Sweat Rag Ministry

Acts 19:11-12 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

I am always amazed at the many various ways that the LORD uses to get His Truth across to people. But this has been true all down through the history of the Church. He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. There aren’t very many giants of the faith.

But there are some giants! I’m not talking about those that faced David in battle. I’m talking about people who are, on the surface, unlikely candidates for the God to use. They lack the human qualities that would mark success.

Paul the Apostle was one such person. He had been an opponent of Jesus, doggedly fighting to suppress the message of the first Christians. Then he became a Christian! The very things that made Paul such an effective opponent of Jesus were turned into assets.

But the ways the LORD used to further the Gospel seem very unlikely at the hands of Paul. These means take the spotlight off Paul and place it squarely on the LORD. How could a handkerchief heal anyone? It is just a piece of cloth. It has no healing power.

But it was cloth connected to Paul that brought about healing. But it wasn’t the clothes. It was the LORD whom Paul proclaimed that made the difference.

So, if we are to be successful at sharing the Good News, we must buy a bunch of handkerchiefs and get ready to pass them out. Right?!? I doubt it.

If you notice, there are echoes of Elijah and Elisha here. These great Old Testament prophets had articles of their clothing that effected a great change. These changes attested to their place as prophets, and to the God to whom they represented.

So no matter where we stand today on the issue of miracles, the LORD did do miracles in the past. He used unlikely people and unlikely means to validate His message and His messengers. He will do the same today, if we are open to allow Him to work and open to seeing what He is doing.