By Rev. George Idagbe.
Acts 4:13-16 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceive that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled, and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.
And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves saying, what shall we do to these men? FOR THAT INDEED A NOTABLE MIRACLE HATH BEEN DONE BY THEM IS MANIFEST TO ALL THEM THAT DWELL IN JERUSALEM; AND WE CANNOT DENY IT.”
In this year of Recognition and Celebration, I personally believe that one vital key that can guarantee Recognition and Celebration at all levels is NOTABLE MIRACLES. We may be used to the word miracle, which means a divine or supernatural intervention, provision, protection, deliverance, promotion etc, in the ordinary course of life. Whenever there is an involvement of the supernatural power of God working in any area of your daily life, then you can say that you have received a MIRACLE. For example, you have a basic need of some amount of money to solve some problems with no idea of how and where to get such money from. But as you pray, believe and confess, God by the power of the Holy Spirit now speaks to or touches somebody who obeyed to give that money to you, then you have received a financial miracle. And you can have such miracles of God’s power working daily in other areas of your life as many of us have been beneficiaries of such to the glory of God.
But, the text above qualifies this man’s miracle with the word NOTABLE. And the word,
NOTABLE means something or someone that is significant. God used the Apostles Peter and John to work a significant miracle on this virtually unknown and uncelebrated man. May God give you a significant miracle that will take you from insignificance to significant recognition and celebration in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means something that is unusual enough to deserve attention. Many people receive daily miracles that are usual and so do not project them for recognition and celebration. But this man’s miracle was unusual enough to draw attention. May your life attract unusual supernatural involvements that will deserve attention for celebration in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means somebody or something that is distinguished. This man was a common beggar like other beggars, but he experienced a miracle that distinguished him from them. There are business men and women that need a distinguishing miracle in their businesses. May you encounter the resurrection power of God that will distinguish you in your office, neighborhood, family and in your career in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means something or someone that is outstanding. This miracle stood out from other miracles that were not notable. This miracle made this man to stand out and only outstanding students, staff and people are celebrated. May this Easter season deliver to you and your family the miracle that will make you outstanding in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means something that is extraordinary. Every extraordinary person, event or thing will attract attention and provoke acclamation as in the case of this man. That extraordinary business breakthrough, extraordinary marital intervention and extraordinary deliverance from affliction, receive yours in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means something that is remarkable. A remarkable miracle will announce you to the world and make you the focus of attention on the centre stage for everyone to see. May the Lord honor your faith this Easter season with remarkable divine involvements in your life in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE means something or somebody that is worthy of note. This man’s miracle was worthy of note. All those who knew this man, crippled and begging for as long as they remember; had to notice that he was no longer and will never be seen there. May the miracle that will make men notice you for good locate you in Jesus Name!
NOTABLE also means something special. I pray that the Lord will flood your life and family with special miracles like this man’s miracle in Jesus Name!
Acts 19:11 says ‘AND GOD WROUGHT SPECIAL MIRACLES BY THE HANDS OF PAUL. SO THAT FROM HIS BODY WERE BROUGHT UNTO THE SICK HANDKERCHIEFS OR APRONS AND THE DISEASES DEPARTED FROM, AND THE EVIL SPIRITS WENT OUT OF THEM’
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
A notable miracle i.e. divine or supernatural intervention, provisions, protections etc will both announce and celebrate the vessel that God will use and the recipient of the miracle. Imagine how the masses, the multitudes and all the people must have celebrated the Apostles because of this miracle. This miracle made the Authorities, both religious and circular to RECOGNIZE the Apostles. God used such notable miracles to project the Apostles for recognition and for celebrations. The people talked about the apostles, the Pharisees talked about the apostles and everybody talked about the apostles because of the notable miracle that God did through them.
For the recipient of this notable miracle, Acts 3:2 describes him as:
A certain man – meaning that he was a no body with a negetive identity before he received the notable miracle. This outstanding miracle made him somebody and gave a positive identity. I am sure many who never knew or cared to know his name now knew his name.
Lame from his mother’s womb – meaning that he had never been useful to himself, family or others before the notable miracle. There were things he could not do before now from birth which he could now do.
Was carried – Meaning that he had only been a burden and a dependant on others from birth. In fact he had lived all his life at the mercy of others until this day that God visited him with a notable miracle.
Laid daily at the gate called beautiful – meaning that he was living daily in contradiction to God’s design for his life. He was going nowhere. His life was stagnant at the beautiful gate. Imagine, a lame man with no identity, broken and damaged with no beauty in and out laying daily at the beautiful gate. In relation to the gate, his life was a contradiction until he encountered a notable miracle.
And to ask (beg) for alms – meaning that this man had been indigent and destitute of basic provisions all his life. He has to beg to survive from day to day. But one day he encountered a notable, special, significant, unusual enough to deserve attention, distinguished, outstanding, extraordinary, remarkable and worthy of note supernatural intervention in his life!
Thank God for this season of Easter because it reminds us of our Lord Jesus Christ who demonstrated the most notable, special, significant, distinguished, outstanding, extraordinary, remarkable, worthy of note and unusual enough supernatural work of God through His death, burial and resurrection that have and still provokes worldwide recognition and celebration!
Easter is the annual celebration of the most notable miracle of all time and you can connect your finance, business, marriage and family to the supernatural power of God for a personal experience in Jesus Name!
Finally, can you imagine the joy and excitement that must have filled the heart and life of the man, his family members, his friends if he had any, the worshippers at the temple, the community and the Apostles for this notable miracle. I pray for you therefore that the resurrection power of the Almighty God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, effect such joy in your life in Jesus Name! By Easter next year, may you be among those who would have experienced Special, Extraordinary and distinguished miracles IN JESUS NAME!