Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling over death by death,
come awake come awake
come and rise up from the grave.
-Matt Maher’s “Christ is Risen” Lyrics
The greatest miracle of all time happened over 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ died on a cross, and three days later rose from the grave. His death and resurrection provide the greatest gift to mankind, a miracle that saves us from sin, heals the brokenhearted, and brings hope to the hopeless. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a miracle that spread across nations and who, as a Christian, we worship and cry out to. This should set the standard of how we live our lives and how we see the goodness of God. He had to give His only son so that we, undeserving sinners, would come alive through his death. In the Bible, there are incredible stories of men being healed from blindness, others being paralyzed and then suddenly able to walk again, and the dead brought back to life. Although, there’s a disconnect between how we interpret miracles in modern society and how they were seen in the past. Truth is, the miracles have remained the same, but somehow the world has contorted the missional focus that miracles were intended to have. We’ve missed the point because we’re too focused on ourselves, and less focused on advancing the kingdom. Join me as I try my best to shed some light on how God works to use miracles for the kingdom based on proof from His Word.
At The Well last night, we studied Acts Chapter 9:32-43, where a woman named Tabitha had passed away and Peter, one of the disciples, had been asked to come see her. They needed him to raise Tabitha from the dead, and they knew Jesus could work miracles through his disciples. Once Peter arrives, he asks everyone to leave the room. After kneeling down and praying over her, he lifts his head and says, “Tabitha, arise.” She then opens her eyes and sits up!
“But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up.” Acts 9:40-41
Tabitha was a woman who served God in several ways. She was a woman who made clothes for widows, and in this specific culture, once you were a widow.. you became nothing. She went out of her way to serve them and love them like Jesus would. (ref. Psalm 68:5) Through Peter, God then provided a miracle by raising her from the dead. After hearing about this miracle, many others had come to know more about how this happened. She was able to share her love for Christ which then led to others, who weren’t believers before, to come alive through the miracle God bestowed on Tabitha’s life. This was huge! This is exactly how it should be today!
God raises the dead so that others will come alive.
This life isn’t so that we can live, it’s so that we can come alive through Christ and live with Him in heaven after death. That’s it. In Revelation, John talks about the joy we’ll find in heaven when Jesus comes back. Chapter 1 v. 4 says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” The ultimate goal, the one thing I wish for others to walk away with is that God is sovereign. He is not your leader, He does not obey you. He is our king and we serve Him and trust His goodness. No matter what this looks like for you, to advance the Gospel and to spread the Kingdom is the ultimate goal of life. Nothing more and nothing less.
By Catie Warrick
