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. Zachariah did not believe the Angel and was struck dumb until the baby was born. His first words were to say, "His name is John!"
He was also prophetically designated to be a Nazarite. This is a child set apart for God's purposes. He must never drink wine, or any other alcohol and he must never cut his hair nor beard. There were two other such children in the Old Testament, Samson who gave himself away to Delilah the Philistine, and the Prophet Samuel in the time of Saul. John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was once Elijah the Prophet and was sent again as the one who would recognise Jesus and introduce Him to Israel.
The next miracle was the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb when the Holy Ghost came upon her. It was the only time in history that a virgin conceived. 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."
When Mary was three months pregnant with Jesus, and Elisabeth was 6 months pregnant with John, Mary visited her. As the Angel had prophesied, John would be baptized in the Holy Spirit whilst still in the womb. Jesus is the Baptized in the Holy Spirit and from Mary's womb He baptized John in the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb! Another of God's miracles.
His birth was also a miracle of God. He was born in a stable which was part of a field where the unblemished lambs used in the Passover Feast were kept. Christ our Passover Lamb from birth.
Jesus came 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.
Ten days after His ascension the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in the Upper Room and they began to speak in the tongues of men and angels, which foreigners in the street attending Passover festival, could understand and say that these men are declaring the glory and might of God. We can understand them as they are speaking our language. The Lord was using this occasion to spread the Word to other nations.
The nine gifts of the Holy Ghost aka the Holy Spirit, 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 visible in every Christian church or ministry because without them there is no power of the Holy Ghost to sustain the life of Jesus in the midst of it.
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.
The Holy Spirit began manifesting in Russia in the late 1800's. The Orthodox Church rejected this. Not long after in 1918 Communism took over the nation with the monster Josef Stalin in control.. In Germany after the First World War the Holy Spirit came upon the church but was also rejected. The next most powerful spirit arrived in in the form of Nazism and Adolf Hitler ruled. He started the Second World War but lost it in the end.
In darkness we have Communism, Socialism, Militant Islamic groups, Famine, Corruption, Unrest, Affliction Lawlessness, Fear, Anarchy, Insanity, Crime out of control and climate in turmoil. And the end is not in sight yet. We need Jesus who IS THE LIGHT, THE TRUTH AND THE WAY! We need Him desperately. All these signs indicate that He is coming soon. Israel had to become a nation again before His coming.
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,"
Prayer: Heavenly Father, our God of Miracles, and Your beloved Son, we love You, worship and adore You. Keep our lights on, our prayers earnest, our hearts clean, our faith strong to bring truth to the lost. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.