Compassion and Love
One of the greatest motives for The Ministry of Signs and Wonders is compassion. Compassion is what drives the miracle ministry. The people that lived in Jesus’ day and had heard about him must have heard many wonderful reports. They must have heard about His faith, His power, His authority, His powerful preaching and how He confronted the religious establishment.
Yet one of the many other glorious features of our Savior’s nature is His compassion and love. When the ten lepers requested healing, they made a demand on His compassion as they said “Lord have compassion on us…” (Luke 17:13.) What was it that caused them to make an appeal on His compassion? They could have called upon His mighty power or authority, but it was His love and compassion that was the predominant feature that shone from Him.
Compassion is a feeling of deep empathy for a suffering individual, which is accompanied by a strong feeling and desire to alleviate and relieve him/her.
One of the most powerful truths about Jesus (which I address in great detail in my book on The Manifestation of the Indwelling Christ, is not only our identification with Him, but His identification with us. When God became a man, He identified with us. In identifying with us He became one with us. And in identifying with us, He did not merely feel sorry for us, but He felt what we feel. That is the difference between mere sympathy and Spirit-driven compassion.
This identification reached its culminating point in His death on the cross and resurrection—the pivotal point where man and God become one. In our union with Christ, we not only are the subjects of His love and compassion, but His feelings and emotions become part of us as we interact with others.
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders flows from this compassion. Obviously, some of the greatest miracles God wrought through me had been because of a faith and boldness He birthed in me that challenged the limits. Yet some of the greatest miracles have also been because of the compassion, love and empathy He birthed in me.
A young man served as my translator for many services over a 2-week period. Naturally he was awed by the many miracles of healing, the daring aspect of faith and the tangible anointing of the Spirit. Yet he told me that it was the overwhelming sense of compassion that prevailed in our ministry to the sick that made the greatest impression on him.
Compassion is partly formed in us by life’s experiences, but mainly by the love of the Spirit of God on the inside of us.
Again, when He was “healing every sickness and disease among the people,” He saw the multitudes and “had compassion on them…” (Matthew 9:35-36.)
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders:
Boldness
Just after this notable miracle, the apostles were detained, threatened and ordered to “not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus.” Instead of complying, they answered that they couldn’t but speak the things they had seen and heard (Acts 4:16-20.) When they were released they immediately prayed for courage and boldness:
“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:30.)
“And when they prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and preached the Word of God with boldness” (verse 31.)
God was placing His stamp of approval upon them and giving them another endowment of spiritual power to do exactly what they prayed for. The apostles associated their boldness directly with the operation of healing signs and wonders. When signs and wonders accompany our ministry, it is visible proof that the God Whom we preach is backing up His Word. Signs and wonders give us confidence and boldness.
There is a special grace and confidence that comes to the servant or handmaiden of God when the Word they preach is accompanied with signs and wonders. Signs and wonders are both preceded by a boldness and holy determination that God would grant such miracles, as well as followed with a confidence that enables them to boldly preach His Word.
Having made the point that The Ministry of Signs and Wonders both require boldness as well as endow boldness upon the agent administering the miracle, I think it would be appropriate to temper the concept with a little wisdom.
I have heard reports of how a modern day evangelist had booted an older lady, or how an evangelist of old supposedly drop-kicked a baby. Friends, this is not necessary. I personally think that some of these reports are embellished or taken out of context. In our immaturity we may spread such unsubstantiated reports, and give the enemies of the healing ministry reason to blaspheme.
To those who condemn the drop-kick incident I would ask: “Where did you hear this report? Was it properly documented? Do you really believe it happened? Does the same report say that the baby was miraculously healed by the drop-kick? Do you believe that part also? If so, what is the problem?”
However, there is no value to such spurious accounts and they don’t compliment The Ministry of Signs and Wonders at all. They are not examples of boldness. Attempt to raise someone from the dead—now that is boldness, whether they rise or not. Attempt to make the lame to walk—yes that is boldness. Let’s stick with true faith and boldness, not stupid, sensational and unnecessary reports that only excite our emotions and do more damage than good.
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders:
Confirming the Word
“And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:20.)
It is a beautiful thing to me that Jesus not only commanded us to “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel…” (Mark 16:15,) but that He literally accompanied them in person when they did so (vs. 20.)
The Lord worked with them since He indwelt them by the Holy Spirit, and operated through them as they preached and healed.
I call it the post-ascension ministry of Christ Jesus in and through the believer. The apostles were going forth and preaching everywhere, but it was still the Lord Himself working and confirming the Word that the apostles preached with the same signs and wonders He performed before the ascension.
A pastor friend of mine in South Africa once went to an hour of prayer with some other ministers. Somehow their conversation was directed to criticizing an evangelist in whose meeting, it was claimed, a person who had had a leg shorter than the other one was healed and that it grew out to the same length as the other leg.
My friend responded to them by saying, “Well, let’s check it out for ourselves. Is there any one of us who has back pain due to a leg that is shorter than the other?” Incidentally, there was one of the brethren whose leg was indeed shorter than the other. So the pastor with the shorter leg sat on a chair and my friend held his feet up straight. He then uttered the Name of Jesus, and right before their eyes the leg grew out to the exact length of the other! That unusual encounter ended the ridicule for the day and confirmed the Word of God.
The Greek word bebaio for “confirm” really means “to stabilitate.” A sign and wonder following the preaching of the Word stabilitates, or settles, the issue. (Note: The Strong’s Concordance of Greek and Hebrew Words defines this word as “stabilitate.”) I like the Amplified version of this verse:
“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it” (Mark 16:20.)
Signs and wonders closely accompanied the Word. Miracles, signs and wonders confirmed the Word, and God bore witness of the Message. The author of the Book of Hebrews confirms this thought:
“God, also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost…” (Hebrews 2:4.)
