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We read about the way that God intervened in human affairs in the Bible. Does he still do that today? And if not, Why not? That’s what we’ll look at in our text today (Acts 5:12-42) where we see three examples of divine intervention.

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Q. How does divine intervention work today?

We read about the way that God intervened in human affairs in the Bible. Does he still do that today? And if not, Why not? That’s what we’ll look at in our text today (Acts 5:12-42) where we see three examples of divine intervention (miracles, angels, and one more…)

Before we get to the text, let’s make this question personal. Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation where you needed some divine intervention? Your back was against the wall, and if God didn’t show up you’d be in a world of hurt…

• Early days of Alpine: we emptied our bank accounts and were still $2000 short. Went to the mailbox day of closing to find a $2000 check from out of state friends!
• Some of you might be in a similar place
• Financially
• Relationally
• Emotionally
• Physically
• Spiritually

Today, in our passage we are actually going to see a couple of unlikely interventions orchestrated by God to get people out of own impossible situations. Let’s get to the text…

Miracles

Acts 5:12-16 (NLT) 12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. 14 Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

• The most amazing kind of divine intervention: miracles. A couple of observations about the text:
• This was a direct answer to their prayers from ch 4: Acts 4:30 “Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
• The purpose was to validate their message, point people to Jesus. It wasn’t about the apostles! 
• Peter’s shadow: note how the ESV says it: Acts 5:15 (ESV) they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
• The Bible doesn’t actually say that they were healed this way, but rather that they hoped they would be.
• But the big question: does God still intervene like this today?
• We covered this a few weeks ago in Acts 3. Here’s a reminder of some of the talking points:
• Miracles still happen