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I recently met someone who has links with churches in Nepal. I told him that I had heard that the church was growing very well in Nepal, and I asked him if what I had heard was right. He replied quite simply: 'It's like the book of Acts.' 

What he meant, as he went on to explain, was that the church is indeed growing very well in Nepal, and that, in similar fashion to what we find in the book of Acts, God is using miracles to help cause this growth. (In this article, when I use the word 'miracle' I will be including supernatural healings, although in 1 Cor 12:9-10 healings and miracles are actually distinguished.)

The miracles in Acts, and the fruit of them, in terms of both successful evangelism and strengthening those already saved, are of course very impressive. We are told that: on the day of Pentecost, as a result of the flames of fire and speaking in tongues (2:1-13), the church grew by 3000 (2:41); Peter's and John's healing ministry involving a beggar led to a preaching opportunity resulting in many salvations (3:1-4:4); after a place had been miraculously shaken, Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God's message boldly (4:31); God's execution of Ananias and Sapphira caused great fear to fall on the church (5:1-11), which we can be sure led to an increase in obedience to Him; the people of Samaria paid attention to what Philip said to them because they witnessed the miracles he performed (8:5-8); miracles were involved in the persecutor Saul coming to faith (9:1-22), and we know that he was later used enormously by God; after Jesus had used Peter in healing Aeneas, everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon turned to Him (9:32-5); and in Joppa after Peter was used to raise Tabitha from the dead, many believed in the Lord (9:36-42). I think I have made my point, so I will finish the list at this point, although a number of other powerful, fruit-bearing miracles are recounted elsewhere in Acts too, along with several brief references to miracle work.

We should have no doubt, then, that miracles were used powerfully by God in the early years of the church to help cause rapid growth, both in terms of adding to the number of the saved and by strengthening those already saved. But what about today? Does God perform miracles today?

There are Christians who answer in the negative. They say that all the miracles that people claim to have witnessed in recent times are figments of the imagination or even demonic counterfeits. It is often argued that, because we now have the New Testament, miracles are unnecessary, and that Scripture itself teaches that miracles would disappear once the New Testament was established as authoritative.

Those who argue in this way sometimes point to 1 Cor 13:9-10, where Paul says that prophecy will cease 'when what is perfect comes'. They argue that the time Paul is referring to is the point at which the New Testament was recognised as authoritative, and that genuine prophecy, and all the other charismatic gifts mentioned in 1 Cor 12:8-10, ceased forever at that time. This, however, is a manifestly wrong interpretation of the passage. 'When what is perfect comes' certainly has in view a time after Jesus has returned, not before.

The idea that the existence of the New Testament makes the role of miracles redundant is also entirely without foundation. There is no reason whatever for believing that miracles would be any less effective today in confirming the message of the gospel or building up believers in the faith than they were 2000 years ago. That we now have the New Testament is in this sense beside the point. 

I think it is true that the impression we gain from the New Testament as a whole is that miracles were less frequent in the latter part of the first century than they were earlier on. However, to argue on that basis that it can never have been God's will to perform miracles after the time the New Testament was recognised as authoritative is unwarranted. God's ways are far too deep and mysterious for us to be able to reason in this way. 

Besides, there are indications in Scripture which seem most naturally to support the view that miracles will continue throughout the church age (albeit perhaps more frequently in some periods than in others). I will list a few, although others could easily be added to the list:

(1) The fact that God deemed it appropriate to make instruction about miracles part of the Bible (1 Cor 12) makes most sense if miracles continue.

(2) In Acts 1:8 Jesus prophesies: 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the furthest reaches of the earth.' Although this prophecy was given to the eleven apostles, it seems natural to broaden its application to the whole church, for two reasons: firstly, the gospel was not taken to the ends of the earth before the eleven were all dead; secondly, in Acts itself we find Christians other than the apostles receiving power from the Spirit and acting as Jesus' witnesses.

(3) In Joel's prophecy, quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17-21, we are told that 'in the last days' (v. 17) God will pour out His Spirit in various ways. To limit the fulfilment of this prophecy to the early part of the last days seems somewhat awkward.

(4) In John 14:12 we find Jesus asserting: 'Truly, truly, I tell you, the person who believes in Me, the deeds that I do, he will do also, and greater deeds he will do, because I go to the Father.' To take this verse as suggesting that every Christian should be able to perform miracles would be to take it too literally. On the other hand, this text most naturally seems to imply that throughout the church age some Christians should be able to perform miracles.

What the Bible says, then, fits much better with a scenario in which miracles (and other charismatic gifts) continue, at least in some measure, throughout the church age, than one in which they ceased with the establishment of the New Testament. 

