THE SUPERNATURAL ... THE GREATEST EVANGELISM TOOL OF THE NEW TESTAMENT EKKLESIA
How did the early church do it? What attracted pagans to Christianity, to the extent they would risk persecution ... even death ... to align themselves with Jesus-followers? I believe I have the answer to that question, but it's an answer that many Christians today will have a hard time accepting!
Bible historians tell us that the PRIMARY reason for the 1st Century church's explosive growth was a common belief that those who followed Jesus carried supernatural abilities! Men like Kenneth Scott Latourette, Phillip Schaff, Morton Kelsey all note in their historical writings that the primary testimonies of most 1st Century converts centered around the undeniable fact that those who followed Jesus did unexplainable things "in His name"! Schaff described the church's reputation for miracles this way:
"The Jew and the Chaldean could scarcely rival [the church's] exorcists, and the legends of continual, miracles circulating among its followers." (History of The Christian Church, Vol. 2)
Such respected historians tell us that word spread like wildfire across the pagan world that Christians posessed supernatural powers to perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, & cast out demons. Sound familiar? (Matthew 10:7-8) It is recorded that pagans would ridicule, even persecute Christians at times, but when their children were seriously ill they would often seek out Jesus-followers for help.
How did the early church gain such a reputation as healers and miracle workers? Well ... unless we choose to deny the eyewitness accounts recorded throughout the New Testament, the answer is not hard to find! In the book of Acts, and throughout the epistles we read how believers operated in "charismata" (spiritial gifts) ... the divine enablement of God to operate in the supernatural realm. To deny the miraculous abilities possessed by the early church is to reject the clear testimony of scripture.
I'm not sure why that truth is so hard for so many modern-day believers to grasp. Yet, while many Christians today are known for many things, I dare say that being supernatural is not even on the list!
To this day, I believe that THE factor that ought to set BELIEVERS apart in this natural world, is our ability to operate in the SUPER-to-the-natural realm. I believe is was, is, and always will be God's plan for the church. He never intended for His people to operate apart from His power. From a New Testament perspective, a church absent of supernatural power is like a car with no battery ... tons of POTENTAIL, but no POWER to accomplish it's purpose!
As we read the New Testament, it is undeniable that the church was PROMISED miracles, it was BIRTHED in miracles, and it GREW in miracles. Miracles were an expected part of the lifestyle of every blood-bought, born-again, Spirit-filled follower of Jesus and ...
I BELIEVE THEY STILL ARE TODAY!
Bible historians tell us that the PRIMARY reason for the 1st Century church's explosive growth was a common belief that those who followed Jesus carried supernatural abilities! Men like Kenneth Scott Latourette, Phillip Schaff, Morton Kelsey all note in their historical writings that the primary testimonies of most 1st Century converts centered around the undeniable fact that those who followed Jesus did unexplainable things "in His name"! Schaff described the church's reputation for miracles this way:
"The Jew and the Chaldean could scarcely rival [the church's] exorcists, and the legends of continual, miracles circulating among its followers." (History of The Christian Church, Vol. 2)
Such respected historians tell us that word spread like wildfire across the pagan world that Christians posessed supernatural powers to perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, & cast out demons. Sound familiar? (Matthew 10:7-8) It is recorded that pagans would ridicule, even persecute Christians at times, but when their children were seriously ill they would often seek out Jesus-followers for help.
How did the early church gain such a reputation as healers and miracle workers? Well ... unless we choose to deny the eyewitness accounts recorded throughout the New Testament, the answer is not hard to find! In the book of Acts, and throughout the epistles we read how believers operated in "charismata" (spiritial gifts) ... the divine enablement of God to operate in the supernatural realm. To deny the miraculous abilities possessed by the early church is to reject the clear testimony of scripture.
I'm not sure why that truth is so hard for so many modern-day believers to grasp. Yet, while many Christians today are known for many things, I dare say that being supernatural is not even on the list!
To this day, I believe that THE factor that ought to set BELIEVERS apart in this natural world, is our ability to operate in the SUPER-to-the-natural realm. I believe is was, is, and always will be God's plan for the church. He never intended for His people to operate apart from His power. From a New Testament perspective, a church absent of supernatural power is like a car with no battery ... tons of POTENTAIL, but no POWER to accomplish it's purpose!
As we read the New Testament, it is undeniable that the church was PROMISED miracles, it was BIRTHED in miracles, and it GREW in miracles. Miracles were an expected part of the lifestyle of every blood-bought, born-again, Spirit-filled follower of Jesus and ...
I BELIEVE THEY STILL ARE TODAY!
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