What I've Found: Signs & Wonders 4 (the rest of it...)

Unusual Signs & Wonders

As the narrative of Acts unfolds we see the believers performing signs and wonders. However, on occasion some of them are given “unusual ability” to perform signs and wonders. These unusual signs and wonders are seen specifically as being given to Peter and Paul.
Only twice to we see a reference to “unusual abilities” in Acts. Once is where Peter’s shadow falls on the sick and infirmed and they are healed and people bring out their sick and informed relatives to have his shadow fall on them. The indication of the narrative is that this wasn’t a continual activity. Paul also is given extraordinary abilities in Acts 19 to the point that aprons and handkerchiefs that he touched (that touched him) where taken to heal the sick and cast out demons. Again, in all the narrative we see of Paul, only once are such unusual signs and wonders mentioned as being done through him.
The rarity of these accounts indicates to me that they are truly unusual. Yet, they happened. And, they happened, not even at a certain turning point in the ministry of the church.

Reactions

Through out the New and Old Testaments we see the same reactions that we find in Acts 2:43: awe and fear.

Awe and wonder defined….
Even as we see the words “awe” and “fear” describing the reactions to these signs and wonders, we see that the results of the awe and fear are different. I see three results to signs and wonders in the Bible: the desire to embrace what God is doing; the desire to be distant from what God is doing; and the desire to gain earthly profit from what God is doing.
1. the desire to embrace what God is doing;
2. the desire to be distant from what God is doing;
3. and the desire to gain earthly profit from what God is doing.

21st Century Church

So then, how should the 21st Century Church do about the issue of signs and wonders?

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.

What I've Found: Signs & Wonders 2 (evangelism)

Evangelism

In the study of Scripture, it becomes apparent that the activities that we frequently refer to as “signs and wonders” is generally reserved to go along with the preaching of the Gospel as an accompanying signature of God’s approval on the preacher and the veracity of the message of the preacher.
According to the Gospel of Mark, while Jesus was concluding the Great Commission, He spoke of signs and wonders accompanying those who believed. Then Mark concludes in commentary by saying:

And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs[i].

As the story of the new church is written in Acts, we see the author, Luke, carrying on this idea that signs would accompany the Gospel while the speaker is in the activity of evangelism. In fact, we see these signs and wonders serving three purposes. The first purpose is that of an attraction to the public. The second purpose was to provide the authority of veracity of the speaker’s message. Finally, the purpose of signs and wonders (this found in Acts) was to prove to the church that a new work was of God.

1. To attract a crowd:
   —Acts 2: signs and wonders drew a crowd on Pentecost then the gathered crowd heard the apostles preach.
   —Acts 5: the Apostles performed signs and wonders at Solomon’s Colonnade in the Temple and many people believed.
   —Acts 6: Stephen performed signs and wonders “among the people” and the attention that was brought to him brought people to be healed, but also to hear the Gospel. These signs and wonders and this preaching gave Stephen an opportunity to argue the faith with Jewish believers—eventually before the Sanhedrin—and also eventually led to his death.
   —Acts 8: Philip’s preaching was accompanied by signs and wonders that both attracted a crowd and caused many to believe.


2. Signs and Wonders were God’s endorsement to the authenticity or veracity of the preacher of the Gospel.
   1. Acts 2: Peter reminds the crowd that Jesus’ teaching was accredited or endorsed by God through signs and wonders.
   2. Acts 14: God proved Paul and Barnabas’ message to be true by providing signs and wonders.
   3. Romans 15: Paul reminds the Roman believers how many people were “won over” to the preaching of Gospel through signs and wonders.


3. To prove to the church that a new work was of God.
   1. Acts 15: Paul and Barnabas tell the leadership in the Jerusalem church about the signs and wonders and miracles that God did among the Gentiles.

What were the signs and wonders that accompanied the preaching of the Gospel in the early church that drew the crowds to hear the evangelists; showed God’s approval on the speaker and his message; and that convinced the early church that a new work was of God.
Some of these signs could possibly be the ones mentioned in Mark 16, where Jesus said: “these signs will accompany those who believe: driving out demons; speaking in new tongues; picking up snakes with their hands; drinking deadly poison, both without injury; and placing their hands on sick people and healing them.[ii]

Other signs that we see mentioned in the New Testament include: tongues (Acts 2, 8, 10, 11, 19; 1 Corinthians 14:22); healing (Acts 4:29-30; 5:12-16); miracles (Acts 2:22; 4:30; 6:8; 8:6,13; and exorcism (Acts 5:16; 8:6-13).

