This movement seems to have gained popularity due to the discontentment of people within the body of Christ who aren’t able to simply believe the truth of the Bible and its sound theological doctrines. They believe that there MUST BE MORE to the normal Christian life than simply trusting Jesus for salvation. The beginning of the NAR, sometime during the 1970s, is credited to C. Peter Wagner and is rooted in Charismatic Pentecostalism. Charles Peter Wagner (born 1930) is a former professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary. He coined the Christian idiom Third Wave. He is the founder of Global Harvest Ministries, and co-founder of the World Prayer Center.

The mystics of the new age, fringe churches have latched on to the spiritual warfare component of the dominionist theology of leaders of the NAR quite readily. Notable among these mystics are John Wimber, Dutch Sheets, Chuck Pierce, Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner, Todd Bentley, Patricia King, Bob Jones, Stacey Campbell, John Arnott, Mike Bickle, Randy Clark, Che Ahn and Ryan Wyatt (to name only a few!!) All these people are supporters of the “New Wave” which is supposedly God’s own “New Breed” of young people that He is raising up in the church today. These people will take by force all the ground that is not Christian ground and make it perfect and holy so that Jesus can return to earth to set up His Kingdom. See “Joel’s Army.”

As C. Peter Wagner looked to hand over the reigns of the driver of the NAR there seemed to be a bit of a scramble by some who probably felt they would be the natural choice to inherit Wagner’s self-appointed mantle. Strong contenders were Che Ahn and Bill Johnson as they struggled to lead the promotion and commissioning of Todd Bentley near the end of the Florida debacle in 2008. Stacey Campbell took a good stab at it as well. But in the end, Chuck Pierce seems to have been chosen to succeed Wagner.

You might have deduced, by the inflections in my writing, that I am not a supporter of the NAR. You are correct! Let me explain why…

First of all, The NAR promotes the office of the PROPHET. I believe the Bible is complete with all the prophetic words we need in order to be able to understand what our purpose is and also to understand the reason Jesus died on the cross. (See “Are there Prophets in the Church Today?”)

Secondly, The NAR promotes the restoration of office of the APOSTLE. I believe the office of the apostle was retired after the real apostles who walked with Jesus and demonstrated their authority by working of signs and wonders and the preaching of the true Gospel laid the foundations of the church.

Thirdly, I believe there are false teachings being promoted within the NAR that are rooted in MYSTICISM, which cannot be mixed with Christianity. The Bible warns that in the end times there will be many false teachers who will bring all kinds of strange fire and winds of doctrine into the church and that Christians will discard sound doctrine preferring to have their ears tickled. The teachings of the NAR tickle our ears because they lead us to believe that we have some kind of POWER that gives us the ability to perform miracles and bring about the appearance of signs and wonders. There is nothing inherently wrong with miracles, signs and wonders but when people begin to see the reality that they don’t actually have POWER, some of them will start to lie and make up tall tales about wonderful things they have seen and/or done in order to fit in to the NAR or feel accepted by its leaders. The followers of the NAR are seeking a sign and a wonder and desiring mystical experiences which in itself is not so wrong but when people are made to feel guilty of being faithless doubters when they don’t see these miraculous manifestations, then we have spiritual abuse going on. Also, Jesus said that a wicked and adulterous nation seeks a sign but none will be given except the sign of Jonah. (Mat 16:4 / 12:39)

Fourth, the NAR is structured kind of like AMWAY in that its hierarchy of governance is based on a pyramid style-marketing scheme. This is wrong because nobody ever has to take responsibility for what they teach or believe because they are all in somebody else’s “down-line” and nobody has access to the ones at the top of the pyramid. These guys have bodyguards and you have to navigate through an army of underlings to get to speak to them. One of the big ideas promoted in the NAR is “accountability” but the leaders in the movement are actually accountable to nobody. As long as they say they are “under a covering” they don’t have to take responsibility for any false doctrines that get spread around by or through them.

Finally, the doctrine that is used as a basis for the foundational beliefs of the NAR is patently false! It is based on a message that puts the onus on people to be able to earn salvation for themselves by behaving properly and/or doing good works. We know that we are totally wretched beings; incapable of pleasing God or keeping his Laws apart from trusting JESUS for the sanctification we receive by trusting in HIM for the Grace that is ours if we will only accept it.

