The Bible has many wonderful promises to equip us to do our assigned tasks for the Kingdom (e.g., “Perform signs and wonders,"  “that you will do even greater things,” Mark 16:17–18, and John 14:12–14, etc.). We do not seek out glory and power for ourselves, but miracles can accompany disciples as they go out into the world and interact. These can be very powerful tools in evangelism. You can easily crash and burn as well!  Don’t let yourself be the free goat (I'll expain later on).  

This article is about miracles in connection with evangelism.  Please read it all the way through before you form an opinion. The story line is not straight-forward and requires an open mind and potentially a review of previously held beliefs. We wrote it to challenge you! Please note: These are true accounts of things experienced, witnessed, or discussed, but the names, places, and people groups have been changed to protect the safety of others.

When I started my walk with Jesus, I believed the accounts in the Bible of miracles, but I did not believe that they happened any more. Modern medicine and science have all but replaced them. I also did not believe that anyone could convince me otherwise. That was until I fractured my back and was told the degenerative process was going to leave me in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I was reluctantly healed, almost against my will, when a Christian friend finally convinced me to allow him to pray for my healing. Despite my unbelief, I went from living as a cripple to walking around the house instantly.  Scans confirmed real changes.  This was 25 years ago, and I can still walk to this day! Glory to God! This was the first step on a long journey of growth and discovery. 

Since then, I have seen some small healings and some impressive miracles. A decade ado, I was a part of a scene where a 4-year-old boy was cold, stiff, not breathing, had lividity all along his back, and had ambulance officers in attendance, giving their apologies for having done all that they could. The relatives present refused to accept this as the end, and they all prayed and laid hands on the boy. To the utter dismay of the officers, the boy sat up! Yep, I was freaked out too. None of these events were in connection with trying to evangelise a non-believer, but they gave me the basis for trust to see it used as a tool in the field. I still don’t think they are commonplace or to be treated lightly. God is not like a vending machine, but I am not the young man I once was. (God chooses the who and the why.)

I sharpen myself from time to time and go out with groups of evangelists in the streets of Launceston, Melbourne, Sydney, and London. They give me courage to share the hope that I have with the people in my circle of influence. I do not possess the gift of evangelism at all! Without people sharpening me and bringing me up to the unity of the knowledge of Christ, I would be useless in this area. Sometimes the group I go out with will offer healing as an icebreaker to the gospel.  I have become sceptical of this approach as I have seen many over the years heal all manner of ailments, but few have given their lives to Christ in response (or followed for very long after dull daily life settles in). Yet, when healing is involved, I have seen some positive responses as well.  What is the difference? Why do so many “Healing Evangelists” crash and burn and others, sometimes complete novices bumbling through, have real runs on the board? I think that there can be a real disconnect between receiving the gift of being healed and the feeling of gratitude to the God who graciously healed them. They do not feel the gap between who they are, their state of being, and the power and authority of their creator. For some reason, they have not understood the “pearl of great price” being offered to them; they are just so happy to receive what they have already been given. (Or perhaps expect that every day will be an adrenaline-filled show ride.) 

In the west, I think this disconnect is even wider, as we are so focused on ourselves and our inner feelings. We are just so consumeristic in all our nature and dealings. Taking whatever we can get as if it is our “right”. I have seen so many healed that I have not even thanked the person who did it. They were so wrapped up in “their experience” at the time. (Not that the people were ever looking to be thanked, but they were hoping that they would give thanks to God.)  I have not fully understood the different results myself, but I have tried to articulate to these groups of evangelists that perhaps they should offer the good news of Jesus Christ first and then, if someone is reluctant, offer healing, thus, at least, offering some measure of proof that the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life is real and has real value to them. Christ Himself had used this technique when asked if he could forgive sins. I'm not sure if I was explaining it correctly or even on the right path.

A few years ago, I was in the company of a group of international missionaries on furlough and expressed my frustration and lack of understanding in this area. One couple, working out of Africa with a people group heavily influenced by animism and witch doctors, recounted a recent event in which they participated. “Bob” told me that one night he was awoken by a frantic man at the compound gate. He begged him to go with him to an outer village to help a family with a boy who was always being violent and self-harming because he was possessed by an evil spirit. That night was particularly bad. Everyone in the village was terrified, and the boy was also throwing himself into the fire. Bob left the compound and gathered the local Christian elders on the way. Once at the village, Bob and his team prayed, and the evil spirit left him. The boy was also healed from his injuries. The whole village was ecstatic! After years of trying to get a toe in the door of trust with this group, Bob was now sure they had accepted the gospel message and the power of Jesus Christ! He arranged to meet with the chief and village elders in the to move the kingdom forward while the iron was hot. 

The next morning, Bob arrived with his trusted interpreter to find everyone in their huts. People avoided him as he tried to engage. Eventually, the chief wanted to know why he insisted on a meeting and asked him rudely to go. Perplexed, Bob pressed for an explanation of why they were so keen last night and so rejecting today. The chief finally admitted that they knew that Bob could heal the boy; they knew that he would come anytime, day or night. They also knew that Bob would perform the service for free. Their witchdoctor could have done the same thing, but he insisted to do it in the morning, and he charges a goat! The chief thanked him and said that he was no longer required or welcome. Wow, Bob said that he went from being on top of the world ecstatic that years of work might finally bear fruit to the lowest of lows.

This was the clearest demonstration of a problem that I had instinctively sensed but could not articulate. There was a clear gap between the village's acknowledgement that there was an all-powerful God that could do the miracle and a humbling expression of gratitude with a sense of new allegiance to that God for what he had done.

Proof that healing alone is not the answer to the world’s losses. 

I see so many brothers and sisters go out with noble zest to serve the Lord in the only way they know how—to become free goats.  Healing, signs, and wonders are fantastic gifts for us to use as tools for the kingdom, but we have to be “as innocent as doves and as cunning as snakes."  We have to worship the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Two out of three of these can lead to trouble and frustration. We must work on the allegiance part of the equation as much or more than we do on the overt signs and wonders to have a real impact on the lost. 

P. S.

My wife just reminded me that she spent yesterday morning in a doctor’s surgery with daytime TV playing. Everyone was there to see a doctor (GP), but some moved over to the TV so that they could see and hear the TV better. The show was “How to Cleanse Your Healing Crystals,"  a process that apparently should be done at least once a year using rice. (That, they believe?!) Anyway, the point she was making is that we in the west seek healing in many and varied ways, but without any sense that Jesus is your Creator, Saviour, and Lord of all, there will be no allegiance to him, regardless of their experience.

I know this article will polarise people, but seek the Lord and ask him for wisdom either way. Ask him how to make wise use of his gifts.

Your loving brother in Christ

Macka.