So I find that God gave the church various signs and wonders to accompany the Gospel—the activity of evangelism—to draw crowds to hear the Gospel; to give His endorsement on one of His servants and to convince His church that a new work was of His doing.

[i] Mark 16:20 [NLT]
[ii] Mark 16:17-18
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18] they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." [NIV]

What I've Found: Signs & Wonders 1 (defining)

The Scriptural phrase “signs and wonders” brings with it a sense of excitement and concern. The church at the beginning of Acts was described as being in awe and in fear at the signs and wonders worked among them. Today there is a mixture of awe at the possibility of God at work and fear at the mysterious nature of these events—are they of God or of man. The purpose of this paper is to first define “signs and wonders”; then to describe the contexts that we find signs and wonders worked out in Scripture—specifically focusing on the New Testament; and finally to describe what I find the New Testament church’s reaction to signs and wonders how the New Testament church should interact with these events.

Defining Signs & Wonders

To define this idea of signs and wonders, I refer to the Greek definitions and implications, then to those things we see in the Scriptures as signs and wonders that were performed in the Bible.
The Strong’s Concordance’s defines wonders in the Greek as “teras” (teras), meaning a prodigy, omen or wonder1. The Bible Knowledge Commentary[i] describes these wonders as “miracles evoking awe”. Strong's defines signs as semaino (semaino), from sema (sema), a mark; to indicate or signify. Again referring to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, we are told these are “miracles pointing to a divine truth”. On occasion, the word for sign is semeion (semeion), which is a derivative of semaino (semaino); which is an “indication, especially ceremonial or supernatural; a miracle, sign, token, or wonder.” A number of translators have in many places translated the phrase signs and wonders as “miraculous signs and wonders”.
In the Old Testament Hebrews the word for signs is 'owth ('owth)[ii], meaning a signal, flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, a mark, miracle, sign, token. The Hebrew for wonders is Mowpheth (mowpheth)[iii], meaning conspicuousness; a miracle; or by implication a token or omen an is translated miracle, sign, wonder.

Biblical Signs & Wonders

In the Bible signs and wonders refer to a variety of miraculous events and actions brought by God through His servants. I’ve found that often the events of the Exodus are referred to as miraculous signs and wonders. These events included Moses’ rod turning into a snake and back into a rod; the Nile River being turned into blood and the rest of the plagues. Exodus signs and wonders also include the various miracles God worked on behalf of His people in the wilderness including the provision of food and water and His general preserving them from sickness and from their clothes and shoes from wearing out.
On occasion, the Exodus signs and wonders included what we might generally consider typical miracles such as healing and the casting out of demons. These are the signs and wonders that we often think of which according to Jeremiah continued through out the Old Testament times[iv].
Other of these miracles are seen through out the Old Testament include healings, exorcisms, a variety of healings, raising people from the dead and various natural phenomena.

1 STRONG’S GREEK & HEBREW DICTIONARY, Database ©1990-93 NavPress Software. Audio: Kirkbride Bible & Technology © 1998.

[i] THE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE COMMENTARY: New Testament Edition, An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty; Based on the New International Version. By John F. WalvoordRoy B. Zuck. Victor Books, A Division of Scripture Press Publications Inc. USA Canada England, Underlying source materials. © 1983, by Scripture Press Publications, Inc. Licensed by Victor Books. Database ©1997 NavPress Software.

[ii] »Strong’s Help
'owth, Hebrew 226, Strong’s
'owth, oth; probably from Hebrew 225 ('uwth) (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literal or figurative), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc. :- mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
In Daniel, the Chaldean is used: 'ath (Chaldee), awth; corresponding to Hebrew 226 ('owth); a portent :- sign.
[iii] mowpheth, mo-faith'; or mopheth, mo-faith'; from Hebrew 3302 (yaphah) in the sense of conspicuousness; a miracle; by implication a token or omen :- miracle, sign, wonder (-ed at
In Daniel, the Chaldean is used: temahh, tem-ah'; (Chaldee); from a root corresponding to Hebrew 8539 (tamahh); a miracle :- wonder.
[iv] Jeremiah 32:20
You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. [NIV]