Healing Gatherings Friday nights at 8:00PM Church Gatherings Sunday mornings at 9:15AM
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Answers:
What is God's will for Healing: God’s will is clearly revealed through the Scriptures. It can be seen through the ministry of Jesus to the sick, for Jesus perfectly revealed the will of God on the earth. It is seen in the many promises concerning divine healing in both the Old and New Testaments. We must remember “all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are yes, and in Him, Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). Whatever God’s Word has promised is a clear indication of God’s will - for it is God’s will to keep His promises. God did heal supernaturally. Does God still do it? Yes! Today more and more people are thanking God for the healing they received from God, which was accomplished by a direct action of the Spirit of God in their bodies. All the time cases are reported of deaf ears opening, cripples walking, internal organs being healed, backs straightening and so on. Jesus Christ is still doing it! How can one know if the source of supernatural healing is Divine or satanic? Satanic healings take the attention away from Jesus Christ as the healer and they come through people who promote unscriptural and/or occultic doctrines. They come without any reference to the cross of Christ and they lead people away from the true knowledge of God rather than to the foot of the cross. Satanic healings transfer the problem from the body to the soul of man. Those who have been to occult healers often become mentally disturbed and confused. False Doctrines that Obstruct Divine Healing 1. Sickness is a blessing, of which God is the author. Nowhere does God’s Word refer to sickness as a blessing. Rather, it is shown to be part of the curse of the law, which is detailed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. 2. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a sickness, and God did not want to take it away. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast of my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Many have taught that Paul’s “thorn” was a sickness, which Paul wanted the LORD to take away - but the LORD was quite unwilling to take it away (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Thus, many sick Christians today have been taught that since their prayer for healing has apparently been denied by God, they are in the same situation as Paul. They see that God has given them this sickness for the purpose of character development - that they might exhibit fortitude and patience in their suffering and thereby glorify God. While patience in suffering is certainly commendable, this passage tells us what the “thorn in the flesh was”. Paul himself says that it was “a messager [Gk: angelos] of Satan to buffet him”. This means Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was really a person - most likely a fallen angel of Satan. The use of the word “thorn” is obviously symbolic. We can see that also in the book of Joshua it referred to a harassing person or people. When Joshua told the Israelites that if they make peace with the Canaanites they would be “scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes” (Joshua 23:13) he meant that they would be harassed and attacked by them. We should not make too much of the fact that the thorn was “in the flesh”, just as we would not draw too many conclusions about the location of the problem if we heard someone being described as “a pain in the neck”, or, to use the Old Testament expression “a thorn in the eyes”. Therefore, the most likely conclusion is that Paul was at some time in his ministry under intense demonic attack. These attacks may at times have produced physical discomfort and weakness, since Paul mentions “infirmities” in 2 Cor. 12:10. But he also mentions “reproaches”, “needs”, “persecutions” and “distresses” - all of which were likely also to be the results of this demonic angel stirring up trouble for Paul. One thing is clear. Paul’s “thorn”, however distressing it may have been at times, did not prevent him from engaging in “labours more abundant” (2 Cor. 11:23). Paul’s thorn did not cause those on the island of Malta to have doubts concerning divine healing (Acts 28:8,9). While teaching on Paul’s thorn by many modern preachers has destroyed the confidence and expectation of believers that God shall heal them by his power, it was not so in Paul’s day. The words and works of Paul were doubtless in line with the testimony of the whole of the Word of God, which we are told is “medicine for all our flesh” (Prov. 4:22). If a Christian is convinced that God has given him a sickness, a “thorn” for character development or any other purpose, then surely it would be wrong for them to go to the doctors to seek to have the “thorn” removed! In conclusion, Paul’s thorn was a fallen angel, not a sickness as such. And although there may be various demonic attacks on our bodies and our situation, this does not change the fact that God’s intention for us is to overcome these things through faith and patience and receive the fulfillment of the promises He has made to us concerning healing and every other problem. In the midst of these attacks, we are supposed to gain spiritual strength. We are not supposed to just let the devil walk all over us. 3. God is glorified through my sickness. Many times, the sufferer is glorified when he patiently endures his sickness without complaining. People will praise and glorify such a person. God receives a greater glory when all can see that He has truly intervened in restoring to health the sick person. When we receive the fulfillment of the promise of God, God is glorified (2 Corinthians 1:20). When people saw the paralyzed man get up and walk at Jesus’ command, they were “all amazed and glorified God saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” (Mark 2:12). This is the better way to glorify God. The streets of India are full of sick people - Hindus and Buddhists who seem to be patiently bearing their suffering, accepting it as their “karma”. When they are healed in Jesus’ name then truly, God is glorified. We should seek to follow the New Testament pattern of glorifying God with regard to our bodies. