In part one of this series I noted that I believe that in the very near future the church world, along with the world in general, will witness a return to the time when the Lord’s Church was in its infancy. I also noted that the Church of God (the name Scripture writers gave the new church) at that time was tiny relative to the Jewish nation from which she unexpectedly sprang up. Not only did this church rise in the midst of mass rejection, she endured and waxed not only bold, but powerful as God’s Holy Spirit-filled apostles shocked the nation with signs, wonders and miracles such as had never been witnessed by mankind during any era of his existence.

Though consisting of only 120 or so people, the church soon became the topic of conversation about what was going on wherever the now dead carpenter’s followers were located. People came from the surrounding areas to receive healing of their bodies and minds and deliverance from demonic spirits at the command of the twelve apostles. Now a word about the size of the original church in its early days.

It is true that several thousand Jewish men embraced Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost 31 A.D. and even more a few days later. However, these were visitors who had traveled from countries around the world to celebrate the Passover-Pentecost season in Jerusalem. These men then returned home where they most assuredly shared their experience with family and friends. Written reports from those days note that the temporary population of Jerusalem would number as many as a million within her confines during that blessed season. But when the visitors returned home only 120 true believers were left to face both their fellow Jews and the Roman authorities. Both groups rejected the carpenter from Nazareth Who claimed to be the Son of God and persecuted His followers.

From the instant the Church of God came into being she became the enemy of those two groups, each having its own reason for rejecting her and her new God. However, the more the priestly hierarchy and the Roman overlords persecuted the church and her ministers, the more God revealed Himself to those who came to believe and obey the Law, both Jews and Gentiles. The harder the priests and the Romans pushed, the larger and powerful the church grew and the more the Lord served up miracles, even to the raising of the dead. Now let us determine what made the apostles and others believe that they could do what they were doing.

Two passages are particularly fitting to illustrate this point: Matthew 10:8 and John 14:12. In Matthew 10 we find Jesus giving His disciples their marching orders. He is telling them to go out among the people and preach His singular message: THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN. As they did so they were COMMANDED to “… heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils. Because the disciples had freely received the power to do so, they were to just as freely use it to help the people. Then in John 14:12 we find the focal passage of this ministry: “He who believes in Me, the things that I do, he will do also, and greater things than these will he do.” As I have noted in earlier series, I have done all of the things mentioned in Matthew 10:8 except one. I have never met a leper.

Jesus did not stop with miracles involving the human body and mind; He also demonstrated His power over nature. He multiplied food, controlled the weather (I have done this), killed a fig tree, brought water out of a rock, turned dew into manna and enabled His people to defeat enemies much greater than themselves. Let us not forget that the miracles that took place as recorded in the Old Testament were miracles performed by the God of the Old Testament. As we are told in John 1:1-4,14, that same God came to earth as Jesus of Nazareth. Read The God of the Old Testament and Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man or God-man. Key words–Old and God-man respectively.

There is coming a time, and very soon, when men of Christ-level holiness and faith will, as Jesus promised, do everything He did while on earth and even greater things. But let us not forget, just believing in Him is only the first step to receiving that kind of power. One must OBEY HIS WORDS. As we are told by Him in John 12:48, man will be judged by “… the Words that I have spoken.” Every Word spoken and written in the Scriptures were given to the prophets and apostles by Him either in person or through the Holy Spirit. Jesus noted that He did nothing using His own human power, that even the Words He spoke were given to Him by God the Father through the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Peter said concerning the Holy Scriptures: “Holy men of old spoke (and wrote) as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21).

As noted in the previous posting, over the next few years we will see a return to the Book of Acts. However, this move of the Holy Spirit will make the miracles, signs and wonders of that age pale by comparison. At the same time, the world, led by the church, will come against God’s messengers and their followers with a hatred that only Satan can induce. AND THEY WILL FAIL, AND FAIL SPECTACULARLY AS WELL AS PUBLICLY. I can’t wait for that war to begin, for I know that Jesus Christ will soon return soon afterwards and bring peace and holiness to the earth. Let’s us fight the good (and victorious) fight until He returns then welcome Him together. L.J.