Movement of Signs and Wonders: How to Experience Signs and Wonders

In his article, Rev Matthew Tan shares his conviction that the power of God is the ultimate source of a ministry’s relevance, offering practical tips for administering the miraculous responsibly and positioning oneself to receive healing, regardless of the size of one’s faith.

The topic of Signs and Wonders is bigger than healing. In this article, by ‘healing’, it means those healing which are divine and miraculous — not those healed by natural means or via medicine — those means, I believe, have their place in the will of God. For the purpose of this article. I would be assuming that experiencing healing is the same as experiencing the miraculous (i.e. signs and wonders).

There was one time I was getting disillusioned with trying to make my ministry relevant to the upcoming generations. I was trying to change the way that I speak, dress, the programming of the healing services, and on hindsight, it got a little out of hand.

I remember having a conversation with my father about this, and he said this:

“Hey son, never forget this — the power of God makes you relevant.”

Suddenly I woke up. It was a sobering reminder to chase after the God-things. What is ‘in’ now will eventually phase out. But the power of God will never be out of fashion. Every person regardless of culture or generation recognizes the power of God. If your ministry can display the power of God, people will come. People need Jesus.

I run a healing ministry. By God’s grace, the ministry has been doing really well. My team is blessed to receive thousands of testimonies of healing every year. What I should be concerned about is not about the speaking or dressing, rather I should be concerned about staying in the favor of the Lord — that the healing and miracles continue to flow.

Every person regardless of culture or generation recognizes the power of God.

Likewise, I want to encourage all of us to chase after the power of God to be made manifest in our ministries.

In this article, let us learn some tips on how to minister the miraculous, and how to position ourselves to receive a miracle.

I. MINISTERING THE MIRACULOUS

1. Praying Responsibly

No one can manufacture the miraculous. It is God who does the miraculous. We are treading a fine line when it comes to ‘praying in faith’. While we know that God is in charge, there is a real danger in over-promising and having faith. When the miraculous does not happen, people can be discouraged, blame God, it can even result in unnecessary death in the family.

It was said that all boils down to the obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit. However, we also know that even the best and sharpest of prophets can get it wrong at times. How do we minister effectively while managing this tension?

When I pray for people, I refrain from talking too much, I do not want to overpromise and do not want to undermine the power of prayer. I will just say, “Let us see what Jesus will do.”

For those who feel healed on the spot, tell them to go back to their doctors for verification. Do not tell them to stop their medication or defer any operation, leave this to the medical professionals. This will protect you from critics and will save you from lawsuits.

When it comes to medical decisions, do not give an answer or give your opinion. Let the patient or their family decide. There is ultimately no right or wrong. We continue to minister to them regardless of their decision.

It is God who does the miraculous.

2. Position Yourself at Where the Anointing is Found

The anointing is for those who are serious about the ministry. Not curious eyes or church hoppers.

We know that the Lord equips His saints for ministry. What people do not know is that the anointing is found in the thick of the ministry. If you want to wait for the anointing to come before you start to minister, you will never experience the anointing resting upon you.

The gifts are for the people. Not for self-promotion. The more you are a good steward of the gift, the more pronounced your gifting becomes.

3. Getting a Consistent Flow of Testimonies in Your Ministry

Sometimes, healings are instantaneous. Other times, we wait for scans and test results. While we wait, we pray for other people. Move on, do not get stuck with one person.

This is how you get a consistent flow of testimonies — you pray for many people everyday. One of the main keys to a successful healing ministry is consistency.

If you seriously believe in healing and miracles, you should be getting yourself involved with praying for the sick on a regular basis. Either join an existing ministry or start one.

While we wait, we pray for other people. Move on, do not get stuck with one person.

4. Self-Service and Homework

We want people to be encouraged through our ministry — i.e. that they will leave the healing service encouraged even if they are not healed.

The classic practice is to tell people to ‘look to Jesus’. This, however, is a very cognitive exercise. In my experience, I see people finding it a real problem. They cannot touch, see, or feel Jesus, where do they face when they pray?

So rather, I teach the people to ‘copy me’ and pray on their own (self-service), and I will even give them a schedule of praying, together with an action (homework). When they pray in Jesus’ name, they are looking at Jesus.

We have received thousands of testimonies regarding people getting healed as they did the ‘self-service’ and ‘homework’. Some of the testimonies are even from non-Christians!

Honestly, I believe that this is a bigger miracle compared to those being healed by the prayer of the anointed man. The people are led to understand that “Jesus hears my prayer.”

Do not be too disappointed if nothing happens immediately after you pray. Just give space for God to move — self-service and homework.

The people are led to understand that “Jesus hears my prayer.”

II. RECIEVING A MIRACLE

I suppose that many of us need a miracle today. Allow me to switch to a ministering tone and reveal the heart of our Heavenly Father.

When it comes to receiving a miracle, contrary to popular teaching, we do not need to have a lot of faith. We just need enough faith to come to Jesus or to bring someone to Jesus. This is the common thread among the different individuals in the Bible where Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you.”

Coming to Jesus can be easy for many people, but hard for some. It involves swallowing our pride and acknowledging our weaknesses. Sometimes we may not have the faith to come to Jesus, but someone else has it.

We see this happening all the time in the healing ministry. People simply brought their friends and families, and many people received healing. Even non-Christians received big healings! They did not believe in Jesus before, and after they witness the healing, their hearts are then opened to Jesus.

Jesus looks at you with compassion in his eyes. His desire is for your healing and deliverance. God wants to touch you so much that it does not matter if you have big faith or small faith.

If you need a miracle, just raise up your hands and say to Jesus, “Lord Jesus, heal me, set me free.” Ask your friend or pastor to pray for you today. Let us see what Jesus will do.

We just need enough faith to come to Jesus or to bring someone to Jesus. This is the common thread among the different individuals in the Bible where Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you.”