There is another important point to bring in here, and that is personal testimony. There are many sincere Christians who are adamant that they have witnessed miracles. My experience of listening to what people have to say about the miracles they claim to have witnessed leads me to believe that testimony about miracles is mixed. I think some of it is the figment of people's imaginations. On the other hand, I am sure that much of it is the real deal. Many specific accounts just sound right. The testimony is not forced or exaggerated, and the fruit in terms of God building His church in one way or another is evident. In a lot of the testimony of miracles that I have encountered, I believe that I have heard, admittedly quite subtly, the Holy Spirit confirming with my spirit that what I have heard is right, and I would suggest that those who are Jesus' disciples should usually be able to hear the same. In John 10:1-6, 27 Jesus says that His sheep - Christians - hear His voice. I think that if we listen carefully, those of us who are born again should be able to hear that God is performing miracles today.

In my own case, I have witnessed a few miracles first hand. I have had hands laid on me successfully for healing on one occasion. In 1989 I began to experience a difficult-to-describe abdominal pain, which increased in intensity for a few weeks and then remained for a further few weeks at a level where it was causing me constant and considerable discomfort. A Christian brother laid hands on me for healing. At the time he laid hands on me I felt no change, but over the course of the next two weeks the pain melted away to nothing and never returned. Although I expect some people to be sceptical, I am sure that I experienced a miraculous healing.

I have also seen one visible physical miracle, a miracle that was unusual in that it involved no human agent. When I was in a back-street in Paris in 1992 I saw a road sign with some printed writing on it as there is on all road signs. However, I am sure that the writing on this sign was a miraculous manifestation in which God was speaking to me. On the sign was written my name 'Max' and also the words 'Giselle - Freund'. I can't remember if there were any other words on the sign too. I didn't have a camera with me, so I wasn't able to take a photo. Anyway, the main words were 'Max' and 'Giselle - Freund'.

Now, immediately before going to Paris, which is of course in France, I had been in Germany visiting someone called Gisela, the French equivalent of which is Giselle. She was my friend, the German for which is Freund. I believe that on this miraculous road sign God was telling me that He was with me, and that I was then, and had recently been, in the right place at the right time. He did this, rather mysteriously, by putting my name, along with the combination of a French and a German word, on this road sign. The fruit of this incident was that I had a better sense of God being with me.

I am rather hesitant to mention this event, because my experience is that more than a few Christians have no awareness of God confirming things in their lives, and what I have testified to here will look like nonsense to many. I am also rather wary that I might be accused of fabrication. Nevertheless, I believe that God has called me to be a witness of what I have seen Him do (Acts 26:16), so I choose to obey. He knows I am telling the truth. And it is inconceivable that a workman in Paris (at least being aware of what he was doing) ever put up a road sign with those words on it.

I am sure that my experience of miracles is in any case very small in comparison with that of many other Christians today. If I were to relate those miracles that I have heard of second or third hand, this article would go on and on and on. God is performing miracles today. There are many of us who have seen and heard miraculous things that we know are from Him.

Some Christians who accept that God performs miracles today have no desire to get involved with the miraculous or other gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 because of the problems they see in charismatic churches. They see gifts being abused and other bad things in churches that use the charismatic gifts, and they accordingly steer clear of these gifts.

It is true that gifts are abused in some charismatic churches. It is also true that serious errors are often found in these churches. For example, the important place of hardship in the Christian life is frequently downplayed, as is the importance of reason. The idea of many Pentecostals that all Christians should be expected to speak in tongues is at the least very problematic in the light of 1 Cor 12:30 (although I do think that God wants most believers to have this gift). Charismatic churches also tend often to attract Christians who are quite shallow in their faith, spiritual thrill seekers whose roots are not firmly entrenched and who are not prepared to follow the hard path of discipleship.

It is true, then, that there are often real problems in charismatic churches. However, for someone to see these problems and to therefore steer clear of charismatic gifts is illogical. If something is being abused by others, the answer is not to avoid using that thing, but to use it properly. Just because many charismatic churches have serious failings, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the gifts themselves. 

In this respect, it is noteworthy how Paul deals with the church in Corinth. That church was seriously abusing the gift of speaking in tongues. Nevertheless, when Paul becomes aware of this abuse, he doesn't tell the Corinthians to stop speaking in tongues. On the contrary, he tells them to use this gift correctly. He asserts: 'I wish you all spoke in tongues' (1 Cor 14:5), 'I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you' (v. 18) and 'Do not forbid speaking in tongues' (v. 39). If Paul had this attitude to one of the lesser gifts of the Spirit (12:28), then how important must the greater gifts be? It is simply wrong and illogical, then, to see gifts being abused and to avoid them as a result.

I think there are other Christians who accept that God performs miracles today (and gives the other gifts of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Cor 12), and who do not avoid seeking after gifts because of abuses they see, but whose attitude is something like this: Some churches use charismatic gifts of the Spirit and others don't; it's just a different way of living out Christian discipleship; we shouldn't expect a great God to be uniform in His dealings with His children.

There is a huge mistake here. Certainly, we can expect variety in how God deals with His children. But not in terms of whether charismatic gifts are used or not. Miracles (and the other gifts mentioned in 1 Cor 12) are not just a minor issue, a kind of decoration that a church might have or not have. The gifts of the Spirit are spiritual high explosive against the powers of darkness. Just look at the book of Acts that we began with. The power for the building of the early church that was released through miracles was gigantic. There is no reason whatever for believing that it would be any less today. Those who see miracles (and other gifts) as one way, among others, of doing Christianity have not begun to grasp what these things are all about. Not using the gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor 12 is a bit like an army in a fierce fight to the death leaving some of its heavy weaponry in storage. It makes no sense at all.

