In recent years, there has been considerable discussion among Christians about the reasons for the perceived decline in miracles. In the eyes of many, compared to the number of miracles God performed in rural churches when the gospel was first introduced to China, the occurrence of signs and wonders today is significantly fewer. However, there are also voices that completely contradict this view.
Recently, Reverend Wang, who has been pastoring in a city church in East China for many years, shared his perspective on the widely held belief that miracles have decreased. He argues that the notion of a decline in miracles is not factual, as many signs and wonders have occurred in the church he leads and serves. He attributes this to his strong emphasis on miracles in preaching.
Emphasizing miracles in sermons
Wang first shared several examples of miracles that occurred in his church:
A pastor, who had terminal esophageal cancer and could not even drink water, regained health after congregants fervently prayed for God's healing.
A Christian man, who had suffered from a skin disease for decades, was healed by God after his wife prayed persistently for two years, as she firmly believed in God's promise to heal her husband.
A sister in Christ, who had been diagnosed with severe depression and was told by doctors that she would need to be on medication for life, was able to stop taking medication after about a year of participating in church life and serving in the church healthily.
He stated, "Many people today stand at the pulpit and say, 'Don’t attach importance to miracles, but pursue God's Word.' This makes people feel that they shouldn't focus too much on signs and wonders. As a result, people don't pursue or emphasize miracles, which become fewer and fewer."
Unlike many pastors, Wang shared that while miracles are not the foremost aspect of faith, they will certainly accompany the proclamation of God's Word. Additionally, during every service and ministry, he often emphasized that "at this very moment, God is working in your life." He also reminds Christians that the God they believe in is a healing God who can heal any illness. Therefore, when encountering members who are sick, they continue to pray and ask for God's healing unless they know that God intends to bring someone home to heaven. Thus, believers build faith in God, rely more on God, and, encounter miracles because of their belief.
Regarding the perceived decline in miracles, Wang emphasized that ignoring signs and wonders in the sermon results in fewer miracles. When pastors emphasize not pursuing miracles during services, it creates many barriers to the occurrence of miracles.
In addition to this, he mentioned several other reasons for the perceived decline in miracles:
Misunderstanding the concept of miracles
"God is the God of miracles; God's presence is a miracle. Any work God does in us is a miracle, and the transformation of a person's life is also a miracle." However, some people mistakenly believe that only physical healing qualifies as a miracle.
He explained that God is a God who does new things, and His work is not uniform. From the Bible, we can see that sometimes Jesus healed physical diseases, sometimes He healed broken relationships, and sometimes He called disciples. Therefore, we should grant God absolute sovereignty in our service and worship, trusting in Him completely.
Lack of yearning and seeking God's guidance
When Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness, he sought God's guidance in everything. God's guidance was never interrupted, with miracles accompanying it. Therefore, the occurrence of miracles depends on a greater yearning for God, a willingness to submit to God, and a readiness to listen to His voice.
Some explain that the 400 years of God's silence between the Old and New Testaments was because the Israelites did not listen to God's words. This is similar to a parent stopping speaking, as a child never listens when the parent constantly talks to him.
Decreased dependence on God
"When we were young and poor, we couldn't afford medicine. So in many situations, we relied on God, seeking His healing through prayer. But now, with improved living standards, when people get sick, their first response is to buy medicine rather than pray. Some even stockpile medicine at home in case of emergencies. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take medicine or prepare in advance after getting sick; it's just that people's reliance on God has gradually decreased."
Incorrect miracles
Some people, who have gifts of praying for healing and achieving great results, are not engaged in building churches or evangelizing. As a result, after some time, their gifts diminish or even disappear, because God's purpose in healing is to establish His kingdom, not merely to heal.
