The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-09-25


of life and win them for Christ and
eternity. Greater works! Then fol-
low the days of mighty miracles which
far outnumbered those which Jesus
performed. The shadow of Peter fall
ling on the sick was potent through the
power of the Holy Spirit to heal. At
later day handkerchiefs which Paul
had blessed performed their works of
healing as the sick were led to put
faith in Jesus Christ. Greater works,
indeed! But we have not zine to re-
view the whole glorious, marvellous,
triumphant history of the Gospel as
recorded in the Acts. Take and read
it for yourself. Consider the wide ex
tension of the Gospel, the converts
won, the miracles performed, and you
will end by praising God because
Jesus promise of greater works had
it's literal and splendid fulfillment in
the days of the apostles and the early
church.
DUT what in our thought constitutes
II greater works? Do we consider
the miracles-the healing, the raising
tudes, the nets filed with fishes-as
the greatest fruits of Jesus ministry,
and must there be larger realization
of such miracles in the service and
ministry of Jesus disciples to-day in
order that we may feel that Jesus
f1rlG Jc
not tendency always to associate
with the thought of greater works the
healing of the sick, the giving sight to
the blind, the raising of the dead? So
often do we hear the mournful regret
expressed that the disciples to-day
have not the gift of healing so that the
preaching of the Gospel might be at
tended by mighty works of the Spirit
which would bear visible testimony
to the power of God The greater
works" has come almost to be
synonym for miracles, as though God
dealing with the physical was greater
than God dealing with the spiritual. AS
a rule l am inclined to believe that the
longing and unrest for another day of
miracles such as ushered in the birth
of the apostolic church is rather an
evidence of unbelief than of faith. 1t
is that old weakness of the natural
man which desires to see. Seeing
is believing" is the thought which I'M
consciously sways the heart. The heal
ing OF the sick, the raising of the dead,
what glorious and indisputable testi-
mony they would be to the world!
Thus we think and reason, and almost
believe that God is short-sighted and
of healing upon the church to-day.
Greater works, or in other words,
miracles.
DUT are miracles greater works?
- Did Jesus SO consider them? Why
was His heart heavy, why was He sad.
when the multitude had been healed at
Capernaum and the 5000 fed in the
wilderness? Was it not because there
was not the greater work of the crea-
ton of new heart through faith in
Him? I'VE must be born again." was
Jesus message to Nicodemus, and the
miracle of the new birth was a greater
work than that of physical healing, or
bringing to life again the dead body,
even though the latter were more
wonderful to the natural eye of man.
That Jesus forgave the sins of the man
sick of the palsy before He raised him
up to health and strength is signifi-
cant. The greatest need of that man
was not healed body for this life, |
although his case was SO pitiable and
his need so great, but it was a cleansed
and redeemed soul which would live
with God throughout the eternities. This
Jesus gave to him first. 1t was |
greater work. 1t is evident from
Jesus first words to the man-"Son. |
be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven
thee that the man was troubled |
more by his sin-sick soul than he was
by his disease-racked body. Jesus saw |
deeper than the physical, and because |
the man himself realized his greater |
need, Jesus at once met that need and |
gave forgiveness and salvation. Then !
came the healing as secondary
work, chat we may know that the Son |
of Man hath power on earth to forgive |
sins" The miracles were proof of His
Divinity. The continuation of the
miracles through the early years of
the church was for the purpose of link
ing the Christ before the cross with
the risen and assembled Christ and es-
tablishing the Divinely- ordered way of
salvation. That which Jesus began to
do, His disciples continued to more
gIoriously and fully do after He had
assembled and the Holy Spirit HAD
descended upon them But a greater
work than the speaking with tongues
was the raising from the deafness in
sin to newness of life in Christ Jesus
of 5000 souls. A greater work than
the healing of the lame man at the
Beautiful Gate was the healing of 600
sin-sick souls which followed. A mira
Gle might cause the world to pause and
wonder, but soul cleansed in Jesus,
blood and given life in Him is able TO
set all Heaven to rejoicing. Think
of it!
A ND in considering the greater
~ works which Jesus disciples are to
do in fulillment of His promise. we
must not forget that a1fhougI, +t,o a..