SPECIAL MIRACLES

SPECIAL MIRACLES

ACTS 19: 11-12

Preached by:  Carolyn Sissom

 August 4, 2019

Today we are having a healing service using prayer over handkerchiefs.  When Kathie Walters prayed for Shanna, she saw a spirit of cancer.  She spoke to me to have the people of the church pray over a handkerchief and send it to Shanna.  I asked Kathie to send me a handkerchief she prayed over (she did); but I am also going to obey the Word she spoke to me. 

No charge!!! Smile!!! If you have someone who is sick, we will gift you a handkerchief prayed over by the saints of this congregation.  This we are doing today in obedience to the Word of the Lord. 

 Acts 19: 11-12:  And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:  so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and they diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. (K.J.V.)

Acts 19: 11-12: God kept releasing a flow of extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul.  Because of this, people took Paul's handkerchiefs and articles of clothing even pieces of cloth that had touched his skin, laying them on the bodies of the sick, and diseases and demons left them and they were healed. (P.T.

SPECIAL (Tygchano-Strong's):

1. to hit the mark

   1. of one discharging a javelin or arrow

2. to reach, attain, obtain, get, become master of.

This power of the Holy Spirit moves through Gift of Miracles – note Special Miracles.  Diseases and evil spirits went out of the people. 

The Holy Spirit has given gifts to the church that we may be victorious.  One of those giftings is the Gift of Miracles:

Mark 16: 17-20:  And these signs shall follow them that believe…and they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.  Amen.  “Signs and wonders are a natural result of the preaching of the gospel.  We should expect them to be there.  And we should not expect just one or two.  One miracle should lead to another miracle.  God wants to give us an increasing progression of the miraculous, until we come into the supernatural, the realm of the miraculous” (Ruth Ward Heflin-Golden Glory).

As the servants of the Lord and Sons of God, we must burn all of our exits, moving forward in faith that our economy and security is in the government of the Kingdom of God and come out from the place of placing our faith and well being in the hands of the world system, “Babylon” (the kosmos).  Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. (Rev. 18:4)

Spiritual ministry means a ministry that meets the needs of man through the anointing and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  It is the gospel of the Kingdom in supernatural demonstration and power.  It is the Gospel in action.

The demonstration of the Holy Spirit is a “Doing” and a “Practicing” of that which we teach.

1 Cor. 2 4-5: My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but  in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power (dunamis) of God.

A “Doing” ministry utilizes the three doing or power manifestations of the Holy Spirit; namely, Faith, the Workings of Miracles, and the Gifts of Healings. (1 Cor. 12: 8-10).

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit fall into three categories:

1. SPEAKING MINISTRY:  Divers kinds of tongues; Interpretation of tongues; and Prophecy.
2. KNOWING MINISTRY: Word of knowledge; Word of Wisdom; Discerning of spirits.
3. DOING MINISTRY: These power or action gifts enable us to ACT (do the works of) Act like God:
   1. Faith---The God-given ability to believe God for the impossible.
   2. Working of Miracles – The God-given ability to perform the impossible.
   3. Gifts of Healings – The God-given ability to impart healing for the physical body at certain specific times.

1 Cor. 12:27-30:  Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular, and God has set some in the church, first apostles, second, prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?  Have all gifts of healing?   Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

There are various means of administering Divine healing:

1. Laying on of hands. (Mark 7:32) “They brought unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to put his hand upon him.” I counted eight (8) cases in the Bible where Jesus touched people and they were healed.
2. The spoken Word.  (Ps. 107:20) “He sent his Word and healed them.” Demonstrated by Jesus when he healed the Centurion’s servant. (Mt. 8: 5-13)

Three kinds of people came to Jesus for healing.

(a)   Those who came for healing personally.

(b)   Those who brought someone else for healing.

(c)    Those who came and sought only His spoken Word.

3. The elders anoint with oil and pray.  “Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14)
4. The prayer of Faith.  “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
5. The Lord’s Supper: In Middle Eastern culture, the final witness was the bread and the wine.  The two parties before the assembled witnesses partook of a symbolic meal.  Each broke bread and gave to the other as a token he was willing to break his body in defense of the other.  Wine was shared as token that their blood would be willingly shed for each other.  (The Lord’s Supper is a powerful meal.  When we take it with Jesus, we consummate the covenant and receive His Testament.  1 Cor. 11:23-30: For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
6. Through a point of contact: Mark 6:56: And wherever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.  This is the covenant of the ribband of blue (Numbers 15:37-40).  There are many instances where people touched Jesus and were healed.  Mark 3:10:  He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.

