CONTENTS

Introduction

Anatomy of a Miracle

Principle One: The Area of Faith

Principle Two: The Author of Faith

Principle Three: The Attitude of Faith

Principle Four: The Action of Faith

Principle Five: The Affirmation of Faith

Principle Six: The Achievement of Faith

John 2:5

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

John 2:1-11

Introduction

Thank God we're living in a day of MIRACLES!

Unfortunately, some Christians aren't aware of the power of God that is available to us as believers. A. J. Gordon, a theologian, once declared, "The Church is losing her grip on the supernatural.” Too often all we see is a manifestation of the flesh and an emphasis on man's ability—what man has learned.

Yet there is something crying out of every believer today—"I want to see a miracle! I want to see the supernatural!"

Is the Church out of step with God? Have we overlooked His divine ways?

God is looking for the believer to take up his responsibility—to be obedient to His voice and help release God's miracle power. When we come to the place where we move on what God says, when He says it—miracles will become a way of life.

Anatomy of a Miracle

The key to receiving a miracle from God is found in the second chapter of John's Gospel, in one of the most familiar stories in the whole Bible, the turning of water into wine. You should have verse 5 underscored in your Bible—it says,

His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

This is the very first miracle Jesus performed that we know about. It wasn't a blind eye that He opened. It wasn't a sick man that He healed. It happened when He was invited to a wedding. There is something more significant to this story than what we've always been taught. This event was not just for Jesus to place His approbation on the institution of marriage. I believe there is a deeper truth Jesus is trying to get across to everyone in His Church. He wants us to see that the uniting of personal faith with Christ produces God's power to bring forth a miracle. You have something to do with it as an individual. Don't put it all off on God.

Many times we say, "I believe God will do it in His own time"—and totally overlook the fact that God is waiting for us to do something. There's a human responsibility that must accede to the divine sovereignty of God in order to produce a miracle. But there's something you've got to do.

Thank God we are living in a day of miracles!

When I go to church, I want to see a demonstration of the power of God. The Bible says God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (see John 4:24). Paul, writing in the second Book of Timothy, said the church had a form of godliness but was denying the power of God. He said to turn away from such practices.

Perhaps you have been involved in a cold, dead, formal church that offers nothing but a form, a ceremony, and a ritual. God said to turn away from it. It's about time that the Church produces the supernatural and the miraculous.

The Miracle-worker

You're not serving a dead Christ, but a risen Saviour! Some still try to keep Him on a cross, but I want you to know Jesus came off that cross. They put Him in a grave, but He came out of the grave. Jesus is alive! He's the same today as He was yesterday, and He's still performing miracles.

Hebrews 2:1-4 says,

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and

wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of

the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

God is the God of the miraculous. This gospel that we preach is good news about the supernatural—it's a gospel of power. When I preach, I want to see God move in a miraculous way where people can receive what they've come for. Hallelujah!

In John, chapter 3, Nicodemus, making reference to the wedding at Cana, said, "No man can do these miracles except God be with him." Jesus' ministry was earmarked with miracles. He is the Miracle-worker, and He's alive today showing forth signs and wonders and miracles. He's the same today as He was yesterday. Hallelujah!

There are 16 recorded miracles of healing in the Gospels ... miracles that Jesus himself performed. Three people raised from the dead, not counting His own resurrection. Three exorcisms where He cast the devil out of people. Six miracles over the forces of nature. I'm talking about a Miracle-worker. Yet all we're doing today is playing church ... having a form, a ceremony, and a ritual.

I declare unto you that my God is not dead. My God is alive! He's the same yesterday, He's the same today. And He'll be the same tomorrow. He is a God of the miraculous and the supernatural.

You Must Do Your Part

Jesus turned water into wine. It was the beginning of His miracles. But there had to be an association—a cooperation—Christ with people. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. God wants you to cooperate with Him—be obedient to do what He tells you to do, and then you will see miracles take place.

When the preacher says, "Rise up and walk!”— get up and start walking and you'll have your miracle.

We're the Church. But we've been sitting back saying, "Well I'm just waiting on the Lord. When the Lord gets ready to hand out a miracle, I'm going to receive it."

With that attitude, you're going to die waiting. You're not waiting on God. God's waiting on you.

I was preaching in Philadelphia one year where six people in wheelchairs were lined up in the front row—just listening to my sermon. They hadn't walked in a dozen years or so, and while I was preaching, God began to work miracles. I didn't even lay hands on those people and pray for them. He beat me to it. Five of them got up and started running. I wasn't concerned about those five, I was after the one still in his wheelchair.

I ran down to him, and I said, "Get up!"

He said, "I can't walk."

I said, "No kidding. Now get up in the name of Jesus!"

"Oh," he said, "the doctors said I'd never walk again."

Here five men sitting next to him got up out of their wheelchairs and he's still sitting in his. I wanted him to get up. I reached down and yanked him out of the thing.

I said again, "Get out of it!"

He stood up and said, "Whoo, I haven't done this in years."

I'm a man—men can't perform miracles. God performs miracles, but He is looking for human responsibility, blended with His Word, to produce miracle power. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Don't hesitate. Be obedient to Him.

