Faith and Power: The Blueprint for Evangelism (Part 1)
Miracles, Signs, and Wonders
I’ve mentioned before that the book of John is one of my favourite books in the Bible, because it was the first book that introduced me to Jesus. That’s not the only reason, though - John also helped me understand the ministry of Jesus. In that, I was able to find the blueprint for evangelism.
My second favourite book is Acts of the Apostles, simply because so much of what is revealed in John is also reflected there, with a clear emphasis on the importance of being filled with faith and power as a believer.
About 18 months ago, while studying Acts of the Apostles, I began to notice a pattern that also appeared when studying the ministry of Jesus. Acts is a summation of how the apostles manifested the glory and power of God to such a degree that they commanded miracles, signs, and wonders - healing the sick, raising the dead, and demonstrating the supernatural. Just like Jesus, whose ministry and time on earth were filled with miracles, signs, and wonders - turning water into wine, multiplying two loaves and five fishes to feed thousands, raising Lazarus from the dead, and healing all kinds of sickness and disease, from leprosy to blindness.
When I studied further into the ministry of Jesus, I found that He didn’t always teach - but He always manifested the glory and power of God in the form of a miracle, sign, or wonder. And there was a reason for this.
In John 4:48, Jesus responded to a man who asked Him to heal his dying son by saying:
“Unless you [people] see [miraculous] signs and wonders, you [simply] will not believe.”
Jesus knew the only way men would believe that He is who He claimed to be - the first begotten Son of God, the Saviour, Redeemer, and only way to the Father - was by doing that which no other man could do apart from God. From His first public appearance at the wedding in Cana to His resurrection, His entire ministry was built on miracles, signs, and wonders. If you look closely at the scriptures, it was those very signs that turned unbelievers into believers.
For the sake of readability, I will split this post into three parts:
Part One will focus on Jesus and the book of John.
Part Two will look at His disciples and the Acts of the Apostles.
Part Three will reveal how every believer today is commissioned to carry the same mantle of faith and power - demonstrating God’s glory through miracles, signs, and wonders.
Let’s start by looking at Jesus’ first documented miracle: turning water into wine.
In John chapter 2, Jesus was at a wedding with His mother. When the wine ran out, Jesus instructed them to “fill the waterpots with water” (v7) and then “draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast” (v8). Verse 9 records that the master tasted the water that had become wine but did not know where it had come from. Verse 11 says:
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
Those last six words are my point of emphasis: “and His disciples believed in Him.” It was this sign - this miracle - that enabled His disciples to believe that He was exactly who He said He was. And it didn’t end there.
The Greatest Sign of All
I’ve written before about my love for words and also the necessity of being pedantic when studying the Bible. Too often we use words, terms, and scriptures interchangeably, and in doing so the true root meaning becomes lost in translation. One of my favourite church sayings is: “line upon line, precept upon precept.” Although this is a direct scripture (Isaiah 28:10), it also serves as a principle for studying God’s Word carefully, so as not to miss or overlook the mysteries within it.
One of the most common misconceptions is that Jesus died to save us from sin and death - which is actually not true. Jesus came into the world to save us from sin and eternal damnation. We see this in 1 Timothy 1:15, where Apostle Paul wrote:
“This saying is reliable and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - and I’m the biggest sinner of all.”
The distinction I want to highlight is this: Jesus’ assignment of salvation and redemption was set in motion the very moment He was born of a woman, not simply when He died. His death and resurrection were the ultimate sign that He was - and is - the only true and living God, and the necessary act that completed the work of salvation. Because, who else could lay their life down and pick it up again three days later? I’ll wait…
Let’s check the scripture: John 2:18–22.
“The Jews then responded to him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’
Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’
They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’
But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.
Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”
This scripture reiterates two of my key points:
People did not believe until they saw: “What sign can you show us?” … “After he was raised … THEN they believed.”
The death and resurrection of Jesus was the sign, not the assignment.
Belief Through Signs and Wonders
There are many scriptures throughout John (and Acts) that show people could not, would not, and did not believe in Jesus until they witnessed a miracle, sign, or wonder. A few examples:
“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name WHEN they saw the signs which He did.” John 2:23
“This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’” John 3:2
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’” John 4:39
“Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ So the man himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.” John 4:53–54
“Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.” John 6:2
“Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” John 6:14
If you study the entire book of John, you’ll find this same theme again and again: men only believed once they had seen.
Jesus laid the foundation through miracles, signs, and wonders that revealed His glory and turned unbelievers into believers. But the story didn’t stop at the ascension. From that moment came the promise of the Holy Spirit, filling His disciples to walk in the same power. And the Gospel? It spread like wildfire through their generation - because faith backed by power cannot be ignored.
To be continued…
P, xo
