Becoming a Sign of God’s Presence
The dramatic change in the lives of people touched by the power and presence of God through the early church proved to be a nearly irresistible magnet, drawing many to believe in and follow Jesus Christ. Besides the miraculous healing of a blind beggar (Acts 3), many signs and wonders done among the people (Acts 5:12) caught the attention of those outside and those inside this young church.
It was clear to observers and participants: God was at work transforming individuals and communities through this new movement. It was also clear that many not only wanted to see what was going on but longed for such salvation, healing, and wholeness in their own lives.
Today people still look for evidence of God’s transforming presence in the church and in the world. When they find that evidence, they often tum toward it, seeking to be close to the God who is obviously at work changing lives in such dramatic ways. They are drawn because they want to be close to God, and often they seek their own transformation and salvation. The congregation where signs and wonders are evident is the congregation that finds new people coming to be touched by that transforming presence of God.
In Acts we read of transformation that leads from sinfulness to holiness of life. The kind of transformation that leads from selfishness to sharing, from uselessness to usefulness, from sickness to health, and from death to life is the transformation many seek. This transformation is promised in the Gospels by the One who came that all might have life and have it abundantly.
Where are the signs and wonders of God’s active and transforming presence most visible today? How can you and I make ourselves and the entire church more available, thus permitting those signs and wonders to occur within and through our lives?
One way the early church made itself available was by always giving an unqualified yes when God invited obedience, witness, and service. Can we do as much?
—Rueben P. Job,
Readings for Reflection
In the early church, lives changed so visibly and powerfully that even skeptics couldn’t look away. As Reuben Job describes, transformation wasn’t just internal—it was communal, embodied, and undeniable. People were healed. Needs were shared. Dead things came to life. And the world took notice, not because of clever words or perfect programs, but because the presence of God was real among them. That same longing still pulses through people today: the ache for healing, meaning, and new life.
We often ask where the signs and wonders are now—but perhaps the better question is, are we truly available to be vessels of them? The early church said “yes” to God—again and again—with open hands and surrendered hearts. If we want to see the world drawn to Christ through our communities, it begins with us doing the same. Obedience, humility, service—these are still the soil where God plants wonder. Will we make room? —DH
This is the miracle of grace: it doesn’t just pardon our past—it gives us the capacity to live with open hearts in a fractured world. God’s love is big enough to absorb it all—our doubts, our failures, our tensions—and still call us beloved. When we truly believe that, no wonder we overflow with joy. It’s not hype—it’s freedom. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics