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Why are there more miracles on the mission field than home?

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victoryword

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This was posted by a friend of mine on CARM's charismatic forum. He uses the moniker "Beaker". I thought you might enjoy his insights:

1. Miracles follow the preaching of the gospel

Mark 16:15-18 makes it clear that the healing of the sick accompanies the going into the entire world. Because the gospel is reaching the lost, God performs "signs and wonders" (which include but are not limited to healings) to get their attention. If you're not reaching the lost, you aren't "going," so why should you expect any signs to follow you? God confirms his Word. If you aren't giving out his Word, there is nothing for him to confirm! On the mission field, there is a greater emphasis on evangelism, so there would tend to be more dramatic confirmations of the gospel message.

2. They don't have Christian bookstores full of anti-healing unbelief books

It's great to tell new believers what they have in Christ before the wet-blanket crowd gets a chance to tell them that you never know what our sovereign God will do, Paul had an eye disease, and you're Job II. Once people latch on to these arguments, you cannot get them healed unless you can show them why these arguments are invalid.

3. They have a greater desperation for miracles because the medical facilities aren't as good

People in most countries can't just show a card and get medical treatment for most conditions. Many times, either God heals them or they don't get healed at all. Thus, they are more desperate for miracles. They are like the woman with the issue of blood who spent all her living on doctors, but only grew worse. She was so desperate that she risked execution for being in public to get her healing. People who are that desperate are ripe to receive a miracle. If you can live with your illness because you can get some medicine at the local drugstore, you probably will live with it instead of without it. You aren't desperate enough.

However, desperation by itself is not faith, and "desperate" prayers don't work unless they are desperate faith prayers. Remember, the woman in Mark 5 was desperate, but she came in faith based on what she had heard of Jesus. She was not coming in desperation alone. The people need to hear God's healing covenant so that they can pray in faith, not simply in desperation.

4. They don't intellectualize everything

Education is good, but it makes a lousy god. You can't completely grasp the things of God with your head. Faith is of the heart. Jesus never told you to believe in your head. Sometimes we block our healing by trying to intellectualize it instead of believing it in our hearts. It's good to educate your head, but not at the expense of growing in the things of the Spirit. People overseas are often less educated and would be less likely to have this problem.

5. God meets people where they are

People on the mission field are often more open to the gifts of the Spirit. They may not know much about the Word, but they know that God can do miracles. They are much like the nobleman in John 4:46-53. They are unlearned, but also tenacious and sometimes desperate to see miracles. God is willing to meet them where they are. His perfect will is for them to know the truth so that they do not have to depend on manifestations of the Spirit for healing. But God knows that they have not had the opportunities you have to hear the Word taught, and he is patient with them.

6. They are used to the supernatural

The devil is happy to move wherever he has an open door, and less-developed countries often have more demonic activity than more-developed countries. The people already know that there is a spirit realm and that the supernatural is real. Witch doctors still make a good living in many places by "healing" the sick temporarily until the devil feels like making them sick again so that they have to go pay the witch doctor more money. I think it is easier for the people to accept the supernatural side of the gospel when they are used to the supernatural in general.
 

SpiritPsalmist

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Good post Victoryword :clap: When I read the book "I Just Saw Jesus" by Paul Eschelman with Campus Crusade for Christ, he pointed out some of the same things. CCC is not known for the supernatural happening in their meetings but they were most definately encounterd in other countries. One story I remember was when they had the Jesus Film showing in the middle of the jungle, on bedsheets hung from one tree to the next. I don't remember what country, but the people watching, believed what they saw Jesus doing on the screen, called out to Him and they were healed right there.

There was another story about a team from CCC being put up for the night in a Buddist temple. Others people had been put up for the night in that temple but had not survived the night due to demons, and while the villigars, who put them there knew that, the CCC team did not. During the night, when the team was awakend by the demons, in fear, they called out on the name of Jesus and the demons fled. The next morning the villigars were astounded when the team emerged not only alive. . .but unharmed. Many received the Lord as Savior in that village
 
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SpiritPsalmist

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I agree. In the book, Paul Eschelman delecately addressed the subject. He said something to the effect that American Christians, because they don't encounter it, they tend to believe it does not exist, but when they go to other countries, it's in their face and they have to deal with it.
 
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SpiritPsalmist

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When I went to Russia, I went with the Josh McDowell Ministries, which is part of Campus Crusade for Christ. They are not a Charasmatic group. There were over 300 people that went and once there we were split into groups of 30 or so and then split into smaller groups when we went to the schools and orphanages. There were people there from every Christian church you could think of. Mostly adults but a few children and teens came with their parents.