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders:
The Signs of True Apostles
“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:12.)
God has indeed given the five-fold ministries of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher to edify the church (Ephesians 4:11.) The church needs these ministries. Unfortunately it appears in many cases that these powerful ministries have been diminished to nothing but a few empty titles in perhaps an attempt to have to some credibility or significance. Job said:
“Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man…For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away” (Job 21:21-22.)
The ministry of an apostle should be more than a title, and those who are indeed true apostles (sent ones) should operate in the signs of an apostle, namely “signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12.)
A true apostle’s gift will speak for itself. I personally know of ministers that are truly apostolic, yet don’t go by the title apostle. They prophesy very accurately, teach the Word profoundly, care for the flock of God, and they evangelize the lost. Their ministries are power-packed with signs and wonders and mighty deeds. Yet they do not call themselves “apostles.” They are content to be called “Brother.”
“But be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8.)
On the other hand, there are those who go by the title “apostle,” yet never or rarely operate in the ministry of real signs and wonders.
And then there are those who do go by the title “apostle,” and are indeed mightily used in the ministry of the signs of an apostle—signs and wonders and mighty deeds. These humble servants of God are not title conscious. Rather, they are Christ-conscious. They desire to lift up the Name of Jesus, and also operate as His representatives by allowing themselves to be formed into the image of the Son of God who dwells within them, and manifest Him outwardly.
A true apostle is a sent one. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us (John 20:21.) He sends us with the same power of signs, wonders and miracles.
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders:
Invoking and Inducing Faith
Faith is also a result is of our exposure to the Word of God. As we hear His Word, faith is developed in our inner man.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17.)
Any person who comes under the influence of the anointed Word of God for a period of time will discover that their faith will be expanded.
However, the Bible also teaches us that there a connection between faith and The Ministry of Signs and Wonders. For example, when John the Baptist was in prison, he heard of all the miracles of Jesus. So he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask if He really was the one to come (the Messiah) or if they were to expect another person. Jesus had an interesting answer.
Of course, He could have proved from the Old Testament prophecies that He was the One. He fulfilled them time and time again. He could have told John just to let the Holy Spirit show him. The Holy Spirit is convicting people about the truth of Christ all the time, but this is what Jesus’ answer was to John the Baptist:
“And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Luke 7:21-23.)
The Lord Jesus Himself expected that His signs and wonders would invoke faith. When answering His adversaries, He said:
“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe me not, believe the works: that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” (John 10:37-38.)
And when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,
“Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him” (John 11:45.)
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders compelled people to believe in Jesus and His message. This does not mean that we have to rely on signs and wonders for our faith. That would not really be true faith. Because we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7.)
In stead, our faith grows daily as we grow in the Lord. With every promise in the Word we choose to believe, and with every challenge we face and every victory wrought by the power of faith, and with every encounter with the Spirit of God—our faith continues to grow steadily. Faith comes by the Word, yet signs and wonders confirm the Word and has an element of inducing faith each time it happens.
Still we should never say that we would believe when we see. Rather, when we believe we shall see. Although we don’t rely on miracles to increase our faith, the miraculous still has a way to invoke and increase faith when it happens.
The Ministry of Signs and Wonders:
Generating Praise to God
“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen” (Luke 19:37.)
One of the purposes of The Ministry of Signs and Wonders is to generate praise unto God.
“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the
might of thy terrible act; and I will declare thy greatness…All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee (Psalm 145:4-10.)
When God performs the miraculous in our midst, it automatically sets in motion praise to Him in two ways—the miracle itself is praise, and the praise because of the miracle:
Firstly, the very miraculous work itself serves as praise unto God. A Hebrew word in the original Old Testament language for praise is halal. When you couple halal with God’s Hebrew Name Yahweh (abbreviated as Yah), you get halal-yah, or “Hallelujah.” This praise expression is used by millions of believers all over the world—regardless of their language. The word halal means “to be clear or to shine, to make a show, to boast, to celebrate.”
When God’s servants perform the miraculous in His Name and for His glory, the very miracle itself shines forth praise unto God. It is makes a show of God, and boasts of His power. In addition to when we give God praise with our lips, or upon musical instruments, or by our giving, each miracle is praise unto Him.
I saw a billboard once that said, “Every job done is a self-portrait of the one who did it.” The same is true with God. When He does a sign and wonder, it is a display of Himself.
Secondly, when He does a miracle, people react in praise unto Him. When Jesus healed a paralytic man in Luke 5:24-26, the reaction of the people was that they praised God:
“And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things today” (Luke 5:25-26.)
"Miracles for the Multitudes" is a combination of two focal points of Joel Hitchcock's Ministry, namely:
(a) Miracles, Signs and Wonders and (b) Massive Miracle Campaigns
This Blog is based on Dr. Joel Hitchcock's book "Miracles for the Multitudes".
To order Joel's eBook, go to http://www.joelhitchcock.com/p/product-store_4.html
www.joelhitchcock.com // www.joelhitchcock.blogspot.com // www.manifestingchristinyou.blogspot.com // www.joelhitchcock.wordpress.com // www.joelhitchcockonline.blogspot.com // www.healingevangelist.blogspot.com // www.endtimerevivalandgreatawakening.blogspot.com
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Permission to duplicate is hereby granted as long as the complete quote does not exceed more than 1,000 words and that due credit is given to the source.
For the website of the church led by Pastor Joel and Heidi Hitchcock in
Georgetown DE, which is an exciting Pentecostal, Charismatic, Word of
Faith, Cross-of-Christ preaching church in Sussex County, Delaware, go
to www.rivercity.co.
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