In Your Bible Read This
Exodus 33, 12-23; Acts 8

Here Is Your Memory Verse
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did,
they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits
came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
So there was great joy in that city. Acts 8, 5-8

Afterwards Talk About This
What does it mean practically, today, that Jesus is the same
yesterday, today and forever?

Something To Do Before Next Time
Well, now you have to go and do what you have learned.
Ask God to guide you into situations where he will display his glory and Presence.

Written Diploma Work
Write a list of the supernatural events in each chapter of Acts,
one line for each event.

Meditate Word By Word On This Verse
John 14.12

Spend a Minute to Change the World
Pray For Morocco - Operation World page 392

30,000,000 Arabs and Berbers, 99.8% Muslim, 400 Evangelicals

Strongly Christian in 500 AD, now intense persecution.

 

Be sure to teach this lesson to others.

Always pray and prepare well adding

your own verses and stories to bring it to life.

Have you noticed how quickly the early church grew in quantity and in quality?

• Quality prayer and decisions, Acts 1.

• Quantity of 3,000 believe, Acts 2.

• Quality lifestyle, Acts 2.42-47

• Quantity of 5,000 men, and probably 15,000 in total believe, by Acts 4.4

• Quality community, Acts 4.23-5.11

• Quantity increases by Acts 5.14

• Quality leadership, Acts 6, 1-6

• Quantities grow by Acts 6.1, 7

Why should that be in an oppressed and unlearned people? One reason was frequent signs and wonders from God. But are they for today?

1. Immanuel - God With Us.

After an Old Testament age of abundant signs and wonders came the birth of our Saviour which laid the foundations for the Christian movement that was about to be launched. The coming of Jesus was accompanied by signs, wonders, angels, revelations, dreams, the prophetic and the miraculous, Luke and Matthew ch. 1 & 2.

The People Of God
What distinguishes God’s people from everybody else on earth? Moses in Exodus 33,15 said it was the presence of God with us making us by nature a supernatural people. More than our natural learning we live by revelation knowledge, by every word that comes from the mouth of God, supernatural provision and Divine interventions in life, Matthew 4.4,

Jesus Example To Us.
Not only did Jesus do the will of God and show us exactly how the Father loved and cared for people, he also commanded and empowered us to go and do the same and even greater things. John 4.34, Hebrews 1.3, John 14.12, Mark 16-20, Acts 1.8.

2. What Did Jesus Do?

Miracles Of Healing
Nobleman's son, John 4.46; Peter's mother-in-law healed, Matthew 8.14; cleansing the leper, Matthew 8.3; the paralytic, Matthew 9.2;

More Miracles Of Healing
The impotent man was healed, John 5.5; the withered hand, Matthew 12.10; the centurion's servant, Matthew 8.5; issue of blood, Matthew 9.20; blind men, Matthew 9.27; Malchus healed, Luke 22.51; daughter of a Syrophenician, Matthew 15.22; Deaf and dumb healed, Mark 7.33; blind men, Matthew 20.30, Mark 10.46; 8.23; John 9.1; ten lepers, Luke 17.12; a woman with a spirit of infirmity, Luke 13.11; a man with dropsy, Luke 14.2.

Miracles Of Raising The Dead
The widow's son, Luke 7.11; Jairus' daughter, Matthew 9.18; Lazarus, John 11.1-44; his own resurrection, Luke 24.6 John 10.18.

Miracles Of Deliverance
The demoniacs, Mat. 12.22; 8.28; 9.32; Mark 1.26; a lunatic child, Mat. 17.14;

Miracles Over Nature
A tempest stilled, Matthew 8.26; walking on the sea, Matthew 14.25; cursing the fig tree, Matthew 21.19; appearing to his disciples after death.

Miracles Of Provision
Water changed to wine, John 2.9; catches of fish, Luke 5.6; John 21.6; feeding 5,000 and 4,000, Matthew 14.15; 15.32; tax money, Mat. 17.24.

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13.8

3. Acts Of God.

The book of the Acts of the Apostles is God’s text book for the Church to show us the normal Christian life. Acts has 28 chapters and in every one of them you will find supernatural signs, wonders and events taking place.

There are frequent appearances of Jesus, manifestations of the Holy Spirit and visits from angels. There are audible words from God, prophecies, new languages, dreams, visions, a trance and people choosing to believe. There are healings, deliverances, fillings of the Holy Spirit, awesome Divine judgements and abundant signs and wonders. This is the normal Christian life, not the extraordinary, the weird or the strange as many think today.

Letters Tell The Story
Paul leaned heavily upon signs and wonders, see Romans 15.17-20, Galatians 3.5 and 2 Tim 4.17. Hebrews 2.4 is another writer’s testimony, and both Peter and James were convinced of God’s healing power, 1 Peter 2.24, James 5.14-15. Around the year 400, church father Augustine wrote of miracles taking place in North Africa so they clearly did not cease with the passing of the original apostles.

4. What Are Miracles For?

Miracles are not like a circus act to arouse astonishment, nor are they to promote the person God uses. Neither are they ‘magic,’ or any kind of psychic suggestion.

On the contrary they are signs and evidence of the nearness of God, and beautiful sights of his compassion to those who are suffering or in the grip of demons. Miracles point to the Cross and the power of Jesus, Acts 5.12-14.

5. How To Prepare The Way For Miracles.

First, don’t forget to ask Jesus to do today exactly what he did yesterday, confirming his word with signs following whether instantly or in due course, James 4.2. Hebrews 13.8.
 

Remember Three ‘P’s To Bring Power
Praise, preaching and prayer. Like the disciples go everywhere, asking the Lord to work with you, Mark 16, 20.