Bible Truth Foundations
Part 3 of 3: Serving in Christ
Please begin by answering this question honestly in your own words.
When you hear about a modern-day miracle, healing or answered prayer, what is your first instinct: excitement, scepticism, or something in between? Why?
Matthew 9:8
Now when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
Read this slowly before moving on. Notice who received the crowd’s response: not the man who acted, but God.
The central idea of this lesson
Miracles are never given for the minister’s credit; they exist to point people to God and confirm His Word as true.
When Jesus healed the paralytic, the crowd’s response was not to praise Jesus the man but to glorify God. The miracle’s purpose was always upward, toward God, not toward the one He worked through.
Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."
Jesus first addressed the deeper issue, forgiveness of sin, and the physical healing followed as proof of His authority to forgive. The visible miracle proved the invisible authority.
Miracles serve as confirmation of the spoken Word, not as unrelated spectacle separated from the message being preached.
Hebrews 2:4
God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.
Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
The apostles’ ministry pattern was never rhetorical polish; it was demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that faith would rest on God, not on human eloquence.
1 Corinthians 2:4
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
Going Deeper
Wommack’s phrase "like ringing the dinner bell" captures a central caution: a miracle is meant to draw people to the meal, the Gospel itself, not to become the meal. A ministry that chases signs for their own sake has mistaken the invitation for the feast.
Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the same power at work in the Gospels is available to the church now, not confined to the apostolic era.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Note
Expecting God to work in power today is not presumption; it is consistent with who Scripture says Christ still is.
Work through these on your own before your group meets. Type your answers directly into the table below. Your answers are saved automatically in your browser.
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| Question | My Answer | Group Discussion Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Why did the crowd in Matthew 9:8 glorify God rather than praise Jesus personally, even though they had just watched Him act? | ||
| How does Mark 2:1-12 show that physical healing was proof of a deeper spiritual authority? | ||
| What does it mean, practically, for ministry to be a "demonstration of the Spirit and of power" rather than persuasive argument (1 Corinthians 2:4)? | ||
| If Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today, and forever," what does that suggest about what believers today should expect God to do? |
These questions are designed for open conversation at any level of experience. There are no trick questions and no single correct answer.
This week, practise redirecting credit to God and expecting Him to work, in ordinary moments as much as dramatic ones.
| Context | How I Apply This |
|---|---|
| Personal life | Notice any moment where you or someone else did something meaningful for another person, and practise consciously redirecting the credit to God rather than absorbing it. |
| Church community | Ask God for an opportunity to pray for someone’s healing or need this week, trusting Him for the outcome rather than your own ability. |
| Difficult seasons | When circumstances feel beyond help, read one Gospel healing account slowly and notice what the healed person’s response was, letting it renew your own expectation of God. |
| Scripture to carry | Memorise Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Let it be the foundation for expecting God to still work in power now. |
Tap each card to reveal the answer.
What was the crowd’s response to the paralytic’s healing?
Matthew 9:8
"Now when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled and glorified God, who had given such power to men."
Matthew 9:8
How does God bear witness to the Word, according to Hebrews?
Hebrews 2:4
"God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit."
Hebrews 2:4
What did Jesus address before healing the paralytic’s body?
Mark 2:5
"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.’"
Mark 2:5
How did Paul describe his own preaching method?
1 Corinthians 2:4
"My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
1 Corinthians 2:4
What is true of Jesus Christ across all time?
Hebrews 13:8
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8
With what was Jesus anointed for ministry?
Acts 10:38
"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
Acts 10:38