Are you looking for REFORMATION? Maybe look into the Protestant Reformation brought about by Martin Luther and his 95 Thesis, nailed to the door of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s.

Every day millions are born, millions die;

All are loved by our Maker on high;

Some born to privilege, some born to pain,

Some born to poverty, toil and shame.

Some born defiled and some born too soon;

Some born too late, to hear freedom’s tune.

Some have no time to value the gifts,

That some never find in a world of hardship.

So may we find moments to pause and reflect

On the one birth of all the world can’t forget.

For all these conditions will one day depart

When we all know the One who’s Divine from the start.

Yes, now, as we hasten to set up the tree

And hang bright lights up and down every street.

As we hurry to send happy cards near and far

And stock the pantry with cookies and tarts,

Let us take but a moment to reflect on God’s plan

To plant us as seeds in both good soil and bad;

Let us take this small moment to offer our praise

For the one precious Gift that opens the way.

Like all, he was born to a world marred by sin,

Yet He opened heaven’s door and bid us, “Come in”.

Come in if you value the fact you were born -

No matter the roses, no matter the thorns.

Come in if you care for the millions that slave

Just to survive, for them all must pray.

Come in if you know, as each day starts,

That the birth of God’s Son was a gift from His heart.

A gift to our world of sorrow and sin,

A gift that bids all to “Come in, come in!”

Hang a wreath on your door, polish the floor,

Bid guests to “Come in!” and be joyous for sure.

But remember the wreath that was placed on His head

And the tree that He carried to Calvary and death.

Remember His promise to be by your side

No matter the troubles along your life’s ride.

He is the One who would not have been born

Had the Power on high given up on us all;

Yes, the Father’s desire for a world free of sin

Was restored when His Son bid, “Lost sinners, come in“.         

Linda Wilkins Parker

When I saw this video on Facebook my reaction was this:  

• He met people he never knew like his grandfather and St. John the Baptist.
• He was above them while being operated on. “ I saw my dad in a little room talking to god, I saw my mom in another room talking on the phone and talking to one of her friends.
• He can recognize pictures of his great grandfather who he never met.
• He knows that God is a very, very big person. He can actually fit the entire world into his hands.
• Jesus has a rough but kind face, sea blue eyes and a smile that lights up the heavens.
• There are no old people up in heaven, just young adults.
• He met his baby sister that had died in mommy’s tummy. He didn’t know about the miscarriage, his sister told him about it when he met her in Heaven.

So I am just going to keep an eye on this story and watch for developments. I wonder why they waited until the boy was this age to give an interview to a news station? He seems to be about 10 in the video and he supposedly had the experience when he was 4. It seems pretty obvious to me that the last 6 years have been spent teaching Coltan what to say when questioned about the book.

Am I too sceptical? Perhaps but let’s just see what happens in the future of these people…

See also: Delia Knox…I’m interested in following her story as well!

Question: “Are there prophets in the church today?”

Answer: The gift of prophet seems to have been a temporary gift given by the Christ for the laying of the foundation of the church. Prophets were foundational to the church (Ephesians 2:20). The prophet proclaimed a message from the Lord to the early believers. Sometimes a prophet’s message was revelatory (new revelation and truth from God) and sometimes a prophet’s message was predictive (see Acts 11:28 and 21:10). The early Christians did not have the complete Bible. Some early Christians did not have access to any of the books of the New Testament. The New Testament prophets “filled the gap” by proclaiming God’s message to the people who would not have access to it otherwise. The last book of the New Testament (Revelation) was not completed until late in the first century. So, the Lord sent prophets to proclaimed God’s Word to His people.

Are there true prophets today? If the purpose of a prophet was to reveal truth from God, why would we need prophets if we have the completed revelation from God in the Bible? If prophets were the “foundation” of the early church, are we still building the “foundation” today? Can God give someone a message to deliver to someone else? Absolutely! Does God reveal truth to someone in a supernatural way and enable that person to deliver that message to others? Absolutely! But is this the biblical gift of prophecy? No.

