There can be quite a lot of confusion about the place of the miraculous in evangelism. For a while there was a way of thinking that was called ‘power evangelism’. The idea was that if people saw the Church doing miraculous works, they would pay a lot more attention when we proclaimed the Gospel. It’s strange how popular the idea became, given that Jesus shows us both in His own example of doing miracles, and in His teaching, that there is nothing about miracles per se that encourages belief. Sometimes quite the opposite. Jesus was the miracle worker par excellence and yet this didn’t cause people to trust Him any more, or indeed, even to listen more carefully to what He said. Indeed, Jesus specifically warns us that miracles don’t compel belief: ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ (Lk.16:31).
More than that, Jesus ties this use of miracles with false teachers and false messiahs against whom we should be on our guard. Mark 13:22, For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Still, there is a lingering suspicion in some corners of the Church that everyone should do the kind of miraculous things the Apostles are sent out to do. It is rather hard to square this with the Bible’s teaching. Passages such as Acts 2:43; 4:33; and Acts 5:12, are crystal clear that this was the experience of the apostles. And in Acts 9:32-43, it is notable that the disciples are not themselves able to perform a miracle, but send for Peter – an apostle – who then raises Tabitha from the dead.
Paul later explains the role of miracles in the experience of the Apostles: I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles (II Cor.12:12).
Which is not to say the Spirit doesn’t work miraculously today. Both within Scripture and in our own experience we know that there are times when the Spirit works (sometimes in answer to prayer) in ways that transcend human understanding. Contrary to some inflated claims, this does not mean that we have apostle-like power delegated to us. It simply means that in His grace, the Lord achieves His purposes, whether through what we think of as ‘natural’ means, or ‘supernatural’ means.
Questions:
Why is mission one of the first things Jesus teaches His disciples?
Is proclaiming the Gospel in this way a priority for every Christian, or just for the Apostles?
If this is so important, how would you make sense of a Christian, or a Church, where proclaiming the Gospel wasn’t integral to everything they did?
Do you think all Christians are able to do the kind of miraculous works we see the Apostles do? Are we all given ‘power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases’ (Lk.9:1)?
In what sense are the apostles foundational to the mission of the Church? Why do they need authenticating in this way? What benefit is that authentication to the Church?
What is Jesus teaching His disciples by sending them out on mission with ‘no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt’ (Lk.9:3)? How can we learn the same lessons today?
What does it mean to ‘shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them’ (Lk.9:5)? Is this something we should do when people refuse the Gospel? What would it look like today?
What benefits might there have been if Jesus had granted an audience with Herod (Lk.9:9)? Why does Jesus not let Herod see him even when Herod tried to? Are there people like this we know today? Should we treat them in the same way?
