Healing
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This study aims to work out what Jesus attitude was towards healing. It was a controversial area for us today but it was very much part of Jesus life and ministry.
Table
of Contents
The Baptism
and Early Ministry of Jesus
The Healing
Ministry of Jesus
Jesus and
Healing
The Mercy of
God and Healing
Our Bodies
Are Temple of the Holy Spirit
Twelve Points
On Healing
Common
Questions On Healing
Healing,
Health and Medicine
Demons
Defeated
Bible Verses
On Healing
Healing
Service Procedure
How to
Minister Healing
The Baptism and Early
Ministry of Jesus
Then Jesus
came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. {14} And John
tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You
coming to me?" {15} But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to
be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Then he allowed Him. {16} When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. {17} And suddenly
a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased." (Matthew 3:13-17 NKJV)
It came to
pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized
by John in the Jordan. {10} And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw
the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. {11} Then a
voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased." (Mark 1:9-11 NKJV)
When all
the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and
while He prayed, the heaven was opened. {22} And the Holy Spirit descended in
bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said,
"You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21-22
NKJV)
The next
day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world! {30} "This is He of whom I said,
'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' {31}
"I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I
came baptizing with water." {32} And John bore witness, saying, "I
saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
{33} "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to
me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He
who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' {34} "And I have seen and testified
that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34 NKJV)
The
Redemptive Qualities of The Baptism of Jesus
The
baptism of Jesus represents His initiation into Spirit-empowered ministry.
Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and indwelt by the Holy Spirit from His
mothers womb. This gave Him exceptional natural giftings unmarred by sin and a
clear mind, filled with exceptional wisdom that could challenge the rabbis of
His day from an early age. But as wonderful as these gifts were He still needed
something more if He was to bear the burdens of the world in ministry. His
identification with sinners at the Jordan and His plunging Himself into the
stream of human misery and conflict represent a moving into public life and the
bearing of not just His own burdens but the burdens of all the lost.
Jesus
needed an empowering by the Holy Spirit before He moved out to proclaim the
Kingdom of God. This may sound slightly heretical - after all wasn't He God -
the fulness of Deity in bodily form, the incarnate Word full of grace and
truth? (Col 2:9, John 1:14-18) Yes!! Absolutely, He was, is and always will be
God. He did not "become divine" at His baptism or any other time. He
was the "Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" - He was God
before the world began and was intimately involved in its creation. (John 1:3,
Col 1:17). However, as God He "took on the nature of a Servant" and
in this limitedness He was born of a woman, grew up as a child in submission to
His parents and like anyone else entering ministry needed the anointing of the
Holy Spirit before He took on the burden of proclaiming the Kingdom, healing
the sick, raising the dead and suffering for righteousness' sake. In some way
he limited Himself to what " a perfect believer " can do. He even
said to His disciples that: (John 14:12 NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater
works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Somehow in the
economy of God the believer ("he who believes in Me") CAN accomplish
the works that Christ did on earth ("the works I do he shall do
also") plus a bit extra (and greater works than these he will do because I
go the Father).
Now let’s
put that in context - Jesus is talking about the works He did in front of the
disciples,during His earthly ministry but before He went to the cross (the
words were uttered during the last supper). We cannot work the works He did
while in heaven - such as Creation. Neither can we take the sins of the world
on our shoulders. He has done that and that is His glory alone. But in the
power of the Holy Spirit which has been given to us since Jesus has gone to the
Father we can work the works He did between His baptism and the cross. Don't
take my word for it - its Jesus who said it! And the book of Acts certainly
reinforces the idea that the Spirit-empowered believer can do great things for
God. Now turning this on its head for a minute... if Jesus said "those who
believe" could do what He did during His ministry then His earthly
ministry must have been "limited" to that of the "perfect
believer". It is as the "perfect believer" that Jesus went and
got baptized and it is as the "Spirit-empowered perfect believer"
that he went forth in ministry. This leads me to a little theological
hypothesis, that the life of the "perfect believer" has two stages.
Stage one is that of perfect piety when we fear God and grow in wisdom. We
become good in ourselves. Stage two is the stage of public proclamation when we
receive God's power in ministry and our piety and wisdom becomes the foundation
for a Spirit-filled life where we become "rivers of living water" to
a world in desperate need. I must very quickly add that stage two is not
"superior" to stage one. Without a foundation in ethics and goodness
ministry can be a dangerous place. Its the wrong place to learn wisdom. No-one
despises a doctor for going to medical school even though he may minister to
no-one there. We understand preparation in secular things and we should be
prepared to do the preparatory work on our own life. Power without ethics and
wisdom is the last thing God wants in your life. Both stages are necessary if
"the perfect believer" is to do and be all that God wants.
New
Testament Christians were generally baptized immediately upon profession of
faith. The day of their conversion was also the day of their water baptism. So
they spoke of the day of their conversion as "the day of my baptism",
not because baptism saves us but because it was the unique external event that
occurred on the day they professed faith in Christ. Also, in the revival
conditions of the early church their baptism was often accompanied by the
laying on of hands and the impartation of a spiritual gift to the new believer
in Spirit baptism. This occasionally was not the case.(Acts 18:24-19:7) Apollos
was a believer with a great deal of natural speaking ability yet still needed
to understand the baptism in the Spirit if he was to proclaim the gospel
"accurately". Also some believers who knew only the "baptism of
John" and had not "even heard that there was a Holy Spirit".
This is not unusual even today as some Christians receive very little teaching
due to isolation, misunderstanding or inadequate ministry. Ideally all three
aspects of baptism belong together. But they have wandered apart. We have
people who are baptized but not changed. We have converts who have never had
water baptism. And we have strong Christians who have not received the
empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We need to
press on and to desire to be Spirit-filled proclaimers of God's Kingdom. If we
are to move beyond this accumulation of wisdom and truly minister to others in
an effective way we need a "baptism in the Holy Spirit". This simply
means we need an all-encompassing immersion in the God-head that empowers us for
ministry. Baptism in the Spirit is not a private thing and it doesn't belong to
any one denomination. It is not always accompanied by speaking in tongues or
prophesy. Jesus' baptism had neither. The miracles came after the baptism. This
baptism is an initiation not just into the church but into the power of the
Kingdom. This baptism is what happened to Jesus as he moved from an obscure
life to center stage. It happened to the disciples at Pentecost who finally got
plunged into full revival ministry themselves. And it happened to Wesley and
countless other leaders of the Christian faith. The Jordan is a place where we
get the power to stand in the flood of human souls and minister Christ to them.
The
"baptism in the Spirit" is real, powerful and moves us out of our
private pietism into public proclamation of the Kingdom of God. For me this
happened unsought when God confronted me with the utter self-centeredness of my
faith. I saw that I needed to cleanse out the filthy black mess of sin that
remained in my life. It was an encounter with the awfulness of selfishness. It
was evident that I had no hope apart from what Christ could do in me and with
me. This was not a conversion, it was a dealing with the sin that entangled me,
I was set free to run the race and I did. I led a huge number of people to God
in the ensuing weeks. I was on fire with God because I had met Him in power. It
was Jacob at Bethel all over again. This encounter with God, this "deeper
experience" was not ecstatic - except that in the middle of it I did have
a vision of my sin and of God. It took my faith from the private realm to the
public realm; from self-edification to spirit-filled ministry; from a
complaining Christian to a proclaiming herald.
Jesus did
not have all this selfish sin to deal with, but He did need the power that God
would provide in response to humble obedience. And He identified with sinners
and "went down the front" with all the people being ministered to. I
still struggle with "going down the front", how can I, a Christian
leader, admit that I too have needs. I should "be an example" a
stainless steel "there's nothing wrong with me" Christian. There is a
real live Pharisee in me just waiting to get out. Its hypocritical to say I
don't need ministry, that somehow my faith puts me a cut above the ordinary
Christian. I do need ministry - lots of it. I go down the front now perhaps
more than ever. It still hurts to do it. But Jesus wandered out there and said
He was in need of God. He said that "it was fitting to fulfill all
righteousness". Many preachers have felt like John the Baptist when they
give an appeal and some real saint of God comes down the front and wants prayer
to be a better Christian. I think "I need ministry from you, not you from
me..." but the saints attitude is "this is fitting..." It’s a
humble person who can accept ministry from someone who is "unworthy to
untie the thongs of their sandals".
A few
quick correctives - the "baptism in the Holy Spirit" that we speak of
here is NOT the same as the initial indwelling. All believers are indwelt with
the Holy Spirit from the moment of their "new birth" just as Jesus
was indwelt with the Holy Spirit from conception. Perhaps a better term would
be "the empowering of the Holy Spirit", it is certainly less confusing.
Three things are united in one term in the New Testament - water baptism,
conversion and Spirit baptism. At Pentecost they all seemed to occur together.
Water baptism is associated with repentance from sin and the appeal to God for
a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21,22 Acts 2:38). Conversion represents the change
of being old man to new man that comes as God re-creates the sinner into a
"saint" (holy one, believer) (Eph 5:8,9; Col 1:13,14).