Whatever the case, whenever a person claims to be speaking for God (the essence of prophecy) the key is to compare what is said with what the Bible says. If God were to speak through a person today, it would be in 100% complete agreement with what God has already said in the Bible. God does not contradict Himself. 1 John 4:1 instructs us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 declares, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.” So, whether is it a “word from the Lord” or a supposed prophecy, our response should be the same. Compare what is said to what the Word of God says. If it contradicts the Bible, throw it out. If it agrees with the Bible, pray for wisdom and discernment as to how to apply the message (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:5).

Really? You're going to teach us how to prophecy?

Now, I could have lived with that and just let it go at “I’m coming out for LGBT equality” but when I read this; “because it’s 2010 and almost 90% of LGBT youth experience harassment in school, and too many lives have been lost.” I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. I thought first of all that there is probably not much difference in the amount of harassment at school for gay kids in 2010 than there was in 1910…in fact; I’d say being gay is probably more accepted now than it was then. Secondly I thought it absolutely preposterous that the link was in any way directed at or toward youth! Thirdly I thought it a little presumptuous to suggest that lives are being lost because the youth are not “coming out” with their gayness. (Wow, MS Word didn’t highlight the word “gayness”! It’s a real word now? Like, there are levels of how gay you are?)

Anyway, my first comment on this status was: Wouldn’t it be better to counsel kids who think they are gay to not come out? I mean, kids are confused about lots of things. I think we should counsel kids to control their sexual desires and even suggest they don’t date at all until they are finished highschool…wouldn’t that be better?

My friend replied: No that wouldn’t be better. I don’t think asking anyone to lie is ethical or Christian. I think that we should all be free and SAFE to live our lives as who we are. I think the way to do that is to teach tolerance and humanity. Our world is full of deceit and violence. Teaching an alternative to that is where we need to start. In an ideal world, it would be wonderful if all teenagers could ignore their sexual desires, whatever they are. But the reality is that is not the world we live in and we cannot continue to watch our youth be hurt and hurt themselves.d is full of deceit and violence. Teaching an alternative to that is where we need to start. In an ideal world, it would be wonderful if all teen agers could ignore their sexual desires, whatever they are. But the reality is that is not the world we live in and we can not continue to watch our youth be hurt and hurt themselves.

Well I guess I shouldn’t have expected any different. In her zeal to defend her lifestyle, my friend had inadvertently fallen into the error of the ad hominem fallacy. This fallacy basically attacks the character of anyone who dares question the issue at hand rather than defending the issue. She is saying that I am encouraging people to lie. I am unethical and not behaving like a true Christian. I don’t think people should be free and safe. I am intolerant and not teaching humanity, which contributes to deceit and violence in the world and I am an old-fashioned prude because I think kids should be taught to try and control their sexual urges. I am obviously out of touch with reality and I am cold and heartless because I am simply watching as our youth get hurt or hurt themselves.

I don’t think that’s what my friend meant to say but she doesn’t see, like what so many defenders of minority lifestyles fail to see, is that in defending something I am intolerant of, they are more hateful (or at least spiteful) and intolerant sounding than me!

I’m not intolerant of gay adults living quiet lives as normally as possible but I am intolerant of teaching children in school that being gay and acting upon sexual urges, gay or otherwise, is normal. I don’t think kids, youth, teens, whatever you want to call them actually know what their sexual orientation is until they are around 17 or 18. I’m sure there are many kids who, between the ages of 12 and 17, will explore sexual curiosities with other kids of the same gender. This doe not make them gay! It makes them curious! Suppose you caught your 14-year-old smoking a joint. Would you tell him that he may as well just “come out” with it? He was obviously born to be a smoker and a drug addict. Right? NO! He’s a non-smoking and clear-headed kid who was curious about smoking pot!

I believe that the reason we no longer live in a world where kids can control, or be taught to control their sexually deviant natures is because we adults have become soft on moral issues like this. We want to be soft on our own sexually deviant natures and we pass the teaching on to our kids.

