Ministries of Miracles

Who should be doing miracles?

Some other questions that could help answer that one, by finding a pattern: Who should be leading people to Christ? Who should be encouraging other believers? Who should be praying for their city or for the business they work for? Who should be teaching their children the ways of the Lord?

Answers to all of those questions could at least be “anybody.” “Everybody” may even be appropriate, at least when the situation makes it appropriate. Every person doesn’t have every ministry, though. Doing something when the occasion presents itself doesn’t equal doing it as a calling.

The Holy Spirit could use any obedient believer who happened to be standing by to lead someone to faith in Jesus, but that may be the only time that person ever has that particular work to do. It is clear from passages of Scripture like 1 Corinthians 12 that no one person has every gift. Also, it is clear there that every believer has some gift.

So, who should be doing miracles? You, if you need one and don’t have access to a person who has a ministry of miracles at the moment (1 Corinthians 12:10).

Every gift has hidden in it the potential for “gift projection” – the imposition on others of a false responsibility for doing a certain work, for which a spiritual gift is required.

Keith Green, a musician and evangelist produced by the “Jesus Movement,” was an example of projecting the responsibility that came with his supernatural ability to lead people to Christ on people who did not have that gift. During his concerts, part of his time was spent preaching for salvation, and part was spent convicting believers who weren’t leading people to salvation of sin for not doing so. For the people who did have the gift of evangelism, it was an effective prompt to be about it with great faith. For everyone else, it was condemnation for failure to please God by fulfilling Keith’s calling.

The Word of Faith Movement was begun by people who I expect had the gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9). Because it was easy (supernaturally easy – spiritual gift style) to perform miracles or have impossible prayers answered, they became convinced that “anybody could do it,” and therefore began to teach that “everybody should do it.” Much failure on behalf of people who didn’t have the proper level of faith (spiritual gift level – not fruit of the Spirit level) to see miracles on demand caused much disappointment and disillusionment in many people whose responses ranged from condemning the leaders for having false ministries to followers feeling condemned because they didn’t “have enough faith.”

Pray for all of the gifts mentioned in the Bible, and for all the ones we haven’t seen yet, to bear much fruit in the earth as each believer learns what their call and purpose is. Pray for relationships that will make what you need from the Body to be available to you and your family and your community.