The Holy Spirit Gave Miracles.
In the days of the early Jerusalem church, the Holy Spirit gave miracles.
I won’t be crass, or turn uncouth, but tell you all the simple truth: I’m reaching the end of my lists of the biblical gifts from God, and these posts are not getting any easier to write.
The first miracle in Jerusalem after Pentecost, is recorded in Acts 3, where Peter healed a crippled man who begged at the Temple’s Beautiful Gate. Whether or not the man’s condition so contrasted with that gate, it made begging easier, I can’t say. But I do know that any Jew with any kind of deformity was prohibited from entering even the outermost courtyard. In all his life, until the day he was healed, the beggar had never been allowed to worship in community with others.
Another major miracle of the time happened in Troas, during Paul’s one-week layover there. Paul had a lot to tell the believers in Troas, and as he spoke in a crowded, hot, third-floor room, one of his listeners apparently sought some relief by moving to sit in the open window. Paul talked on, and the listener, Eutychus, fell asleep and toppled backward, landing three stories below. Those who rushed out found him dead, but Paul, like Elisha, brought the young man back to life.
In the days of the early Jerusalem church, the Holy Spirit gave miracles. Why don’t they happen now?
Possibly, the early church experienced such miracles because there were no orthopedic surgeons then, to correct the beggar’s problems. God does give our medical professionals skill, inspiration and direction.
Although there are assorted techniques available to resuscitate accident and heart attack victims, sometimes those don’t work. This reminds us that only God is the source of life.
I think a third possibility is that miracle-working is sharply reduced, so that believers exercise the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment. Then, they won’t follow charlatans, who take credit for themselves, rather than thanking God.
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Ruth
Heidi Kortman
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