The third supernatural gift is the gift of miracles. (I Cor. 12:10) If we are to reap the harvest of this world, we need to have the equipment to do the job. The gifts of the Spirit are God's equipment. As we journey through the Acts of the Apostles, we can see that it was the miracles which caught the attention of the unbelievers. Crowds gathered to see what happened! The apostle preached the message and the multitudes came and were saved!
Perhaps we should ask, "What is a miracle?" A miracle is an act of God by which He sets aside natural laws by a higher supernatural law. A flying bird is no miracle, and a man walking is no miracle. But if I took off--like Philip did--and flew through the air, that would be a miracle, superseding the natural law of gravity. Philip did it in Acts 8:39. He was caught away from the eunuch and was "found" in Azotus. I am told that this is about 22 miles away. Some say it's farther. That was breaking the law of gravity!
According to Mark 16:17 we are to expect signs and wonders and miracles to follow the preaching of the Word. All through the Bible we have a long list of miracles.
There were many signs and wonders following Moses. He delivered the 2-1/2 million Israelites from Egypt. Certainly this would come under the category of miracles--not to mention the crossing of the Red Sea, and the manna sent down from heaven to feed the children of Israel in the wilderness. Elisha, the man of God, made iron to float! The ax head had fallen off the handle into the Jordan River, and in order to retrieve it, the ax head had to float. That was a miracle (contrary to nature) was it not? You can read this in II Kings 6:6.
Paul and Silas were delivered from the prison In Philippi in Acts 16:26 by God sending an earthquake. Now an earthquake isn't a miracle. We have them all the time! However, when an earthquake is a deliverance of God, it creates a miracle. As the result of Paul and Silas being delivered by the earthquake, the jailer and his family were saved and baptized.
In Acts 12:5-11, God dispatched an angel which rescued Peter out of prison. You can imagine Peter thinking, John's been killed and I'll be next! But God sent an angel which brought him out and the iron gate swung open of its own accord!
Peter was mighty in gifts, as shown when he prayed for that lame man, saying, "Silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I thee; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
First, there was a miracle and then crowds of people came together. Jesus Himself set the trend, In Acts 1:1, where it says, "Jesus began both to do and teach." Today, our pattern is to teach and preach first, then expect something to happen. Why not reverse the process--work a miracle first, and preach afterwards? This is because of our unbelief. Jesus began to do and to teach. A real gift of miracles will work according to the Word of God.
What are our credentials, anyway? Jesus' credentials were given in Acts 2:22: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you...." Our credentials aren't just writing on a piece of paper handed down by a bishop or some honorable person. We must have the power to perform. This provides our credentials. In this world today, with its science and technology and unbelief, together with the demon forces and the gurus and cults, we must have the supernatural power of God to work miracles.
In closing this segment on the gift of miracles, let me relate a story from Indonesia. I was conducting meetings among those islands a few years ago when I was summoned to help in a critical situation. The case in question was a Chinese woman who had a devil which was telling her she was freezing to death! Can you imagine that? It was a dark night, and I had to walk about eight miles with dogs snapping at my heels. Fortunately, my interpreter came along with me. When we got there we found her sitting against the wall, her body trembling with cold, with a blanket around her shoulders.
Her Chinese husband was desperate. He had taken her to the hospital and had a very good doctor diagnose her case. He could find nothing wrong with this lady, physically. When we arrived at the door of that Chinese house and saw her condition, believe me, it was a challenge to believe God! How could an unsaved doctor know what to do with a devil? So, he had just sent her home and they were left in a desperate situation.
That night there was quite a commotion. There she sat, and as we entered the home the neighbors in that Chinese community gathered around, looking through the windows and door. It was very hot so the door was open and everyone was curious. We could feel the powers of darkness in the room.
My interpreter asked the husband, "Have you been practicing black magic around here?"
He said that he had. My interpreter said. "Have you any idols or fetishes in the house? If you've been practicing black magic, you're going to have to put all of them in the middle of the floor, and they must be burned."
The house was made of cement. The floor was cement. There was no glass in the windows, so there was nothing to catch on fire.
We said, "Get all those things, every one of them, and put them in the middle of the floor before we'll pray. You're going to have to denounce them all."
So they said yes they would. You would be surprised how many things they brought out from behind pictures, between mattresses! Bits of rags, bones, and wood! Then I noticed a picture above their bedroom door--a horrible-looking thing! I think it was a snake. They may have thought that if the devil saw it, he wouldn't enter into their room at night. They had all kinds of ideas in this occult black magic.
We asked them, "Is this all?"
He said, "Yes, this is all."
Then we said, "Get some kerosene." (They used kerosene lamps, therefore they had kerosene.) So we poured the kerosene on all these fetishes and idols and then asked for matches. We lit them, and all those things began to burn. At that very minute the anointing fell upon us. We marched over to the woman, took off the blanket, prayed for her--and she was made perfectly whole! The devil was cast out and she was normal. The husband was delighted and the family was so happy!
As we left to go home, a Chinese man who was looking on said, "Would you pray for my deaf and dumb daughter? She lives on the road you will take as you go home."
It was midnight by this time and we were tired, but we went in and cast the deaf and dumb spirit out of her--and she both heard and spoke! The next night at the meeting, the church was full because of the news that spread around the community like wildfire, and they came out to see more of God's power! This goes to show that it takes more than just preaching. It takes the mighty miracles and power of God and the gifts operating! Truly, that was a miracle night!
Another miracle occurred one day when I was piloting my plane between Binghamton, and Buffalo, New York. A thick, impenetrable fog settled down over my plane, and I knew that I was a goner if something didn't happen. I was desperate! I knew that at any minute I could crash. I cried out to God from my innermost being with a loud message in tongues, and to my amazement all the fog abated and was gone! I turned around and flew back a mile or so, and there was no sign of fog anywhere! Needless to say I landed at the first landing field I could find--in Dansville, New York. My knees were still knocking together. But a notable miracle had happened.