Pastor Adam Gomez
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Scripture: John 20:30–31
John 20:30
"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;"
John details 7 specific signs or miracles in his Gospel. Many scholars consider the miracle in chapter 21 (The Miracle of the Fish) to be an 8th sign. Across the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John collectively detail 37 distinct miracles—with some scholars listing between 41 and 50 depending on how they categorize events like exorcisms or authority over nature.
In verse 30, John emphasizes that "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples." These post-resurrection miracles served to prove to His followers that He had truly risen from the dead, that He was indeed the promised Messiah, and that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him.
While John chose not to include every detail, the other Gospel writers and New Testament authors highlight several of these post-resurrection appearances:
John 20:31
"...but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
These signs were recorded so that everyone who reads about them might place their faith in Jesus and receive eternal life. But that brings us to a crucial question: Who is telling the world about these signs today?
As Paul writes in Romans 10:14:
"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
You and I are called to go and tell.
Throughout my life, the Lord has revealed Himself to me through the preaching of His Word and through extraordinary, divine circumstances. To list every instance would take hours.
The Lord has also repeatedly allowed me to witness His hand at work in the lives of others in ways I could never have orchestrated myself.
In March of 1997, I saw a news report about a Denver Police officer who was critically injured after his patrol car was T-boned by a suspect driving over 100 miles per hour. Given my troubled past and frequent negative encounters with law enforcement in my former life,
I was surprised by how deeply this story moved me.
Immediately, an overwhelming thought took root: I need to go to the hospital and pray for him.
I tried to shake the feeling off, but I couldn't. I shared what I was feeling with a friend, who challenged me to pray and ask the Lord if this prompting was truly from Him. I felt strongly that the Holy Spirit was leading me, yet human logic argued otherwise—there was no way two strangers would be allowed into the ICU at Denver Health Medical Center to pray for a critically injured police officer.
My friend looked at me and said, "What do we have to lose? If they don't let us in, at least we tried."
After much prayer, we drove to the hospital. We parked and prayed again, asking the Lord to clearly open the doors if He was truly directing our steps. We took the elevator to the second-floor ICU. When the doors opened, we stepped out into a sea of blue uniforms—officers standing guard with protective, stern glares.
One officer approached us directly: "Can I help you?"
Naive as I was, I answered, "We are here to pray for Officer Ron."
Immediately, the hallway shifted. Two officers firmly escorted us back into the elevator, explaining that several community religious leaders had already been turned away because the family requested complete privacy. We completely understood and watched the officers' tense faces disappear as the elevator doors closed.
On the ride down, my friend suggested, "Let's go to the hospital chapel and pray for Officer Ron there."
We stepped into the quiet chapel, lowering our voices. As we walked in, we noticed a woman standing near the front. Fearing we had disturbed her, I immediately apologized for talking.
She turned around and asked, "Who are you?"
"We're nobody," I replied. "We just came to the chapel to pray for the officer who was injured in the car accident."
She stopped, looked directly at us, and exclaimed, "I'm his mother!"
My heart dropped. After being escorted out of the ICU, human logic said we should have just walked to our car and left.
"Are you a pastor?" she asked.
"I am, and I am so sorry to interrupt your prayer time. We will leave you alone."
She looked at us with tears in her eyes. "I have been praying for someone to come and pray for my son."
I explained that we had just been turned away from the second floor by the officers guarding the room. She didn't hesitate for a second: "That is my son, and you are going to pray for him!"
I wasn't looking forward to facing that sea of blue uniforms a second time. We followed her up the elevator, and the moment the doors opened, the guarding officers moved toward us again to send us away.
Officer Ron’s mother raised her voice: "He is a pastor! I want him to pray for my son!"
Instantly, the sea of blue parted.
She led us directly into the ICU. Officer Ron lay there unconscious. I asked his mother if I could hold his hand, and she nodded. Holding his hand, I began to speak to him and share the Gospel. I told him what the Old Testament prophets had foretold about the coming Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy. I spoke of Jesus’ ministry—how He healed the sick, raised the dead, and calmed the storms. I explained His death, burial, and resurrection, sharing how Jesus spent 40 days in His resurrected body appearing to His disciples.
Then I said to him, "Ron, if you believe everything I've shared with you, and if you would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, squeeze my hand."
His fingers began to move. While he was too weak to fully squeeze my hand, his fingers moved distinctly in response—a clear, positive sign.
I could not have orchestrated a single moment of that day. The Lord prompted me to go, removed every impossible barrier, and opened doors that were humanly locked shut. He used an ordinary person to preach the Gospel to someone I otherwise would never have had access to under those circumstances.
Officer Ron passed away the following day. I fully believe that because of God's miraculous grace, we will meet him in heaven one day.
The Lord wants to use you miraculously, too—to reveal Himself to your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your coworkers.
Be obedient. Be available.
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Scripture: John 20:30–31
John 20:30
"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;"
John details 7 specific signs or miracles in his Gospel. Many scholars consider the miracle in chapter 21 (The Miracle of the Fish) to be an 8th sign. Across the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John collectively detail 37 distinct miracles—with some scholars listing between 41 and 50 depending on how they categorize events like exorcisms or authority over nature.