"Spirit
baptism" involves being empowered to take up our place in the body of
Christ in the exercise of whatever spiritual gifts have been imparted to us. (1
Cor 12:13) Just as it is bad manners to see a person as a lesser Christian if
they have not had water baptism so it is not gracious to categorize people as "spirit-filled"
and "un-spirit-filled". Such distinctions are divisive. Certainly to
do as Priscilla and Aquila did and take someone aside and explain the way of
God more accurately (and in love) is fine and helpful. However, I sense a
certain spiritual pride in some believers in spirit baptism that leads me to
urge caution in the way we approach the issue. Also there is no hint in the New
Testament that "tarrying", seeking, or any prolonged anguish is
necessary as preparation. It is not some exalted spiritual but a frequently
misunderstood part of the gospel along with water baptism and conversion. It is
for all believers and like everything else is received by faith in the
proclaimed word of Christ.
The
Early Ministry
The early
ministry of Christ is an outworking and authentication of His baptismal
experience. I will deal with the temptations separately next month but here in
His early ministry he comes primarily as the anointed one with the power to
resist evil and to bring in the Kingdom of God in power.
(Matthew
4:13-25 NKJV). And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is
by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, {14} that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: {15} "The land
of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles: {16} The people who sat in darkness have seen a great
light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has
dawned." {17} From that time Jesus began to preach and to say,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." {18} And Jesus,
walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. {19} Then He
said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." {20}
They immediately left their nets and followed Him. {21} Going on from there, He
saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the
boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, {22} and
immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. {23} And
Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease
among the people. {24} Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they
brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and
torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and
He healed them. {25} Great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and from
Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
The
anointing received at his baptism leads Him into a widespread ministry of
proclamation. Matt 4:23a "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,". From Galilee in north
of Israel the word went out and many people were attracted to the "great
light" (Matt 4:16). His fame caused people to travel hundreds of miles to
see Him, people came from Syria in the north, Jerusalem in the south and from
beyon the Jordan to the west. People came from the Greek speaking Decapolis and
the Hebrew speaking Judea. Like moths to a flame multitudes were drawn to the
ministry of Jesus. The anointing has "drawing power".
Secondly,
the baptism of the Spirit produces a public and obvious concern with holiness.
Not that Jesus was unconcerned with holiness before! But now it is out in the
open - His message is "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand..".
This holiness is also reflected in a calling of others into ministry to lead
lives separated from worldly concerns in the pursuit of the Kingdom. Simon and
Andrew are called by Jesus not to be "nice people" but to be
"fishers of men", to be apostles of a new Kingdom not just improved
worldlings. The baptism in the Spirit imparts that eternal perspective that
makes the Kingdom the only thing that really matters.
Thirdly,
the anointing has power to heal - after His baptism He healed "all kinds
of sickness and all kinds of disease...". Before His baptism not a single
healing is recorded. After it He puts the physicians out of business. All who
came to Him were healed not by His diagnostic ability or His knowledge of herbs
but by the power that flowed from Him that He received when the Spirit came
upon Him. If we desire to heal others in body or in soul we will end up
struggling to heal a handful by our own strength but we may heal thousands if
God so chooses to impart His Spirit of healing in power upon us.
The final
authentication of His baptism in the Spirit is the possession of extraordinary
spiritual authority over the powers of darkness. This was, of course latent in
Jesus from the beginning but it became obvious to all when His public ministry
began and He moved in the continual power of the anointing of God. After
Pentecost the apostles moved in this same power to heal the sick and to
exorcise demons. These abilities are "graces" - no ordinary mortal by
their own knowledge can heal the sick with a word or cast out a demon by their
own authority. And they certainly cannot do it on the scale that Jesus or the
apostles did it. And on Jesus authority we can know that we who believe can
"do these works" and "even greater works" not because we
are special but because Christ has gone to the Father. Because of this the Holy
Spirit - who is God and who can do these things, has been poured out upon us.
Jesus early ministry clearly shows that our effectiveness is not of ourselves
but lies entirely in the power of God.
Summary
The
"baptism in the Holy Spirit" as experienced by Jesus resulted in :
(1)The
proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom.
(2) An
attractiveness to others that draws people widely to hear God's message, this
is not natural attractiveness (of which Jesus apparently had very little) but a
suernatural blessedness that draws people in like moths to a flame.
(3) A
concern with holiness that calls others to lead a repentant and separated
lifestyle.
(4)
Healing of the sick that is way beyond normal expectations in its scope. This
wide scope is both in the numbers healed and in the great range of maladies
that are cured -including "incurable" conditions such as epilepsy and
paralysis. (Matt 4:24)
(5)
Authority over the powers of darkness.
These five
things are among the works of Jesus that we can replicate and even exceed (John
14:12) though few have done so or gone anywhere near it. They are the marks of
an authentic baptism of the Spirit. They are the fruit produced by an empowered
and prepared believer whose character is without fault. Next month we will take
up the relationship between tested character and spiritual empowerment when we
look at the temptation in the wilderness - the subject of Milton's
"Paradise Regained".
Prayer
“Lord, so
work in me that I may be a fit vessel for your empowering. I acknowledge that
any results I may see are because You indwell me or anoint me. I place myself
before You and in obedience ask for an empowering of the Spirit suited for this
hour and this time and for the mission you have called me to. Proclaim Your
Kingdom through me in holiness and in Truth. May I testify to your Kingdom
through healing and deliverance. May I set You forth so clearly that many flock
to find You. Amen.”
The
healing ministry of Jesus is one of the most acknowledged and most
controversial parts of His redemptive work. There are those who see healing as
being "in the cross" and thus automatically and instantly available
to the believer. Others see physical healing as outside of redemption which
they confine to dealing with sin. Both views are, to my mind, a little less
than fully biblical. Jesus did indeed bear our illnesses - but not first of all
on the cross, but during His earthly ministry to the sick. Matthew clearly sees
the fulfillment of the prophecy being while Jesus was alive and ministering!
When
evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He
cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, {17} that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He
Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." (Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV)
However,
that fact that Jesus has ceased His earthly ministry does not mean that He has
ceased His healing ministry because healing is part of the nature and goodness
of God and that does not change. The ministry of healing is as unchanged as
Christ Himself.
Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)
The
healing ministry of Jesus can be broken into two parts:
That which
He did before the cross and which He taught His disciples to do (Matthew 10:8,
Luke 10:1,9, Acts 5:16) and which we can participate in by faith today (John
14:12, James 5:13-15)
That which
He did in the cross itself. This is a unique and completed work and we simply
proclaim its benefits. This is the healing of our spirits from sin , death and
going astray. (1 Peter 2:24,25).
I will
deal with the second part in a later part of this series on redemption. For now
I will concentrate on physical healing, exorcism and raising the dead as
typified by Jesus earthly ministry before the Cross and which He continues
today through His servants. (Acts 4:22, 30; 5:16; James 5:13-15)
Physical
healing
Even among
unbelievers there is a general perception of Jesus as a healer of the sick. It
is closely entwined with who He is and how He acts towards needy people. People
see Jesus as someone who is supposed to meet their deepest needs including the
need for physical healing. When people see healing take place in Jesus' name it
strengthens their faith in His nature and in the gospels thus enabling many to
believe for salvation. Healing the sick and preaching were often associated in
Jesus' ministry. But to confine healing to something that validates the gospel
is to miss Christ's compassion for the sick and to turn healing into little
more than an attention- gaining religious publicity stunt. Jesus was genuinely
moved out of compassion for the sick. For Him healing was an essential part of
His ministry to hurting people and not merely an "opener" before the
message. Jesus associated healing with the Presence of His Kingdom (Luke 10:9).
The Kingdom has not yet arrived and still needs to be proclaimed with power and
authority. Jesus through His body the Church needs to confront evil in all its
forms - physical, emotional, spiritual and systemic. Thus we can expect His
healing ministry to be manifested today to some degree in the redemption of our
physical bodies from the effects of evil. This will be finally accomplished at
the resurrection but is accomplished in part and as a foretaste through His healing
ministry today. So we see that Jesus is still the same yesterday, today and
forever and is still healing the sick. Each day thousands of people around the
world experience healing in answer to prayer. Sure not all are healed, sure a
lot more should/could be healed, but the Church is reawakening to the Presence
of Jesus in our midst as our healing Redeemer. The following six points provide
a brief theological tour of the reasons underlying Jesus' healing ministry. I
am sure you can diligently search the Scriptures to find even more!
As the
incarnation of God. One of the names of God is YHWH Rapha "The Lord Your
Healer". Our God has always been a healing God and this is His nature.
Therefore Jesus as incarnate deity represented this by healing the sick. (Exodus
15:26 NKJV) and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your
God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep
all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought
on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.
As an
intercessor against evil and bearer of sin. Jesus confronted all forms of evil
and lifted it off people. (This is perhaps a more literal translation to bear).