Wang stated that the reason his church prays and asks for more miracles is to demonstrate God's power and glory, as well as to let people know that only God is the true God.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
近年来，基督徒对于神迹奇事减少原因的讨论颇多。在很多人看来，与福音刚传入中国时，上帝在农村教会施行的神迹奇事的数量相比，现在的神迹奇事是少之又少。然而，也有人发出了与此截然相反的声音。
日前，在华东一城市教会牧会多年的王牧师针对大部分人认为的神迹奇事减少的观点分享了他自己的看法。他认为神迹奇事减少的这种说法并不是事实，因为在他所带领和服事的教会当中就发生了很多的神迹奇事。他认为，这与他在讲台信息上很重视神迹奇事有很大的关系。
讲台信息要重视神迹奇事
王牧师首先分享了在他所带领和服事的教会当中发生的一些神迹奇事：
食道癌晚期且严重到不能进水的牧者，在信徒哭求上帝医治的恳切祷告中，身体恢复健康；
患有皮肤病几十年的弟兄，在妻子对于上帝应许医治丈夫疾病的确信中坚持祷告2年后，上帝信实地医治了她丈夫的疾病；
被医生判定为深度抑郁并一生不能断药的姐妹，在教会生活一年左右的时间后，奇迹般停药，抑郁症也得到医治并在教会服事；
……
他说：“今天很多人站在讲台上说，不要太追求神迹奇事……要追求上帝的话语。这让大家觉得不能太去追求（神迹奇事），因为不去追求，不重视，所以神迹奇事就越来越少。”
与很多牧者不同的是，王牧师会教导信徒，虽然神迹奇事不是信仰中处于第一的位置，但是当上帝的话语宣布的时候，一定会有神迹奇事伴随着。而且，在每次的礼拜和服事当中，他经常强调的一件事情是——就在这个时刻，上帝要在你的生命中做工。同时，他也会告诉信徒，我们所信的上帝是一位医治的上帝，无论什么疾病祂都能医治。因此在遇到有疾病的肢体时，他们会一直祷告祈求上帝的医治；除非他们知道上帝要借着疾病接一个人回天家，他们才肯放手。这样信徒的信心就会被建立，也会更多地依靠上帝；随之而来的就是经历因信心带来的神迹奇事。
而针对神迹奇事减少的现象，王牧师特别强调的一点是，讲台信息不重视神迹奇事，因此神迹奇事被人的思维限制了。当牧者在礼拜中强调不要太追求神迹奇事时，这会给神迹奇事设立很多栅栏。
除此之外，他也提到了神迹奇事减少的其他几个原因：
一、对神迹奇事概念的错误认识
“上帝和神迹奇事不分家，上帝的同在就是神迹奇事……上帝在我们身上做的任何工作都是神迹奇事，一个人生命的改变也是神迹奇事。”然而有些人错误地认为只有医治病人才是神迹奇事。
他表示，上帝是做新事的上帝，祂做工不是千篇一律的。通过圣书我们可以知道，耶稣有的时候是医治人肉体的疾病，有的时候是医治关系的问题，有的时候是呼召门徒。因此，我们的服事和敬拜要给上帝绝对的主权，也要完全信任祂。
二、不渴慕、不寻求上帝的带领
摩西在旷野带领以色列百姓时，凡事寻求上帝的带领；上帝的带领就没有间断过，并有神迹奇事伴随着。因此，神迹奇事的发生在于更多地渴慕上帝，愿意顺服上帝并且聆听祂的声音。
有人解释说新旧约之间上帝沉默了400年的时间，是因为以色列人不听上帝的话，因此上帝就沉默了。这就像父母一直跟孩子讲话，但孩子总是不愿意听，导致父母不再说话一样。
三、对上帝的依靠减少了
我们小时候因为家里穷，买不起药；因此遇到很多事情时都会依靠上帝，通过祷告寻求上帝的医治。而现在由于生活水平提高，很多人生病后，第一时间不是去祷告，而是去买药；甚至有些人还没生病，家里就储备了很多药以防突发情况发生。这不是说生病后不需要吃药，不需要提前预防和做准备，只是祷告就可以；而是说人依靠上帝的心渐渐减少了。
四、不正确的神迹奇事
有些人专门给人做医治的祷告并且很有果效，但却没有建立教会，也没有福传。因此，一段时间后，他的恩赐也会减少甚至消失，因为上帝医治人不只是单纯为了医治，而是为要建立祂的国度。
王牧师表示，他所带领的教会之所以向上帝祷告，祈求更多的神迹奇事发生，是为了彰显上帝的能力和荣耀，为了让人知道只有上帝才是真神。
华东一牧者：中国教会神迹奇事减少？并不是事实
In recent years, there has been considerable discussion among Christians about the reasons for the perceived decline in miracles. In the eyes of many, compared to the number of miracles God performed in rural churches when the gospel was first introduced to China, the occurrence of signs and wonders today is significantly fewer. However, there are also voices that completely contradict this view.
