Readings for today: Numbers 16:41-18:32, Mark 16, Psalms 55, Proverbs 11:7
One of the things we hear about when we go to Africa are all the signs and wonders God is accomplishing through His people. Healings. Casting out demons. Miraculous deliverance from those who are trying to kill them. These stories are incredibly common where we go in Ethiopia and it makes me think immediately of the Great Commission from the Gospel of Mark.
“And Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:15-18)
As westerners, we have a hard time with miracles. We tend to doubt they actually exist. We look for more natural explanations. Why did Aaron’s rod bud? Why did the early Christians or those in the developing world seem to have the ability to cast out demons? Heal the sick? Speak in tongues? Tred on serpents and scorpions without being injured? We want to know if these things are real or if these other Christians are gifted with some special ability not accessible to us?
However interesting these questions may be, they are not the main ones we should be asking. God gives signs and wonders - in whatever form - to authenticate His message to us. They are not ends in themselves but serve to confirm what God has already said. Why did Aaron’s rod bud? God was confirming his leadership publicly in front of all of Israel. Why did the early Christians have the ability to cast out demons, heal the sick, and speak in tongues? God was confirming the truth of the gospel in front of both the Jewish and pagan world. What is the primary sign for us today? The Bible. It is a miracle all its own. 66 books written over several centuries by different authors all declaring the same message. God confirming what He has to say through His Word to His people.
Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 19-20, Luke 1:1-25, Psalms 56, Proverbs 11:8