<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 8;4-8<div><br></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.</b></div><div><b>6. &nbsp;And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did.</b></div><div><b>7. &nbsp;For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.</b></div><div><b>8. &nbsp;So there was much joy in the city.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Signs, such&nbsp;as&nbsp;healings&nbsp;and&nbsp;the casting out of unclean spirits can and do still happen today. &nbsp;Jesus said they would. (see, Mark 16;17&amp;18) &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>We are tempted to wonder&nbsp;why do we not witness more of such signs ourselves? &nbsp;Is the Church today&nbsp;<br>less powerful than the early Church? &nbsp;The answer of course is ‘no.’&nbsp;The Lord is still resident and active in his Body the Church. &nbsp;He works when and where his works are called for according to his own will not ours. &nbsp;We must remember that God is sovereign, meaning he decides who and when his miracles will be preformed. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus offended his own neighbors and&nbsp;friends in Nazareth, when in the synagogue he said, <i>“…there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine overall the land; and &nbsp;Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zaraphath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. &nbsp;And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”</i></div><div>They wanted healings for themselves right then and there. &nbsp;Jesus did no sign for them.</div><div><br></div><div>Likewise, when Jesus went to the pool of Beth-zatha, it was surrounded by <i>“a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.” </i>&nbsp;But only one man out of them all did Jesus heal.</div><div><br></div><div>Humility and faith require us to not question when we pray for miracles and they do not happen immediately. &nbsp; We have the greatest miracle of all, repentance and faith have been given us. &nbsp;With these we have the resurrection and&nbsp;perfect, glorified bodies with it. &nbsp;If we suffer now, it is to God’s glory if we suffer in faith patiently.</div><div><br></div><div>Let us not forget that God works through modern medicine also, as well as through wise teaching and council to cast our the unclean. &nbsp;“Teach the devil to death” is a saying among Lutherans. &nbsp;God’s truth heals, be it long or short.</div><div><br></div><div>The extraordinary number of signs preformed through the apostles and evangelists of the first century Church, were how the Lord chose to quickly spread the Word of Christ at that time. &nbsp;Never forget, healings and signs were not an end in themselves, but a means of spreading the Gospel. Such work still continues. &nbsp;We should not make physical healing the priority, but rather spiritual.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>When the paralyzed man on the bed was lowered down before Jesus, the first thing he said and gave him was spiritual healing, <i>“My son, your sins are forgiven.” &nbsp;</i>(Luke 5;20)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us the faith and humility of the leper who prayed, <i>“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” &nbsp;</i>Bless us to always and only seek your will to be done in us, not our own. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 8;4-8
4.  Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.5.  Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.6.  And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did.7.  For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.8.  So there was much joy in the city.
Signs, such as healings and the casting out of unclean spirits can and do still happen today.  Jesus said they would. (see, Mark 16;17&18)  
We are tempted to wonder why do we not witness more of such signs ourselves?  Is the Church today 
less powerful than the early Church?  The answer of course is ‘no.’ The Lord is still resident and active in his Body the Church.  He works when and where his works are called for according to his own will not ours.  We must remember that God is sovereign, meaning he decides who and when his miracles will be preformed.  
Jesus offended his own neighbors and friends in Nazareth, when in the synagogue he said, “…there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine overall the land; and  Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zaraphath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”They wanted healings for themselves right then and there.  Jesus did no sign for them.
Likewise, when Jesus went to the pool of Beth-zatha, it was surrounded by “a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.”  But only one man out of them all did Jesus heal.
Humility and faith require us to not question when we pray for miracles and they do not happen immediately.   We have the greatest miracle of all, repentance and faith have been given us.  With these we have the resurrection and perfect, glorified bodies with it.  If we suffer now, it is to God’s glory if we suffer in faith patiently.
Let us not forget that God works through modern medicine also, as well as through wise teaching and council to cast our the unclean.  “Teach the devil to death” is a saying among Lutherans.  God’s truth heals, be it long or short.
The extraordinary number of signs preformed through the apostles and evangelists of the first century Church, were how the Lord chose to quickly spread the Word of Christ at that time.  Never forget, healings and signs were not an end in themselves, but a means of spreading the Gospel. Such work still continues.  We should not make physical healing the priority, but rather spiritual. 
When the paralyzed man on the bed was lowered down before Jesus, the first thing he said and gave him was spiritual healing, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”  (Luke 5;20)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us the faith and humility of the leper who prayed, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  Bless us to always and only seek your will to be done in us, not our own.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”
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