As the Confronter and demolisher of evil He took on sickness and the toll it
takes on suffering humanity. (1
John 3:8 NKJV) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil. [See also Matt 8:16,17, Isaiah 53:4,5]
As One
who did "the Father's will" and only did what He saw the Father doing
He enacted God's "Father-heart" toward His Creation. If as human
fathers we want our children well how much more does God want His images healed
- both physically and spiritually? (John
5:19-21 NKJV) Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say
to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for
whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. {20} "For the Father loves
the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him
greater works than these, that you may marvel. {21} "For as the Father
raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He
will. [See also Luke 11:10-13] Note: These verses tell us that all His works
flowed from an intimate relationship of obedience to the Father so that Jesus
knew His actual will in all things. This was not some quick presumption of what
His will "should be" (like we tend to do) and knowing the Fathers
will from an intimate relationship with Him is perhaps one of the keys to
healing people today.
Out of
mercy - God's relenting in judgment on sinners - and consequent bestowing of
blessing. The blind men cried "Have mercy on us Son of David..." and
were healed. Many of Jesus' miracles flowed from His compassion for hurting
humanity.
As a
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and His nature as the Messiah. For
instance in Malachi it says: (Malachi
4:2 NKJV) But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With
healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
As a
demonstration of the Spirit's power and the Presence of the Kingdom of God. (Luke 10:9 NKJV) "And heal the
sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
Exorcism
Then one
was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him,
so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. {23} And all the multitudes
were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" {24} Now when
the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons
except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." {25} But Jesus knew their
thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not
stand. {26} "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How
then will his kingdom stand? {27} "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub,
by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. {28}
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you. {29} "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and
plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will
plunder his house. (Matthew 12:22-29 NKJV)
There
is increasing recognition today of an evil spiritual kingdom arrayed against
the Kingdom of God. Movies such as "The Exorcist" and "The
Omen" and sensationalized reports of exorcisms gone wrong have done little
to help the Church. They have instead created a paralyzing fear of tackling the
demonic realm. Yet for Jesus His authority over the demonic realm was
undisputed and absolute. He cast out demons with a word (Matthew 8:16; Mark
1:27) and relieved the symptoms of their possession (Luke 13:11-13). He also
passed this authority to the Twelve and later to the 70. (Luke 10:17-22 NKJV) Then the seventy
returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in
Your name." {18} And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. {19} "Behold, I give you the authority to trample
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you. {20} "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are
written in heaven." {21} In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and
said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden
these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. {22} "All things have been
delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the
Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills
to reveal Him."
This is a
great perspective statement. It puts authority over spirits in the second rank
of blessings behind those associated with salvation (v. 20). Yet it clearly
states that even "babes" - the ordinary Christians who are neither
"wise" or "prudent"(v. 21) can operate in spiritual power
and authority providing they operate within the scope of Jesus' redeeming Name
(v. 17-19). Demons do not respect knowledge. They only respect authority and
power. God gives His authority and power to all who believe and operate in his
name. The humblest believer can be endowed with great authority from God. The
apostles were certainly "unschooled" miracle workers (Acts 4:13,14).
The
power to deal with the demonic comes from God through faith in the name of
Jesus and is part of His works that He trained His Church to do (Matt 10:8).
The Presence of the Kingdom demands the absence of the demonic and evicting
evil powers is a battle of heavenly proportions that the Church is called to
wage. (2 Corinthians
10:3-5 NKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh. {4} For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ, and (Ephesians 6:10-12 NKJV)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. {11}
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We
cannot wage this battle in our own strength but only with weapons that are
given to us from God and with His delegated power and authority. We only have a
right to this authority because of what Jesus did on the cross in
"spoiling" , capturing and defeating and "looting" the
"principalities and powers...". (Colossians 2:15 NKJV) {15} Having disarmed
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over
them in it.(the cross). The Christian is by definition "in Christ"
and participates in this victory of his Master just as a mere private
participates in the victory of a General. When one wartime commander defeats
another even a private in the winning army has authority over a general in the
losing army. Christ has won the battle for us and God has given us authority to
defeat evil (Luke 10:19, Romans 16:20). Demons are afraid of 1)The blood of
Jesus Christ 2)The bold testimony of Christians 3) The authority of Christ and
His saints. (Revelation 2:11; Ephesians 1:20; 2;6).When Christians resist evil
even Satan himself is forced to flee (James 4:7).
How can we
tell if a demon is involved? In brief demonic activity most frequently stems
from the person's or their immediate families involvement in occult activity,
destructive addictions or promiscuity/pornography. These are very strong
life-controlling things that affect our spirits directly. When illness results
from such a lifestyle and proves largely untreatable (some alleviation may be
experienced but never freedom) then pray and ask God if evil spirits could be involved
in the person's subjugation. There were two main groups of symptoms of demon
activity that were alleviated when Jesus cast out evil spirits - 1) Chronic
untreatable illness 2) Mental instability , inner torment and derangement. On
liberation from demonic activity epileptics were healed (Mark 9:17-27), infirm
cripples straightened up,(Luke 13:11-13) blind and mute people received speech
and sight (Matt 9:32-34) and people were relieved from inner torment (Luke
6:18, 8:29-35). This is not to say that all chronic illness or mental
instability is due to demonic activity but merely that when it is due to evil
spirits that we have the authority in Christ Jesus to alleviate the distress. I
can recommend Ed Murphy's "Handbook of Spiritual Warfare" for a balanced
and thorough treatment of this topic.
Raising
the Dead
One of
the most obvious effects of Jesus redeeming us is that we will all one day be
raised from the dead. (1
Corinthians 15:51-55 NKJV) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed; {52} in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this corruptible must
put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. {54} So when this
corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is
swallowed up in victory." {55} "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades,
where is your victory?"
Jesus is
"the resurrection and the life"(John 11:25,26). He is able to impart
life to our mortal bodies through the power of the indwelling Spirit (Romans
8:11). The final wonder-filled resurrection to glory is pre-figured in gospel
events such as the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45). However,
raising the dead in the here and now as a result of the faith-filled prayers of
the saints is in the category of "great wonders". Raising the dead
was a rare event even in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles and only
occurred a handful of times. It is never implied that all who die should be
raised to life. It always seems an extraordinary mercy of God toward some
person "deserving" of that mercy because of great need or a life of
good works. While the New Testament amplifies at length on the healing ministry
of the church and the gift of healing and commands the elders to pray for
healing there is only one recorded injunction to "raise the dead" -
that given to the twelve by Jesus when sending them out into ministry (Matthew
10:8). Thus the New Testament raises the possibility of believers being able to
do this work of Jesus but seems , frustratingly, to leave it there. There have
been various reports of the dead being raised even today. However, they are
nowhere near as common as that of healings or exorcisms. Those raising from the
dead that have occurred in modern times seem to have mainly been in conditions
of exceptional revival. I think this is generally its proper context.
Despite
all this caution we should remember that Jesus is the Lord of Life - in all its
forms (not just spiritual life) and that He can raise the dead and give people
a second chance at life. After all "nothing is impossible with
God"(Luke 1:37). The possibility of the dead being raised in answer to
prayer exists because Jesus has chosen to confront and defeat Death "the
last enemy"(1 Cor 15:26). While Death will be the last enemy to be
defeated some victories are possible here and now though most will undoubtedly
wait until the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns.
Summary
and Conclusion
Jesus'
redemption of mankind has opened up possibilities for the believer in healing
the sick, raising the dead and in casting out demons. Two of these - healing
and exorcism seem to have been common place in the early church while raising
the dead seems to be much rarer. Jesus confronted evil in all its forms and has
borne not just our spiritual afflictions such as sin and judgment but our
physical illnesses and emotional griefs. He began to bear these latter things
during His earthly ministry (Matt 8:16,17) and culminated this lifting of
burdens on the Cross. Since then He has continued to heal the sick through the
ministry of His body the Church.
Where
to from here? There is not sufficient space for me to fully outline a balanced
and compassionate and Biblical theology of healing. That would take a book.
What I can recommend is starting with a concordance or computer Bible program
go through and study every biblical reference to healing, exorcism and raising
the dead. Test your theories against the biblical data and pray, pray, pray for
the sick. They need your prayers and Christ's help.
Introduction
Jesus'
attitude is always the "plumbline" for our attitudes. Things
"straighten up" when we see things from His point of view. This study
aims to work out what Jesus' attitude was towards healing. It’s a controversial
area for us today but it was very much part of Jesus' life and ministry and as
we watch Him in action - we may just learn something. May God bless you as you
read this.
Let’s
start with the obvious!
Jesus
always saw sickness as something to be healed
Whenever
Jesus came across sickness His attitude was to heal it. (Matthew 4;23-25,
8:16,17, 9:35) Jesus had compassion on the sick. Just as we automatically have
compassion on our own children when they are ill. It would be a most cruel and
unusual parent that seeing one of their own children ill would think "This
child should suffer some more in order to learn a lesson". These natural
instincts we have are part of the image of God in us and reflect the heart of
God. All who came to Jesus for healing, were healed. None were told to wait
until ... (put whatever you like in the gap).
