By: Olumide Oyekunle
I have personally witnessed and participated in miraculous events. I recall a mad woman being healed in January 2018 in Alakuko, Lagos, and a rejected lady at UCH who was left to die after months of diagnosis with no known medical cure worldwide. There have been numerous instances of doctor’s appointments for surgery being cancelled due to miraculous interventions, as shared by firsthand accounts and hospital staff.
However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that demons and the devil also perform miracles. In Jesus’ time, Beelzebub was a spiritual force among the Jews, while the Egyptians had magicians. The Babylonians were spiritually inclined, and even among the Yorubas, our forefathers wielded dark knowledge to fight wars and heal the sick.
So, should we glory in miracles? Should the church be preoccupied with them? In Luke 20:18-20, Jesus cautioned the seventy disciples not to rejoice over their authority over demons but instead to rejoice that their names are written in heaven.
This warning may seem harsh, but consider it akin to a medical student rejoicing over an ‘A’ in a minor course while neglecting their core studies. Such focus is misguided and renders them ineffective.
Unfortunately, we often amplify miracles to validate Christianity, bewitching ourselves and others. The devil has distracted the church from its core purpose, reducing it to celebrating minor accomplishments.
I recall witnessing fabricated testimonies in crusades during my childhood, such as a woman claiming her leaking jaw was healed. What lengths will we go to prove Jesus’ existence? Will we resort to deception?
Lazarus was raised from the dead, only to die again. Our miracles are fleeting. The Bible emphasizes that there’s joy in heaven over a sinner’s repentance, not our miraculous deeds.
Churches risk losing sight of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on Calvary. Has the woman healed of madness come to know Christ? If not, her miracle is meaningless.
Have we replaced Jesus’ name with our own? Is our pastor’s power more significant than the gospel? The true message is being overshadowed by a shallow pursuit of vain glory.
This is a call for sober reflection and retrospection as we defend the gospel.
Olumide Oyekunle, a Sociologist and a Bible study teacher writes from Ogun State.