C’mon people…can I get an AMEN? How come everybody sticks their heads in the sand on this issue? Even people very close to me will just about spit and hiss at me that we should RESPECT kids who want to have gay sex. It’s like the twilight zone for me here! These are supposedly Bible-believing Christians. I can totally respect adults who are gay…but we’re talking about affirming a notion in the minds of children that acting upon sexual urges is normal. Acting upon sexual urges IS normal for adults…but not for kids! And to suggest that only kids who think they are gay get bullied is just wrong. I know of two kids in my own town that “came out” when they were 14 or 15 and they are very popular. I have also known kids who were bullied and some who displayed suicidal tendencies because they just didn’t feel like they fit in. They had pimples or they thought their bodies or parts of their bodies were too big or too small. Teenagers are fragile people. In this world, so full of advertising telling us the way we should look and behave, I am sure it is not good counsel to tell kids that they should “come out” with their gay feelings. This “coming out day” will do more harm than good. Mark my words. There will be a spike in reported episodes of bullying as some of these confused kids listen to the advice of adults and decide to “come out” during this thing called “National Coming Out Day”

I am praying fervently. James 5:16 ~ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The miracle is the acai berry from the rain forests of Brazil and here is how it is being marketed.

Perfectly healthy people who are good looking, young and already doing well financially are enjoying success with the juice and the business because they are able buy the product in bulk and talk their acquaintances, friends and family into buying the juice. The business and product looks attractive (maybe even to sceptics) because good-looking, young people who are healthy and wealthy (and also have some business acumen and sales knowledge) are pushing it! But here is what will happen in the long run.

Those who are not so well endowed with business acumen, good looks, health or wealth but want to fit in with this new, hip crowd may do alright for a while if they buy into the business but they will find that they will not make much money if they don’t make a full-time job out of pushing the juice. Relationships will be strained as friends and family begin to avoid the ones selling the juice because they feel guilty about saying no or they just don’t want to be bothered.

Sick people may feel some benefit from drinking the juice because it is fruit juice after all and very high in antioxidants and other good stuff found in all fruit juices! Also, there is the “placebo effect” that is a natural phenomena that appears to happen to people who believe they are taking something that will make them well. Yes, lots of fruit is good for you and you are bound to be a little healthier if you eat a lot of fruit or drink a lot of fruit juice.

The sick people who are able to afford continuing on the juice will not be cured of their ailments but they will feel better so they will continue and it will look like it was Monavie that made them well.

Sick people who start using the juice and feel better but can’t afford to continue will suffer hard withdrawal when they stop taking it and will have to go into debt to get more juice. Personally, I believe that acai is addictive and I fear that some people will feel depressed or sick when they stop drinking it.

The dealers will ride a wave of success in the first few years but they will start selling less and less as everyone who likes the product becomes a “dealer”. This happens with all multi-level marketing schemes, which this is, even though the company calls it a “relational marketing plan”. The reality is that it’s a pyramid. It’s a Ponzi scheme. All business structures that rely on sellers signing up other sellers in a down-line end up with a huge portion of the sellers on the bottom of the pile and while it may seem alright to those who get in early, I have to question the ethics of this mindset.

The company executives and those dealers who got in very early and worked really hard will make lots of money…everyone else will limp away broke and feeling ripped off…again. This is what happened to those who got involved in Amway in the 1970s, Sunrider in the 80s and Melaleuca in the 90s. Another recent miracle product in the multi-level marketing world of this decade is MAXgxl. If you are looking for a product that will cure all your ailments, MAX is probably cheaper than Monavie.

Another serious negative aspect of the Monavie phenomenon is that marriages will be challenged over the amount of money being spent on the juice. For a young couple to drink this stuff they will be out of pocket about 400 bucks a month. That’s a mortgage or car loan payment for most people. If they start giving the juice to their kids, well holy smokes, I can’t even imagine who can afford to do that! And there is the shipping cost as well! A family of 4 will spend around $1000.00 a month on Monavie and shipping. You can’t just walk into a store and buy this stuff, you have to give the company your credit card # and go on pre-ordered shipments. That’s just not right.

You will notice that after some time, outdated product or product nearing expiry will be offered up on eBay for a fraction of the original value as dealers realize that it’s too hard to sell 26 ounces of fruit juice for 40 bucks! It’s already happening with Monavie on eBay. Check it out.

So, in short, I’d say, if you are rich and healthy…have at the Monavie! If you are sick and poor…eat lots of fruit and get some exercise!

