Many within the church believe that after the Apostles died and their writings were collected in the New Testament, the place of Signs and Wonders in evangelism has passed, and Christians should not pursue them today. This does not mean miracles don't happen. It just says they are not the typical or normal way ministry is to be done.
You can often hear it said that the healing ministry of Jesus and the Apostles was unique, and miracles were not done by Christians in general, but were the signs of the Apostles exclusive authority. When they died out, the signs died out.
There are also those who claim that Signs and Wonders were merely for authenticating the Bible, and now that people have the Bible, Christians don't need them anymore because Signs and Wonders don’t produce real faith in an unbelieving heart.
In the first century church effective evangelism and witnessing happened when the disciples received “power” from the Holy Spirit to be God’s “witnesses” for Him, not only in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria but even to the “ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8 NIV) Signs and Wonders are included in the “power” which the Disciples received from the Holy Spirit for effective witnessing.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Power for Evangelism
One day just prior to Jesus ascension, the Disciples came to Him with a question concerning the time that He would restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus said to them that, although it is not for them “to know the times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority,” they will be given “power” to take part in a different kind of ‘kingdom restoration.’ Throughout the Book of Acts, it is shown that effective evangelism and witnessing is often the result of Signs and Wonders. An example of this is when Stephen, “a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people” (Acts 6:8-9 NIV).
In Good Company
Jesus said the supernatural Signs and Wonders are to “accompany those who believe” (Mark 16:17a NIV). The Greek word “para-koloutheo” translated “accompany” means to follow very closely. “Para” is a primary preposition that means “near,” “from beside” “in the vicinity of.” The Greek word “koloutheo” comes from “keleuthos” which means “a road;” “to be in the same way with.” It is used elsewhere in Scripture and translated into English as “attain,” “fully know,” or to “have understanding.”
Signs and Wonders should be fully understood by every Christian that they are to accompany them wherever they are, and whenever they proclaim the great news of Jesus Christ. They are legitimate tools of effective evangelism.
The Apostle Paul often used Signs and Wonders as a "demonstration of the Spirit's power" (1 Cor 2:4) when he proclaimed the Gospel message. In one instance, as he was standing before the Proconsul (the representative of the Emperor), a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Elymas “opposed” him as he tried to share the Gospel. Paul;
“filled with the Holy Spirit…looked straight at Elymas and said, 'You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.' Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.”
Signs and Wonders were used to open his heart to trust in the saving message of the Gospel. When the “proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord” (Acts 13:7-12 NIV). By seeing the miracle take place, he was amazed at the authority of the teaching.
Throughout Scripture Signs and Wonders are consistently united with the preaching of the Word. The book of Exodus shows the ability of signs and how God works through miracles to produce faith.
“Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you?" Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in His hand. "This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob -- has appeared to you." (Ex 4:1-6 NIV)
Pharaoh refused to believe, not because Signs and Wonders could not lead to faith but because “His heart was hard.” In contrast when Aaron performed signs before the people, "they believed" (Ex. 4:31 NIV).
In the case of the Pharisees, it is recorded "even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him" (Jn 12:37 NIV). The difference obviously depends on the responsiveness of the human heart, not any deficiency in miracles to provoke faith.
Jesus condemned the religious leaders because they had more than sufficient reason to believe He was the Messiah but they rejected the miraculous evidence “based on His miracles,” (Jn 10:38) that He was co-equal with God the Father. People will intentionally disbelieve because of the pride in their hearts, even when faced with the overwhelming evidence of miracles. As Jesus said;
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.” (Jn 15:22-25 NIV)
Jesus also pointed directly to His miracles as proof that He was the Messiah when the messengers of John the Baptist came to Him. Jesus told them;
"go back and report back to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." (Luke 7:18-23 NIV)
The Apostle Peter referred to the miracles of Jesus as proof of His Lordship when He spoke to the household of Cornelius. (Acts 10:37-38) as well as to the Crowds on the day of Pentecost;
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him" (Acts 2:22)
The book of Hebrews states that the salvation message announced by the Apostles was first announced by the Lord and;
"was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will". (Heb 2:3-4b-4 NIV)
It is clearly evident that God always confirmed the life and message of Jesus through Signs and Wonders. There is no viable reason to think He won’t continue to use Signs and Wonders in daily ministry today (Heb 13:7-8 NIV).
