Mark 16:15-20 “And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”

Some scholars claim that this part of Scripture was added later, and was not in the oldest manuscripts (so they can cast doubt upon God’s Word). Well, they’re right. But what they don’t tell you, is that the two oldest manuscripts are corrupt. They do not agree with each other on many points, and neither one agrees with the received text, of which there are over 5,ooo copies which agree perfectly. Besides that, everything said in Mark 16:15-20 can be found in other parts of the New Testament. These are not the only Scriptures on these subjects. Most importantly, God said He would preserve His pure Word forever (Ps 12:6-7), so that’s what He’ll do. Bottom line: You can have total confidence in God’s Word. Don’t doubt it, but believe it.

The Gospel is for every person in every place. There are no special cases that are exempt. Look for opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ. We are to preach it completely, holding nothing back (Rom 15:18-19); and we are to preach it in power (1Cor 2:1-5). The Bible says that signs and wonders are to accompany the preaching of God’s Word. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says that a sign is “an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature”. The Bible says “these signs shall follow them that believe”. Don’t worry; if you don’t believe, they won’t follow you. But we should want them to follow us. If it’s from God, then I want all of it. And clearly, it is sacred Scripture; and it is from God.

Some say these verses are not for us today. I respectfully disagree. If verses 15 & 16 are for us today (which they are), why aren’t verses 17& 18? The great commission is our marching orders from Jesus Christ; it’s not to be gone through like a buffet, picking what you like and leaving the rest behind. It’s simply to be obeyed. Christians should not be afraid of the supernatural. Our God is a supernatural God, Who does supernatural things. There are a bare minimum of 174 miracles in The Bible. If you take all the supernatural things out of The Bible, you would have a really skinny Bible.

I’m not saying that we should be miracle chasers. If all you seek is a sign, Satan can give you a sign (2Thess 2:9). You must be grounded in The Word of God. Miracle chasers are prime candidates to be deceived. However, that does not mean that miracles, signs, and wonders are bad. God said that He would confirm, or establish, His Word with signs following. If the signs follow the preaching of God’s Holy Word, and the name of Jesus Christ is glorified; then that’s obviously not a bad thing.

Should we not desire to see the miraculous power of God? Should we not desire to see our family & friends supernaturally healed? Supernaturally delivered from bondages and addictions? Miraculously saved and baptized in The Holy Ghost? Should we not desire great things from God? We have not, because we ask not. We ask not, because we don’t believe. We need to believe. God said we could call on Him and He would show us great and mighty things (Jer 33:3). God is looking for someone to believe Him, so He can show Himself strong on their behalf (2Chr 16:9). Believe God! Step out in faith! Expect the miraculous! Expect the supernatural! Desire the Glory of God to be demonstrated in our midst! Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!