Do you ever feel like your life as a Christian is like riding on a roller coaster? Does your Christian walk seem to be a series of long, slow climbs to the crest of some pinnacle (usually some kind of “breakthrough” like a physical healing or deliverance from some sinful behaviour) and then a spectacular thrill ride all the way to the bottom where you realise you’ve “lost” your healing or fallen into sin again but (for some strange reason) you have a strong desire to get back on the ride? Do you feel like you want to get off the ride once and for all but you’re afraid you’ll upset the cart and spoil the ride for everyone else if you do?

You are not alone. Look around; there are many people who are either down in the dumps or on some kind of high. Do you think there might be a place for you this mess? Have you done penance for your sinful nature? What works are you doing to advance the Kingdom? Are you tired of feeling guilty? Let me tell you, it’s time to get off the roller coaster and ride the Ferris wheel! From a metaphorical point of view, you only have to get on the Ferris wheel once and you can enjoy a long, steady ride to the top where you will stay for a while and then you’ll slowly glide to the bottom. But you don’t feel sick or guilty at the bottom of this ride. No, here is where you finish feeling fulfilled. Most Christian people want a slow, steady and solid life that ends with them safely delivered into the embrace of a loving and predictable God.

It seems like there is a huge divide in today’s emerging church. This divide is between where many Christians think they should be in their Christian walk and the reality of where they are! They are constantly told that they need to “break the chains” that are holding them back from a true relationship with Jesus Christ. They’re told that they need to “cry out” for mercy! But so many of them forget that Jesus Christ has already given us mercy! Yes, every one of us has some kind of struggle in our lives but there is nothing, I mean NOT ANYTHING that can separate you from the love of Christ apart from a lack of repentance. But repentance isn’t about beating yourself up or trying to “fix” someone else! Repentance is simply recognising and admitting that you are a sinner who is willing to change.

The Bible says that in all these things (tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword) we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:36-37) and it also says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) These verses beg for people to understand that it is only by GRACE that we have been set free. There are no verses in the New Testament Bible that say any one of us can DO anything to earn favour with God or get a better placement in Heaven. In fact, Jesus makes all this quite clear in Matthew 7:21-23 where we can read: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” If we Christians have anything to fear…it is that! Should we come to stand before the Judge at the end of our earthly lives and find that He does not even know us that will be the worst that can happen to us.

We know that the only way to get to know Jesus is through study of and meditation on His Word in the Bible. So why do so many Christians get so caught up in thinking that our works (the things we do) are required for God to love us? I think I can help explain how this happens.

It starts with some well-meaning Christian telling you that you must go to church if you want to call yourself a Christian and reap the benefits of being one. The person who tells you this will cite the teachings of seeker-friendly, mega-church pastors who push this idea because they need to fill seats to keep the bills paid. They will also use the misinterpretation of any number of verses in the Bible that talk about the importance of the fellowship of believers but they will be failing to understand that when two or more of you are gathered together in His name, He is there! Fellowship of believers can be 2 or 3 Christians gathered together for a coffee in a local restaurant or a busload of youth heading off to a conference together. Fellowship of believers does not have to be a regularly scheduled meeting of religious folk gathered in a building and doing rituals! However, you grew up hearing that going to Church was a good thing (which it is!) and now you’ve been convinced that you MUST join this particular church. So you do and there you are, a member of the church.

(Coda)

You’ve been motivated…now what? Well, now you must contribute according to the gifts God has given you. The body has many parts…the hands cannot operate without the eyes! The eyes serve the hands and the hands serve the eyes! The problem is, everyone wants to be the eyes and they can all “see” that YOU are supposed to be the hands so you end up being the one to take out the trash and wash the floors. You don’t have skills as a musician or speaker, you aren’t qualified to teach anything and you’d better not be attending church just to get taught something because it’s not all about you after all! Anyways, you do what “they” say and you listen to the testimonies from people who tell of how becoming a Christian has made their lives so much better and how they’ve been blessed with healings, money or things because they have been faithful in giving of their tithes and doing good works. Maybe you go to a “burn party” and you toss all your books and music from “the world” into the fire and you feel like you’ve gained some headway in achieving a status that is favourable in God’s eyes. In the back of your mind you’re thinking about how many hours you worked at your minimum wage job in order to be able to buy those books and CDs and you really miss the music…but you put it out of your mind. You are “in” with the holy people and your life is going to get better! You begin to really get into the worship at the church…the band is really good. Your emotions are stirred and someone speaks a “word of knowledge” over you. YOU are going to be a warrior in God’s army! YOU are going to bring healing to the nations by the power of your testimony! One day, you find yourself standing at the front of the church with your hands raised in the air, totally immersed in the music and hey, that pain in your back (or whatever ailment you had) is not there anymore! Praise GOD! You’ve made it! You are a real Christian! Soon you find yourself up at the front, testifying how God has touched your life and you have become a new person! YOU are one of THEM! The motivation you got when you began coming to this church has worked. You are peaking on God…you might even find yourself falling down when some specially anointed minister slaps you on the forehead…maybe you even find yourself clucking like a chicken or bursting into uncontrollable laughter at seemingly inopportune times! WOW! You are anointed…you can even do the “drunk face” when the Holy Spirit comes upon you!