7. By handkerchiefs and aprons (Acts 19: 11-12) “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:  so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and they diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”

8. By casting out devils (Luke 8:26-39)

9. By gifts of healings (1 Cor. 12:9) This is through those who have been anointed as Healers.  I believe this would be inclusive of the medical profession as well as those who minister Divine Healing.

Hebrews 11:6:  Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

1. Faith is a spiritual force.  God is a spirit.  He is a faith God who is only pleased by faith.
2. Faith is the absence of doubt; the opposite of fear. 2 Tim 1:7:  For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
3. Faith is in the present tense.  NOW FAITH IS the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
4. Faith is a gift.  It is an impartation of the Lord. Rom. 12:3: I say, through the grace given unto me, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.  A big ego does not constitute the supernatural power of “Faith”. 
5. Faith is a fruit.  It grows. Rom.1:17: Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith. (Gal. 5: 22-23).
6. Faith comes by the hearing of the Word of God.  Rom. 10:17: Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
7. Faith speaks.  Rom 10: 6-10: But the righteousness which is by faith speaks…
8. We live by His faith.  Gal. 2:10:  I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me, and gave himself for me.

I came to the awakening of Gift of Miracles in 1995.  My Gifts are stronger in Gift of Faith, Knowing Ministry, Speaking Ministry, and Gifts of Healings through Gift of Faith.

Prior to 1995, I had experienced many miracles, deliverances and healings through the Gift of Faith and Gifts of healings.  I didn’t “get” the need to use “things” to release God’s power for miracles.  By things, I am referring to items used as points of contact.   It was not that I didn’t believe in the gift, but the exercise of the gift by modern evangelists seemed to necessitate it being purchased. (Act. 8:20).

I came to the understanding that Gift of Faith, Gifts of Healings and Gifts of Working of Miracles are completely separate gifts and have their own supernatural way of coming into existence.  Yet, they work closely together when God’s power manifests.

 Faith will always require risk of things not seen.

Since then, I have used whatever ”things” at my disposal as a point of contact for Faith for healing and miracles.  

Gift of Miracles is most often manifested through the Office of the Apostle and the Evangelist.  It is also a separate body ministry described in 1 Cor. 12:29 as “Workers of Miracles”.  We are told to earnestly desire this gift (1 Co. 12:31) and to not neglect the gift.  It can be imparted by grace through prophecy and laying on of hands (1 Ti. 4:14); or as the Holy Spirit wills.  The Evangelist is the gatherer in the 5-fold ministry.  Gift of Miracles gathers the people, raises their faith level, and then God meets them.  The Apostle governs.  As we are now experiencing the restoration of the apostolic power to the church, we will continue to experience an increase in miracles, signs and wonders.  The stumbling block of those in the flesh will be if they use the Gift for fame or gain.  Through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people…believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (Act. 5: 12-14).

Faith says that when we know something is from God, we can run straight forward into it. 

He that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, is it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Gal. 3:5)

A miracle is a free gift from God.  It can’t be earned, bought, or deserved.  This particular gift knows no respecter of persons.  It is a great equalizer.  An 80-year old saint and a new born Christian receive of this free gift equally.  This same grace was made available to the Gentiles when they received the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ and all the benefits of the Kingdom of Grace.  God was and is no respecter of persons between the faithful Jew who obeyed the law and the pagan Gentiles.

That is what makes gift of miracles so much fun.  It takes away all struggling.  As a Pastor, this is one of the reasons I was slow in seeing the long-term benefit of miracles (Not that I didn’t appreciate miracles---I would and will take all I can get).  I was trying to help people mature, stabilize, commit and be fruitful.  This is valid and important in the Kingdom.  However, Gift of Miracles shows no preference over the fruitful, mature saint and a sin-soaked pagan.

We will never get so full of faith, or become so mature that we no longer require miracles.  Miracles are a part of the blessedness of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God among you, by miracles, signs and wonders, which God did by him in the midst of you, and you yourselves know this  (Acts 2:22).  Jesus said we will do even greater works.  This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

To activate this gift, we must declare it and move out in Faith.  The way to develop a healing ministry is by laying hands on the heads of many sick people.  Just find people who need a miracle and lay your hands on them and believe. 

John 14:12: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

www.eastgateministries.com

Scripture from K.J.V.; (1) Ruth Ward Heflin, Golden Glory; (2) The Tongue of the Learned by: K. J. Varner with J. L. Dutton; Teaching by Carolyn Sissom May 10, 2000, Gift of Miracles; Gifts of Healings 10/28/2007)  Comments, Testimonies, and Conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those whom I entered into their labors.”

Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received freely give.