Apostle paul healing ministry
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[This post was written by Adam Renberg, one of my “Advanced Studies in Acts” students. They are helping teach my undergrad Acts class a few times this semester, so I thought I would give them “guest blogger” status.]
In Acts 14:8-10, we see the first recorded miracle of Paul’s ministry as he heals a paralytic. This man, who was crippled from birth, was healed after he listened to Paul speak (presumably a sermon). Paul then calls to him to stand up, where he jumps up and starts to walk. While this is an astounding miracle, this type of miracle does not seem to be unique to Paul and his ministry. One very similar miracle account, recorded by Luke, can be found in Acts 3:1-10.
In this pericope, Peter and John are at the temple gate and heal a man who was also lame from birth. The similarities are as follow: Both start with a cripple, lame from birth (3:2, 14:8); Both Apostles stare at the cripples (3:4, 14:9); Both Cripples leapt up (3:6, 14:9). Many commentators see the parallels of these two passages as intentional comparisons by Luke to make a statement about the authority and ministry of Paul and Peter.
While the comparisons are obvious, there are also some large differences. In Peter’s case, he performs the miracle in Jerusalem on a Jewish man, preaching to a Jewish audie
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PAUL: MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND WONDERS
Did Abraham, the father of the faithful, perform miracles? Nope. How about King David, the man after God’s own heart? He didn’t do miracles either. When his baby was dying, he fasted and prayed but God didn’t give him the ability to miraculously extend the infant’s life.
How about Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel? These patriarchs and prophets weren’t given the ability to perform miracles signs and wonders. We find miracles in the Old Testament, especially during the Exodus when God enabled Moses with miraculous powers, and during the divided kingdom when Elijah and Elisha were given miracle-working authority.
In the New Testament, Jesus performed many miracles, and he gave the Apostles “authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matthew 10:1). After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, “many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles” (Acts 2:43). People “would carry the sick out into the streets and lay them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. In addition, a multitude came together from the towns surrounding Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by uncle • In parallel drag the islanders' initial be aware is picture official enjoyable by Publius, the primary official verify the atoll. Luke's article of rendering survivors' three days observe hospitality unmoving Publius's estate would surely enhance Paul's status throw in the content of Luke's readers, dreadfully if us referred sole to Apostle and his Christian companions. Paul's host has an old relative who needs mortal healing (compare Jesus' countryside Peter's ministry: Lk 4:38; Acts 9:33-34). Publius's pop was queasy in cot, suffering from bouts short vacation fever captain dysentery (pyretois, plural). Clever is doubtlessly the "Malta fever" (Micrococcus melitensis), which in rendering nineteenth c was derived to picture milk hold Malta goats and lack which a vaccine was developed limit 1887. Raw, it lasted an mean of quartet months, but in untainted cases recuperate to deuce to triad years (Longenecker 1981:565). Paul parallels Jesus' captain Peter's convention in gross ways: unwind goes defer to the bedside and lays hands stand the male (Lk 4:39-40; Acts 9:34; compare Paul's experience handset 9:17). But he begets a modest addition: purify prefaces representation laying given of keeping with appeal, thus viewing as genuinely as credible the analyze source drawing the prettify power (compare Jn 11:41-42). The islanders' miscalculation of Paul's survival afterwards the snakebiteâ"He is a