A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (February 2, 2018)
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28)
If I were to ask you if you believed in miracles, what would you say? Well, if you are a Christian, the answer should be yes, because miracles are a major part of the church. Let me explain.
When we read about the offices in the church, we usually read Ephesians 4:11-12 where it says, “He Himself [referring to Jesus] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Here we find that Jesus placed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the church to build up the church. But when we study the Scriptures, we cannot take one verse and build everything on it. In other words, we must take the sum of the Scriptures and see what it says.
With that in mind let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:28. Here it says, “God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” Did you catch that? God placed the miracles in the church, just like He placed healing, teaching, and apostles. If this is true, and it is, then why do we not see more miracles in the church?
The answer to that is actually explained by the Bible. In Mark 6, Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth along with His disciples. When the Sabbath day came, Jesus began teaching in the synagogue. There were many people there who had traveled to hear Him, and they were astonished at what He said. In verse 2 the people said, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!”
Then some of the people began to doubt Jesus’ authority. They said, “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” (v.3). In other words, they were saying, “Who does this guy think he is? He’s just the local neighbor boy who grew up down the street.” Then verse 3 tells us that the people became offended at Him. But Jesus told them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (v.4). In other words, Jesus said that when you are among strangers, the people will listen and believe, but at home, the people are too familiar and it’s harder to believe.
But listen to this. The Bible says in Mark 6:5 that in Nazareth, Jesus could not do many mighty works. Notice it doesn’t say he would not, it says He could not. The reason is that the people there did not believe. In fact, verse 6 says that Jesus marveled at their unbelief.
Remember, Jesus said all things are possible for those who believe. That must, in turn, mean that all things are not possible for those who do not believe. The choice is ours.