Jesus
sometimes saw sickness as the direct work of the devil.
Sickness
can come from the Devil in two main ways - as a direct attack on the life of a
righteous person, permitted by God but not "God's will". Job's sores
(Job 2:4-7) and the sickness of the woman bound in the spirit of infirmity
(Luke 18:10-16) seem to be in this category.
Jesus
sometimes saw sickness as the direct result of sin.
Throughout
the Old and New Testament there has always been a strong connection between sin
and sickness. Except for the book of Job and some cases of barren but righteous
women there was an almost universal causal connection between the disruption of
fellowship with God and bodily illness. This flows from the Bible's view of the
person as a whole being body-soul-spirit knitted into one with each part
affecting the other. Consequently spiritual health can also impart physical
health and quicken our mortal bodies. (Romans 8:11) There is no record of Jesus
being ill, though He was mortal and human and subject to the normal exigencies
of human flesh. While Jesus broadens the OT understanding so that not all
sickness was due to sin he twice indicated that a person's illness was based in
prior sin. (Mark 2:5, John 5:14) Paul is more explicit about it in his writings
to the Corinthians who had a strong triumphalistic streak. He indicated that
sickness could be the result of Church discipline for gross immorality -
"handing someone over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.." (1
Corinthians 5:1-5) . The abuse of the Lord's supper was also seen to result in
physical illness (1 Corinthians 11: 28-32). In extreme cases sin may even
result in physical death. ( 1 Corinthians 11:30; Acts 5:5-10; Romans 1:26-28).
The normal aim of such illness is repentance and the soul being saved on the
day of salvation. (1 Cor 5:1-5; 11:28-32). Thus it is wise for the person
seeking healing to confess any known sin and to get right with God before
prayer is administered. This naturally leads to the question Should we heal
someone that the Lord is chastening? The answer to this is simple. If they
turn to God in their illness and submit themselves to the elders of the church,
confessing their sins and asking for healing (as in James 5) then the
chastening has done the work of leading them to repentance and we should heal
them. Thus there is no contradiction between "healing all who ASK for
it" and allowing the Lord to chasten people unto repentance. The very act
of asking is a sign of seeking God. Later we will cover how to help people when
repentance is needed prior to healing. While Jesus and the apostles
acknowledged a connection between sin and physical illness they never blamed
anyone for being ill (or even lacking faith in their healing) but rather always
sought to heal them.
Jesus
often drew a direct connection between faith and healing.
Healing is
a manifestation of the kingdom of God in our mortal bodies and I think a
pre-figurement of the resurrection. Like all Kingdom realities healing is
received by faith. Jesus explicitly acknowledges this in Matt 8:10, 9:28,29;
15:28; Mark 2:5; 9:24; 10:52 and the parallel passages.
Jesus
saw healing as one of the signs of the Presence of the Kingdom
In Matt
4:23, 9:35, and Luke 9:11 healing and the preaching of the Kingdom are tied
together In Jesus ministry. The ministry of the disciples(the 12 and the 70) is
to have both aspects the Kingdom proclamation and the demonstration of Kingdom
power (Matt 10:7,8, Luke 9:2). Luke 10:9 is quite explicit (Luke 10:9 NKJV)
"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come
near to you.' In Matt 12:28, Jesus associates exorcism in His name with the
Presence of the Kingdom (Matthew 12:28 NKJV) "But if I cast out demons by
the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." This role
of healing in demonstrating the validity of the gospel and the Presence of the
Kingdom is graphically demonstrated when the imprisoned John the Baptist sends
his disciples to Jesus...(Luke 7:19-23 NKJV){19} And John, calling two of his
disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or
do we look for another?" {20} When the men had come to Him, they said,
"John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or
do we look for another?'" {21} And that very hour He cured many of
infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
{22} Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you
have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached
to them. {23} "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
Jesus saw healing as a demonstration of the real Presence of the Kingdom that
would encourage those who struggled to believe.
Jesus
saw healing as a work that His disciples and His church could also work
This is
partly covered above. Here are a few verses indicating the spread of healing
from the 12 to the 70 to the wider church:
And when
He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of
disease. (Matthew 10:1 NKJV) After these things the Lord appointed seventy
others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place
where He Himself was about to go... "And heal the sick there, and say to
them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' (Luke 10:1,9 NKJV)
Also a
multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick
people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all
healed. (Acts 5:16 NKJV)
Is anyone
among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
{14} Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15}
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And
if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:13-15 NKJV).
The
theological mandate for this is found in the empowering Presence of God
experienced by Jesus at His baptism and experienced by the Church at Pentecost.
With this is mind Jesus could say to his disciples (John 14:10-12 NKJV)
"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?...{11}
"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe
Me for the sake of the works themselves. {12} "Most assuredly, I say to you,
he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works
than these he will do, because I go to My Father. "The works" spoken
of here are the works Jesus did between His baptism and the cross. It is
indicated that the Spirit-filled believer (discussed elsewhere in this chapter
and very much in mind) "will do also" some of these works and perhaps
do "greater works" because the Spirits power will be manifest in the
believer and in the believing community. We cannot do Jesus' works of creation
or redemption but we can do the works He did during his ministry -preaching the
Kingdom , healing the sick, driving out demons etc. Jesus seemed disappointed
and in fact angry when His empowered and called disciples failed to do these
works (Luke 9:39-42) and doing them seemed to be an integral part of his
approach to training them for ministry (Luke 9 and 10).
Jesus
saw healing as a demonstration of God's mercy and compassion, it was never
"earned".
Mercy is a
somewhat neglected concept. It means that you have the right to punish or
destroy but do not do so. It was used technically when someone had lost a duel
and the victorious party had every right to kill them. The victor could lift
his sword point thus showing mercy. God's mercy goes much further than
"not killing' but even unto restoring the person to wholeness. Jesus
gladly responded to those who appealed for healing on the basis of the mercy of
God (Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30,31). Jesus also frequently healed out of
compassion (Matt 14:14; 20;34; Mark 1:41; 5;19; 9:22-24; Luke 7:13-15). Compassion
is Christ's practical response to human need. It includes the practical
action of the Good Samaritan and of Christ feeding the hungry multitudes (Luke
10:33; Mark 8:2) it is never just an empty sentiment. The power of God is
linked to the compassion of God. However, God's mercy and compassion is His to
command and should never be taken for granted (Romans 9:15). The gospel record
though should lead us to believe that His compassion is readily available to
all who seek it. Remarkably it was this aspect, more than almost any other,
that enraged the religious leaders of His day. They often sternly opposed
Jesus' healings being angered at the mercy He demonstrated.(Matt 9:9-13; 32-34;
12:10-15; Jn 9:13-34) The Pharisaical mindset sees healings as
"rewards" perhaps due to the saintly righteous but certainly not due
to sinners. I cannot recall a single Pharisee being healed. This leads to three
rough rules of thumb "You will only receive as much grace as you think you
need." (Luke 18:9-14) and "No grace comes to those who think they
deserve it."(Luke 18:9-14; Galatians 3:2-5; 5:1-11; Romans 11:6) and
"You receive more grace than you give but you have to give it first"
(Luke 6:35-38).
Jesus
saw healing as a sovereign work of the Father not as an act of "Christian
magic".
There is a
fine line between the "magical" and the "Christian" uses of
supernatural power. Supernatural power becomes "magical" when it is
seen to operate separately from the will of the Father. For instance the bronze
serpent that Moses held up in the wilderness eventually had to be destroyed
because its healing properties were attributed to it separately from YHWH and
it thus became an idol (2 Kings 18:4). A similar thing happened to the ark of
the covenant in the days of Eli (1 Samuel 4:3,4) when it, not the Lord, was
credited with victory for Israel. Consequently it went into captivity for a
while (1 Samuel 4&5). The temptations Satan used on Jesus were temptations
to achieve the purposes of God by means divorced from the will of God. He was
asked to turn stones into bread for his own gratification. He was asked to use
His new endowment of supernatural power for the purposes of showmanship and
jump from the Temple. Finally He was to conquer the world - but acknowledge
Satan as the source of his Kingdom. The word of God and fasting kept Jesus from
these temptations. It strikes me that these must be very powerful temptations
to be able to be used on Jesus and it does seem that certain Christians are in
their grip - to their very great spiritual peril (Matt 7:21-23). Jesus kept His
integrity in ministry by only doing that which He saw the Father doing (John
5:19,20; 36; 10:32,37,38; 14:10-12). Relationship with God and obedience were
keys to His overcoming this most subtle of temptations. Thus the safest way to
minister is to minister in an attitude of holy fear, reverence, praise and
worship. Therefore preparatory worship is more than emotionally satisfying it
also draws us into the necessary state of humility and obedience that can
safeguard us from wrong desires. Paul Tournier treats this aspect of the
temptation to magic in healing well in his book "A Doctor's Casebook In
The Light Of The Bible" pages 113-116 (written in 1954! ). He finishes up
by saying " There are then two contrary errors: to refrain, for fear of
magic, from every kind of bold and sensational act, even when God requires it
of us; this course has been all too common in the Church, and is what has made
us as poor as it is today in manifestations of God's power. And, on the other
hand, through zeal to demonstrate that power, to run after the sensational,
even when God does not will it, and so fall into magic; certain religious sects
are guilty of this. In the Gospel, the skeptics sneered at the miracles in
Galilee and at the Cross: 'He saved others; let Him save Himself, if this is
the Christ of God, His chosen' (Luke 23:35). Neither the miracles nor the Cross
can be taken out of the gospel without distorting it."
