We were talking about teaching, not healing. He taught His disciples (students, pupils), not crowds.
So we see that those who believe in Christ will "have the light of life" and thus become like Christ, the "light of the world."
It doesn't say they shall become but only that they shall have it.
Christ spoke in parables because Christ came to save the lost sheep of Israel
Apparently not, since the lost sheep of Israel rejected Him and His disciples, and He must have known they would.
Miracles weren't to influence those who would never have faith; miracles were to further convince those to whom God gave faith.
So, those who have faith don't have enough of it (although once saved you can't lose it!)? Is that what you are saying? And how come today all we need is just faith; no miracles needed?
No "secret knowledge" imparted to the Apostles that is not given to every one who believes in Him.
Nope. In those days, He taught only His disciples, and they in turn were to do the healing and teaching to the tribes of Israel. After the Pentecost, the disciples had to pick their own disciples, to teach them how to teach and heal others. It doesn't say that all believers can teach and heal.
Which is strange for one who supposedly believes that the EO church is the purest form of Christianity. Why not tell us what this "pure church" believes since you say you are a member of it rather than making it up as you go along?
The Church is not the purest form of Christianity; its teaching is because it is the least changed from the faith given to the Apostles. It is the same catholic Church whose orthodox faith put together the Bible you read. But the Church itself can never be "pure" because, it is a gathering of sinners, not saints.
[Kosta:] So, those who have faith don't have enough of it (although once saved you can't lose it!)? Is that what you are saying? And how come today all we need is just faith; no miracles needed?
As of today, 2008, is ANY part of your faith supported by your belief that Christ actually did the miracles described in the scriptures 2,000 years ago? The main reason Christ did miracles was not to take care of people's needs. The main reason was to prove Who He was and to cause His elect to believe. By no means were they only meant to influence eyewitnesses at the time. They were meant to touch all of us even unto this day!
I remember going through the transformation as a teenager. Once I was solid with the presupposition that there was A God, I remember being very impressed with the miracles that the Bible told about (this God) Jesus performing. The POWER required by such a being was easy to accept, if there is an "all-powerful" God. What really swung me was the "why" behind all of what Christ did. The miracles themselves drew my attention to the "why". I think that even today those stories still stir lost and searching souls, and so the miracles continue to have a very important impact on new believers. In a sense, they still continue to "show".
In addition, I am of a breed of Christian that needs reminding of things all the time. So, reading of Christ's miracles helps me to focus on His Divinity, and reconfirms for me certain things that I need to have reconfirmed because sometimes my mind wanders. :) I think you know where I'm going. Christ's miracles are still very important for everyday Christians today. They tell us so much about WHO HE IS.
I suppose Christ could have just zapped anyone He saw into belief without doing any miracles. But apparently the plan was for there to be witnesses, and for those stories to be passed down. That's how it still benefits us.