Miracles over Magic

Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Follow the Church

[I want to leave time for prayer after the message tonight]

Acts 8:4–8 “So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”

Acts 8:9–13 “A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, and they said, “This man is called the Great Power of God.” They were attentive to him because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.”

Magic vs Miracles

(Slide 1)

Simon believed (like many still today) if you say the right thing, have the right influence, know the right people, you can get the gods to work in your favor.

That’s magic…the belief in the power I can conjure up to overcome the obstacles of life.

(Slide 2)

Phillip (and the church) believed that faith in Jesus connects us to the all-powerful God of creation who loves us and makes us whole again.

That’s a miracle…faith in the God who is with us and has overcome the power of death, hell, and the grave.

Loss of a Prophetic Imagination

I am convinced that one of the greatest works of the enemy on the church is to domesticate our faith.

We stop believing in the supernatural acts of God.

We begin to believe that all God wants from us is to live a “good”, moral life.

We stop asking in faith because we have forgotten the power of our salvation.

We no longer have a need for the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives.

— God will not give you a life where faith is unnecessary. —

“Take away the supernatural from christianity, and Christianity ceases to exist.” - George Jeffreys (early Pentecostal evangelist)

God did not create you for a “safe”, domesticated life!

You were created to participate in and put on display the life of the Kingdom of God!!

There are some encounters with God that can’t be explained with your head, they must be experienced by faith from your heart.

We live in the information age…there is a way in our modern world we want an explanation for everything… we get instant answers with a Google search…our world is full of ‘how to’ books…YouTube videos can show you how to do just about anything…we even have artificial intelligence now that can do your work for you, as some college students have figured out! We want to have it all figured out BEFORE we take a step of Faith! But no matter how much computing power you have, no matter how many books you read, no matter how much Scripture you know, there comes a point where you have to leave what you know behind and exchange it for what God knows!

How do we know what God knows? …Ask the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:8–10 “None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived— God has prepared these things for those who love him. Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”

When you need a supernatural answer from God…pray and ask the Holy Spirit.

When you’re desperate and need divine intervention…pray and ask the Holy Spirit.

If you need a miracle in your body…pray and ask the Holy Spirit.

When you feel lost and your life is spiraling down…pray and ask the Holy Spirit.

Why do we pray for Miracles?

1. Because we believe Jesus has risen and overcome Sin & Death.

2. Because we believe the power of the Holy Spirit is still active and available in the world today.

3. Because our faith can be a witness to others.

4. Because our hope is not in the miracle itself, but in the one who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

James 5:13–16 “Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”