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) 4. God needs to use this sickness to teach me a lesson. If we are willing to listen to God’s Word and God’s Spirit, there is no need to get into a place where God needs to use sickness to teach us. If an earthly father were to break his child’s arm or put harmful germs in his food when the child was disobedient, that father would be considered to be a child abuser. Well, God in heaven is not a child abuser. If we disobey Him or permit idols to have a place in our hearts, then it is true that we are opening the door for Satan and his demons to afflict us. This is not the same thing as God needing to use sickness to teach us a lesson. A mature approach to learning from God is to discipline us to pray, hear God’s Word, and act on what it says. God promises to protect those who stay “under the shadow of the Almighty” from the attacks of the evil one (see Psalm 91). 5. The age of miracles is past The Bible does not teach this, so why should we? This faith-destroying phrase has robbed many of some of God’s blessings. Indeed, if the age of miracles has passed, how can anyone be born again of the Spirit of God? For truly the “new creation” must be considered a miracle of God, since the Spirit of God is directly involved in changing the nature of the spirit of man. To state that “the age of miracles” is passed is to mock prayer today, since any intervention of God as a result of prayer could rightly be considered a miracle. If the things that happen in answer to prayer would have happened even if no prayer were offered then prayer makes no difference and God’s promises regarding prayer are mocked. 6. Only apostles (or those close to them) can heal the sick, so it happens no more. Firstly, Stephen, one of the seven, was not an apostle, yet he, “full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Also later, “the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip [also one of the seven and not an apostle], hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” (Acts 8:6). There is no solid reason to doubt the words recorded in John 14:12, “He who believes in Me [Jesus], the works that I do shall he do also” or the words of Mark 16:17, “These signs shall follow those who believe: in My name ... they will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover”. Notice that these promises are to those who believe and not merely to “apostles who believe” or some such thing. The promises to “those who believe” are all valid throughout the gospel age. Even in the writings of the early church fathers, we find references to many healings and miracles done through believers, even the raising of the dead. The teaching that only apostles or those close to them can heal the sick is unbiblical, and contrary to both Scripture and the testimony of history. 7. The supernatural gifts of the Spirit have passed away. Why not say, “Thorns in the flesh have passed away with the apostles”? Seriously, there is no solid Scriptural support for this idea. It is not enough to point to the teachings of noted Christian leaders to defend this doctrine, for in many places, the testimony of church history is against this foolish doctrine. Even if there were only ONE genuine occurrence of one of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit in our time this idea would be proven false! There is too much evidence of self-denying true followers of Christ who have solid testimonies of the gifts of the Spirit working through them, for this idea to be taken seriously any more. Some appeal to the passage below to suggest that God has done away with these gifts. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10,12 Love never fails. Whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT HAS COME, then that which is in part will be done away. For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but THEN face to face. NOW I know in part, but THEN I shall know just as I also am known. It is argued that when the New Testament canon was completed “the perfect” came, and then there was no further need for the gifts of the Spirit to give that partial measure of truth and confirmation of the gospel. Some see then that the gifts ceased when John finished the Revelation, others when John died, and still others, when the church councils finally authorized the NT Canon in the 4th century AD. It should be clear enough that “the perfect” refers to the consummation of the Kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Christ. Then there will truly be no more need for the gifts of the Spirit. They will be swallowed up by something far more complete. Until then however, they will be needed wherever the gospel is preached and the church of Christ falls short of the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ. Here are some of the problems with the view equating “the Bible” with “the perfect” in this passage. a. The word “then” in verse 12 implies that when “the perfect” has truly come, we will see the Lord face to face. Now people only see Him imperfectly. The proof of this is the disagreements about the will of Christ that can be found everywhere in the church. When we see Him, we will be like Him. b. We still only know in part, for no man living has the complete revelation of everything that the Bible truly teaches about the Lord. c. Scholars are disagreed about minor textual variations concerning what the original Scriptures exactly said, word for word. If this is so, how can we say we know “perfectly”? d. Partial knowledge has clearly not passed away amongst Christians. Why should we say that tongues and prophecy have vanished? If this were so then clearly this passage of Scripture points to a future fulfillment, and was