Many people really want to see a move of God in our days like the disciples saw in theirs, and that’s a good thing. But what is it going to take for that to happen? Part of the problem is, in this generation of Christians, we have grown to accept the present situation of “not much happening” as “the way it is”.
Sure, we see a move of God here and there at times, a healing that we can’t attribute to medicine, for example, but it isn’t an everyday thing like it SHOULD be. Back in the days when Jesus walked the earth, He created a new “normal”, in that as many sick as the people brought Him, they were made whole of whatsoever problem they had. And it wasn’t just a few; it was MULTITUDES that were healed.

OK, that was Jesus, and many would agree that His purpose in doing so was to establish that He was truly the Christ, the very Son of God. But if that were the entire case, then why did Jesus give authority to the disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out devils? And why did they continue to do so after Jesus returned to heaven to His Father? You see, that’s where we have to stand back and take a hard look and examine the situation closely.

If it only to prove His deity, then when Jesus returned to His Father, the healings and miracles would have ended, because He would have made His point, and there would be no further need of healings and miracles after that. But being the disciples CONTINUED doing healings and miracles, then we have a problem today accepting the fact the fact that healings and miracles are not very common today, like they were back in their day. Something changed along the way down to today, but WHAT?

I have a real problem accepting the current situation of few miracles as that’s “the way it is”. I’m reminded just now of Jude, verse 3-4 saying,
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is the key, my friend, we have to diligently contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints! Very obviously, we aren’t being delivered the same faith and teachings THEY heard, and therefore, we aren’t getting the same results today! So what “faith” are we being delivered today? I’d call it a very carnal faith, one being centered upon our comfort, our possessions, our “blessing”, getting from God whatsoever tickles our fancy. And somehow, I can’t see that in what Jesus taught His disciples. And I’m willing to bet that the disciples taught the same things to their disciples that Jesus taught them. That’s why miracles and healings followed them wherever they went.

Look what is written in Mark 16:15-20 in the final instructions Jesus gave His disciples:
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Those instructions were given by Jesus himself, so we know it was His will for His followers, even unto the time of His return.

WOW! What a parting instruction! He said to keep up the work which He himself started! He didn’t say to water the Gospel down to suit what the people wanted to hear or to let it fizzle out to the powerless message of today. What is the “Gospel”? Well, it can be summed up in what Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19,

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

That was the message Jesus preached, telling people to turn from their sins and obey the Commandments. And in the law was clearly spelled out how to be blessed, and isn’t blessing what the people are seeking today, instead of holiness? Well then, if you want the blessings, then you have to keep the Commandments, the very first one being in Exodus 20, verse 3, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Right there friends is the most basic of instructions, that even a child can understand. But we today in our generation have MANY gods we put before our LORD; our homes, our money, our possessions, our lust for pleasing ourselves and doing our own pleasure. So therefore, the “gospel” we hear is centered around pleasing ourselves, rather that our LORD! Don’t believe me? Go to church and listen to what is being preached these days! Rarely do you hear what Jesus said for us to do. And then we wonder why healings and miracles are so rare? They’re only happening where the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached, and the proof is in the pudding, as they say.

You see, it the true Gospel is being preached, then Jesus said And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Are you seeing that in your church? If not, then I’m sorry to say, you aren’t being taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the disciples heard, and that they in turn taught their disciples. I’m challenging you here today to seek the TRUE gospel, to earnestly contend for the one that was once delivered to the saints. Nothing less will deliver the goods. The watered down gospel being preached by the “bless me, bless me” preachers isn’t it. They can claim miracles are happening all they want, but where are those who were healed? In other words, where’s the proof?

I don’t know about you, but I want the real deal. And the only way to see it for ourselves is to seek the LORD with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, just like the original disciples had to do. The true Gospel probably won’t make you rich, sorry to disappoint you, but it will get you saved and give you power to do what the first disciples did.

So you have to choose what you want the most: the LORD, or the world. THAT’S the way it is!