What I've Found: Signs & Wonders 3 (in the church)

In the Church

Though the Scriptures specifically describe signs and wonders as part of evangelism, we see some of the same events that we would describe as signs and wonders taking place within the church. If one has to be bound by the number of supports that Scripture gives an activity, signs and wonders in the church would be at the shorter end of the support, though I believe that a strong case can be made for signs and wonders in the church.

Where it seems evident that God designed evangelical signs and wonders mostly for the benefit of the unsaved hearer/observer, He designed “in-house” signs and wonders for the benefit of the believer in the church. Again, I see three purposes for signs and wonders in the church, note that these are not tremendously different that the evangelistic use of signs and wonders: 1) To place His endorsement on the message of a speaker (Acts ; 2) to convince the church that He is at work; and 3) simply as a ministry of love to His people.

1. God provides signs and wonders to His church as a sign of His endorsement on the message His people are preaching and on the experiences His people have.
   —Acts 2:43: the apostles are teaching the word (42) and doing signs and wonders.
   —Galatians 3:5: miracles that the Holy Spirit was doing among the Galatians were the result of believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior as apposed to their obedience to the Law of Moses.
   —Hebrews 3:3,4: signs and wonders, which apparently continued among the believers in this audience, confirmed the message of salvation.
2. God provided signs and wonders to His church as a sign that He is in a new work in the church.
   —Acts 8 & 11: tongues at the Samaritans’ and Cornelius’ conversion
   —Acts15: as Paul and Barnabas tell of how God worked signs and miracles when they were preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.
3. Thirdly, God provided signs and wonders to His church simply as a demonstration of His love for them.
   —Acts 9:32-43: the healing of the lame man Aenaes and the raising of the beloved Dorcus from the dead.
   —Acts 20:7-9: the raising of the young man, Eutychus, from the dead when he fell asleep during Paul’s sermon and fell out of a window.
   —1 Corinthians 12:9, 10, 28-30: the gifts of healing and miracles giving to the church for the edification of the church.
   —James 5:14-15: the healing ministry of the elders.
   —James 5:16: the healing ministry of confessing our sins to one another.

What I’ve found is that not only does the Holy Spirit work signs and wonders outside the church, but also within the church. Some of the signs are similar such as the sign to the people that the work and teachings of a person or group truly is of God. They also are God’s sign of endorsement on a ministry and simply God’s ministry of love and care for His people.

Of the signs and wonders within the church, we see miracles and healings often referred to. Specific examples include the healing of Paul’s eyes; the healing of the lame believer in Lydda; and the raising of Dorcus from the dead in Joppa and Eutychus in Troas.