Recently, Reverend Wang, who has been pastoring in a city church in East China for many years, shared his perspective on the widely held belief that miracles have decreased. He argues that the notion of a decline in miracles is not factual, as many signs and wonders have occurred in the church he leads and serves. He attributes this to his strong emphasis on miracles in preaching.
Emphasizing miracles in sermons
Wang first shared several examples of miracles that occurred in his church:
A pastor, who had terminal esophageal cancer and could not even drink water, regained health after congregants fervently prayed for God's healing.
A Christian man, who had suffered from a skin disease for decades, was healed by God after his wife prayed persistently for two years, as she firmly believed in God's promise to heal her husband.
A sister in Christ, who had been diagnosed with severe depression and was told by doctors that she would need to be on medication for life, was able to stop taking medication after about a year of participating in church life and serving in the church healthily.
He stated, "Many people today stand at the pulpit and say, 'Don’t attach importance to miracles, but pursue God's Word.' This makes people feel that they shouldn't focus too much on signs and wonders. As a result, people don't pursue or emphasize miracles, which become fewer and fewer."
Unlike many pastors, Wang shared that while miracles are not the foremost aspect of faith, they will certainly accompany the proclamation of God's Word. Additionally, during every service and ministry, he often emphasized that "at this very moment, God is working in your life." He also reminds Christians that the God they believe in is a healing God who can heal any illness. Therefore, when encountering members who are sick, they continue to pray and ask for God's healing unless they know that God intends to bring someone home to heaven. Thus, believers build faith in God, rely more on God, and, encounter miracles because of their belief.
Regarding the perceived decline in miracles, Wang emphasized that ignoring signs and wonders in the sermon results in fewer miracles. When pastors emphasize not pursuing miracles during services, it creates many barriers to the occurrence of miracles.
In addition to this, he mentioned several other reasons for the perceived decline in miracles:
Misunderstanding the concept of miracles
"God is the God of miracles; God's presence is a miracle. Any work God does in us is a miracle, and the transformation of a person's life is also a miracle." However, some people mistakenly believe that only physical healing qualifies as a miracle.
He explained that God is a God who does new things, and His work is not uniform. From the Bible, we can see that sometimes Jesus healed physical diseases, sometimes He healed broken relationships, and sometimes He called disciples. Therefore, we should grant God absolute sovereignty in our service and worship, trusting in Him completely.
Lack of yearning and seeking God's guidance
When Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness, he sought God's guidance in everything. God's guidance was never interrupted, with miracles accompanying it. Therefore, the occurrence of miracles depends on a greater yearning for God, a willingness to submit to God, and a readiness to listen to His voice.
Some explain that the 400 years of God's silence between the Old and New Testaments was because the Israelites did not listen to God's words. This is similar to a parent stopping speaking, as a child never listens when the parent constantly talks to him.
Decreased dependence on God
"When we were young and poor, we couldn't afford medicine. So in many situations, we relied on God, seeking His healing through prayer. But now, with improved living standards, when people get sick, their first response is to buy medicine rather than pray. Some even stockpile medicine at home in case of emergencies. This doesn't mean you shouldn't take medicine or prepare in advance after getting sick; it's just that people's reliance on God has gradually decreased."
Incorrect miracles
Some people, who have gifts of praying for healing and achieving great results, are not engaged in building churches or evangelizing. As a result, after some time, their gifts diminish or even disappear, because God's purpose in healing is to establish His kingdom, not merely to heal.
Wang stated that the reason his church prays and asks for more miracles is to demonstrate God's power and glory, as well as to let people know that only God is the true God.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Are There Really Fewer Miracles in the Church in China?