not fulfilled in the 1st or the 4th century A.D. e. When the canon was completed, not all Christians had access to it all, and not all could read. The need for God to reveal Himself through the gifts of the Spirit was totally unchanged as far as those Christians were concerned. f. The purpose for the supernatural gifts of the Spirit was not and is not to establish true doctrine - but rather for the building up of the body of Christ. People still need the personal encouragement that comes through the Holy Spirit speaking and acting directly through people to them. The need therefore for healing, prophetic confirmation of the specific will of God, supernatural wisdom and knowledge is just as real now as it ever was. Praying in other tongues will still build up any Christian who takes the time to do it. g. So many millions of sincere Christians have discovered that these gifts are working in their lives and have received personal benefit from them. While counterfeits may exist, their existence only suggests the existence of something real that could be counterfeited. h. There is no other Scripture, which can support this theological assumption. This rebellion towards the Word of God remains unproven and this position destroys the faith for the very things God ordained and has build up. 8. Supernatural healing today is all of the devil. This doctrine, which is as old as the Scribes and Pharisees who accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24), is unworthy of a Bible believing Christian who believes that God is a compassionate and powerful God and that Jesus is our merciful High Priest, the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). While some manifestations of spiritual healing are demonic in their origin - such as those coming through people believing in a New Age, Satanic or Hinduistic philosophies this does not mean that genuine divine healing no longer exists. While it is true that the mere mentioning of “Jesus” or the word “Christ” in no way guarantees that the Lord Jesus Christ truly is the source of what a person is doing, neither can we say that all supernatural healings are now of the devil. How could that be so if James 5:14,15 or Mark 16:18 is still true? Some point to Matthew 7:21-23 as proof of this doctrine. Matthew 7:22,23 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ This passage shows us that merely doing supernatural works in Jesus’ name does not guarantee a person a place in the Kingdom of God. The reason Jesus told them to depart is that they were “practicing lawlessness”, and “not doing the will of the Father in heaven” (vs 21). If this passage was meant to show that healing the sick and casting out demons are sinful, satanically inspired activities, then many prominent New Testament figures were clearly guilty of this charge! Not only Peter and Paul, but also non-apostles like Philip the Evangelist, Stephen the first martyr and Agabus the prophet were guilty. The presence of “signs and wonders” does not prove anything about a man’s life or acceptance with God - one way or the other. Actually, healing the sick and casting out demons is supposed to follow every believer, according to Mark 16:17,18. It may be that many of those professing Christians who criticize such activities are themselves practicing lawlessness by deceiving the Body of Christ concerning these things, and “not doing the will of the Father in heaven” by refusing to be vessels of God’s healing and delivering power. They are not showing forth the will of the Father in the way Jesus Christ expressed it to a world in pain and darkness. Nevertheless, the passage above sounds a strong warning and exhortation to practical and moral righteousness for all those who are moving in the supernatural, using Jesus’ name. It is not one or the other, but both that fully express the will of the Father. The passage does not show that healing and deliverance being practiced today in Jesus’ name is of the devil. 9. But if the doctrine of divine healing is true, how could Christians ever die? This is not as great of a problem as it may seem at first. The simple answer is: if Jesus does not come back first, a Christian may die through persecution, or by their body wearing out and God taking their spirit to be with him. “You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust” (Ps. 104:29). Although many Christians do die with sickness in their body this does not mean that all do or all should. After God has satisfied a man with long life (Ps. 91:16), He is quite capable of taking his spirit without making him sick first. Those who die as martyrs are a special category and obviously, they do not die because of sickness. Our bodies are still mortal and as such cannot inherit the kingdom of God. They are affected by the Adamic curse and no longer have the capacity to live forever. They must be put aside at some stage before we can receive our new resurrection bodies. Only then will that promise for our bodies become a practical reality. We must not allow philosophical arguments to rob us of the blessing of divine healing and the possibility to run the full course, which God has for us in life. The Good News for those Suffering with Sickness If you are sick God’s path for you will eventually take you out of sickness and pain, one blessing at a time. Unless you are satisfied with long life already, you ought to be able to experience your healing well before you receive your resurrection body! This is not to deny the Sovereignty of God, but rather, it is to affirm His Faithfulness and the integrity of His Word. Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the righteous is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter until the perfect day.” Things will get better, at least in the soul of an obedient Christian. God has something for the body too! Psalm 103:2-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. At the cross, Jesus already legally accomplished your healing and deliverance. What is necessary now is to follow Him in all things and let Him make some changes to your life. One of them, if you are sick and in pain is to accept your healing. Isaiah 53:4,5 Surely, he has borne our griefs [Heb: choli = sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [Heb: Makob = pains] yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes WE ARE HEALED. In this passage, Isaiah the prophet foretells the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. Just as Jesus bore our sins and the punishment for our transgressions, he also bore the curse, which includes sicknesses and the pains they produce. Jesus would not have done this if God wanted us to always bear our sicknesses and pains ourselves. There is really no good reason for translating “choli” as “griefs” and “makob” as “sorrows” except perhaps to uphold religious tradition. These words really mean sicknesses and pains respectively. That is why Matthew, when quoting this passage in Matthew 8:17 renders it as “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”. This implies a physical interpretation for the Isaiah prophecy. Just as salvation has been provided for all men in the area of forgiveness and spiritual regeneration, healing also has been provided for by the same sacrifice. However, people need to appropriate the benefits of Calvary by repentance and faith, and so it is also with divine healing. We have the strongest indications here that God does not want us to remain sick - just as He does not want us to remain in sin. Faith takes hold of the provision of Calvary. We may need to add patience to our faith in order to inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12), but the promises are there and they can be experienced. God is interested in our total healing and salvation. Therefore, we are wise if we co-operate with the way He is leading us. Many times God will begin by addressing a spiritual or emotional problem in our lives before He gets around to removing the physical infirmity or disease. Thus God may first lead a person let go of bitterness and resentment in their life - thus freeing them emotionally, before the manifestation of the physical healing can come. We cannot tell God the way He must heal us. It is an error to command God or try to use “faith” to force Him to do something we are not convinced He wants to do. We need to realize that God does want us to be well - but the way He wants us to receive that wellness may not be known to us. This is why we need to seek to know God’s ways and be sensitive to His Spirit. We really need to be dependent on the Spirit for all things. True faith is based on relationship with God, not formulas and principles. Failure to understand this has led to a lot of grief and disappointment amongst those who have been looking to the Lord for divine healing. We will consider below different ways, which God may use in order for us to receive our healing. Our healing was purchased at the cross. What is the role of faith in divine healing? Is lack of faith always to blame when the sick is not healed? Faith has an important role not only in divine healing, but also in our salvation, and everything we do in life. Since the Word tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6) and “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23) it is obviously very important to God that we do all we can to develop our faith. It is possible to have great faith in God for certain areas while being full of doubt in other areas where God has spoken. Many believe God for the salvation of their soul however; they believe nothing regarding the healing of their body. Some have faith to pray effectively for revival or even for the healing of others and yet do not seem to have any confidence concerning the healing of their own body. Some have faith for their healing and yet do not even have faith for salvation! Think of how many were healed under Jesus’ ministry and yet did not follow Him! It is therefore a mistake to consider that having faith in one area means that there is nothing more God is expecting you to believe for in life. We ought not to judge people whose faith is deficient in a particular area, but rather encourage them with the Word. People however can be discouraged by if they somehow conclude that what we are really saying is that they are “second-rate Christians” because they struggle in the area of divine healing. We must bring the living water of God’s life to such people without discouraging words of condemnation or placing all the responsibility for healing on the patient. When Jesus sent out the seventy He simply told them to “heal the sick there” (Luke 10:9). He put the responsibility on the disciples, and not on the sick. The great challenge for all God’s ministers (which should include all true Christians) is to stay close to the Holy Spirit under the authority of Jesus Christ and to know exactly how, when and where to minister divine healing in Christ’s name. Since faith comes out of fellowship with Christ, our communion with the Lord through the Holy Spirit is very important if we are to minister divine healing consistently and effectively. The commission for divine healing is still given to the body of Christ today (John 14:12; Mark 16:17,18). It is important to realize that God expects us to believe what He says. We should believe it even when our physical senses and our minds may be screaming out that it cannot be so. As we have seen, God has given great and precious promises concerning the healing of the body. Our responsibility is to focus on those promises, to praise God for them, and to rest patiently in the confidence of their truthfulness until our divine healing has manifested. We must imitate those who “through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12). This means that there may be a period between believing and experiencing the results of divine healing. This is true despite the fact that it was paid for on the cross a long time ago.
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