The Idol of Signs & The Man of God

The Idol of Signs & The Man of God

Introduction:

God heals.

God delivers.

God still acts by His Spirit.

Many of us sitting here today are Christians because God met us — in prayer, in a moment of need, in worship, in a crisis, in a service, in a room where something happened that we could not explain.

This message is not denying God’s power. It is not dismissing real encounters with the Holy Spirit. It is not correcting your experience. What we are asking today is a different question.

Not does God work in power?

But where does that power sit in our faith?

Because Scripture celebrates power — but it is also very careful about what power is allowed to replace. So here is the sentence that will guide everything we say today, and I’ll come back to it again and again:

God’s power is real — but it was never meant to replace a relationship with Christ.

When Miracles Become the Main Thing

From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals Himself through mighty acts. He parts seas. He brings fire from heaven. He heals the sick. He raises the dead. The Bible never treats miracles as embarrassing or optional.

And very often, miracles are how faith begins.

Someone prayed and something shifted. Someone cried out and help came. Someone was at the end of themselves and God intervened. That is grace.

But there is a quiet danger that can creep in — not immediately, not loudly, not intentionally. What begins as gratitude can slowly become expectation. And expectation can quietly become foundation.

Instead of Christ being the centre of our faith, experiences start taking that place. So our confidence with God begins to rise and fall with moments.

When something powerful happens, we feel close. When nothing dramatic happens, we feel far. When God is quiet, we begin to wonder if He is absent.

The problem is not that God acted. The problem is when we begin to stand on the action instead of the God who acted.

Jesus and the Crowd

Too Long, please open your Bible John 6

This is exactly what Jesus confronts in John chapter 6.

Jesus feeds thousands of people with a few loaves and fish. It is a real miracle. It is an act of compassion. No trick. No illusion.

The next day, the crowd comes back looking for Him.

And Jesus says something that sounds almost strange at first. He says, in effect, “You are looking for me not because you understood the sign, but because you ate and were filled.”

In other words, you followed the miracle, not the meaning.

And then Jesus presses deeper. He tells them not to labour for food that perishes, but to come to Him for true life.

And what happens? Many walk away.

Why?

Because they wanted the power, not the person. They wanted provision, not relationship.

Here’s the simple point Jesus is making: Miracles can start faith — but they cannot carry it.

The People of Israel

This pattern isn’t new. Israel’s relationship with God begins with overwhelming power — plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea, manna in the wilderness. God rescues them decisively. And yet, at the first sign of hunger, thirst, or delay, they begin to complain. Not because the miracles weren’t real, but because power had rescued them faster than trust had been formed.

Too long, please open your Bible Deuteronomy 8: 2-4

God could part seas but they were still learning whether they could rely on Him when life felt ordinary again. Power brought them out of Egypt, but the wilderness was meant to teach them how to live with God.

Jesus’ Warning

Too long, please open your Bible Matthew 7: 15-23

This passage is not attacking people who have seen God move. It is not calling miracles fake. It is warning us about confusing power with knowing Christ.

Notice what Jesus does not say.

He does not say, “Those things never happened.”

Instead, He says, “I never knew you.”

That is sobering. It tells us that powerful activity can exist without deep intimacy. That doing things for Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus. That power, by itself, is not proof of relationship.

What Happens When We Stop at Power

If we stop here — at power, at moments, at experiences — a few things slowly begin to happen.

Faith becomes event-based.

Silence becomes threatening.

Ordinary obedience begins to feel unimportant.

And then, almost without noticing, a new question takes centre stage.

Not Who is Christ?

But Where is the power?

And that question never stays theoretical for long.

When Power Starts Looking for a Face

Power never stays abstract.

Once power becomes the main thing, it has to be explained.

It has to be interpreted.

It has to be accessed.

And in every culture — including ours — power eventually gathers around people.

This does not begin with arrogance. It begins with trust.

Someone helped you pray.

Someone spoke wisdom.

Someone stood in faith with you.

Someone’s ministry became associated with breakthrough.