In verse 30, John emphasizes that "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples." These post-resurrection miracles served to prove to His followers that He had truly risen from the dead, that He was indeed the promised Messiah, and that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him.
While John chose not to include every detail, the other Gospel writers and New Testament authors highlight several of these post-resurrection appearances:
- The Road to Emmaus: Jesus appears to two disciples (Luke 24:13–35).
- In the Upper Room: Jesus appears to the eleven disciples, shows them His hands and feet, and eats a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb in their presence (Luke 24:36–41).
- The Great Commission: Jesus appears to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee, commissioning them to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16–20).
- Instructions Before Ascension: Jesus gathers with His followers in Jerusalem, instructing them to await the Promise of the Father: “…for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4–5).
- Appearances Noted by Paul: In 1 Corinthians 15:3–8, Paul records that the resurrected Christ appeared to:
- Cephas (Peter) (v. 5)
- The Twelve (v. 5)
- Over 500 believers at once (v. 6)
- James (v. 7)
- All the apostles (v. 7)
- Paul himself (v. 8)
John 20:31
"...but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
These signs were recorded so that everyone who reads about them might place their faith in Jesus and receive eternal life. But that brings us to a crucial question: Who is telling the world about these signs today?
As Paul writes in Romans 10:14:
"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
You and I are called to go and tell.
Throughout my life, the Lord has revealed Himself to me through the preaching of His Word and through extraordinary, divine circumstances. To list every instance would take hours.
The Lord has also repeatedly allowed me to witness His hand at work in the lives of others in ways I could never have orchestrated myself.
In March of 1997, I saw a news report about a Denver Police officer who was critically injured after his patrol car was T-boned by a suspect driving over 100 miles per hour. Given my troubled past and frequent negative encounters with law enforcement in my former life,
I was surprised by how deeply this story moved me.
Immediately, an overwhelming thought took root: I need to go to the hospital and pray for him.
I tried to shake the feeling off, but I couldn't. I shared what I was feeling with a friend, who challenged me to pray and ask the Lord if this prompting was truly from Him. I felt strongly that the Holy Spirit was leading me, yet human logic argued otherwise—there was no way two strangers would be allowed into the ICU at Denver Health Medical Center to pray for a critically injured police officer.
My friend looked at me and said, "What do we have to lose? If they don't let us in, at least we tried."
After much prayer, we drove to the hospital. We parked and prayed again, asking the Lord to clearly open the doors if He was truly directing our steps. We took the elevator to the second-floor ICU. When the doors opened, we stepped out into a sea of blue uniforms—officers standing guard with protective, stern glares.
One officer approached us directly: "Can I help you?"
Naive as I was, I answered, "We are here to pray for Officer Ron."
Immediately, the hallway shifted. Two officers firmly escorted us back into the elevator, explaining that several community religious leaders had already been turned away because the family requested complete privacy. We completely understood and watched the officers' tense faces disappear as the elevator doors closed.
On the ride down, my friend suggested, "Let's go to the hospital chapel and pray for Officer Ron there."
We stepped into the quiet chapel, lowering our voices. As we walked in, we noticed a woman standing near the front. Fearing we had disturbed her, I immediately apologized for talking.
She turned around and asked, "Who are you?"
"We're nobody," I replied. "We just came to the chapel to pray for the officer who was injured in the car accident."
She stopped, looked directly at us, and exclaimed, "I'm his mother!"
My heart dropped. After being escorted out of the ICU, human logic said we should have just walked to our car and left.
"Are you a pastor?" she asked.
"I am, and I am so sorry to interrupt your prayer time. We will leave you alone."
She looked at us with tears in her eyes. "I have been praying for someone to come and pray for my son."
I explained that we had just been turned away from the second floor by the officers guarding the room. She didn't hesitate for a second: "That is my son, and you are going to pray for him!"
I wasn't looking forward to facing that sea of blue uniforms a second time. We followed her up the elevator, and the moment the doors opened, the guarding officers moved toward us again to send us away.
Officer Ron’s mother raised her voice: "He is a pastor! I want him to pray for my son!"
Instantly, the sea of blue parted.
She led us directly into the ICU. Officer Ron lay there unconscious. I asked his mother if I could hold his hand, and she nodded. Holding his hand, I began to speak to him and share the Gospel. I told him what the Old Testament prophets had foretold about the coming Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy. I spoke of Jesus’ ministry—how He healed the sick, raised the dead, and calmed the storms. I explained His death, burial, and resurrection, sharing how Jesus spent 40 days in His resurrected body appearing to His disciples.
Then I said to him, "Ron, if you believe everything I've shared with you, and if you would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, squeeze my hand."
His fingers began to move. While he was too weak to fully squeeze my hand, his fingers moved distinctly in response—a clear, positive sign.
I could not have orchestrated a single moment of that day. The Lord prompted me to go, removed every impossible barrier, and opened doors that were humanly locked shut. He used an ordinary person to preach the Gospel to someone I otherwise would never have had access to under those circumstances.
Officer Ron passed away the following day. I fully believe that because of God's miraculous grace, we will meet him in heaven one day.
The Lord wants to use you miraculously, too—to reveal Himself to your family, your friends, your neighbors, and your coworkers.
Be obedient. Be available.
Crossroads Church of Denver
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