Six principles for receiving a miracle

As we examine the teachings of Jesus, we find there are six principles He sets forth on how to see a miracle. These conditions are always present when God's miracle power is manifested.

Principle One: The Area of Faith

Where does faith work? The first miracle principle is that we must identify the area where a miracle is needed, and therefore is possible. This is the area of faith. The second chapter of John tells us there wasn't any wine left at the wedding in Cana. That was the area of faith. Someone may say, "The doctor has given up on me." Oh, hallelujah, it's about time. That's their area of faith.

Suppose a woman says, "My husband told me he's going to leave." That's not the area of faith. But when she says, "He's gone," then she can also say, "Oh, now God's going to move!" This is when faith moves—this is the area of faith.

As long as they had wine at the wedding feast, Jesus didn't need to perform a miracle. But when they ran out, He said, "Now, watch and see what I'm going to do."

Someone may say, "All I've got left is a dollar. I'd better hang onto it." That's wrong thinking! They'll never get anything if they don't turn it loose. They have to be reduced to an irreducible minimum until it seems they have nothing. Then, when their back is against the wall, they are standing in the place where faith begins to move and the supernatural takes over. Then God will perform a miracle. The Bible says there was no wine at Cana. They had reached the place of frustration—the place where faith begins.

No place else to go

Perhaps you are at that point of frustration.

Jesus met people who were in this place, frustrated, "no wine," nothing left. All through the Word of God there are examples of this. When you are on the brink of natural extremity, you've reached the place of divine intervention. When there's no more hope, God says, "Now it's time for Me to step in!"

I want to encourage you. I don't care what the doctors told you. Don't believe their report. There's only one report to believe. God said in Isaiah 53:1,

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

What is the report?

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

We are healed. That's what I believe. That is the only message I believe. It's the only report that I believe. Let every man be a liar. Let every devil be a liar. But let God be true. If He said it, He will do it, and if He spoke it, He's going to bring it to pass.

Putting Back What Was Taken

First Samuel 30 tells about David at Ziklag. He and his soldiers came home and found everything gone—his wife, everything. David was a man of God, but he backslid. I believe that only good should follow the people of God, but here everything's messed up. He came back and all of his family and all of his soldiers' loved ones were gone. The Amalekites had destroyed the city—I mean they had raped the entire village. Not only did David have to deal with that, but his followers wanted to stone him for allowing this to happen.

So David found a priest. And he said to the priest, "It's time to seek the Lord." David prayed, "Lord, I'm outnumbered. Do you want me to go get them?" And God said, "Go get them and you'll recover everything that was taken." Oh, I love that!

Hear me, beloved. I don't care what the devil's stolen from you, God's going to let you recover everything. Isn't that good news?

Someone may say, "Oh, if I could have just heard this three years ago, before I had the operation." Well, it's never too late with God. He'll put back in what the doctors took out. A lady came to one of my services who had had a hysterectomy and all of her female organs had been removed. She heard me preach one night and came forward for prayer. She said, "Lay your hands on me. Ask God to put back in what the doctor took out. I want a baby." I laid hands on her and I said, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to bring forth a child in nine months." That's cutting it close. A year later she came through the prayer line, held the baby up in front of me, and said, "Here he is. God put back in what the doctors took out. God's never too late!"

I want to encourage you—God is a God of the miraculous and the supernatural. All He's looking for is a little cooperation on your part. He just wants you to believe.

In Mark 5, there's a story of a little woman who spent all she had. She finally arrived in the area of faith. Oh, thank God, she spent it all. (See, nobody said anything when she spent it all on doctors. But if she had given it all to a preacher, all hell would have broken loose!) The Bible says this little woman had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse (vs. 26). She came to where Jesus was and said, "He doesn't have to lay His hands on me. Just let me get close enough to where He is, and let me touch the hem of His garment." Are you following me?

She pressed through that crowd until all of a sudden she saw that white robe. She reached out and touched one little piece of it, and Jesus stopped instantly. He stood there and said, "Who touched Me?" The disciples answered, "What do you mean, who touched You? They've all got their hands on You!" And Jesus said, "I know it, but somebody touched Me with faith." Oh, Hallelujah! She felt it in her body—she was healed of her plague.

You don't have to have someone tell you you're healed when the power of God comes in your body.

You'll be the first one to know that you are healed. In position for a miracle

Look at John 20:19—oh, do I like this one.

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst. . . .

He came when all hope was gone. This is when He comes. This is the area of faith. No hope left. The doors being shut, in the evening hour, the darkest time of your life. Many of you are there right now.

You may say, "Brother Schambach, you don't know what I'm going through." Dry those tears, beloved, you're in the area of faith. You are ripe for a miracle. "But you don't know what the doctor said." I don't have to know what the doctor said, I just know what God said.

I'm talking about miracles.

Go back to John 2:5: Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. This is the first principle, getting to the area of faith. You must identify with it.

Principle Two: The Author of Faith

Now, look at the second principle—know the Author of faith. You can't miss when you know the Author. You want to find out who the Author of faith is?