But then you get home one day and you wonder why these “manifestations” only happen when you’re in the church building or around some of the people. Why can’t you seem to whip yourself into a frenzy at home? It’s so much fun! You may notice that you’re still struggling with that sin you’ve been trying to avoid (the one you got delivered from at church last week) and lo and behold, your back pain (or whatever ailment you have) has returned! And what about those gold teeth and angel feathers? Everybody who got gold teeth lost them and nobody saved any of the angel feathers! And the woman who was doing back arches and other strange contortions has not been seen for a while…her back is sore. And the drug addict who got raised from the dead has gone and overdosed and died. You ask the pastor, “What’s going on, is any of this real” He says you don’t have enough faith…even Jesus couldn’t do miracles in His own hometown because of their lack of faith! CRASH! You’ve been condemned…You’re not good enough…not a great Christian. It’s time for rededication. Better DO some works and some penance…You need to cry out to the Lord for forgiveness…FREEDOM! BREAK THESE CHAINS! Better go to church! Go to the front, fall on your face…or dance! Scream! CRY OUT TO GOD!

(D.S. al Coda) Repeat ad nausium.

This leads me to ask, “Is it possible to be a Bible-believing Christian and not believe that God MUST heal me or perform a miracle if I meet a certain set of criteria and pray in a certain manner?” Like if I understand the 30 reasons why some preacher says we don’t get healed and I somehow manage to meet all of his 30 reasons why we do get healed, does God HAVE TO heal me?

Following are two teachings from www.gotquestions.org. These teachings seem reasonable to me. Now some of you will say, “NO! YOU HAVE TO READ THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF AND SEE WHAT IT SAYS TO YOU!” Ok, so why consider any teaching then? Many people would not be able to understand most of the bible without their concordances and various study notes. Here are the two studies, one on Healing and one on Signs & Wonders:

Study 1) WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HEALING?

Answer: Isaiah 53:5, which is then quoted again in 1 Peter 2:24, is a key verse on healing that is often misunderstood and misapplied. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that it is speaking of spiritual healing. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” The verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. Therefore, being “healed” is speaking of being forgiven and saved, not physically healed.

The Bible does not specifically link physical healing with spiritual healing. Oftentimes people are physically healed when they place their faith in Christ – but this is not always the case. Sometimes it is God’s will to heal and sometimes it is not. The Apostle John gives us the proper perspective: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). God still performs miracles. God still heals people. Sickness, disease, pain, and death are still realities in this world. Unless the Lord returns in the next 50 years or so, almost everyone who is alive today will die, and the vast majority of them (Christians included) will die as the result of a physical problem (disease, sickness, injury). It is not always God’s will to heal us physically.

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in Heaven. In Heaven, there will be no more pain, sickness, disease, suffering, or death (Revelation chapter 21). We all need to be less preoccupied with our physical condition in this world, and be a little more preoccupied with our spiritual condition (Romans 12:1-2). Then, we can focus our hearts on heaven and when we will no longer have to deal with physical problems, Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Study 2) ARE THE MIRACULOUS GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT FOR TODAY?