When all things are considered, we should have no hesitation in concluding that God is performing miracles today, and that He wants His people to be involved in miracle ministry. However, this leads us to a hugely important question. Why is it that in many parts of the world today God is not performing miracles or at least that they are so few and far between? I think some of the issue of miracles may well be too deep for human comprehension, and it would be wrong to be simplistic. Nevertheless, I can think of some good reasons that I am sure are relevant in many places.

First, there is the wrong idea that if God wants to do miracles, then He will do them regardless of whether Christians are seeking them from Him or not. Now, it is true that God does sometimes act 'out of the blue', and the Bible has examples of this. I have even witnessed a miracle of this type myself, as I mentioned above. However, generally speaking, God's method is to respond to the requests of His children: 'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you' (Matt 7:7). Usually things do not just fall into our laps, but we have to earnestly seek them from God. I would suggest that in many parts of the world miracles are not happening because the Christians are either not asking God for miracles at all, or they are not asking Him fervently enough. James warns us against the first situation: 'You don't have because you don't ask' (4:2); and against the second: 'The effective prayer of an upright man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.' (5:16-17). Miracles are unlikely in a place if there are not at least some Christians there who are fervently seeking them in prayer.

Second, unbelief is deadly in stifling the power of God. During Jesus' ministry in Galilee, on one occasion when He went to His home village of Nazareth, He was more or less rejected by the inhabitants (Matt 13:53-8), and we are told that 'He didn't do many miracles there because of their unbelief' (v. 58). Today, similarly, if the Christians in a place have been deceived into believing that God doesn't want to do miracles there, it is very unlikely that anything miraculous will occur. Unbelief is a terrible, highly contagious thing that acts like a fire extinguisher on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Third, lack of ability in spiritual warfare is, I am sure, sometimes a hindrance towards miracle working. In the heavenly realm there is a battle going on between, on one side God Himself acting in some measure, good angels and Christians, and on the other side Satan and evil spirits of every rank below him. I believe strongly that in many parts of the world today one of the most serious weaknesses in the church is an inability to engage properly in this war. According to the Bible, it should be normal Christian experience to be attacked by evil spirits and to fight them off (see Eph 6:10-17; Jas 4:7; 1 Pet 5:8-10). More importantly for our purposes here, Christians who have entered beyond the basics in their ability to tackle evil spirits will testify that in some places outpourings of God's Spirit have occurred only after high ranking spirits in that area have been in some sense deposed from power. 

Much more ability is needed in spiritual warfare in the church generally. This combat should be taught as a basic part of the Christian life. As believers grow in this area, so more will be able to enter into ministry that leads to the deposing of powers, thus helping to open the door to miracles, thus leading to greater things, and so on. (A word of warning: If you are inexperienced in spiritual warfare, please do not try to take on evil spirits, other than the ones that attack you personally, without being under the supervision of Christians who are much more experienced. I have tried to do this myself and it cost me. We should not try to run before we can walk. As far as the spirits that attack you personally are concerned, give that fight everything you've got.)

Fourth, if sin is tolerated in a church, it is very unlikely that God will use that church to perform the miraculous. Of course, I don't mean that the Christians in a church have to be anything like morally perfect before God will use it. I mean that if a blind eye is being turned to sin, if there is no discipline of those who fall into sin, etc., it is very unlikely that God will use that church to perform miracles, or in any other powerful way, for that matter. 

Fifth, Christians are frequently deceived into believing that God would not call them personally into a powerful ministry, because they are not outstanding in any way. They suppose that they are too weak and ordinary. This attitude is all wrong. Listen to what the apostle Paul has to say: 'God has chosen the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame, and God has chosen the weak things of this world to put the things which are strong to shame, and God has chosen the insignificant things of the world and the despised things, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, in order that no one will be able to boast before God.' (1 Cor 1:27-29). It is true that Christians may sometimes need to get things sorted out in their lives or reach a certain stage of maturity before being granted big gifts, but weakness and ordinariness are themselves excellent qualifications for ministry.

There are probably other reasons that I have missed why God is not performing many miracles in some parts of the world today, but I am sure that the five I have listed are important ones. Those of us who have never been used by God in miracle work should pray that He would lead us into this area of ministry if He should so desire. For some it may be appropriate to seek out people who are experienced in such matters, those we feel we can trust, to ask for their help and guidance. Regardless of whether we are ever used in this way ourselves, however, we should all be looking to God to perform miracles in the places where we live. In some locations getting the breakthrough might not be easy, but then perseverance is called for. In other places miracles might be just around the corner if the Christians there will only ask.

I have been a Christian for over 25 years. I have a Ph.D. in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology from the University of Edinburgh. I am a UK national and I currently live in the south of Scotland.