John 2:5 says the mother of Jesus was at the wedding. Am I trying to say that Mary is the author of faith? You would think so from what the Church is saying today. NO, NO, NO! A thousand times, NO! Mary is not the author of faith! Mary's the one who said, "WHATSOEVER HE SAITH UNTO YOU, DO IT!" Thank God for Mary who had enough sense to point people to the One who is the Author of faith. Jesus is the Answer—Jesus is the Way. Thank God for Mary who birthed that man. But Jesus is the Author of faith.

Hebrews 12:2 says, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. If you're going to get a miracle, get your eyes off Buddha. Get your eyes off Mohammed. Get your eyes off religion. Get your eyes off Mary. And get your eyes on Jesus Christ—behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! He is the Author of faith.

It's a dangerous thing to follow a man. If you follow a man, you'll end up like those hundreds of people did in Guyana. Following a man like Jim Jones will lead you into hell. By the same token, you've got no right following an evangelist. You've got no right following a pastor or even a church. Get your eyes on Jesus Christ who is the Author and Finisher of your faith. You get your eyes on a man and you'll become disillusioned. Man will fail you. Man will let you down. Man will disappoint you, but Jesus Christ will never disappoint you because He is the Author of your faith. Jesus is the object of our worship.

Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

The Way to a Miracle ... Is Jesus!

Do you remember when Jesus came to His disciples, walking on water? He had told them, "Get into a boat and go to the other side and I'll meet you over there." Then He spent some time in prayer to His Father. When He got done praying, the last boat had already left.

Oh, I could preach a whole message on this one. But what He says, He's got to do. If He doesn't do it, He's not God. Are you with me? That's why you need to study the Word and find out what He says. If He said it, He'll do it, and if He spoke it, He'll bring it to pass.

He said, "I'll meet you on the other side." There's only one thing left for Him to do—start walking on the water. And guess what? He caught up to the boat! The disciples were looking out over the edge of the boat and all of a sudden they saw Him coming. And they got scared! Of what? The supernatural!

Oh, that's why the Church doesn't have the supernatural! Have you ever gotten scared in church? No, you sit there in those cushioned seats, get lullabied to sleep—you know what's going to happen before it happens. If Jesus had come to the disciples in a boat, they would have just sat there and gone to sleep. But He came a different way. He came walking on the water.

The disciples said, "Look, it's His ghost!" They already had Him dead. Just like the Church— they're always saying God's dead. One of them said, "That isn't Him, nobody can walk on water." Yes, that was Him! Peter said, "Hold it fellows. I know one surefire way to tell whether it's Him or not. Hey, Lord Jesus ... Hey, is that You out there?" I like ol' Peter. He said, "Lord, if that's You, tell me to come out there where You are."

Jesus said, "Come." One word. Peter didn't hesitate. He took those big size 12s out of the boat and put them right on the water. And HE WALKED ON THE WATER! It was a MIRACLE! Peter walked on water. Jesus walked on water. Peter was uniting his own human responsibility with the Word of Jesus Christ and it produced a miracle.

Somebody says, "Yeah, but he sank." In order to sink you've got to be on top! He walked on the water. And as long as Peter had his eyes on the Author of faith, he had it made.

Don’t Get Distracted

The moment Peter took his eyes off Jesus, he saw the waves, the wind, and the sea as it began to rage. He got distracted, just like when you say, "Jesus is my Healer"—and then you get a pain around the fifth rib on the left side. You know what I mean! As long as he had his eyes on Jesus, the miracle was sure. But the moment he was distracted fear, doubt, and unbelief settled in.

Jesus said, "Oh, ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" Who's He talking to? Peter. .. the big fisherman. He doubted Jesus. Everyone of us knows what it's like to doubt Jesus.

He said, "Oh, ye of little faith." Well, at least Peter had a little faith. If he had a little faith, how much did the rest of those boys inside the boat have? At least Peter got his feet wet.

You are "playing church" if you're in the boat. Get out of the boat and learn how to trust God! Jesus is the Author of faith. Today is your day for a miracle. But there's a part you have to play.

God’s Miracle Power Heals.

I'll never forget a couple I met from western Pennsylvania. The wife was pregnant and the husband, a coal miner, decided he wanted to be in the delivery room for this birth. They had two other children. This was their third.

When it came time for that woman to deliver, problems set in. It was time for delivery, but the baby would not come. The doctor, a woman, panicked. She said to the husband, "Push down on your wife's stomach, force the baby out."

Now the husband was getting worried. But he did what the doctor told him to do, and he pushed and pushed until the baby shot out, right through the doctor's hands, and landed on the floor. The man's wife gave birth to a baby boy.

Several birth defects were immediately visible. The umbilical cord apparently had been wrapped around the baby, and it was born with spina bifida —an incurable disease in which the spine forms outside the body. Both of the infant's feet were turned up and embedded in its ankles.

In all the commotion the doctor hurriedly picked that baby up, hit his eye on the handle of a table, and knocked the eye out of its socket. The baby started to turn black and blue. The doctor regathered the child, and this time hit his head on the table, gouging a hole in his skull, damaging the brain until blood and liquid came oozing out. (The baby had been born hydrocephalic—with a water head.)

This man personally told me all of this. Now, don't misjudge the man, but he said he wanted to kill that doctor when he saw the condition his baby was in. This man was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and yet he wanted to kill. He started yelling at the doctor.