Jesus
always healed what the person wanted healed
There is a
tendency to be wiser than the patient when one is in healing ministry and
doctors, counselors and psychiatrists are particularly guilty of this and I am
afraid some Christians are getting in on the act. If a person wanted to be
healed of leprosy or blindness that was what got fixed. Even though Jesus knew
the hearts of people He did not say "Your real problem is...". Jesus
took people's problems at face value and healed them. He was not an arrogant
know all and He left people with their dignity.
Jesus
remembered the social context when He gave instructions after healing.
Jesus
treated the sick as part of a social structure that needed to accept that the
person had been healed. Lepers had to show themselves to the priest and be
certified as clean so they could resume their place in society (Matthew 8:2-4;
Luke 17:12-19). Certain illnesses can relapse (particularly schizophrenia) if
the family does not incorporate the person as "healed" but still
views them as "sick". Jesus frequently gives instructions to the
family or the sick person that initiates a resumption of normality. (Matt
8:14,15; 9:6; Mark 5:43; 10:52; John 11:44).
Even
though Jesus had a powerful healing ministry it was not His top priority.
His
redemptive work on the cross, the training of the disciples and the
proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom were all given a higher priority
than healing the multitudes at various times. Healing was an integral part of
the whole and a visual and practical demonstration of His message but it was
never of ultimate importance. (Mark 6:12,13, 30-32 ; Luke 4:40-43; 9:51).
Jesus
saw healing as a manifestation of Divine authority and power.
The
original commission to Adam was to “subdue the earth" to bring about God's
order and perfection in Creation. As the last Adam Jesus subdued evil spirits
and even illness which represents a serious imperfection in God's created
order. To do this He exercised spiritual authority which He also passed on to
others.( Matthew 8:9-13; 9:6; 10:1; Mark 3:15; 6:17; Luke 5:17; 6:19; 9:1;
10:19). Healing requires power and authority to flow from God. Sometimes evil
spirits can strongly resist this power and a "power encounter" may
take place such as that with the Gadarene demoniac in Mark 5. Healing is a
miniature exertion of God's restoring power and is a way of "doing His
will on earth as it is done in Heaven" - where there will be no more
sickness or crying or pain (Rev 20:1-3).
Introduction
Healing is
a merciful act of God towards the sick. This is shown in numerous Bible verses
which are quoted below. However, first we need to clarify what
"mercy" is.
In the
days of duels, when the loser fell to the ground and the sword was at his
throat he could cry "Mercy". The victorious duelist had every right
to run his opponent through but the more noble-hearted duelists would heed the
cry for mercy and lift the sword and grant life to the defeated foe. Mercy was
granted a) to those who asked for it b)who had given up the fight and mercy was
c) at the complete discretion of the winner. God shows us mercy but also says
"I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and compassion upon whom I
will have compassion".
In Jesus
we see that He chose to have compassion and mercy upon all who asked for it. In
the previous articles in this book we saw that ALL who came to Him were healed
and that the sight of the sick moved Him with compassion so that He healed them
(see opening article on the Basics). In the Psalms it says God has "mercy
on all he has made" (Ps 145:9). Here are some verses that demonstrate the
close relationship between mercy and healing.
EXAMPLES
Two
Blind Men
As Jesus
went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, "Have mercy
on us, Son of David!" (Mat 9:27 NRSV)
Demon-Possessed
Child
Just then
a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, "Have
mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon."
(Mat 15:22 NRSV)
Epileptic
Son
And said,
"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers
terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. (Mat 17:15
NRSV)
Another
Two Blind Men
There were
two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing
by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd
sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, "Have
mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!" (Mat 20:30 NRSV)
Gaderene
Demoniac
But Jesus
refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much
the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you." (Mark 5:19
NRSV)
Blind
Bartimeus
When he
heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many sternly ordered him to
be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on
me!" (Mark 10:47 NRSV)
Elizabeth's
Pregnancy - Removal of Disgrace
Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,
and they rejoiced with her. (Luke 1:58 NRSV)
Ten
Lepers
They
called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Luke 17:13
NRSV)
Epaphroditus
Yet I
considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker,
and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
{26} since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard
that he was sick. {27} For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy
on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon
sorrow. (Philippians 2:25-27 NKJV)
Mercy
& God's Sovereignty
However,
God always retains control over His mercy and does not cast it around
carelessly. He does not give mercy to the rebellious or to the cruel. Going
back to the illustration of the duel the victorious duelist would not give
mercy to an opponent he knew would get up and continue fighting him at every
turn or who had been cruel and merciful to him or others he knew in the past.
Such a person had forfeited any claims to mercy - in fact it would be foolish
to be merciful to a rebellious or cruel person. God longs to have mercy on us
but the hardness of our hearts can prevent Him showing us mercy for salvation -
and presumably for healing also. James says that: "(James 2:13 NRSV) For
judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs
over judgment." From this we can see two things - if we are unmerciful we
will not receive mercy. However, if we are merciful than we will receive mercy
and this mercy will deliver us from judgment. In fact mercy will not only
deliver us it will "triumph over" judgment. See the parable of the
unmerciful servant in Matthew 18 for a good illustration of both these
principles. On a practical level many people have testified that it was after
that had forgiven someone that they received mercy for inner healing and
sometimes for physical healing as well.
God's
Sovereignty
For he
says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion." So it depends not on human will or
exertion, but on God who shows mercy. (Rom 9:15,16 NRSV)
So then he
has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.(Rom
9:18 NRSV)
The
Wonderful Availability of Mercy To Christians
But God,
who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us. (Eph 2:4
NRSV)
Let us
therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:16 NRSV)
He who did
not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with
Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32 NKJV)
Receiving/Forfeiting
Mercy
"Blessed
are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. (Mat 5:7 NRSV)
"For
if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you. {15} "But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will
not forgive your transgressions. (Matthew 6:14-15 NASB)
"Then
summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that
debt because you entreated me. {33} 'Should you not also have had mercy on your
fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?' {34} "And his lord, moved with
anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed
him. {35} "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does
not forgive his brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:32-35 NASB)
For
judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs
over judgment. (James 2:13 NRSV)
Crying
Out For Mercy
In many of
the examples above people "cried out for mercy" and indicated they
were serious both about God and about their problem - the Syrophoenician woman,
Blind Bartimaeus, the lepers, the father of the epileptic boy and many others
had an air of absolute desperation as they approached Jesus. Desperation seems
to be part of the true faith that breaks through for healing. Desperation does
not lie back in luxury with a sense of arrogant entitlement and expect God to
be the convenient provider of blessing. Desperation abandons all dignity, all
pretense, all pride and independence and flings itself towards God crying out
for the mercy needed.
Conclusions
We can ask
for God to show His mercy to us when we are sick.
God's
mercy, expressed through Jesus is partly due to Jesus being a "Son of
David". David was noted for being a merciful King with a heart like God's
own heart. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this "type" - that is
Jesus is the perfect Merciful King.
If we are
a Christian we have access to mercy through access to the "throne of
grace" .
We can
forfeit mercy by being hard-hearted.
We receive
mercy by being merciful ourselves.
Ultimately
mercy is God's decision.
If we are
a Christian we are already a recipient of God's mercy in Christ therefore we
can be confident that God wishes to be merciful to us.
We should
therefore be CONFIDENT of God's mercy and go to God for healing based on His
merciful nature.
Jesus
never refused to show mercy and heal.
He may ask
us to press in for that mercy so we do not take it for granted.
Our Bodies Are
Temples of the Holy Spirit
God loves
your physical body and it is very precious to Him. Jesus showed God's love for
our bodies when He healed so many people. God states His care and love for our
body in Psalm 139 where he says we are "fearfully and wonderfully
made" and that our physical bodies are amongst the concern of His
thoughts. Finally God has made a future for our bodies when He will resurrect
them from the dead. God dwells in our physical bodies and calls them His
temple. Our bodies, like temples, are sacred sites where God dwells. Other
people should be able to go to us as temples of the living God and meet God
there! What an amazing thought! This article will look into the analogy of our
bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and attempt a start on a Christian
attitude to our physical bodies.
