I’ve been studying miracles lately. Not the ones that are in the Bible but miracles that have occurred in the last hundred or so years through various famous men and women of God. The miracles and healings were great, especially in the eyes of the recipients and their families.

There’s something else I’ve noticed though. The miracle ministries were always accompanied by controversy and nay saying — BY THE CHURCH. We would expect that from the world, but why would the church criticize healing and deliverance and such? Isn’t that following in the footsteps of Jesus? Isn’t that what we are supposed to do?

What the church often said was that the man or woman of God was acting in the flesh. For instance, they criticized Smith Wigglesworth for punching the cancer out of man, or standing a stiff corpse up against a wall and commanding that it come back to life. They ignored the results or called them nothing more than “hype.”

Jesus Himself had just as much trouble. The “church” of His day said His healings were false or were of the devil. They saw the crowds running after Him and it disrupted their status quo. They were offended by God moving outside their own box.

As we evaluate the genuineness of new moves of God today, let’s look back. Let’s not make the same mistakes others have. We should beware if our nose gets out of joint based on ministry style. We should stop and ponder before we call someone’s ministry a work of the devil.

Wanna know what I think? I think that’s the attitude that’s actually in the flesh.