Then Jesus appeared to him in that delivery room and said, "Son, I can't do anything for you if you're going to act like this." The man turned around to that doctor and said, "I'm sorry for the way I talked to you, please forgive me. I'm not going to sue you, Jesus told me He's going to perform a miracle and heal my baby."

The doctor said, "Oh, no, your baby's not going to live."

"Oh," he exclaimed, "the devil's a liar. Jesus told me my baby's going to live!"

She said, "If that baby lives, he'll be a vegetable the rest of his life."

The man nearly shouted, "I don't believe that report. God will work a miracle!"

That baby grew to be three or four months old and the man and his wife went to the bank and borrowed money for two plane tickets from Pittsburgh to Atlanta. I was holding a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The man brought that baby forward for prayer. I didn't know the man from Adam. He brought that little baby to me, still severely deformed and diseased—a water head baby, crippled, tubes hanging out of him, his spine exposed in the back. He was totally paralyzed. I've never seen anything like it in my life!

All of a sudden I felt the anointing of God—I picked that baby up before I had even started to preach. I kept him in my arms for twenty minutes just walking back and forth on the platform. I had all the people stand. And I felt the anointing all over me as I put the baby back in that brother's lap. I said, "Brother, God has healed your baby."

But there was no sign of it. The head was still big, the defects were still there. A puzzled look came over this man's face. I could see the disappointed look in his eyes. But he went back home with his baby and took him back to the hospital to be examined.

After a different doctor had examined the child, he said, "You should not have taken this baby out of the hospital. He is worse."

"But Doctor," the father said, "the preacher said he was healed."

The doctor snapped, "Then he must be a crazy preacher!"

And the father, very quietly said, "That's what I thought."

Nothing like being honest, huh! So, he went back to work in the coal mine. While he was there, Jesus appeared to him and said, "Son, why are you doubting Me?" (Just like He said to Peter!) Jesus said, "I have healed your baby."

Well, that father immediately threw his shovel and pick down. He scrambled out of that mine and headed for the phone. He called his wife and said, "Honey, Jesus appeared to me and said our baby's healed!"

His wife was crying and she told him, "Honey, the Lord also came to me, right in the dining room of our house. He told me that the baby's healed, and we don't need a doctor anymore. We don't need hospitals or operations because He has completely healed our baby!"

The father got in his pickup truck and started for home. He thought the minute he got there the baby would be perfect. But he wasn't. He and his wife joined hands and started thanking God. The baby was sitting in a high chair beside them. They praised God with every bit of breath they had.

When they opened their eyes, there sitting in front of them was a perfectly normal child! Perfectsized head. Knees and feet and everything a normal child would have! Skin was now covering the opening of the back and he was the most beautiful baby!

But it took man, cooperating with the Author of faith for this miracle to happen.

Principle Three: The Attitude of Faith

I want you to know that John 2:5 is a faith trigger—Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. This is the crux of faith. God is looking for obedience. You show me a man or a woman with faith, and I'll show you a man and a woman that knows how to obey God. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. This is the right attitude—the attitude of faith. What you receive from God depends a lot on your attitude.

We always put the responsibility on God, and say "Well, when He gets ready, He's going to come by where I live." But I tell you He's been ready for almost 2,000 years, and you're going to have to change your attitude to receive a miracle from God.

The attitude of faith requires personal initiative on our part. The Bible says that before Jesus performed that first miracle, He was called (see John 2:2). Remember that! He will not force himself on anybody. You're the one who is going to have to initiate your requests.

It's the same way with salvation. Jesus Christ will never come to your house unless you initiate an invitation first. He said, [He] that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37). The Bible says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He comes only by invitation.

The invitation you extend to Jesus must be by your personal initiative and express your personal desire. The scripture says the guests at the wedding feast wanted wine. They had no wine and they set out to get some. Well, how badly do you want something from God? How bad do you want to be healed? How bad do you want to be delivered and set free? How much do you really want it?

God wants you to have desires like David had. David said, As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God (Psalm 42:1). Oh, I like that about David. Too many people are playing church today. They say, "Well, if He comes, fine—if He doesn't, so what." But God is looking for men and women who have a strong, consuming, personal desire to get what they need. Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be delivered? Do you want your home put back together again? Do you want Jesus Christ to come into your life and turn it around? He'll do it if you'll get your desires straight and let Him know about them.

People don't receive their desires because they don't know what they want—or they don't want it bad enough. A lot of the people I pray for come forward in the prayer line and when I ask, "What do you want God to do for you?" they say, "Oh, He knows what I want." He knows, but you don't.

Pastors sometimes help create a wrong attitude in people. When I was a pastor I fell into the same old rut.

The pastor says, "Now it's time to pray. How many of you have an unspoken request?" And all the hands go up. Every time you go to church, he says, "How many of you have an unspoken request?" It's been the same thing for 10 years.

Do you know why it hasn't been answered? It's unspoken! Ye have not, because you ask not (James 4:2). Tell Him what you want. Don't hide that thing. God knows what you have need of, but He wants you to desire it. He wants you to ask for it. He said, Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). This is the kind of attitude that God answers.

