God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs that had touched his skin were carried to the sick and diseases departed from them. Not prayed for through the handkerchief. The diseases just left. This is the miraculous becoming routine, the extraordinary becoming ordinary in daily ministry.
I'm a missionary in a region where people know Christ primarily through stories. They haven't encountered the gospels in their own language yet. When healing happens, when the Spirit moves visibly, it's extraordinary. But Paul's Ephesus sounds different. The miracles are so frequent that people start applying them practically. Why come to Paul directly when you could bring a cloth?
I'm torn between two responses. On one hand, I'm jealous for such a display of God's power. On the other, there's something in me that wonders about the spiritual health of a community where miracles become commonplace. Are people drawn to Jesus or to healings? Are they following Christ or collecting supernatural experiences? The fact that people trusted the clothed instead of the man suggests something has shifted. But maybe that's too suspicious. Maybe God simply uses whatever will work. If people are healed through fabric because they believe, maybe that's enough.
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