And so, on this last Sabbath, two men of our faithful group reported to us after attending a Divine Healing Technician Training conference. I, for one, was eager to hear how Mike and Chris related their experiences [from a Biblical perspective], since spiritual healing plays such an important part in the ministry that God has brought to my husband and myself. The emphasis on their training was physical healing, but as I hope to show you, this is an important part of the whole healing package that Jesus desires for us.
The Apostles did that, and so did the early disciples of The Way, even after our Lord's death and resurrection. So why aren't we continuing His example? Why aren't we walking in His footsteps? Well, as Mike and Chris informed us, there are three major reasons that modern Christians don't emulate our Lord's actions in healing: 1) Unbelief; 2) the Traditions of Men; and 3) Sacred Cows.
Unbelief is not new to our current generation. As I related last week, Jesus reprimanded the disciples who were unable to heal the epileptic boy in Matthew 17: it was because of their unbelief. Their faith was immature and they did not believe that they had either sufficient authority or enough power to cast out the demon causing the boy's infirmity. And so they failed. But today, Christians often don't believe they have ANY authority or power to heal, and so they never even try. Is that what Jesus taught us in His Word? Not at all! He said, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.
We just have to believe what the Bible tells us and be willing to step out in faith and do what Jesus did! Will we be successful each and every time? Probably not. But is that an excuse not to keep trying? Is that the measure of a maturing and developing faith? I don't want to stand in front of Jesus one day, and tell Him I diligently searched His Word, and saw and understood His example of healing, yet decided it didn't apply to me, or worse yet, quit trying when I didn't get satisfactory results. How can I deny my Bible when it tells me to not just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer of it?
The Traditions of Men and Sacred Cows are similar in that they are a belief/doctrine or long-established religious perception that are held down through generations, regardless of whether they align with Biblical Truth or not. "It is just God's Will" is such a tradition. Where in the Bible does it say that it is God's will for a follower of Jesus Christ to be sick, ill, infirmed, or oppressed by demons? And if, like most Christians, you want to point to Job, then I would like you to look at Job's predicament as part of the "big picture" in God's plan. Christ had not yet come when Satan accused Job. Job's problems are not our problems! We are covered by the Blood of Jesus and by His stripes we are healed!
As Mike and Chris made clear, The Word is our final authority... not our Church doctrines nor our traditions nor our sacred cows. God's Word is settled in Heaven, and it should be settled here on earth. Healing is established in Heaven -- there are no tears, mourning, crying or pain -- and therefore if Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven, then Healing is to be established here on earth. And Jesus came to model that for us as a man. He did not heal as God, but "emptied" Himself in order to become a Servant to His fellow man; receiving His power from God to heal, as did the Apostles and Disciples. That same power to heal is available to us -- if we will just believe and do it! And in doing so, we are partnering with God and following in the footsteps of Jesus to destroy the works of the devil. It was for this reason that God sent His Only Son to us.
Jesus had compassion on His fellow man, and He came to heal those who are sick; both physically and spiritually. He makes it clear to us in Luke 5:31-32, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
As a side note, the full capacity of God's healing is evident in the various Hebrew and Greek words that reveal God's compassion and mercy for His creation:
Rapha (Hebrew): cure; cause to heal; [be a] physician; repair thoroughly; make whole -- Genesis, 20:17 (Literally); Isaiah 19:22 (Figuratively).
Iaomai (Greek): heal, generally of the physical, sometimes of spiritual or disease; Supernatural healing and bringing attention to the Lord Himself as the Great Physician (used 26 times in the Bible) -- Matthew 8:8, 13; James 5:16.
Therapeuó (Greek): properly heal, reversing a physical condition to restore a person having an illness (disease, infirmity); to relieve of disease; heal, cure, restore in health (used 43 times in the Bible) -- Mark 6:5; Matthew 17:18.
Nathan (Hebrew): to deliver; to give -- 1 Kings 22:6
Aphesis (Greek): deliverance, pardon, complete forgiveness; to be released from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or pardon of sins -- Mark 1:4
Sózó (Greek): To save, heal, preserve, rescue, deliver -- Acts 2:21; John 3:17; John 12:47
As you can see, God's healing is seen in the concepts of Healing, Salvation, and Deliverance. Only the word sózó incorporates all three, and only Jesus can do all three. Have there been those who seek to exploit this ministry? Absolutely -- just as Simon the Sorcerer attempted to profit from the laying on of hands in Acts, Chapter 8. But, as Jesus's willing partners, we can follow His righteous example and help people be physically healed. That's why it is important that we acknowledge the Truth in the Word; that we are to lay hands on people and heal their physical infirmities to show them the power of Jesus in us! By doing so, we can convey that He can also heal their deep inner wounds and their spirits; that He offers them a rescue from the bondage of sin and can deliver them into Everlasting Life!
At the end of our Home Church, Mike and Chris put their faith into action, and asked if anyone needed healing. In my spirit, I could see Jesus smiling as these two faithful men kneeled beside their fellow Christians and prayed for supernatural healing. Their faithfulness to fulfill the commission given to all of us by our Lord was not only inspirational, but an incentive to make my faith one of action, not just abstract belief. I have no doubt that there will be those among us who will put their faith into action and grow into this Biblical healing ministry. I thank God that the Church is awakening to our call to mature into the likeness of Christ -- let there be no more suffering and let all those on earth come to know the full power of Our Savior to heal us body, soul, and spirit!
Psalm 103:2-4 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy..."
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