Quote[/b] (endparenthesis @ Mar. 27 2005,3:46)]The big question is, would you even aspire to perform miracles? Jesus didn't want followers in the end, he wanted peers, wouldn't you say? "This you too can do."
You've open up a can of worms, here! However, the bible is very clear that the Holy Spirit dispenses the manifestional gifts as He so chooses. I couldn't do a miracle if my life depended upon it. Same with speaking in tongues or interpreting or anything else extra-ordinary - at least thus far.
In one instance, Jesus had performed a miracle in front of the crowds. Those people were very impressed. However, Jesus was not impressed by the response from these people, because it was shallow, without faith. It was like a circus act. Jesus / God is impressed by faith and faith in action, which is expressing that faith in loving others, which includes the afore-mentioned forgiveness concept.
The historical church of course didn't want you to stand next to Jesus, they wanted you to grovel. They couldn't get rich off of empowered people.
Let me 'splain something to you: That historical church thing you are referring to is that "organized" Holy Roman Catholic church, LARGELY made up of people who were "christians" in name only. Thet identified themselves as being "christain" but were NOT Christians in heart. There is an incredible difference between someone who goes to church or identifies themselves as "christian" or Catholic or Protestant. It is the same in today's society. There are more christain in name only going to church than there are people who have Jesus into their hearts.
You are comparing religious theological garbage and people whose hearts never knew Jesus as Lord & Savior to those who have and lumped them all together. The same thing happened in Jesus' time. He was contending with the Jewish leaders (Pharisees & Sadducees) who didn't know the first thing about faith and love. He called them a brood of vipers. To those who called themselves "sons of Abraham" he was blunt again, telling them that they weren't true sins of Abraham because they don't do as Abraham did - which is to have faith. He was talking with nominal Jews - Jews in name only - which is what I was.
That "historical church", characteristically, did not represent true Christianity. It was dead. Just as the Jewish religion, as portrayed by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other sheeplike commoners was dead, so is it in today's society. Nothing has changed in human history. However, the church always had a faithful remnant. So have the Jews and so it is true now.
So pushing the church's manipulation out of your mind completely (and much of it is still around, not because people intend to manipulate, but because they don't know the difference... what they were taught is true as far as they're concerned) and following Jesus completely... why not believe you can be capable of what he was capable of? Could Son of God and Children of God be the same thing?