(John 15 - Acts 11)
Having reached the end of the fourth and final gospel, we now move into the story of the first days of the church: the book of Acts. It's important to remember that we're reading an historical narrative. While the events are instructive and even applicable to some degree, the fact that they are recorded in the Bible does not mean that they are normative for our day. I'm talking, of course, about things like being struck dead for lying about a donation to the church, signs & wonders, and speaking in tongues, etc.
Well then, you might ask, why are they there? Whenever God makes a significant change to the way He's doing things, it is accompanied by miraculous works as an authenticating sign. Although God can and does do miracles whenever it suits Him, they are not typical. This is true even going back to the Old Testament.
The three most concentrated times of sign activity were through 1) Moses & Aaron, 2) Elijah & Elisha, and 3) Jesus & the Apostles. In each case, God was changing how He related to mankind. With Moses, He instituted the law. With Elijah, He shifted from speaking primarily through the priesthood to the prophets. And with Jesus, obviously, the church. God no longer needs these signs because He has already authenticated His Apostles and then, through them, told us what we need in their writings, the New Testament.
Sometimes, particularly when we're faced with a difficult trial or decision we might cry out, "Lord, give me a sign!" But the reality is, that's not how signs work and He has already given us everything that we need to figure these things out through His word. That is the first place to look when we have a need.