Sight for the Blind

When I talk about this, the attitude of faith, I can't help but talk about ol' blind Bartimaeus (see Mark 10). Somebody told him, "If a man by the name of Jesus ever comes to town, get to Him. He's a blind man's Healer. I saw Him put clay on another blind man's eyes and then He told him to go wash. When he obeyed, he came back seeing."

Bartimaeus said, "What's His name?"

"Jesus," was the answer.

"Jesus ... you're sure now?" Bartimaeus asked.

"That's the man's name. If He ever comes to town, get to Him!"

Do you realize what that must have done to Bartimaeus's heart and to his praying? I can just hear him, "Oh, come on Jesus, come to my town. I've spent a fortune and still can't see. Please come to my town!"

All of a sudden, here He is. Bartimaeus is by the roadside begging for alms—this is the only activity he knows. As people began to brush by him, running to the center of town, Bartimaeus says, "Who is it? Who is it? Why is everybody running? Who is it?" He reaches out and grabs hold of a man's coat and says, "Who has come to our town?" The man answers, "A man by the name of Jesus is passing by."

His attitude wasn't, well, I'll sit here and wait until He comes by (just like church folks). No, not Bartimaeus. He pitches his voice in the direction of the noisy crowd and begins to yell, "Hey, Jesus, over here, man. Have mercy on me."

Oh, that's desire! But Jesus keeps right on walking. It doesn't stop Him. All those people around Bartimaeus start to hush him up, saying, "Hold your peace, man. Here's a quarter—sit back down there and beg." But Bartimaeus throws that tin cup away and yells, "Who do you think's blind around here, man?"

The Bible says he started to shout louder and louder! I can just see him, jumping up and down, "Hey, Jesus, over here! Have mercy on me!"

How bad do you want Jesus' attention? You sit there and play patty-cake in church and say, "Come by here, Lord, come by here." But Bartimaeus jumped up and down, and I like this, the Bible says, Jesus stood still. He tells His disciples, "Go get him and bring him to Me."

The disciples came running over to Bartimaeus and said, "Be of good cheer. The Lord just called for you. You've been blind for the last day. When you come before Him, you're going to see because of your personal desire!"

Principle Four: The Action of Faith

It's not enough for us to have an initiative and a personal desire. He also demands obedience— personal obedience. This is the action of faith.

Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

The most important thing in your life is to be obedient. I'm not talking about being obedient to the rules and regulations of the Church. I'm talking about being obedient to whatever "thus saith the Lord" is.

Mary, Jesus' mother, recognized this and said, "Whatsoever HE saith unto you, you do it, and you'll see a miracle in your life." God demands personal obedience from everyone. If you're willing and obedient, you will enjoy God's blessings.

Not only is God concerned about a proper attitude, but also an appropriate action. Look at verse 7, Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. Action. I call this the action of faith. It's not enough to have the right attitude, but you've got to get up and start putting feet to that thing. Step out on His Word. He's looking for you to make some kind of action.

If you want a miracle, you've got to move on what He says. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the

Can't you just hear them saying, "No, Sir, we're not out of water, we're out of wine!" You can get into an argument with God when you need something, but you need to do just what He tells you to do, even if it sounds crazy.

Setting the Captives Loose

A woman came to me during a crusade in Philadelphia some years ago and brought me some candy. When she put it in my hand, I thanked her for it. I said, "Thank you. I love candy."

She said, "That isn't for you."

"But," I said, "you gave it to me."

And she replied, "I just want you to wear it."

I said, "Wear candy?"

"Wear it!" she exclaimed.

I said, "I'm not going to wear anything but clothes."

"You wear prayer cloths!" she retorted.

I said, "I know it. Paul wore prayer cloths, but I can't find anything in the Bible where anybody ever wore candy. I'm not wearing any candy!"

"Now you hush and listen to me," she said as she pointed a finger in my face. "You're going to wear it!"

These women can be obstinate. When they get something in their head, they won't let anyone steal their faith.

"Brother Schambach, I have a sister who has spent 30 years in an insane institution in Baltimore, Maryland. She's mentally insane."

I told her to take my handkerchief and send it to her sister.

"But I don't want your handkerchief," she said. I told her to take one of my prayer cloths. "That won't work because my sister would never get it.

The workers censor her mail. When they see those cloths, they know what they're for and they put them in the wastebasket.

"I heard you preaching that it's not the cloth that heals—it's what's behind it—it's the faith."

I said, "That's right, but I'm not wearing any candy."

She said, "I spent the weekend down there visiting my sister and the authorities at the hospital told me that I could send my sister candy. Now, you and I are going to put one over on the devil. If God's power can go with cloth, God's power can go with candy!" You know what I said then? "Give me the candy!"

I put that candy on my hip and went to preaching. When I got done, I put it in her hand ... and told her to send it to her sister.

Six months later I was back in that city, preaching. I was receiving an offering like I do in every crusade ... and people were coming forward. I don't always remember everyone's face. Some of you can. But this little lady came up, dropped her offering in the basket and said, "Praise the Lord, Brother Schambach."

I smiled and said, "Praise the Lord, mother."

"This is my sister," she said.

I said, "Hi, sister. Glad to have you in church."

She repeated, "Brother Schambach, I said this is my sister." So I dropped the bucket, took her by the hand, and said, "Hi, sis, glad to have you here tonight."

