The body of Christ, or Christian church, has been invaded by a new phenomenon that I refer to as signs and wonders with no reference to the written word of God. In some churches prophecies have replaced teaching and preaching the word. What happens when prophecies cease and signs and wonders become scarce?
Against this background, it is significant that the Holy Spirit draws our attention to the importance of the ministry of teaching and preaching the written word of God.
Luke 16:19-31 comes to mind. The passage is about the rich man and Lazarus. We are told that when they both died the rich man found himself in hell but Lazarus was carried by angels to Abraham’s side (paradise). Here we learn that one’s earthly status does not determine her eternal status…..
Allow me to focus on verses 29, 30 and 31: “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” No, father Abraham,’ he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to tell them, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Here we learn that true repentance follows personal conviction in regards to sin.
In hell, the rich man realised that, once in, there was no way out. The torture of hell was so excruciating that he begged Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead to the living in order to warn his five brothers so that they will not also come “to this place of torment”, he said. Here we learn that hope belongs only to the living….Today is the day of salvation, tomorrow could be too late….
It is interesting to note that the rich man did not seem to agree with father Abraham: Abraham said to him, let them listen to Moses and the prophets. In other words, God provided the way to Abraham’s side (salvation, paradise) in Moses and the prophets already. The rich ruler disagreed, no wonder he found himself in hell! It is very likely that in his lifetime the rich ruler, now in hell, failed to appreciate the importance of Moses and the prophets for salvation.
No, we are not suggesting another way to be saved besides believing in Jesus Christ. The fact is, Moses and the prophets point to Jesus Christ. Hence, to listen to them means believing in the one they spoke and wrote about. Remember Philip? Listen to what he had to say to Nathanael: John 1:45, “we have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote -Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Please note that Philip alluded to Moses and the prophets in order to convince Nathanael that Jesus was the real deal, the Messiah who was to save his people, hence they both followed him. They did not follow him because they saw the signs and wonders that he performed but because of the testimony of scriptures about him. I pray that you do the same.
Ironically, many of those who followed Jesus of Nazareth because of the miracles, healing and casting out of demons, deserted him when they could not handle his teaching (see John 6:66) and were in the crowd shouting “crucify him!”.
Abraham was right, he had to be: “if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” See, saving faith stems from hearing the word of God, the message of Christ, scriptures or written word of God.
Anyone who believes miracles, signs and wonders, can bring about saving faith need to think again. I mean, consider the Israelites for instance. Despite seeing the mighty hand of God at work to deliver them from slavery in Egypt, they continued practising idolatry and not trusting (believing) their deliverer. Or think about Elijah causing fire to fall from above by prayer, yet the people did not turn to God on that account. Here we must learn that signs and wonders may be crowd pullers, but they do not cause true repentance by themselves.
I see real danger for the church in focusing on miracles signs and wonders, at the expenses of teaching and preaching the word of God. Whilst the devil and his agents can infiltrate the church and perform signs and wonders (think of Moses and the magicians of Pharaoh), they will not and cannot teach and preach the word of God lest the people are convinced/convicted and repent as to be saved from hell.
May the Lord help us labour for, as the Lord Jesus puts it, food that will endure to eternal life, in the name of Jesus Christ!
