Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls…But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. – Acts 2:37-41, 4:4
Do miracles still happen? What do you think of when you hear the word “miracle?” Using the scriptures above let’s look at a few facts. The disciples were extremely discouraged. The one they thought was the liberator of Israel had been crucified, laid to rest in a tomb, and then 3 days later he showed up at their prayer meeting. Jesus stays with them for 40 days and then he departs and returns to heaven. Once again the disciples were left standing there scratching their heads.
Sometime later in a prayer meeting, they have an awesome encounter with God that radically changes them. They experience His Holy Spirit and they become different people. Peter spoke a few God-ordained words at a God-ordained time, and the results were that 3,000 people believed in the name of Jesus Christ.
God has placed you here on this mission trip for a very special reason. Like the disciples, things may not be “working” out like you thought they would. You may be way out of your “comfort zone,” and even wondering why you came on this mission trip. Let me assure you that you are in an environment for the miraculous to occur. The definition of a miracle is “a supernatural intervention in the natural realm.” Do you need a supernatural intervention of God in your life? Will the outcome be that 3,000 people believe in the name of Jesus Christ? Will one believe? Will you believe?
