In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus tells His disciples,

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

Let us embrace the benefits of operating in the supernatural, knowing that God has called us to do great things in The Name which is above ALL names, Jesus Christ.

The above scripture is just one of many that explicitly INSTRUCT us to operate in the supernatural power of God. Do not make the mistake of dismissing all of these authoritative scriptures as merely optional, idle musings by Jesus. That should excite you, not bum you out. That means that Jesus wants you to operate in His supernatural divine authority! How cool is that?

Instead, many misguided and naive Christians will get depressed over the realization that Jesus expects them to do something they "can't" do. The only reason you can't follow Jesus' instructions is because these teachings on the supernatural have been hidden from you by the Cosmic Cover-up! That is all about to change, beloved! Jesus would never expect us to do something we inherently could not do as subjects in the Kingdom of God.

In the main course, the Supernatural Christian: Walking in Signs, Wonders and Miracles, you will find out the whole sad truth as to why we Christians aren't supposed to bring up the subject of supernatural spiritual gifts in church, let alone insist on receiving discipleship in them. But I urge you to be courageous and NOT to be silent any longer on this absolutely critical subject. And if your church leadership can't handle it, they need to get out of ministry. Sound radical? Wasn't Jesus radical? Maybe it's time for some courageous radicals to rise up and hold the Church accountable to the Bible they claim to be following. I know I will be.

You have learned that the disappearance of signs, wonders and miracles was gradual over centuries of time. Widespread illiteracy would have reduced the scriptures to oral traditions. Only learned individuals would have been able to preach the word of God. This necessarily would have resulted in preachers teaching more on one subject or aspect of the gospel than others. It also is probable that despicable men would have eventually come along who pretended to be able to read but just made stuff up as they went along. Then there would have also been wretched men come along who used their knowledge of the scriptures to manipulate and control illiterate peasants.

Now that we know the reasons why the supernatural aspects of the Gospel were gradually forgotten about, does that mean we have to continue to pretend they don't exist? Now that 99.9 percent of people know how to read, and can and should read the Bible for themselves, isn't it time we revive the supernatural aspects of the original Gospel message? How much longer are we supposed to act as if we're all still illiterate and are still ignorant of the clear and plain meaning of the Holy Scriptures? That silliness stops now for students of this course. You are going to rediscover your mind-blowing inheritance as a child of God. You are going to start acting like an early Church Christian and see God move through you in ways you cannot now believe are even possible.

Should you like to research this subject more, I can confidently recommend the following books by Mighty Men of God, however, always remember that I do not endorse any denomination and believe no one "stream" (i.e. pentecostalism or charismaticism) is sufficient to the exclusion of others. Which is why I simply refer to myself as a follower of Jesus Christ, not a "Baptist" or "Pentecostal". I am a man of faith, not man-made religion.

[Signs & Wonders: Why Pentecostalism Is The World’s Fastest Growing Faith] by John Wimber

[The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural] by Lee Strobel

Lesson Summary

The supernatural was an integral part of Christianity in the early church, with miracles, signs, and wonders being reported by disciples such as Irenaeus and other church leaders. Things gradually changed in the centuries that followed, with the rise of institutionalized Christianity after the Edict of Milan in 313 AD leading to some Christians becoming complacent in their faith. As education and literacy spread, preachers focused more on some teachings of the Gospel rather than the supernatural aspects of the Gospel, and some individuals manipulated the illiterate with false teachings. In modern times, the influence of rationalism, skepticism, and different views of the supernatural within different denominations added more pressure on the supernatural aspects of faith being forgotten. This resulted in many Christians unaware of their inheritance as a child of God in spiritual matters, but now is the time to revive these aspects and lead others to do the same.