And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:17,18
When you go to buy just about anything, it has a logo. A symbol. Some writing on it. This shows who made it. And in some cases, how much you paid for it.
People pay a lot for these things. An authentic pair of Lebron James or Michael Jordan Niki shoes can cost you around $200 while imitations are a lot less. The same thing can be said for all sportswear. Equipment. Balls. You name it.
It’s important to know who actually makes it. Where it comes from. It can show quality, value. It says something about the company who made it. It also says something about the person wearing or using it.
When Michelangelo carved The Pieta, he was only 30 and it was his first publicly commissioned works. Even though it told a story that had been told in art many times before, everyone was in awe of it. And because it wasn’t signed, there were questions about who carved it. When Michelangelo heard the rumors about someone else being the artist, he went back and carved his name on a band that crossed Mary’s chest[1].
It's important to know who made it. And you do this with something that’s a mark of identification and authentication. It separates the real thing from the false thing. It confirms the true and proves false all the imposters.
God does this all the time. He wants people to know that he’s personally and powerfully involved with their lives and all of history. These signs authenticate God’s moving and using people and events for his eternal purpose. These signs are not just God showing off. That he’s at work. It’s also God’s seal of approval. When God works, he does it in such a way to show who’s behind it. When God does something, he does it to show that he’s behind it. That he’s in it.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 8:3,4
And when it comes to authenticating Jesus’ true followers, he puts his hand and mark on them too. God says that those who believe will have a supernatural part to their lives.
And how are they to do these signs? In my name. This isn’t just some words or formula that forces God to show up and do something miraculous. When something is done in Jesus’ name, it’s said and done with the intent of letting Jesus be seen and heard. It’s a pointer of authentication. That he’s the real deal.
But this power and authority wasn’t reserved only for some spiritual elite. It’s given to those who believe. It’s not just something special that’s set aside for leaders alone. All believers have power in God’s work and kingdom.
These signs accompany Jesus’ followers. These signs are side by side with people who follow and live for Jesus. And they aren’t reserved for pastors, missionaries, or the spiritually superior.
So, you’re thinking that you’ve never seen one of these signs, not to mention never been used by God to perform one. And that’s the good news. You see, it’s not up to us, it’s up to God. We’re commanded to live for him. And in that living, when he wants to show up, he will. And when he shows up, he does what’s best.
My Aunt Angie and I had prayed many times on the phone. After slipping into a deep coma during the last hours of life, her family was by her side. They called and, with the phone speaker on, they asked me to pray for them and Angie. What a humbling honor.
I prayed for them and Angie, asking Jesus to come quickly and gently. I closed with, “In Jesus name, Amen.” And though in a coma, Angie said “Amen.” The family was flabbergasted because Angie had stopped talking some time ago and was non-responsive. I think that Amen was the last word spoken by Angie in this life.
We are to live for him. Speak for him. Act for him. And in the dailyness of life, every once in a while, a bush will start to burn. Every once in a while, when we come to a river, the waters will part. Every once in a while, when we pray for someone, they get better. Every once in a while, when a tragedy falls, we pray and it’s solved.
There are great, spiritual men and women living among us. God has chosen to use them in powerful and mighty ways. They have well-known organizations, ministries, and followings. And we praise God for the way he uses and empowers them.
But most of life lived here on planet Earth is being lived by average, ordinary people like you and me. And God’s preferred plan is to use us in the dailyness of life to show himself to a hurting and watching world.
God is looking for people to see his signs and show up. And he’s looking for people just like you and me to show up through.
Are you available?
[1] https://earlychurchhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Michelangelos-signature-3.jpg
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