Ephesian Miracles – Acts 19:11-16

When two powerful armies, of equal strength, face each other, generally speaking, victory is achieved through the skill of the soldiers or the genius of the generals.

The satellite images may reveal something in the geography of the enemy position, or the placement of the troops, which could give one army an advantage.

With that information, the leaders of the second army have to determine the best way to take advantage of the situation.

Have you noticed that we have not been reading about miracles lately in our study of the Book of Acts.

But here they are in vivid color. Why?

Humanly speaking, could it have been that Ephesus was so special, so critical, so pivotal, that the Lord chose to bring out some of his special weaponry to ensure success?

Could it be that only rarely did the Lord enable Paul to become a miracle worker, but those gifts were granted in this case in order to accomplish special goals?

Or, on the other hand, could it be that the Spirit had blessed Paul with miracles throughout his ministry,

But he only lead Luke to record the miracles of Ephesus,because that leads us into the delightful story about the seven sons of Sceva and the burning of the Satanic books?

In other words, was this a special situation calling for special weapons,

or was it common for Paul to work miracles,but the Holy Spirit didn’t want foolish Christians to put too much stress on the miraculous,

so He didn’t record them for us?

It is very important that we maintain a proper balance in our theology.

It’s important that we build a good foundation under the really heavy and important doctrines,

and then that we understand that some things are not that important.This evening, let’s think about the mistakes which some people make about miracles.

They are included in the list of the things of God that really aren’t that important.

Yes, God can make a volcano of Rocky Road ice cream if He chose to do so.

Just as in Egypt the sky was dark and the candles refused to burn in the Egyptians homes,But there was light in the houses of the Israelites,The Lord could put a BMW roadster in the garage of every child of God,

But He hasn’t chosen to do that, and I am reasonably sure that He never will.Ah, rats….

There have always been teachers and preachers who have emphasized the miraculous.

For example, there’s a current false doctrine called PROSPERITY THEOLOGY.

It’s basic tenet is that God has promised to make all Christians prosperous.In actuality, it is designed to make the PREACHER of that doctrine very prosperous.

There is no evidence of that doctrine in the Bible.

God has never promised to put a chicken in every pot, or a Cadillac Escalade in every garage.

But that is a kind of hope to which 90% of Americans cling; it is a part of the American dream.

Poll takers have recently reported that 90 percent of Americans believe in the possibility of miracles.

Isn’t it strange that only a small segment of that number believe in God?This reminds us that Satan is a miracle worker too.

Miracles are as much a part of the New Age Movement as they are in the ministry of Elisha.jdfkjas;dkfgjas;ldkjf