God authenticated the apostles‘ preaching through miracles, which testified that Jesus is Lord. Specifically, Jesus gave power and authority to drive out demons and heal the sick to those He sent to preach. Their power gave the apostles great credibility, as they produced astonishment and wonder in those who were present. And God continued to give the apostles this power and authority following Christ’s ascension into heaven.
Jesus endowed His apostles with power and authority
One day Jesus called the twelve apostles together and He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. He then sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. So, they left and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere (Luke 9:1-2, 6).
Jesus appoints 72 to announce the kingdom of God is near
At another time, Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two-by-two ahead of Him to every town and place He was about to go. He told them to “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you’.” The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” (Luke 10:1, 9, 17).
The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples on Pentecost
The apostles received the Holy Spirit and spoke in foreign languages
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave the apostles His Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
But Jesus warned them, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. … But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:4, 8).
When the day of Pentecost came (ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven), “they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).
“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language…Amazed and perplexed, they asked each other, ‘What does this mean?’ ” (Acts 2:5-6, 12).
Peter’s message to the Jews, and three thousand of them believed in Christ
Then Peter took this opportunity to address the crowd. (See Acts 2:14-41.) He quoted Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out His Spirit and the people would prophecy. (See Joel 2:28-32.) He also told them how the Jews put Jesus to death by nailing Him to a cross, but God raised Him from the dead. He assured all Israel that “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” Acts 2:36).
So, the people were cut to the heart and asked what they should do. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).
“Those who accepted the message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41). Therefore, God authenticated the Galilean apostles’ preaching through the miracle of speaking in foreign languages.
Peter’s miraculous healing amazed the crowd
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him (Acts 3:1-10).
Then, Peter spoke to the onlookers and told them that God had glorified Jesus, the One whom they handed over to be killed, but God raised Him from the dead. He said, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see” (Acts 3:16).
Stephen’s great wonders and miraculous signs
“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke” (Acts 6:8-10). God authenticated Stephen’s preaching through divine wisdom and the miracles he performed.
Stephen was then falsely accused of blasphemy against Moses and against God. So, he was taken before the Sanhedrin to answer the accusations against him. He gave a brief history of the Jews, including their forefathers disobedience against Moses and their persecution of the prophets who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. “And now you have betrayed and murdered him–you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it (Acts 7:52-53).
The Jews became furious with Stephen, so they stoned him to death. On that day, the Jerusalem church experienced a great persecution, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. And those who were scattered preached the word wherever they went.
The impact of Phillip’s preaching and miraculous signs
“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:4-8).
Paul’s miracles affirm His preaching ministry
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders” (Acts 14:1-3).
The Book of Acts records numerous miracles performed by Paul or upon him. Here are some examples:
- Ananias restores Saul’s (Paul’s) eyesight (Acts 9:17-18);
- Paul blinds Elymas, the sorcerer, for turning people away from faith (Acts 13:7-12);
- Paul and Barnabas heal the man crippled from birth (Acts 14:8-10);
- Paul casts a demon out of a fortune-telling slave girl (Acts 16:16-18);
- Paul performs special miracles curing diseases and driving out demons (Acts 19:11-12);
- In Troas, Paul raises Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:8-12);
- Paul was unharmed by poisonous snake bite in Malta (Acts 28:3-6);
- Paul heals Publius’ father of fever and dysentery (Acts 28:7-8);
- Paul heals the sick people on the island of Malta (Acts 28:9-10).
The astonishing growth of the early church
The church grew rapidly in the apostolic age. This was due, in part, to the bold preaching of the apostles following their encounter with the risen Lord. They were so convinced of their faith in Christ that they were willing to be martyred for it. (According to church tradition, all the apostles except for John were martyred.)
They preached the resurrection of the dead and that salvation is in the Name of Jesus Christ. The early church was a praying church. They believed in the power of prayer, and they were unified in purpose.
And as we have seen, those the Lord sent to preach received authority and power to do signs and wonders. These miracles captivated the onlookers and gave credibility to the apostles’ message.
With such a great crowd of empowered witnesses of Jesus Christ, there’s no reason to doubt that He is Lord and God.
Come to the wellspring of life
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