The Use of Signs and Wonders in Evangelism
“Signs and Wonders in the New Testament were designed by God to help people recognize and believe in Jesus as God, the Son and then to vindicate the authority of His Apostles as they laid the foundation for the Church with their inspired teachings and writings. People should see more Signs and Wonders in the church today than they do.
Miracles are given by God to woo and wow His people in order to bless the Church so that she will spread the Gospel. Because Jesus is always the same, they should be sought after and operated in the Church daily, just as Jesus operated in them daily.
Beginning in the book of Genesis, and on through Revelation, miracles are virtually commonplace. The primary reason they didn’t appear then, and they don’t now, is “because of their unbelief” (Matt 13:58 KJV).
As discussed previously, there are lying Signs and Wonders brought directly by the enemy. Sadly, I have known of some Christians who behave just like the enemy when they ‘help’ God in such ways as placing ‘gold dust’ in the ventilation system to fall upon those below, or place oil in the walls and in Bibles, or use hidden radio transmitters to give the Holy Spirit a "helping hand" and push-start in bringing revival and healing.
However, in spite of the many lying Signs and Wonders used in the church today, God is looking for those who will trust Him beyond their own human senses, understanding, and experience. If Signs and Wonders stopped when the last Apostle died, and they are not for today, then no miracle is for today and Christians should stop praying for miracles in their lives, as well as in the lives of others, because they are not going to happen.
When Signs and Wonders are used honestly, it is the result of a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit, most often through people who are of a broken and contrite heart and fully yielded, trusting Jesus with each breath they take. Never forget that because Jesus is sovereign, He can do anything He wants, whenever He wants, and however He wants!
The world wants to see the real thing and not just religion. Christians are commanded to pray for the terminally ill, cast out evil spirits from the demon-possessed, proclaim release to the captives, grant recovery to the blind, and set free those who are down-trodden and brokenhearted (Luke 4:18).
Christians must also continue witnessing through the preaching of the Word and their transformed lives, as well as be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s “anointing” to manifest Signs and Wonders for more empowered evangelism. The Great Commission is to make “disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:18-20). It requires no less than all that God has given through the Holy Spirit.
Removing Roadblocks
Barriers are removed, and belief is stimulated when Signs and Wonders are used. First and foremost, Jesus must be proclaimed as the Creator God of the universe. However, if people don’t believe what is said to them, Christians are to show them the evidence they can believe! Jesus said;
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (Jn 14:11 NIV)
Supernatural Signs and Wonders are also used to recognize and validate the person and mission of Jesus and reveal His character and nature. The sympathy and compassion of the Father poured out from Him;
"He saw a great multitude and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick" (Matt 14:14 NIV).
Jesus said, "If I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Luke 11:20 NIV)
Nicodemus approached Jesus because he understood the true meaning of His signs;
"Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." (Jn 3:2 NIV)
Signs and Wonders validate the message and the messenger of salvation. They help to open the door and remove roadblocks to faith by provoking the spiritual seeker to consider the claims presented by the messenger. Signs, wonders, miracles, and the nine supernatural manifestation gifts illustrate the reality of the presence and power of God to save.
An example of this is the time when Peter visited the farming community of Lydda and came upon a man who had been paralyzed for eight years. Peter, without preaching any message and without any hesitation, said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.' The man was healed immediately and, as a result, everyone who lived in “Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:32-35 NIV).
Another example is when Luke tells us about a woman named Dorcas who had died. He went to her side and spoke to her in the authority of Jesus name, and she was raised from the dead. Luke called for the Christians and the widows in the town and “presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord" (Acts 9:40-43 NIV). The impact of these two miracles shows that Signs and Wonders are just as viable for evangelistic impact as the preaching of the Word.
Signs and Wonders, however, are not the primary keys for the Christian to effectively preach and overcome the lies and strongholds of the enemy. The primary keys are threefold; first, the Christian overcomes the enemy “by the blood of the Lamb,” then, by the “word of their testimony,” and finally, through humility for “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev 12:11 NIV).
Ministering naturally in the supernatural manifestation gifts, along with Signs and Wonders, cannot happen if there is not direct and constant communication and dialogue with the Giver of the gifts through prayer.