That is not evil. That is how gifts work. But slowly, power begins to feel located. And once power feels located, access feels mediated.

So the focus shifts again.

From Christ to experiences to people.

When the Man of God Replaces Christ

Before we say anything critical, we must say something important.

God truly gives leaders. Scripture calls pastors, teachers, prophets, and shepherds gifts to the church.

Many of us came to faith because God used someone else.

That is grace. That is nothing to be ashamed of. The problem is not that God uses people. The problem is when people begin to take the place only Christ can occupy.

Too Long, please open your Bible 1 Corinthians 3

Paul confronts this in 1 Corinthians 3. The church is divided.

Some say, “I follow Paul.”

Others say, “I follow Apollos.”

Paul does not insult leadership. He simply reorders it. He says, “Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Servants.”

One plants. One waters. But God gives the growth.

Grace, Gifts, and Misplaced Trust

Paul’s theology of grace helps us here.

Everything is a gift.

Leaders are gifts.

Callings are gifts.

Spiritual power is a gift.

Now these things, brothers, I have applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to go beyond what is written, so that no one of you will become puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? 1 Corinthians 4: 6-7

Gifts are meant to help us walk with Christ.

They are not meant to hold us up in place of Him.

When we lean on gifts instead of Christ, something subtle happens.

Gratitude turns into dependence.

Help turns into hierarchy.

Grace turns into reliance on access.

Gifts are meant to point us to Christ — not stand in His place.

God did not intend for power, experiences, or even leaders to become bridges between Him and His people. There is only one mediator — Jesus Christ. He doesn’t just show us the way to God; He is the way.

He stands in our place, carries our sin, and opens the door permanently. That means access to God is not achieved through anointing, not improved through proximity, and not sustained by experiences. It is secured by Christ Himself. When we lean on other mediators, even unintentionally, we are not just misplacing trust — we are forgetting what Jesus has already finished.

Because Jesus is our mediator, we don’t need substitutes — and because He invites us to abide, we don’t need spectacles to stay.

“But Doesn’t the Gospel Come With Power?”

At this point, some of us may be thinking, “But doesn’t the Bible itself say the gospel comes with power?”

And the answer is yes — absolutely.

And my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2: 4-5

Christian faith is not mere information. It is not just good advice. The Spirit truly works with power.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to THE END OF THE EARTH.” Acts 1:8

So Scripture is clear:

the gospel is not powerless, and the Spirit is not optional. But Scripture is just as clear about what that power is for.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

Power here is not spectacle. Power is rescue.

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

That means the centre of God’s power is not signs alone, but the cross — where sin is dealt with and access to God is secured.

And when Paul describes how the gospel came to people, he says:

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full assurance; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:5

Notice what that power produces in the verses that follow:

  • repentance
  • changed lives
  • perseverance
  • love for others

So when the Bible talks about power, it is not talking about power as the destination.

It is talking about power as the means.

Power that:

  • creates faith
  • leads to repentance
  • forms Christlike people

That is why Scripture never tells believers to chase power.

It tells us to:

  • walk by the Spirit
  • abide in Christ
  • grow in love and holiness

Here is the biblical order, clearly stated:

Power serves relationship.

Relationship does not serve power.

Jesus’ Simple Picture

Too long, please open your Bible John 15: 1-5

Jesus gives us the simplest picture of all.

He does not say, “Find the most powerful branch.” He does not say, “Stay near the most gifted vine.” He says, “Abide in Me.”

Life flows from connection. Fruit grows slowly. Quietly. Over time. Fruit does not come from excitement. It comes from staying connected. Miracles may be sudden, but fruit is the evidence of life.

Our Reality as Nigerians

Let’s be honest about where we live. Life is hard. Systems fail. Healthcare is expensive. Security is uncertain.

So miracles feel like hope. Strong leaders feel like safety.

That makes sense. But drift begins when:

  • prayer only feels possible through certain people
  • faith collapses when leaders fail
  • Scripture feels weak compared to experiences