Answer: It would be foolish and unbiblical to claim that God does not heal people, speak to people, and perform miraculous signs and wonders today. The question is whether the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, described primarily in 1 Corinthians, are still active in the church today. This is also not a question of “can” the Holy Spirit give someone a miraculous gift but “does” the Holy Spirit still dispense the miraculous gifts today. Above all else, we entirely recognize that the Holy Spirit is free to dispense gifts according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

In the book of Acts and the Epistles, the apostles perform the vast majority of miracles along with their close associates. 2 Corinthians 12:12 gives us the reason why, “The things that mark an apostle — signs, wonders and miracles — were done among you with great perseverance.” If every believer in Christ was equipped with the ability to perform signs, wonders, and miracles – signs, wonders, and miracles could in no way be the identifying marks of an apostle. Acts 2:22 tells us that Jesus was “accredited” by “miracles, wonders, and signs.” Similarly were the apostles “marked” as genuine messengers from God by the miracles they performed. Acts 14:3 describes the Gospel message being “confirmed” by the miracles Paul and Barnabas performed.

1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 deal primarily with the subject of the gifts of the Spirit. It seems from that text that “ordinary” Christians were sometimes given miraculous gifts (12:8-10; 28-30). We are not told how commonplace this was. From what we learned above, that the apostles were “marked” by signs and wonders, it would seem that miraculous gifts being given to “ordinary” Christians was the exception, not the rule. Outside of the apostles and their close associates, the New Testament nowhere specifically describes individuals exercising the miraculous gifts of the Spirit.

It is also important to realize that the early church did not have the completed Bible, as we do today (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, the gifts of prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, etc. were necessary in order for the early Christians to know what God would have them to do. The gift of prophecy enabled believers to communicate new truth and revelation from God. Now that God’s revelation is complete in the Bible, the “revelatory” gifts are no longer needed, at least not in the same capacity as they were in the New Testament.

God miraculously heals people every day. God still speaks to us today, whether in an audible voice, whether in our minds, or whether through impressions and feelings. God still does amazing miracles, signs, and wonders – and sometimes performs those miracles through a Christian. However, what were just described are not necessarily the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. The primary purpose of the miraculous gifts was to prove that the Gospel was true and that the apostles were truly God’s messengers. The Bible does not say outright that the miraculous gifts have ceased, but it does lay the foundation for why they might no longer be necessary.

What have I learned from these studies?

I think we can all stop feeling guilty or faithless if we are not receiving healing or seeing many miracles, signs or wonders. We are born of original sin and the wages of sin is death. It is appointed unto man to die once. Here are my ideas on the subject of miraculous healings. They are pretty simple:

Reasons why we get healed:

1. It is God’s will at this time
2. We have prayed in His will.

Reasons why we don’t get healed:

1. It is not God’s will at this time.
2. We stopped praying.

That’s about it. Many people can’t accept this simple truth and feel they must claim things they didn’t get yet. If it is God’s will that my back pain stops, my back pain will stop. But when it stops, I am not going to write a book about it and sell it to you (unless of course I can explain the healing by some physical treatment that I devised.) If I receive a miraculous healing I will tell you about it for free. You can write it down and share it with others for free or you can record me giving testimony, make copies and give them away for free. The Word of God through testimony should be free. And I will continue to ask God that you be healed as well!

On the subject of signs and wonders, there seems to be a growing tide of more and more outrageously miraculous claims being made within the body of Christ these days. Each new wave has a crest just a little higher than the last. If ABC ministries say they had gold dust appearing in the pages of a few bibles at their meeting, then XYZ ministries will claim they had gold dust mixed in oil dripping from all their bibles. Dare I say that there is some kind of one-up-man-ship going on? There is a movement of people who now believe it is God’s will for them to just be in a stoned state or drunken state during their worship time, just soaking in the glory cloud of holy smoke. (Google John Crowder) What is next, a movement of holy sexual orgies to show that God is a God of love?

I believe that we, as the body of Christ must continue to pray for and expect to receive healings and see miracles. We should expect to see signs and wonders and we must give glory to God for them when we get or see them. I do not believe that if we receive a miracle that we’re supposed to build a business trying to sell miracles to others. I also believe that if we are going to claim a miracle, we’d better be able to back our claims with proof…otherwise, what is the point? Telling people stories that are hard for them to believe and not providing proof that the stories are true only causes them to doubt God, which is a sin. If we cause someone to sin by doubting the awesome saving power of Jesus Christ it would be better for us to have millstones around tied around our necks and be thrown into the ocean! That is the Word of God (Matthew, Mark & Luke.)