When she saw I was so nonchalant about the whole thing, she asked, "Brother Schambach, don't you know who I am?"

"No, ma'am, I don't," I replied.

"I'm the one that gave you the candy to wear," she continued. "This is my sister. She's no longer in the insane institution!" Ohhhh, this is the action of faith! And here I am, a preacher of the gospel, trying to hinder that woman from receiving a miracle.

I sent everybody back to their seats. I wanted to hear this testimony. And I tell you it thrilled my soul. The sister said she didn't know what had happened because she was insane. But when she bit into that candy, she bit into the power of God, and the devils came out of her. She was in her right mind after being insane for 30 years and in bondage to the devil. In one split moment of time, God delivered her and set her free because she had a sister who believed for a miracle.

"How did it happen?" I asked.

The woman answered, "Fifteen or sixteen days after my sister got the candy, I got a phone call from the institution. They told me to come and get my sister. That's all they said.

"I asked them, 'What's wrong with my sister? You had her for 30 years, and you just call me on the phone and say, come and get her. Is she dead?' They told me she wasn't dead. 'Well then,' I said, 'what's wrong with her?' They didn't know. They were kind of mad. They had been examining her for 15 days, called in every doctor they knew, but they didn't know what was going on."

That girl is now a member of my brother-in-law's church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; in her right mind, working 40 hours a week because somebody put their faith to work and believed God for a miracle.

I asked that woman, "When you went down there to pick up your sister, did you tell that doctor I had worn that candy on my body?"

She exclaimed, "Do you want him to put me in there? You don't tell the devil's crowd everything, because they don't understand it! We just got out of there. We knew it wasn't the candy. Only God can heal a sick mind. Only God can heal a body. Only God can put a family back together again!"

My Jesus, He's a Miracle-worker, and all He's looking for is a little bit of faith in action. Faith is a fact, but fact is also an act.

Jesus always said, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." Some of the people He prayed for, He never touched.

When the Lord tells you to do something, He'll give you the ability to do it. Maybe you can't walk, but when the man of God says, "Rise and walk," get up and take the first step of faith, and God will give you the next 45 steps.

Jesus walked into a synagogue on the Sabbath. And the Jews wondered, Is He going to heal on the Sabbath? He sure put their minds at ease. He walked right up to a man and said, "Hey, you with the withered hand, stand up." The man said, "Yes, Sir." Jesus commanded, "Stretch forth your hand!" Now if He did that today, do you know what folks would say? "Brother Jesus, I've been like this for twenty years." But not that man. When Jesus said, "Stretch forth your hand," that man didn't know any better. He just said, "Yes, Sir."

He stood up, stretched forth his withered hand —right on the Sabbath day. And Jesus healed him because he acted upon the Lord's Word. It's time to act. It's time to say, "Yes, Lord. I believe Your Word." Then you will be the recipient of your miracle. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Principle Five: The Affirmation of Faith

Now God not only looks for our action of faith, but our affirmation of faith. God will always affirm —or confirm—it, when you act.

When did the water turn into wine? Think about it now. Jesus said, Fill the waterpots with water (John 2:7). And the Bible says the servants filled those waterpots with water.

They could have sat there all night long and looked at it. Have you ever heard anyone say, "I'm waiting for the manifestation of it." I hear that today more than any other time in my ministry. Waiting for the affirmation! I'm tired of waiting. I want to see it NOW. When did the miracle happen? That water wasn't turned into wine until He said, "Now draw it out." And when they began to pour it out, it was wine.

Healing for the Sick

I'm reminded of the story of Naaman the leper. He spent a fortune trying to cure his leprosy and nobody could cure it. During a battle, this general took a little maid captive and brought her back to wait on his wife. That little maid, cleaning the house one day, said to Naaman's wife, "I wish your husband was back in my hometown. I've got a pastor back there that would lay his hands on him and heal him."

I love that. Here's a woman that had confidence in her pastor. I believe we ought to have confidence in our pastors.

The Bible says, Is there any sick among you? The apostle James doesn't say to call the evangelist. He says,

Let him call for the elders of the church... (The elders, not one—elders, plural.) ... and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

This woman believed in her pastor. "I wish he was back in my hometown in Samaria, my pastor would help him recover from leprosy."

Now Naaman was a Syrian, a captain in the Syrian army. This army was waging war against God's people. And yet God delivered His own people into Naaman's hand and allowed Naaman to conquer them. Naaman went to the king of Israel first with a letter from the king of Syria, asking the Jewish king to cure Naaman of his leprosy.

The king of Israel said, "Who does he think I am? God? Can I kill and make alive again?" Some of you seeking healing are going to the wrong places. You can't run off to the root and herb doctors to get healed. You can't run off to some dignitary to get healed. You've got to deal with the source of the problem. You've got to come to a man of God to receive the prayer of faith.

Now, Elisha heard that the king had rent his clothes. So the prophet sent his servant, Gehazi, to tell the king that there was a prophet in town. "Tell Naaman to come to the prophet."

Naaman came with his chauffeur-driven chariot, ten changes of raiment, silver and gold, thinking he could buy his healing. Naaman didn't even go into the prophet's house. He told his servant, "Go get him and tell him to come out."

