January 30

Acts 6:8 (NIV)
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

Many people believe that miracles have ceased for the most part. They believe that the apostles are the ones who did the miracles because they were specially endowed by God. They believe that ONLY the apostles worked miracles and therefore when the apostles died, so did signs, wonders and miracles. There is some other thinking that goes along with that, but you get the point.

Stephen, not an apostle, just an average dude who was sold out, did “GREAT wonders and miraculous signs”. Not only does that fly in the face of some bad theology, but this should encourage us all the more! Stephen was chosen to be a “deacon”, which was a person who was going to look over food distribution! He was a regular guy with a ministry to the poor and the widows, yet he was a mighty man of God, full of grace and power! That is you! You are too! You may not know it, but you are full of God’s grace and power and you are able to do great wonders and miraculous signs among people! Don’t sell God short and don’t sell yourself short – you have what it takes – you have the Holy Spirit of God!

I must include this; if you haven’t been baptized with the Holy Spirit as Jesus came to do and told the disciples to stay until they got it so they would have the “power” or ability” to be his witnesses, then you need! If you want the “power” or “ability” to do what they did, then you need to get what they got!