Preface & Intro

Preface:

    I wrote this book in the year 2,000 in that beautiful month of December.  Sitting behind my computer in our metal trailer, I could see the snow falling outside my window as I would collect my thoughts on yet another page or chapter.
    Timothy and Trey were not even a thought yet.  Anthony was almost two years old, and Heidi was almost full term with Rebekah.
    I was separating and preparing myself for my largest evangelistic outreach ever at that time.  Although I had already held many outreach events with over 5,000 attending a single service, and even though I had already seen the hand of God working incredible miracles, I was still hungry for a greater manifestation of His power.  I was determined to witness even greater healing miracles than I had witnessed before—that the blind would see, that the deaf would hear, that the lame would walk and that these miracles would occur in even greater numbers than ever.  I was also putting my faith out that I would hold a massive evangelistic outreach event drawing many thousands in attendance in a single meeting.   
    Towards the end of this time of separation, I had an incredible spiritual encounter.  After that experience I began to notice that I may have entered into a new realm of the supernatural power of God in my life and ministry.
    It was also during this time that the Lord strongly renewed my desire to become more like Jesus, like the Son of God.  Later on I would write a book that dealt with our identification, union and oneness with Christ and His manifestation through us: Divine Indwelling – The Manifestation of Christ in you, which I feel is the greatest truth of my life.  I cannot but strongly urge the reader to also obtain a copy of that book.
    During the evangelistic outreaches I held after writing the book you are now reading, I not only witnessed a great deluge of miracles, signs and wonders, but multiple thousands of souls attended these events
    Initially this book was written as two books:  First, “The Ministry of Signs and Wonders,” and second, “Massive Miracle Campaigns.”  After much thought I felt that it would be appropriate to combine the two into one volume consisting of two parts—because the two topics are so interrelated.
        Even though the book had already been edited by friends of our ministry, still it laid dormant on my computer's hard drive for ten years.  I never felt ready to release it until now.  When I re-edited it, I realized that it was necessary for me to update some parts of the book. 
    I also noticed how much my own writing skills had improved and therefore I had to reword and rephrase much of the book throughout.  Although my original unskilled writing still seems noticeable I think that this defect may add beauty to the message because the reader may recognize as I have—a young man’s heart and vision burning with a passion for the power of God and for the cause of Christ.
    I pray that this message will serve as edification to believers at large.  I also hope that it will help others understand what we are doing and why.
    It is also my prayer that many fiery evangelists will catch the vision and pursue their own ministries of signs and wonders and Massive Miracle Campaigns.    For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14.)
    Perhaps both portions of this book can be summed up Matthew’s description of our Lord:  “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them…”  (Matthew 9:35-36.)  If indeed we are being formed into His image, and if indeed He dwells in us and that we must manifest Him outwardly, we must also study His ways and identify with Him as He is revealed in this Scripture.

Introduction:

