Signs and Wonders today

In Mark 16:15-18, "And He (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover."

We must remember that love and the gospel are #1 and #2 priorities. I Cor. 1:22-24, "For the Jews request a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God."  In other words, the Jews want endless signs and the Greeks want endless chatter to distract us from sharing the gospel of Jesus. Stay on target.

But there are cases where might makes right in unbeliever's eyes.  Moses in Pharoah's court did a spiritual power confrontation with the head witches of Egypt.  He won, to get a hearing with the Pharoah.  St. Paul in the court of Sergius Paulus did a spiritual power confrontation with Elymas, the counselor and sorcerer, to silence him.  Elymas ended up blind for a time. Saint Patrick in Ireland had a spiritual power confrontation to defeat the head witch of Ireland to gain King Laoghaire to the side of the gospel and win Ireland to Christianity.

How do we get to use signs and wonders?  On God's promises of answered prayer. Jesus Christ limited himself to being merely human here on earth so He could be our intercessor.  He was the perfect Christian on earth.  During those forty days in the wilderness, He must have been praying for all the gifts of  Isaiah 11:2 and praying for the signs & wonders.  If Jesus could do it as a pure human, so can we!

Just don't let it go to your head.  James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

The New Testament is full of examples of signs and wonders.  Ask for them as you run across them in your reading.  

Jesus spoke life into dead people .... Pray for that to happen with you.  

Jesus' clothes and touch were sources of healing .... Pray for that to happen with you. 

Jesus told us we can neutralize poisons .... Pray for that to happen with you.

Jesus calmed the wind & waters with speech .... Pray for that to happen with you.

When guidance comes, try it out.

edited: October 15, 2017         orderofsaintpatrick.org/signs-wonders.htm