For you
created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. {14} I
praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well. {15} My frame was not hidden from you when I
was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the
earth, {16} your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were
written in your book before one of them came to be. {17} How precious to me are
your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! {18} Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
(Psalms 139:13-18 NIV)
1. We are
continually told that our physical bodies are the almost meaningless products
of time, chance, genetics, radiation, chemicals and our mother's moods in
pregnancy. Here David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speaks about
how God knows all things about him. The first statement he makes is that
"you knit me together in my mothers womb". This is not a statement of
ignorance. This is not "the God of the gaps" filling in because David
did not understand genetics. This is a faith statement that God is personally
involved as our Creator in making our bodies. And, yes, this does apply to
those born with disabilities as the following incident from the gospels
shows...
As He
(Jesus) walked along, He saw a man blind from birth. {2} His disciples asked
him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?" {3} Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned;
he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. {4} We must
work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one
can work. {5} As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
(John 9:1-5 NRSV)
Jesus went
on to heal him. In this case both the disability and the healing were from God.
In my own case I was born a moderately severe epileptic which resulted in some
very painful years. Over the past five years I have seen an enormous
improvement as the direct result of prayer. I believe that again both the
disability and the healing were of God...We need to adopt a Christian
perspective that sees our bodies through the eyes of faith. By faith David saw
that we are deliberately formed and fearfully and wonderfully made. By faith
Jesus took away the blame for disabilities. By faith we are healed and by faith
we know that God is involved with and deeply loves our physical bodies.
2. Psalm
139:16, "Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were
written in your book before one of them came to be."
God has a
plan and purpose for your life that involves your physical body and which
commenced from when you were within the womb. God is better than ultrasound -
He sees your unformed body in the womb with the eyes of love. God does not
behold us with impersonal detachment or scientific curiosity.(Psalm 33:18)
God's beholding is a beholding of the lover gazing, the father yearning, the
heart following the eyes to the object of love. There is no such thing as
"just a fetus" to God; the child in the womb is a person He loves in
progress towards plans He has made. No matter what the circumstances of your
birth were, whether you were wanted or unwanted, planned or unplanned, loved or
abandoned or rejected there is One who was watching all of this and yearning
for you. There is One who loves you even God, and He has a plan for your life.
3. Psalm
139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your
works are wonderful, I know that full well."
David
looks on his body with the eyes of faith and says "I am fearfully and
wonderfully made". This is something I struggle with. I look on my skinny
frame and distinct lack of biceps and feel that I have missed out in the
handsomeness stakes. It was only as I did some reading about artificial
intelligence and computer programming that I began to realize that my arm is a
marvel that no robot arm can match, my eyes are wonders no camera can ever come
close to. My ability to walk over all kinds of terrain, ride bicycles, climb
cliffs and swim through water is not matched by any vehicle that man has made
despite billions of dollars of research. And with my nervous system I got a
free multimedia super-computer with self-programming capacity! At birth! For
free! Unearned! My first degree was in chemistry and the ability of the liver
to synthesize complex macromolecules out of last night’s dinner is
mind-boggling. No chemist could go anywhere near it. A Japanese company
apparently attempted the commercial replication of the "simple"
transformation of glucose into glycogen, a reaction fundamental to life which
the liver performs every day. Before they gave up they had built a factory
occupying a square mile and costing a vast sum of money (some billions of
dollars). This is just one of the countless molecular miracles that happen as
your fish and chips and cup of tea become muscles , bone and brain cells. As
skinny as I may be it is by faith and in truth and with much love that I can
say "I am fearfully and wonderfully made".
"All
things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All
things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. {13}
"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God
will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but
for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. {14} And God raised the Lord and will
also raise us by his power. {15} Do you not know that your bodies are members
of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members
of a prostitute? Never! {16} Do you not know that whoever is united to a
prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be
one flesh." {17} But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with
him. {18} Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the
body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. {19} Or do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from
God, and that you are not your own? {20} For you were bought with a price;
therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:12-20 NRSV)
4. 1
Corinthians 6:12, "All things are lawful for me," but not all things
are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be
dominated by anything."
Our bodies
are meant to be under our control. The Corinthians had latched onto grace but
not onto discipline and constructive living. Culturally Corinth was
sophisticated, debauched and "liberated" it was renowned throughout
the Roman Empire for "broad-minded promiscuity" and the use of
prostitutes in pagan religious worship was very common. The new converts to
Christianity came from backgrounds that naturally turned grace into license and
used slogans such as "all things are lawful for me.."Knowing human
nature it would be remarkable indeed if they made a smooth transition to a
godly and disciplined lifestyle. So Paul lays down some very basic principles
for them concerning our bodies. The first of these is that we are to be masters
of our bodies and dedicate them to good godly purposes. Therefore,
life-dominating addictions to alcohol, sex, drugs, binge eating or physical
"adrenaline highs" are major problems for the Christian life. This
leads to the second of Paul's principles.
5. 1
Corinthians 6:13, "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for
food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not
for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
The body
is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body. The purpose of our bodies is
found in God - not in sexual pleasure or the indulgence of appetites as the
Corinthian slogan "food is for the stomach and the stomach for
food.." implied. God is greater than our earthly appetites which will pass
away. Our bodies have an eternal value which is found in the Lord. Thus we need
to take a radical "counter-cultural" view and see our bodies are
temples - not amusement parks. The Lord is " for the body". He is
"for" your body, not against it! Here we have to make a distinction
between "the flesh" (Greek "sarx") which God opposes and
the "body" (Greek "soma") which He love sand will raise
from the dead. "The flesh" (sarx) is the spiritual principle of
self-centeredness and disobedience to God that has been biologically worked
into our present bodies through habit, training and memory. "The
body" (soma) is God's vehicle for self-expression in a material world. It
is with our bodies, given to God, that we speak words of truth and love ,
touch, comfort, heal others, express practical care and love and worship Him.
God love sour bodies as they glorify and serve Him. We will see that He has an
eternal plan for them too!
6. 1
Corinthians 6:14, "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his
power."
The
destiny of our bodies is in heaven. Just as Jesus physical body was raised from
the dead so that the scars still showed and He could eat fish so our bodies
will be raised. There will be a continuation between this present body and the
body we receive in heaven , as well as some very significant differences! God
will not leave us to rot. He will not just make new bodies for us out of
nothing. He will raise our bodies from the grave and then work a transforming
miracle on them. Our present bodies are in some way the starting point for our
eternal bodies. Later on in Paul's epistle to the Corinthians he answers the
question "How then are the dead raised..." lets look at what he
wrote.
But
someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they
come?" {36} Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
{37} And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain;
perhaps wheat or some other grain. {38} But God gives it a body as He pleases,
and to each seed its own body. (1 Corinthians 15:35-55 NKJV)
We see the
principle that our present bodies are connected to our eternal bodies just as a
seed is connected to the plant that comes after the seed dies. It is the life
within the seed that continues on and God gives it a body that he has
appointed. Yet the seed is not unimportant, in fact it is vitally necessary and
to be prized. We are not to despise our mortal bodies any more than a farmer
would despise his seeds.
{39} All
flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another
flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. {40} There are also
celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one,
and the glory of the terrestrial is another. {41} There is one glory of the
sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star
differs from another star in glory. {42} So also is the resurrection of the
dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. {43} It is
sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised
in power. {44} It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
Though
there is a continuity between our present mortal bodies and our glorious
resurrection bodies there is also a discontinuity. There will be a great
variety of resurrection bodies and each shall receive the body that the Lord
has prepared for him or her. These bodies will all be incorruptible, glorious,
powerful and spiritual. They will perfectly express our love of God and
perfectly receive the knowledge of God. However, they will differ in glory -
presumably as a result of the different rewards that Christians will receive.
There is a
natural body, and there is a spiritual body. {45} And so it is written,
"The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a
life-giving spirit. {46} However,, the spiritual is not first, but the natural,
and afterward the spiritual. {47} The first man was of the earth, made of dust;
the second Man is the Lord from heaven. {48} As was the man of dust, so also
are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those
who are heavenly. {49} And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we
shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
The
"last Adam" is Christ who heads up a new race of men and women. Just
as Adam's descendants ended up going from ‘dust to dust" so Christ's
"born-gain" race has a heavenly destiny and "bears the image
(stamp) of the heavenly. When we are born again even our bodies are headed for
heaven. Just as Jesus' resurrected body went into heaven on the Mount of Olives
as His disciples gazed on so we will ascend into heaven and meet the returning
Christ in the air in our resurrected physical bodies. Paul describes this
moment as a sudden and glorious change.
{50} Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;
nor does corruption inherit incorruption. {51} Behold, I tell you a mystery: We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; {52} in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the
dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
{54} So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put
on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory." {55} "O Death, where is your
sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
Our
present physical bodies shall come out of the grave and the Death's temporary
victory will be over. Furthermore, they shall take up a new immortal nature
that is no longer subject to death so that death is completely and permanently
defeated. Our present "seed" bodies shall suddenly "in the
twinkling of an eye" be changed into the "full grown plant"
which will be imperishable, incorruptible and immortal. The destiny of our body
is in heaven. It is not to be despised as "the prison of the soul" or
abandoned to promiscuity as if it did not matter. While flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God or the corruptible inherit incorruption it is still
important. Our bodies are like a seed that dies and bears fruit within the
Kingdom of God.
