“Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” This was part of the prayer of the early believers in Acts 4.
The day before we left Brazil, we drove for more than an hour outside Natal to a small town called Taipu. We broke into four groups and tried to cover as much territory as we could, inviting people to the gym near the center of town. I was excited because I was asked to share the gospel – “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” A little over two hundred people gathered and three or four Christians shared testimonies. One father walked forward carrying a three year old boy. He told of his two sons that were born with a terrible skin condition that caused red sores to cover their bodies. He shared how he gave his life to Jesus a little more than two weeks earlier and over the course of the next fifteen days God healed his little boys. He held up the three year old and everyone applauded. I saw a ‘before and after’ picture and was amazed. But the citizens of the town appreciated the miracle most because they knew this man and had seen his boys’ condition since they were born.
Next, a young lady named Ana Paula stood up and shared a story. Ana Paula is a sweet, humble, yet bold believer. She hung out with us almost every night we were in Brazil. In Taipu, she stood before the crowd and told of walking through another town with a pastor of a church. They came upon a family who had a little girl who had been deaf and mute since birth. Touched with emotion, Ana Paula asked the pastor if he could heal her. His reply was classic: “I can’t heal her and you can’t heal her, but Jesus can. We can pray!” So they prayed for the little girl. Ana Paula noticed the girl nodding her head as they prayed, so she asked, “Do you hear us?” The little girl nodded. “What did we say?” “Jesus,” the girl replied. How cool that her first word was Jesus!
I know the heart of God in answering prayer is far broader than any of us can understand. He cares for little boys with scabs all over their bodies and he cares for little girls who can’t hear or talk. The blessings to these families were practical and life-changing. But something else happens when God performs miracles – people wake up and pay attention. I doubt one soul snoozed around the temple gate while a beggar, lame from birth, danced for joy after being healed in Jesus’ name.
I’ll share one more story that you can witness for yourselves. “Faith Like Potatoes” is a movie about a South African farmer named Angus Buchan. We picked it up at the airport in Johannesburg a few years ago and I am sure you can find it on the internet. There is an accompanying dvd that shows this evangelist ministering in a soccer stadium in southern Africa. Angus had preached as hard as he could to the crowd of 5000, but to no avail. Around 80% of the people were Muslim and few seemed to be paying much attention. The Holy Spirit prompted, “Pray for the crippled man on the front row.” The man on crutches was helped to the stage. “Jesus is going to heal this man!” Angus declared. The crowd was instantly silent. The truth was told the visitors later, but almost everyone in the village knew the man on stage had suffered a work-related accident when a tree fell and crushed his leg. A steel rod was placed in his leg during surgery. Angus confessed that he probably wouldn’t have prayed had he know details in advance, but with the faith that pleases God, the white African prayed for the black African and God did a mighty miracle. The man discarded his crutches and the two ran in place on the stage with knees lifted high. (This is much more exciting to watch!) Angus did not need to preach another moment. He offered the Lord’s invitation and 5000 people rushed forward to give themselves to Christ.
Here’s the verse that follows the verse above:
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Acts 4:31