigglesworth.
‘Workings
of Miracles’ can provide divine protection.
There are
Christians who do not believe such things can happen today, but why should it
be thought strange for God to work miracles today when they are seen all
through scripture. God is a miracle
working God.
It is a
deception of the enemy that has robbed the Church of the power of the Holy
Spirit by teaching false doctrine.
The time
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit has not passed, and these signs shall follow
those who believe.
Main
Points
1. The Gift
of Working of Miracles in Scripture
In the Old Testament
The Gift of ‘Workings of Miracles’ is seen all
through the Old Testament.
The Miracles did not happen automatically.
The Lord always says ‘What is that in your hand’
(Exodus 4:2)
Miracles defying natural laws – two incredible
miracles are seen in the Old Testament.
They concerned the rotation of the earth around the
sun, and the rotation of the moon around the earth.
The purpose for the miracle – to give more time for
the Israelites to win the battle against the 5 kings.
The purpose for the miracle - Hezekiah was given a
sign confirming the word of Lord regarding his personal deliverance from
sickness with the promise of living 15 years more, and the promise of
In the Gospel of John
Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with
water.
Then he told them to draw some out and give it to
the ‘master of the feast’.
The miracle did not just happen by prayer.
The miracle had to be worked.
The water pots had not been filled with water and
then the new wine had to be drawn out and served.
Jesus told the disciples to give food to the
people.
They divided the boy’s food and it was multiplied
as they continued to divide it.
The only time the disciples held a lot of food at
one time was when they collected the leftovers.
When they distributed the food they always held a
small portion.
Jesus spat on the ground and made clay which he put
in his eye sockets.
The man washed and came back seeing.
People were not sure who he was – change of
appearance.
Jesus called with a loud voice ‘Lazarus come
forth’. (John 11:43)
In the Acts of the Apostles
1)
Healing – power enabling the lame man to walk
(Acts 3:1-10).
This was more than ‘gifts of healings’.
This was ‘the gift of workings of miracles’.
The man had never walked.
Peter took him by the hand and lifted him up.
He went walking and leaping and praising God into
the
Miracles often have two results:
i) A large number
believe
ii) Persecution
2)
Judgment in the Church - Death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts
5:1-10)
The deception of Ananias
and Sapphira would have stopped the move of God.
Peter probably only knew about it through ‘a Word
of Wisdom’.
When Peter told Ananias
he had not lied to men but to God – Ananias fell
dead.
3 hours later his wife came. Peter asked her if she sold the land for a certain
amount.
She lied as her husband had. Peter then declared that she would be carried
out dead in the same way as her husband had been.
Ananias and Sapphira gave money to the disciples but they lied.
The effect of this miracle was ‘great fear came upon
all the church and upon all who heard these things’. (Acts
Ananias and Sapphira were like Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2) the sons of Aaron who were killed
by the Holy Spirit because they treated ‘the fire of God’ with contempt.
3)
Deliverance – disciples miraculously released
from Prison (Acts
The disciples were put in prison.
An angel of the Lord opens the doors. This is a miracle because the doors remained
closed; the guards remained in their places.
The disciples were found preaching in the temple.
4)
Raising the dead – Tabitha (Dorcas) (Acts
The woman had died.
Peter goes into her alone.
Peter prays and then says ‘Tabitha arise’
This is the gift of workings of miracles.
Compare:
Peter miraculously freed from prison (Acts 12:3-19)
This is not the Gift of ‘Workings of Miracles’
This
is a miraculous answer to prayer.
Peter is delivered from prison by an angel.
His chains fall off his hands.
Walked past the guards.
Peter went to the home of John Mark’s mother where
the disciples were praying.
In this instance Peter is delivered in answer to
prayer.
The gift of ‘Workings of Miracles’ is initiated by
the believer.
2.
Testimonies concerning the operation of the gift.
Church
History: The ministry of John Walsh, the
son-in-law of John Knox.
John
Welsh of
There are many testimonies of John Welsh operating
in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
This is an extract from John Howie
‘Scots Worthies’, 1775.
‘John Welch then fell down before
the pallet, and cried to the Lord with all his might, and sometimes looking upon
the dead body, he continued to wrestle with the Lord, till at length the youth
opened his eyes, and cried out to Welch, whom he distinctly knew, “O sir, I am
all whole, but my head and legs!” These were the places hurt with the pinching.
When Welch perceived this, he called his friends; and showed them the dead man
restored to life again, to their great astonishment.’ (Taken from George Jeffreys
‘Healing Rays’, 1932)
Missionary
Story: Testimony
-
A witch doctor in the
The witch doctor said the evangelist would be dead in the morning.
The evangelist got up in the morning and rang the bell for the morning prayer meeting.
Suddenly there was a scream from the witch doctor’s house.
The witch doctor who tried to curse the evangelist was found dead on the floor.
Extract
from ‘God Working With Them’ by W.F.P.Burton (Congo
Evangelistic Mission:1933)
3.
Why is this gift necessary today?
The gift is necessary today for the same reasons the gift was used in scripture.
a) For supernatural provision - It is a gift for God’s people in times of great need.
When there is no means of natural provision, the Lord is able to provide through the ‘working of miracles’.
Question: Should we expect the Holy Spirit to move miraculously in situations such as unexpected guests at a meal table?
Needing the food to be multiplied. We should expect the Lord to undertake at all times.
The Lord always asks first ‘What do you have in your hand?’
The Lord provides through natural means and in unusual cases by supernatural means.
When our means have been exhausted then we can trust the Lord to act on our behalf.
Workings of Miracles are not everyday occurrences.
If we do not expect the Holy Spirit to do these things we will never see them.
It is the gift of ‘workings of miracles’ - the believer must activate the gift as the Holy Spirit moves.
b) For supernatural deliverance - the Holy Spirit is able to miraculously protect the believer.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had no fear of the fiery funace because they said ‘Our God is able to deliver us but even if He doesn’t we will not bow’
Believers must have the same character with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We will not bow the knee to those who say ‘the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased and God no longer works miracles’.
Our God is able – the gifts are given to those who believe.
I read today of a head on collision on a motorway in which five people died. The cars were totally destroyed because one car came the wrong way and all the passengers were killed instantly. In that situation, the ‘gift of workings of miracles’ would be the believers only hope of avoiding such an accident. The Holy Spirit has been given to believers to have authority in every situation.
c) For supernatural testimony to the truth of
the gospel. The preaching of the gospel
is confirmed by signs following. The
gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
Those who say the gifts ceased when the New Testament was completed have
allowed Satan to rob the Church of wonderful signs following.
‘Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8) What He did in the gospels He is able to do
today through believers. Jesus said, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that believes on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father.’ (John
14:12)