On Sunday we visited a Russian Baptist church in the morning. In the evening we visited another church, which once the song service started, was obviously Charasmatic.

One of the children, a girl around 10 yrs old had been struggling all week with bug bites. She would wake up every morning with bites covering mostly her hands. They itched constantly and any anti-itch cream that anyone had on the team was of no help.

Anyway, the young girl gave this report in our meeting the next day: After the evening service we were milling around visiting with the people. There was an old Russian woman who came upon the young girl in the aisle. She went to hug her and saw the girls hands. The womans eyes began to tear up as she took hold of her hands and she closed her eyes and began to pray. We have no idea if she was speaking in tongues or not. . .it does not matter though. :) The young girl, frightened at first, relaxed at the gentleness of the woman. After the prayer they hugged and that was the extent of their contact. However, by the time the young girl got to the bus to go back to the hotel. . .she looked down at her hands and they were totally clear of any bites. There was not even a trace of bites. :clap:
 
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look

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Now we know the state we in the U.S. are living in...It's called materialism, or in other words, putting more faith in the things you can see and touch. BTW, the things we can see and touch are only temporary, but the things of the Spirit are eternal!!!

I'll admit though, I have wondered how is God going to prepare America for the much prophecied "Saints movement" where the people of God will manifest their heirship as "The Sons of God"...I can't wait for the Glory of God to be manifested in a very widespread way!!! [size=-1]
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Andrew

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Great post VW and 100% in agreement!

I find that in developed countries, people are just too modern and intelligent -- and spoilt.

If an evangelist comes to town, and its raining, they prob wont bother to attend, even though they can drive their nice big car there.

I was reading a TL Osborn book. It was in some third world country. A woman actually took a few days to crawl her way (i think she was a crippled or something) to the meeting place, sleeping under a tree overnight.

Compare this to the modern executive and you'll know why there are more miracles when it comes to the former. :)
 
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Big Mouth Nana

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A minister in Africa was talking about the dead being raised there a few years back. He was asked why this was happening there and not here in the US. The minister stated that the people in Africa haven't been poisoned with the worlds ways, or the wide diversity in religions that are here in the US. Alot of the Africian people were into vodoo etc., and when they heard the gopsel, they accepted it with childlike faith.
I agree with this ministers statement, plus, I personally believe that one of the reasons we do not see the miraculous here much is because there is to much division in the body of Christ. Basically, the only ones who believe in the miraculous, are the Pentecostals, WOF, Assembly of God churches. I came out of a widely known Protestant denomination that didn't discuss or teach on the miracles of Jesus. That's one reason I left. If you don't believe in it, chances are they aren't going to be manifested. I have heard about, and witnessed miracles in the afore mentioned denominations. They are as accepted as Jesus Christ is Lord!!
 
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oneshot012

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There is one missionary who lives in Mexico and preaches to the villages in the heart of that contry and he has seen hundreds of people raised from the dead and mairaculous healings and even multiplication of food miracles. If any of you are interested in knowing his name and where to listen to his teachings i can give you his website. And by no means am i working for this guy or anything like that i am just really into the miraculous and when someone else is or mentions something about it i like to tell people about what i have heard and know. But that post was excellent. God Bless.
 
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altya

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I can speak about miracles in my own family – sometimes a miracle took place and no one notice it.



Years ago my prayer partner Rina and I overheard the pastor said to one of the eldest that the group who visit us had nowhere to go after the service. The problem on that stage was that we where still in apartheid and the group were over a hundred blacks. White people where scared of black people, especially in large groups. At that time Rina and I was busy to overcome the apartheids barrier by secretly attending a prayer meeting in a black township. We look at each other and in a second, we decided to take care of the group. I stayed on a large small farm and had enough space but the problem was that neither one of us had enough food, only faith in God. We fed the group with one chicken, two cups of rice and vegetables enough for seven people. We had a marvelous time in the Lord that day.
 
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YouthPastor

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oneshot012 said:
There is one missionary who lives in Mexico and preaches to the villages in the heart of that contry and he has seen hundreds of people raised from the dead and mairaculous healings and even multiplication of food miracles. If any of you are interested in knowing his name and where to listen to his teachings i can give you his website. And by no means am i working for this guy or anything like that i am just really into the miraculous and when someone else is or mentions something about it i like to tell people about what i have heard and know. But that post was excellent. God Bless.
This would be David Hogan.
 
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oneshot012

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Nope it's the man you mentioned above but if he is doing these things i would like to find out more about him it is David Hogan. And yes the greatest miracle of all inmy opinion is salvation, but i believe that the gospel is miracles and signs and wonders. So the greatest one yes is salvation but i beleive that the others are equally improtant in helping spread the worda and illustrate the gospel.
 
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