Christians: Miracles' seekers and Miracles' Performers

 

Who does not want to see miracles? Who does not want to experience miracles? Many people nowadays seek and want to see miracles. Why? Miracles take human to another level, that is,a level of super natural. Miracles lead people to the experience of AWE, the feeling of fear and of wonder. Miracles take human to see the beauty of the power of God. Miracles make people happy and bring hope to something better and wonderful. So searching for a miracles is a normal for human beings. As a Christians, can we search for miracles?

As a Christian, I believe that performing miracles is one of critical task in the life of Jesus in order to spread the Kingdom of God. However, miracles are not His main purpose of mission. Miracles, however, are instruments, which bring people to the Kingdom of God. Miracles are His way of teaching and putting across the message of the Kingdom. His miracles are signs showing people about the Kingdom, where God is reign. So in miracles, we encounter Jesus’ teaching in signs. Moreover, miracles point out Jesus’s mission. He said “the Holy Spirit upon me because he anointed me… He has sent me… and to give sight to the blind” (Lk.4:18).

Jesus, by putting his mission’s statement, saying “to give sight to the blind”, shows us that performing miracle is part and parcel of His mission for the Kingdom. By performing miracles, Jesus leads people to hope for the new world and new creation, that is, the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ miracles are not for His glorification and His self-approval as Son of God but are the signs of the Kingdom and for the glory of God. An incident, after the multiplication of bread, when people wanted to take him forcefully to be a king but he went away (See Jn. 6.14-15), is an example of how Jesus see His performing miracles not for His self-glorification to be a king or a prophet.

After all, as Christians, can we look for the miracles in our life? Searching for miracles for the sake of to satisfy our needs is wrong but for the sake of the Kingdom is the right way. Miracles should bring us closer and lead us to Jesus, not to fulfill our material needs and our craving to satisfy our ego, but to fill our spiritual needs and to make us hungry and thirsty for the Kingdom. Jesus said “Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because of the signs which you have seen, but because you ate bread and satisfied” (Jn. 6:26). Thus, when we look for miracles, we want to recognize the presence of the glory of God within us –so that God’s power mighty be shown in our life- (Jn. 9:3)

However, what about us performing miracles? We have witnessed and seen many Christian’s prophets performing miracles –especially the miracles’ churches-. Is it okay? When Peter and John cured the lame man in the name of Jesus (Act 3:6-8), people were praising God for it. Peter and James used this to preach the Gospel and invited them to repent and to return to God. This incident shows us that miracles can be performed by Christians in the name of God. Our miracles' performance should lead us to the repentance and the Kingdom and nthing else.

Today we see many miracles’ performers, called themselves prophets, apostles, and pastors who also perform miracles in the name of Jesus. Do they perform miracles for the Kingdom of God or their own kingdom? Are they using the name of Jesus for their benefits or the benefits of the Kingdom? Well, Paul said that they are many gifts in the church but those gifts should be used for the unity of the body because of the same Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God (see 1 Cor.12). Moreover, our performing of miracles should be based on love (see also 1 Cor. 13). Thus, as Christians, we must put our miracles’ performance as instruments or signs of serving the Kingdom and for the glory of God and unity of the church. That is my point.

Finally, being Christians means following the Lord and trying to live out our Christian’s life. Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). Thus, if Jesus mission is our mission, miracles and performing miracles, which are part and parcel of mission of Jesus, should be ours too. We should judge our miracles’ performing and our searching for miracles in the paradigm of the Kingdom of God. We should ask question whether our miracles’ performances are for the glory of God or our glory and power, and whether our search for miracles for our material satisfaction or our spiritual fulfillment. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).  I hope so.