Faith and Power: The Blueprint for Evangelism (Part 2)
In my last post, I left it at the ascension - but that wasn’t an ending, it was a transfer. Jesus had set the standard, but now it was time for His people to carry it. And when the Holy Spirit showed up in Acts, it was neither gentle nor subtle. Fire fell and ordinary lives turned into evidence that God’s power was still moving. What I love about Acts is that it proves this wasn’t just about Jesus walking the earth. It was about legacy. Continuation. Multiplication. The same miracles, the same authority, but now in the hands of those who once doubted, feared, and ran.
There are many scriptures throughout the book of Acts that demonstrate how the Apostles, by way of the Spirit of God, continued in the same flow of miracles, signs, and wonders that Jesus began - a few of which I’ll share below:
“And through the hands of the Apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. …And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so they brought the sick out onto the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.” (Acts 5:12-16)
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralysed and lame were healed.” (Acts 8:5-7)
“Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints at Lydda. There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralysed. And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.’ Then he arose immediately. So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 9:32–35)
“At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated as Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.” (Acts 9:36-43)
“And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.” (Acts 28:8-10)
All of these passages paint a powerful picture of what continued to take place post-ascension. However, the scripture that anchored me was Acts 6:8:
“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”
Out of all the verses, this one is the most concise - and yet for me, the most insightful. Because it actually reveals the prerequisite to walking in signs and wonders: faith and power. That one line shifted my whole paradigm. It showed me that the issue was never whether God could move - He always can. The question was, what am I actually full of?
As I sat with Acts 6:8 and began to look inward, the Holy Spirit brought another scripture to mind: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12) And suddenly, the dots began to connect. I was reminded again of Jesus’ words in John 4:48, when He responded to the man who begged Him to heal his sick child: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
That’s when the revelation of why Jesus commissioned us to do “greater works” than He did started to make sense. Jesus understood two things here:
He knew that in order for people to believe, they needed to see a sign or a wonder that no man could perform apart from God. Miracles were the evidence that He was who He said He was.
He also knew how stubborn unbelief can be. These people had Jesus in their midst, live in the flesh - ten toes down, right in front of them saying “I AM” - and still they wouldn’t believe until they saw proof. So how much harder would it be in this generation, where He is no longer physically walking among us? Jesus knew. And that’s why He said we would need greater signs and wonders: to affirm that we are truly sent by the One we preach.
This opened my eyes to understand why so often we go out to evangelise, spend three hours on the streets, and maybe five people stop to listen - and out of the five, not one gives their life to the Lord. The truth is, with all that’s going on in the world, people don’t have time to listen to us preach about a powerful God that we cannot manifest. I will never forget the day the Holy Spirit said to me, “If you cannot manifest the God you are preaching, then what you are preaching is redundant, because faith without works is dead.” That pierced me. Because the sad reality is, people are physically sick, mentally oppressed and tormented. So many are walking around trying to fill God-sized voids with sex, alcohol, and drugs. And yet, because we - the body of Christ - have not been filled with faith and power to show them the God we proclaim, they won’t even stop to hear us out on a Saturday afternoon.
But imagine this: if even three believers spent one hour on London’s busiest street pulling people out of wheelchairs, opening blind eyes, and healing the oppressed - how many more would believe? How many more would be saved? That realisation changed everything for me. It pushed me to start praying differently - to ask God to fill me with faith and power, so that miracles, signs, and wonders wouldn’t just be words in my Bible, but a reality in my life. Because when men see, they will marvel. And when they marvel, they will believe in Jesus Christ.
What I have learnt is this: it’s not enough to know about God, we must manifest Him. The world doesn't need another sermon; it’s waiting for evidence. Evidence that Jesus is alive, evidence that His Spirit still moves, evidence that the Gospel is power, not just words.
My prayer is this:
Lord, fill me with unshakable faith and unstoppable power. Burn out every doubt, silence every fear, and cut off every distraction - make me a vessel unto honour, fit to demonstrate Your kingdom on earth. Let my hands heal the sick, let my voice drive out oppression, let my entire life stand as undeniable evidence that Jesus Christ is alive. Mark me as part of a generation that will not bow to powerless Christianity, but rises with boldness, carrying the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Let the world see, let them marvel, and let them believe - not in me, but in You. And may every miracle, every sign, every wonder, return all glory to Your name.
Amen.
P, xo
