September 25, 2026
Signs, Wonders, and a Fresh Burden for the Lost
Join me as we pray from Acts 4
A few days ago I was reading John chapter 3, where Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus. He told the Lord, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). It hit me like a ton of bricks: even religious people respond to signs and wonders. When I read those words of Nicodemus, God gave me a fresh burden for the lost.
I’ve always believed that signs and wonders are still for the church today. The cessationist crowd maintains that the gifts of the Spirit were given to confirm the message of the apostles and are no longer necessary now that we have the New Testament. There are so many problems with that view we could be here all day. We need signs and wonders for the same reason Paul did: we live in a world full of false gods and sin-driven people who couldn’t care less.
One of the biggest changes in my lifetime has been the elimination of the Christian backbone of our culture. The average person today is impervious to being told, “The Bible says…” They were not raised with respect for Scripture or for the people who claim to believe it. They live in a cultural and digital silo where Christ and Christians are mentioned only in derision. Many of these people are simply ignorant and can be reached if we can find a way to get a hearing.
There are also at least three groups that are demonically driven and/or deceived. They are fundamentally and openly hostile to Christ.
- The communists and fellow travelers have been brainwashed to believe that Christians are stupid and problematic. Karl Marx called religion “the opium of the people.”
- The progressive left contains a potpourri of those involved in the dark arts dressed up as health and wellness or some deceptive pseudo-spirituality. They despise us mainly for our sexual mores.
- Then there are the Islamists. Just as every Christian is not totally devoted to all the tenets of the Bible, there are Muslims who are not devoted to the Qur’an. Those who are, however, are committed to the subjugation or destruction of all who will not bow to their false god.
Our call as emissaries of the risen Christ is to reach all these folks. They are not the enemy; they are our target audience. Many of us have been equipped to win arguments using Scripture. That’s a good thing, but it won’t work on people who don’t care or won’t listen.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is in Acts 4, when Peter and John got out of prison and went to their brethren for some prayer help. I’m recruiting folks to pray using this example as our format. I’m praying every day that God will give us boldness, that He will stretch forth His hand to heal, and that signs and wonders will be wrought in the name of Jesus Christ. Here’s the outline for prayer from Acts 4:24–31 ESV:
A Prayer Outline from Acts 4:24–31
- Tell God how great He is and thank Him for what His Word says about reaching the lost.
“Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’” (vv. 24–26).
- Tell Him the situation. (Watch the news for inspiration.)
“for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place” (vv. 27–28).
- Tell Him what you want.
“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (vv. 29–30).
- Thank Him for what you expect to happen.
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (v. 31).
You get the idea. Use your own words and the situation in your own community. Pray for the people in your church to get bold and see miracles. Be specific. Pray about things and people by name. Let’s see if God won’t shake the whole nation. vls
Judy update: Thank you so much for your prayers. Judy goes for a CT scan on Monday, followed by a consultation with her treatment team on Friday to discuss the data from pathology, her exam, and the scans. Pray that the oncologist has divine wisdom in future treatment and that we have the mind of the Lord concerning the next steps.
Mexico: In case you missed it, we had a blast in Hermosillo for the Pastor’s seminar “Our Covenant with God.” 26 senior pastors and 20 other church leaders received the instruction and the printed outlines that they can use in their own churches. It was a powerful time. If you want a glimpse, you can see the videos on YouTube. (I’ll be teaching this class on Wednesday evenings beginning October 14. Tune in at Goodness Family Church at 6:45 PM Arizona time. Contact me for the notes.}
Prayer: We are waiting for the outcome of next week’s tests and doctor meetings before planning our next Mexico seminar. They are hungry for the Word, and I am ready to bring it. They are asking for teaching on the power of the blood of Jesus. We will be having a Zoom class for our pastors on October 10. Pray for them and us.
All financial support can be sent to Goodness Family Church at the address below or given online at https://www.goodnesschurch.org/giving . All checks should be made to Goodness Family Church and designated on the “For” line to either Pastor Virgil or Missions.
Virgil and Judy Stokes
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson AZ, 85745