7.I
Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should
I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?
Never!
Here Paul
makes the statement that our bodies are "members of Christ". Now we
are used to thinking of ourselves as "members of the body of Christ"
but this, however, is quite different. Paul is talking about our physical
bodies being the "members", the limbs, of Christ Himself. If Jesus
wants to hug someone He does not send the Holy Spirit to give a hug He sends
you or I. If Jesus Christ wants to feed someone He does not generally drop a
hamburger from heaven in their lap - He sends you or I to physically,
practically feed them. When Jesus smiles it is through your eyes and my eyes.
We are the physical interface of Jesus with this world. We are His members, we
are His physical body on earth. Have you ever had your computer monitor crash
so that everything else was working but you could not see your computer screen?
You feel helpless, so little can be done without that interface. That's how it
is with our bodies they are like computer monitors, interfaces indicating Jesus
activity in us and through us. They make Jesus accessible to others. What use
is a deep spiritual life that goes completely unexpressed and is unreadable by
others? It’s like a super-computer with no output. Useless! As good as dead!
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also
(James 2:26 NKJV). Open rebuke is better than secret love (Proverbs 27:5 KJV).
Our inner world should show through and be expressed so that others can see it,
hear it and understand it. This is God's role for our bodies. Your body is part
of Christ therefore it should never be "joined with a prostitute".
Our bodies are for expressing Christ's love - not human lust.
8. 1
Corinthians 6:16, 17 Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute
becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one
flesh." {17} But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
There are
difficulties with this passage. It seems to indicate that even the most casual
sexual act is an indissoluble "one flesh" commitment on the same
level as marriage. Certainly sex is a very intimate act with deep spiritual and
emotional consequences and a "bond" is established. Sex is serious -
and that is what I think Paul is trying to state here. He is saying "there
is no such thing as harmless casual sex.." I am cautious about stating
that, on the basis of this verse, you have to marry anyone you have sex with
(as some argue). If Paul was intending that then he would have exhorted single
male Corinthians to marry the prostitutes they had slept with. He made no such
recommendation! His next statement builds on the image of intimacy and unity:
"But anyone united with the Lord becomes one spirit with Him". Our
spirit and God's spirit are indissolubly joined, never to be separated, in
eternal spiritual intimacy. Though a prostitute may temporarily satisfy a
desire for carnal intimacy the Christian can experience permanent deep
spiritual intimacy with God. The groundwork for our union with God was laid by
Christ's death on the cross which gave us access to the Father. This union was
sealed by the reception of the Holy Spirit - God's intimate, loving, indwelling
Presence , at Pentecost. We are one with God even though we may not sense it.
God has made us one with Him in a union that no power on heaven or on earth can
separate. It takes a lifetime to fully grasp that! How does this affect how we
use our bodies? Two things 1)The spirit animates the body. If our spirit is one
with God's Spirit then that relationship is what should animate our bodies and
direct the life that is within them. 2) Our desire for intimacy should be
directed heavenward and find at least a very substantial part of its
satisfaction in God. It is a very misdirected desire for intimacy that uses
prostitutes or engages in casual sex. Thus immorality is inappropriate for
someone who is joined to God..
9. 1
Corinthians 6:18 NRSV, “Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is
outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Flee from
sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he
who sins sexually sins against his own body.”
Sexual
immorality is so blinding and persuasive that we cannot linger around and
"play with fire". We need to take Paul's advice and flee! Though this
may lead to damaged relationships, anger and recriminations from the
"rejected" party God will honor us. Joseph fled sexual immorality
with Potiphar's wife and was falsely accused by an angry and vindictive woman.
He went to jail and really suffered for being good. It must have seemed that
being pure did not pay. However, God did not forget him but remembered his
godly heart and elevated Joseph to the position of Prime Minister of the only
super-power in the world at that time. The pragmatic reason we are to flee
sexual immorality is that it is a sin against our own bodies. The medical toll
from promiscuity is high - abortion, infertility, AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases,
urinary tract and bowel infections, emotional and psychiatric disorders plus
the side-effects from various contraceptives are just part of the cost that our
bodies are paying for a sexually liberated lifestyle.. Our body does not like
being sinned against.
10. 1
Corinthians 6:19 NRSV, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your
own?”
A temple
is a sacred site where a deity is supposed to dwell and can be accessed and
experienced. Your body is a temple. It is a sacred site. It is holy. It is
never to be violated or profaned. The God within the temple is not some god of
thunder or wind , a monkey god or a good luck charm. The God within is the Holy
Spirit. Therefore in the temple of your body dwells the God who was brooding
over the waters at Creation, who is the source of wisdom, who is love on fire
with holiness, the God from whom all lesser gods flee in terror, who is mighty,
powerful, majestic and righteous. Defile His temple and beware! This Holy
Spirit is our possession from God, our treasure. Human beings were always meant
to be Spirit-indwelt beings, indwelt with the Holy Spirit as images of God. Our
bodies were part of this design. We are temples, sacred, wonderful, filled with
the power and presence of God. People should be able to come to a Christian
just as an idol-worshiper goes to a temple to find the god there. People should
be able to come to us and find Christ in residence. They should be able to come
to the Christ-indwelt bodies of Christians and sense the holiness and presence
of God. People go to temples with needs -and I think they should have their
needs met by Christ in us. People should be able to come to Christians for
wisdom, a word from God, guidance in life, healing, encouragement etc. and we
should be able to minister to them not in our own strength but out of the power
of Christ who indwells us. We cannot do this if our bodies are given to
immorality.
11. 1
Corinthians 6:19b-20 NKJV, “And you are not your own? {20} For you were bought
at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God's.”
Paul goes
on to ask "And whose body is it anyway?". It is God's ! He bought it
and He can do what He likes with it. If I buy a car I can do what I like with
that car. I can drive it or leave it in the garage or even take it on a testing
rally drive. Its my car and I say what I do with it and where it goes. God
bought your body on the cross. He paid a very high price for it - His own
beloved Son. It is His - He can say what happens to your body, where it should
go and what it should do. He has leased it back to you with strict instructions
as to its use and in many cases a few improvements and healings. He has filled
it with the Holy Spirit. He has a plan to raise it from the dead and give it
back to you in a glorious state - but that depends to no small extent on what
you choose to do with it now. God's plan for your body, which belongs to Him,
is good. Most of the time He likes to heal it and see it prosper! However, the
plan includes holiness (Hebrews 14:12).Therefore, "glorify God with your
body".
12. 1
Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, {10} nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. {11}
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
Now let’s
jump back a few verses to some tough verses of Paul's. In verse 1-8 Paul is
arguing that Christians should not go to court against each other - and be
judged before unbelievers. Paul points out that "the unrighteous" are
not members of the Christian kingdom and therefore should not be our judges.
Why don't they inherit the Kingdom of God? Because, amongst other things they
practice sexual immorality and abuse their bodies. Most of the above sins
involve the abuse of the body in some way. These sins disqualify people from
heaven. Sure they can be forgiven if we repent. However, they are meant to be
left behind at conversion and never indulged in again. "Such WERE some of
you" – it’s in the past tense. The Corinthians had been very immoral
before Christ came into their lives but now Paul says of them :But you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. As we have just seen the Corinthians were
in grave danger of being overwhelmed by their immorality once more and some
were still visiting the temple prostitutes. Paul takes their doctrine of
liberty and cautions them "Do not be deceived", evidently they were
being deceived and were playing fast and loose with the holiness and judgment
of God using a false doctrine of "grace" to justify license. This is
not innovative theology - it is deception (at least that is what Paul calls
it). We cannot play with sexual sin. We have to get rid of it and accept the
washing, cleansing, and sanctification that are from God.
And on the
basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this
man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him
this perfect health in the presence of you all. (Acts 3:16 NASB)
For the
first twenty years of my Christian life I prayed for healing without seeing any
tangible and immediate results whatsoever. I read innumerable books on healing,
believed in healing and prayed for healing, I even started a healing service
and yet I saw no results. I used to say to people "Don't ask me to pray
for your healing, you will probably drop dead if I do, it just doesn't work for
me". I had about 27 good reasons why "not everyone was healed".
I had all of the excuses and none of the results. I knew all of the Greek verbs
but no-one was healed by my knowledge. Finally after two friends of mine died
of cancer I got angry and started seeking an answer. I faced the fact that I
did not have authority over sickness, I was powerless. Theology could not beat
cancer.
