AME
“But you shall receive power.. .” – Act 1:8.
Cessationism is the doctrinal position taken by some Christians that spiritual gifts such as miracles, speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing ceased with the time of the Apostles. For much of church history, little attention was given to the matter of dispensation of miracles. It only became a doctrinal issue during the period of the Reformation, a time when Christianity was at its darkest and lowest in terms of faith and biblical orthodoxy.
This was a period when the church had degenerated into corruption, carnal practices, unbiblical ordinances, and, most notably, wholesale endorsement of new types of ‘miracles’ that were not Christocentric, did not lead to faith in the Gospel, and in some cases, were downright demonic.
So, with the wave of reformation and the campaign against all unscriptural practices sweeping through that era, it is only natural that miracles, as they were defined in those days, would also be affected.
The case for cessationism has also gained traction recently due to the rise of Pentecostalism and its emphasis on the miraculous and supernatural experiences.
Much of the negative perception of miracles in Pentecostalism today arises from three categories: fake (staged) miracles by fraudsters posing as men of God; real miracles performed with demonic powers by occult practitioners masquerading as pastors who prey on scripturally-ignorant people who think that a person calling ‘the name of Jesus’ is proof positive that their power is from God; and lastly, genuine miracles by true men of God who nonetheless use their popularity and spiritual gift to amass wealth for themselves and defraud people of money.
With issues like these, it’s easy to understand the concerns of Cessationists. But as the English saying goes, ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right.’ Or in this case, ‘Wrongs by two groups of people are not enough to make a rite.’
We cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater by outrightly declaring all miracles to be impossible because of the excesses of some people. Miracles still exist today, even among cessationists too, considering that they, too, are Believers (which itself is already a miracle)! Because, every prayer by a Believer is effectively inviting the supernatural to overrule the affairs of the natural.
AMEN
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More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.
GREG ELKAN