That's how some folks come to a tent meeting. They want me to set up a booth so they can have drive-through service. They think we have a "McDonald's Revival!" They don't want to sit in church. They want to go see the late show. They want me to sit in a booth with my hand stretched out just so they can go by and touch it and move on.

That's what Naaman wanted the man of God to do. The servant went and knocked on Elisha's door. The prophet didn't even get up; he was in there, sitting in his rocking chair. He said, "Get the door, Gehazi." He knew who it was.

Gehazi went to the door, opened it, and the servant of Naaman said, "The master's here, come out and heal him. Tell the man of God, Naaman's out here."

Gehazi went back in and said, "There's a fellow out here by the name of Naaman."

The prophet said, "I know him. And I've got a message for him. Tell him to go jump in the lake. And tell him to do it seven times while he's at it."

"Are you sure you want me to tell him that?" Gehazi asked.

"Yes," the prophet replied, "tell him what I told you."

Gehazi went back to Naaman's servant and said, "I've got a message for you. The prophet isn't coming out. But he told me to tell your boss to go dip seven times in the Jordan River."

"Do you want me to lose my job?" the servant asked. "I'm not going to tell him to do that."

"Then he isn't going to be healed because whatever the prophet says to do, he'd better do."

This is the affirmation of faith. When the man of God tells you to do something, you'd better do it.

The servant went back to that chariot and told Naaman the prophet wasn't coming out to see him. Naaman had traveled a long distance to see Elisha. Now his servant is telling him the prophet doesn't want to see him. "I've got a message for you," the servant said to Naaman. "The man of God ... well, do you remember that river we just crossed, the Jordan ... that ol' muddy thing?" Yes, Naaman remembered. "Well...," the servant hesitated, "... you're supposed to dip in it seven times."

"You mean to tell me that I've come the whole way from Jordan to dip in that muddy mess?" Naaman screamed. "I'm not going to do it."

Naaman was angry. So his servant spoke very quietly, "Why don't you just humble yourself and do what the man of God tells you to do? You brought silver and gold ... you don't have to buy anything, all you have to do is do what he said." Whatsoever he saith, DO IT.

Finally Naaman agreed. He went down to that muddy river, took his $500 boots off and went into the water. I'm sure that old mud started squishing up through his toes ... stirring up the water, getting dirtier than ever! Oh, I hope my friends don't see me! They'll think I lost my mind, Naaman thought to himself.

He went down one time; he went down two times; he went down three times, came up out of the water and said to his servant, "Let's pack up and get out of here. I'm getting this thing infected. Let's go back home. We've got spring water back there." The servant replied, "No, the man of God said dip seven times. Now get with it! You're already wet, you might as well do it." Naaman went down the fourth time, the fifth, the sixth.

When he went down the seventh time and came up, he had brand-new baby flesh all over him! Healed by the power of God! What the doctors couldn't do, God did for him.

The Testing of Your Faith

God is concerned about everyone of us. But you've got to do what God tells you to do. God wants to affirm His Word in your life. But, I don't care who you are, your faith has to be tested.

Abraham was called the father of all them that believe. God gave Isaac to Abraham at 100 years of age. He brought forth a son from his own loins. His wife, Sarah, had had a barren womb, but God touched her body and she gave birth to Isaac.

After that boy began to grow, God said to Abraham, "Get Isaac, and take him up on the mountain and offer him as a sacrifice." If that had been you or me we would have said it was the devil trying to cheat us out of a blessing.

But Abraham knew the voice of his God. He didn't question Him one time as the sacrificial elements were gathered. He said, "Isaac, we're going up on the mountain to offer a sacrifice to God. Gather the lumber—I've got the knife and the rope to bind the sacrifice." Some of Abraham's servants went with them.

Abraham got half-way up the mountain and he told his servants to stay behind. "Isaac and I are going up to offer a sacrifice, and we'll be back," he said.

Oh, I like that. "We'll be back." I believe there's a thin line between the natural and the supernatural. When did the water turn into wine at the wedding feast in Cana? When did God see faith in Abraham?

Abraham went to the top of that mountain and built an altar. He got Isaac and tied him to it. He pulled his knife out, but God didn't stop him. He raised that knife high above his son. God still didn't stop him. This is the thin line between the natural and the supernatural. The moment he gripped that knife for the downward plunge ... God got hold of his arm. He said, "Now I know you love Me more than you love your own son."

You can stay in that sick bed all you want to, but you'll never be well until you take the first step and get up and start walking. Then God will give you your miracle.

Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots with water and then draw it out. They were putting their reputation on the line. Can you imagine what would have happened if those servants had taken those waterpots filled with water to the governor? They would be out of a job if it didn't work.

Let's go back to John 2:5, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. This is how to see a miracle. This is the anatomy of a miracle.

Principle Six: The Achievement of Faith

Now we come to the final principle. After the affirmation of faith, we reach the achievement of faith. All you've got to do is look at verse 10 in that same chapter, and you'll see the accomplishments of faith.

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

John 2:10,11

The Four Dimensions of Faith

The achievement of faith is four dimensional. Four things happened in the achievement of faith in this miracle.