 This book is about The Ministry of Signs and Wonders.  However, it must be understood that the signs and wonders point to, and have their origin in a Person.  This Person dwells within us and as He manifests Himself through us, miracles, signs and wonders happen.  This Person's Name is Jesus.  Jesus, what a wonderful Name.  There's just something about that Name.  Jesus, Name above all names... Jesus.  He is the most wonderful and awesome person ever to have lived.  My purpose for writing this book is not only to form a Scriptural basis for the spectacular ministry of signs, wonders, and miracles, but also to lift up Christ Jesus, Who is the Source of these wonderful displays of God’s Presence.
    As an evangelist, I have ministered in many churches across the United States of America and also in the country of my origin—the Republic of South Africa.  Across the globe I have traveled, operating in The Ministry of Signs and Wonders, and often in the context of giant Massive Miracle Campaigns.
    I can truly say that I have seen numerous miracles happen right before my eyes.  Some of these miracles were great and awesome.  Others were perhaps less sensational, but still a very real expression of the love of our Lord Jesus and His concern for us.
    Real miracles, signs and wonders can be a common phenomenon in both developing as well as industrialized countries—if we will become serious about the manifestation of God’s power in our time.
    For example, just the other day, the Lord showed me, by a word of knowledge that there was a girl in that meeting who was experiencing back and neck pain, and that she had suffered a concussion.  She came up to the platform and I could sense that a tremendous anointing and tangible power of God was moving upon her.  She actually fell to the floor under this intense healing power of God when I laid hands on her, and she lay there for some time while I continued praying for the other people.  (Some of the other people testified that they had arthritis, but that they had no more pain after prayer.  Others, who had pain in knees, could run all over the building.  It got "wild" in the place as the Lord moved among us!)  After a while, this girl got up, and I went right to her.  I learned later that she had been in a serious car accident and had received a severe blow to the head, causing a concussion; and that she had suffered major injuries in her neck and back as well.
    I sensed faith in my heart to take her head in my hands and move her injured neck.  At first I did so slowly and gently, but after a few moments she was moving it very strongly—all by herself.  She also moved her back towards the left and right, and then touched the floor with her hands as tears of thankfulness streamed down her cheeks.  She said she had no pain whatsoever!
    Well, I saw her a week later, and she was so excited.  She had gone back to her doctor’s office and after examining her, they confirmed what the Lord had done.  She was totally and completely healed.  Her neck was healed, her back was healed, and her head was healed.  They even said that they wouldn’t need to see her anymore!  What a wonderful healing!  Right here in America—where it seems that The Ministry of Signs and Wonders is always on the defense.  God has also not forgotten those who live in the far flung corners of the world.
    A few years back in the central parts of Africa, I was conducting a little meeting.  There probably were no more than thirty people under that big old shade tree, but I ministered to them as if I was already ministering to the thousands upon thousands of souls that I believed God was going allow me to minister to someday.  Over the course of that mission trip, I prayed for hundreds and hundreds of people tirelessly and in obscurity for God to heal their bodies.  One man came to me afterwards and told me how he appreciated the time I spent with the sick, and that he was praying that God would increase it.  Of course, after many years, God has indeed answered that prayer.
    One day I was praying for many folks as usual.  People asked for prayer for every thinkable aliment such as "coughing" and "diarrhea" and others.  Then a lady whose one eye was white with blindness stood before me.  Like Jesus, I asked her what I could pray for her about.  "Headache," she said.  I responded, "Okay, I will pray for your headache, but I will also pray for your blind eye."  After I prayed for her blind eye, I asked her if she could see.  Without giving it any thought, she said that she could not.  I insisted that she should close here good eye and look through her blind eye.  That way, she would have no other way to see but through the blind one. Startled, she pointed to my shirt as she exclaimed, "I see your button!"
    Now as I have already said, I have traveled all over the world—to about 40 countries.  I have tirelessly preached to and met many wonderful people.  I send out a newsletter to my supporters in the USA where I currently reside.  I have received so many wonderful letters and notes of encouragement from my dear partners.  I appreciate them beyond words.  However, one day I received a letter from a man who asked me to take his name off of our mailing list because he was "...not into the signs and wonders ministries."  Of course, I did honor his request; but it reminded me of the misunderstandings and in some cases ignorance on the part of many good hearted believers regarding the miracle ministry.  That is why, in this book I would like to address this issue of signs and wonders as not only being valid, but also absolutely imperative for those who believe the Bible to be our rule of faith.
    The Bible is not a book for us from which to pick and choose what we would or would rather not believe.  It is the absolute Word of God and we are to believe and cherish every word in it.  The ministry of Christ who now dwells on the inside of us, with His miracle ministry of signs and wonders, is an essential characteristic of Biblical Christianity.  We should not shy away from it, but pursue and embrace it.  We must not try to cover up for God if we feel He is not working mighty works among us anymore.  We should not develop lengthy and intricate theologies which are perhaps thinly veiled attempts to disguise our lack of power.  If we really believe the whole Bible is true, then we should embrace every bit of it.

"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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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.