Scripture: Luke 1 v 13 - 16: "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."
The first miracle that occurs in the New Testament is the conception of John the Baptist, after 400 years of silence from Heaven. There is a gap of 400 years between the end of the Old Testament, the Book of Malchi, to the start of the New Testament Book of Matthew. In all those years, no one heard from God.
It was the same number of years that the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, before Moses was raised up to deliver them back into the hands of Almighty God. Captivity and silence from God always followed disobedience on the part of the Jews.
Back to Zachariah who did not believe the Angel that he and his elderly wife could bear a child. Just like Sarah and Abraham. Therefore, he was struck dumb until the baby was born. His first words were to say, "His name is John!"
A few months later the miracle fulfilling of an Old Testament prophecy.....Isaiah 7 v 14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Immanuel means God is with us!
Jesus came to Israel and did many miracles of healing, calming storms, raising dead people to life, walking on water, cursing the fig tree, changing water into wine, delivering the afflicted from demons and Himself resurrected from death. His amazing Earthly life lasted 33 years. That is the age when a Jew can become the High Priest.
Ten days after His ascension the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in the Upper Room with a sound like a mighty wind. Listening to some survivors of Hurricane Ian yesterday describing the sound they heard for many hours, gives us an idea of it.
There were 120 disciples in that Upper Room, including Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and they all began to speak in the tongues of men and angels. Strangers from other countries, in the street below, could hear and understand the disciples, saying that these people are declaring the glory and might of God in our own languages.
The nine gifts of the Holy Ghost were available to believers: speaking (praying, singing) in tongues, interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, healings, miracles, faith, prophecy, and discerning of spirits of good and evil. 1 Corinthians 12.
All of the above are miraculous blessings from God. They are all available to believers today and should be manifest in every Christian church or ministry. Without these remarkable gifts there is no power of the Holy Ghost to sustain the life of Jesus in the midst of it.
Churches are floundering today because there is no Holy Spirit power. Christians are confused by many false doctrines, contradictions of God's Word, traditions that are unscriptural, a lack of discipline leading to disobedience and disunity. We need the miracle working power of God to bring truth and direction to the Church.
He is the God of Miracles, the hope of mankind, the victory over evil and He needs us to carry it forward. Every time and everywhere the Holy Spirit is quenched or extinguished dark days have come. We are experiencing dark days now which are the curtain raisers to the Tribulation to come.
In worldly darkness we have Communism, Socialism, Militant Islamic groups, Famine, Corruption, Unrest, Fear, Apostasy, Anarchy, Insanity, Crime out of control. There is a godlessness and rejection of righteousness that has gone viral. And the end is not in sight yet. We need Jesus who IS THE LIGHT, THE TRUTH AND THE WAY! We need Him desperately.
Pray for miracles to abound in every place so we can tell everybody the Kingdom of God is here. It is here for our safety and Jesus is the Door into this Kingdom. No other way but by Him. Call on His name, repent of sin, forgive those who have hurt you, be washed in the Blood of the Lamb, let Him come into your heart. You are born again! No other way.
No religion can save you as they are all man-made and not sanctioned by Almighty God and His Son, Jesus.
Hebrews 2 v 9 - 11: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,"
The joy of the Lord is our strength, it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. He manifests peace, love, patience and self-control in our lives. He gives us the ability to perform miracles, healings, deliverance, the whole package.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, our God of Miracles, and Your beloved Son, we love You, worship and adore You. Father thank You for Your gift of the Holy Spirit, His power in us fulfils Your will. Keep our lights burning with holy oil, our prayers earnest, our hearts clean, our faith strong to bring truth to the lost. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.