First, faith always brings God's best. You show God some faith, and He's going to give you His best. Even the world will know it's God's best. The governor was drinking that wine when he went to the host of the wedding and said, "Why have you kept the best wine till last?" We could say the same thing about the new wine of the Holy Ghost.

In these last days, we're seeing a wave of God's power never before witnessed that will climax the Book of Acts in our day. The Church began in a blaze of His power and the Church is going to be raptured in a blaze of His power—in a doubleportion fashion. God has saved the best wine until the last day. And you and I are a part of it!

Secondly, faith blesses others. Everyone at the wedding was able to drink. I like that. When you put your faith to work it won't just bless you, it'll bless everybody around you.

I was preaching in Peoria, Illinois, and was having lunch in the hotel, getting ready to go and study for the evening service, when five men ganged up on me. They came over and said, "You're Schambach, aren't you?"

I said, "Yes, sir."

One of them said, "We're all Baptist preachers." They pulled up chairs, sat down, and spent four hours with me that afternoon.

They said, "Brother Schambach, we traveled 370 miles to hear you preach tonight. You don't know this, but when we were Baptist students at Southern University in Louisville, Kentucky, we'd sneak out of class to hear you on radio. We'd get in an automobile and turn your program on. We loved to hear you preach.

"One day you said, 'I dare you Baptists to lay your hands on the radio.' We were determined that no Pentecostal preacher was going to dare us to do anything. All five of us put our hands on the dashboard of that car, and all five of us started talking in another language. God filled us with the Holy Ghost and fire!"

Out of your belly shall flow RIVERS of living water. In this last day, we're going to see a revival of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost like you've never seen before. You might as well get Him now, and not wait till then. You're a candidate to receive.

Faith brings God's best—that's the first dimension.

Faith blesses others—that's the second dimension.

And the third dimension is where faith begets faith. Are you listening to me? Doubt begets—or breeds—doubt. Fear begets fear. When you are afraid, you'll make someone else afraid. When you doubt, somebody else will doubt. But when you have faith, you'll help somebody else have faith.

Because Jesus performed this miracle, His disciples believed on Him. Up until this point, they didn't—they just followed Him. But because of what their eyes saw—a demonstration of the miraculous and the supernatural—and because of the faith of Jesus, all the disciples believed on Him. When you have faith, somebody else is going to have faith.

The fourth dimension of faith is—faith and the miraculous glorifies God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. When you learn how to trust God, you are glorifying Him.

Do you want to glorify God? Then get rid of your sickness. Get rid of your disease. Get rid of your sin. Receive the Holy Ghost. Lay claim to every promise in the Bible, and you will glorify God by saying, "Lord, I believe Your Word. I lay claim on it now. It belongs to me. I claim it for myself and claim it for my family."

When you learn how to put faith to work, you will receive a miracle in your life. Do you want a miracle? Do you want God to save you? Do you want to be healed? Do you want God to deliver you and set you free? Do you want Him to fill you with the Holy Ghost? You don't have to wait till tomorrow. You can get your miracle right now because Jesus is with you right now. You can receive your miracle!

Now let me pray for you:

Dear Jesus,

I come to You on behalf of this friend who needs a miracle.

Lord, I release Your miracle power in this friend's life today! We're obeying Your Word and doing what You said to do. Your Word says to cast all our care on You because You care for us. So we're bringing this miracle need to You in faith, believing.

Lord, You see this need. You understand this problem. You know all about this situation. As we come to You, heal this body ... restore this family ... forgive every fault and failure ... strengthen every weakness ... provide abundance for every lack and need. Take what we have and miraculously turn it into what we need——just as You turned the water into wine.

Oh God, we love You. We appreciate You and thank You in advance for Your miracle power that is already moving in our behalf.

Bless this friend now in a special way and we'll be careful to give You the praise and the glory and the honor forever, Amen.

R. W. Schambach is recognized worldwide as one of the most dynamic preachers of today. Daily his "Voice of Power" program is beamed from radio stations throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. Thousands attend his miracle crusades in great auditoriums and under his 160' x 360' gospel tent, witnessing some of this generation's most unusual miracles. Multitudes have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through his interdenominational ministry. Lasting congregations of new believers also have been founded, and hundreds of churches have been blessed with additional members as a result of his evangelistic ministry. His regular missions abroad result in some of the largest gatherings witnessed in the nations visited.

Hi testimonies of God's miracle K working power, and messages V from the Word. Brother Scham-PH bach has appeared regularly on ’ such Christian television networks as TBN and PTL. He has appeared on the Phil Donahue Show as an advocate of heal-ing through faith in Jesus Christ. Brother Schambach is married to the former Winnifred Donald of Philadelphia. They have three children: Robert, who serves as Vice President of Schambach Revivals and Executive Producer of Power Productions; Donna, who is the Director of a Christian school in New York City; and Bruce, who shares in the crusade ministry. Brother and Sister Schambach have shared together in life and ministry since 1948.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Anatomy of a Miracle

Principle One: The Area of Faith

Principle Two: The Author of Faith

Principle Three: The Attitude of Faith

Principle Four: The Action of Faith

Principle Five: The Affirmation of Faith

Principle Six: The Achievement of Faith