The Church Under the Risen Lord, Acts 2:43

Can a verse about miracles and signs be relevant to the church today? The early church in the book of Acts was mostly made up of uneducated and lowly men and women, but they were full of the Holy Spirit, devoting themselves to biblical teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. (v. 42) They were set apart from the world, doing the same miraculous works that Jesus did in His earthly ministry- the apostles healed the sick, raised the dead to life, and did many other wonders and signs, shaking the world by God’s power working through them. (Acts 9:36-41, 19:11) Today, outsiders see the church differently- the church seems archaic and irrelevant, a mere relic of what once was. Most churches have settled for a little faith that stirs no awe, being content with accomplishing only that which can be possible for man. We must look to Scripture when we ask ourselves- what does the church centered on the risen Jesus look like? Can this verse be true for us today? We continue in Luke’s account in the book of Acts to renew our understanding of the church. As we trust in the Lord and His Word, we will find that this verse is indeed relevant, necessary, and applicable to us today.

Before expounding further on the topic of miracles, we must address the question, do the miracles of the apostolic church still occur today? There are generally two camps of thought when it comes to miracles. Cessationists believe the gifts of miracles ceased after the book of Acts, whereas Continuationists believe there are still miracle workers in the church. We, as Bible Community Church, fall under the category of Cessationists. We believe God is sovereign, able to heal and accomplish any extraordinary miracle, but He no longer does these by men. This is not new- miracles did not occur all throughout the Scriptures. God showed miracles during specific times of special revelation for the purpose of validating His Word and prophet. (e.g. when Moses delivered Israel, Jesus’ ministry) Therefore, miracles were no longer necessary after the New Testament era was complete.

Moreover, miracles and healing were never done by the power of man- it has always been by the Spirit of God, through the gospel. (Acts 14:8-11; Acts 3:11-12, Zec 4:16) Though we believe God no longer uses miracle workers and healers, verse 43 is just as relevant for us today as it was then, because God continues to work these wonders and signs within the church-

There is no fear of death. Death is a reality that man goes to all lengths to ignore and avoid, but every man is destined to die once, and after that comes judgment. (Heb 9:27) Jesus came as man to overcome the power of death, and He absolutely abolished it by His death and resurrection. Man may lose everything when he dies, but the Christian gains everything at his death through Christ- a perfect life in the presence of God. (Phil 1:21)