As I
started to seek for an answer God showed me that all of the healing prayers in
the new Testament were in command form "Be healed", "Rise up and
walk", Be made whole". Not a single one was "Father, if it be
thy will heal Joe". I mentioned this fact as an aside during a sermon I
was preaching in a small Anglican church. To my astonishment the entire congregation
came forward for healing prayer and because of what I had said I was trapped
into using "commands" and I did. And as I did people started getting
healed with about a third of the service receiving some kind of definite and
immediate healing. This was a lot better than zero percent! I then went back
and looked at the NT and concepts such as "he gave them authority to
heal" and "power was on Jesus to heal" and I began to realize
that healing depended on a complex of things. Firstly, the healer had to be
given the power and authority to heal and be willing to exercise it. Secondly
the sick person had to cry out for healing in some way either by coming to
Jesus or calling for the elders of the church and thirdly that healing could be
obstructed by unbelief and hardness of heart (see the article on mercy and
healing).
The
following twelve points are a very condensed summary of my beliefs regarding
healing in the New Testament and in the life of God's church. They start of
with the ideal - Jesus healing all who came to Him of all their diseases and
then moves on to the question of whether we can expect to be healed today and
finally how we can go about it with a measure of power and authority and with
"ever-increasing faith". They are not meant to make you feel guilty
or for me to show off my theological knowledge. They are meant to empower you
to start healing people and to move from zero percent or ten percent healed to
maybe thirty or forty percent healed. If you see 100% healed praise the Lord!
I'm aiming at improving things for you and mostly improving things for those
who are sick in the body of Christ.
It is
God's will that all the sick be healed of all their diseases and afflictions. I
find four main reasons for this: (a) Jesus healed all who came to Him (Matthew
8:16, 12:15, Luke 4:40 6:19) and this was passed on to the ministry of the
apostles. (Acts 5:16). (b) Jesus healed any and every different kind of
affliction (Luke 4:40, Matthew 4:24) (c) Jesus' Kingdom is a Kingdom that has
good health and great hospital care! In Heaven there will be no sickness or
crying or pain. When we ask 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"
we are, among other things, asking for a healed world. When we say "Thy
Kingdom come" we are talking about a realm of healing, restoration and
authority over disease, demons and afflictions. (Luke 10:1) (d) God is a loving
heavenly Father and we are in His image. Any earthly father wants their child
healed of any and every disease and affliction. This is implanted in all people
and in all cultures and is thus part of the image of God and the heart of God,
thus we can deduce that we have a compassionate, kind and merciful God whose
natural tendency is to heal which was Jesus' (God in human flesh) response
whenever He saw illness. (Matthew 14:14 NKJV) And when Jesus went out He saw a
great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their
sick.
Jesus
healed without reference to how good a person was. All who came to him were
healed. Many were later ungrateful (Luke 17:12-19) , disobedient (Mark 1:43-45)
or even treacherous (John 5:1-15). Healing is for ALL not just for those who
"deserve it". It was a matter of compassion just as we would help an
orphan in Romania simply out of compassion and not asking if they had been
good. Since our love and compassion is the "lesser" then God's love
is "greater" then we can assume that God will heal out His nature and
compassion without reference to our moral state.
Jesus
never said "Not today, you need to learn more patience". He generally
healed "in the instant" all who came to Him. The only deliberate
delay was with Lazarus - and dead people don't need to learn patience! The
Christian's cross that they bear is not sickness or suffering (otherwise we
would lose our cross in Heaven) but innocence - the life of the Lamb to the
slaughter, the suffering of the persecuted righteous. Your sickness is not your
cross to be borne patiently. There is not a single verse in the New Testament
that supports that view.
Healing is
included in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God as evidence for its
out-breaking in human existence. (Matthew 10:8, Luke 9:1, 10:9) and when
revival occurs - that is when the Kingdom is most manifest, then healing
follows. (Acts chapters 2-5). Church History clearly attests that when the
Kingdom is most manifest then healings follow as well. Healings follow the
authority of Jesus being realized over human hearts and bodies through the
power of the Holy Spirit. 'He gave them authority to heal". Healing is
thus the exercise of Jesus authority by those He has delegated it to (see above
verses). Being an exercise of His authority it follows that it is a sign of His
Lordship and His Messianic Presence - thus His reply to John The Baptist.
(Matthew 11:1-6). Healing is thus an integral part of Jesus being Lord.
Since
healing is embedded in the nature of God, the conditions of the heavenly realms
and the Lordship of Jesus Christ in His Kingdom then we can expect healing
whenever the kingdom of God is manifest today for Jesus is the same yesterday,
today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Jesus can heal, here, now, and today.
It’s the
name of Jesus that heals not Peter or John or Paul or the pastor. (Acts 3:12
NASB) But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel,
why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or
piety we had made him walk? We have no problem with saying its "not our
power" but "not our piety" really hurts!
The name
of Jesus operates in combination with "the faith that comes through
Him". (Acts 3:16, 14:9) Jesus (not us) is the source of healing faith as
well as healing power. Faith is a gift that comes through humility (Luke
17:5-10) hearing God's word to us (Romans 10:17) and asking for it as a free
gift. (Ephesians 2:8).
Healing is
never prayed for it is commanded. "Take up your mat and walk",
"Be healed", Be cleansed" "In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth rise up and walk.." etc. You never see a NT healing prayer in
request format e.g. that goes "Dear Father if it be Thy will heal Joe
Bloggs" . They are all commands. Healing is thus a matter of having
authority "and He gave them authority to heal the sick, cast out
demons.." etc.(Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1) If you are not seeing healing it
may be because you have not asked God for the authority to heal or understood
that all authority (including the authority to heal) has been given to Jesus
Christ to be exercised in His Kingdom, by His body, for the glory of His name.
It is only as I have sought God for both authority and power in healing and
exercised them by giving commands that I have seen any real healing at all. We
can validly seek God for the pre-conditions but we must do the work (Acts
4:29-31) God "stretches forth His hand" extending the power and
authority and the church proclaims and heals.
Healing
commands are focused and powerful, generally brief, often less than ten words
eg "Lazarus come forth" and are very "ordinary" without
special words or the drama of magic formulas - for instance they are not
poetic. They are simple clear faith-filled commands that are focused on the
envisioned end result e.g. "be opened", "Take up your mat."
"Rise up and walk" not on the symptom "blindness be
reduced". Generally commands are addressed to the whole person not to the
sickness (except for demons which are addressed and told to come out). So Jesus
talking to a leper says "be cleansed" not "leprosy depart".
Jesus is not reductionistic or clinical. He treats people as whole persons and
is relational not magical.
The faith
that heals is totally realistic and does not see disease as imaginary or to be
ignored. Rather faith sees the whole of Reality - the person, the problem and
the God who saves (and heals). Faith redefines Reality as including a loving,
healing, kind and gracious God. My favorite verse on this is: (Romans 8:32
NASB) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how
will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Reality includes a God who
has already given us Jesus and with Him will give us "all things"
including healing of body, mind and spirit. It can very difficult to grasp that
Reality includes Jesus hence the "ye of little faith rebukes" e.g
Peter on the water with Jesus. When the primary reality included a powerful
Jesus then the wind was just a nuisance. When Peter "saw the wind"
and Reality was what was in front of his nose and fear came in - Peter sank.
Like Peter we sometimes get dunked learning faith.
Healing
faith is often absolutely desperate and focused. The Syrophoenician woman (Mark
7:26-30) is a good example as is Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). There seems
to be a certain intensity to faith that breaks through and achieves things
"the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James
5:16 NKJV).
Faith is
not a general thing. It is faith at various critical points and in various
different situations. Like the disciples we can have strong faith in one
situation and little faith in another. We can have faith for salvation but not
for healing, or faith for healing but not faith for the Lord's supply. Our
beliefs are complex and contradictory and contain both biblical faith and
absolute unbelief. We can even simultaneously have faith and unbelief e.g. the
beliefs "I am sure God heals today" plus "but he wouldn't heal
me, at least not now". Most unbelief is disguised as either
"theology" or "common sense" or "what everyone
thinks". Only a very small percentage of unbelief leaps out as
"heresy" and it may even sound pious e.g. "I am unworthy to be
healed" (did Jesus say that?) etc. Our beliefs are not just what we write
in our bible college exams - they are what are written in our hearts - the
things we say to ourselves about God, life, etc. We fence God out with our
unbelief. His operation is "not here, not now, not in this dispensation,
not me, only on the mission field etc". Nazareth saw few miracles because
they thought "we know him and he is no Messiah." (Mark 6:1-6) These
day to day ordinary whispers of our heart need to be repented of and rejected.
I do NOT mean to imply that we have to get rid of all our wrong theology and
unbelief before we can be healed. What we do have to do is get rid of our
unbelief at that critical point e.g. healing. We need to change "Jesus
heals today but only emotionally and spiritually " to "Jesus heals
the whole person body, mind and spirit today" OR "Jesus heals on the
mission field but not here" to "Jesus heals everywhere and everyone,
all who came to Him no matter how unworthy or of what race." It is having
increasing faith and decreasing unbelief at the point of operation, the
critical point that counts. Peter knew Jesus was the "son of the living
God" but on the water it wasn't theology that kept him afloat but faith in
Jesus in storms, faith to walk on water at that time. When that critical point
was surrendered and "common-sense" took over Peter went under.
Re-framing...
We need to
re-frame healing from a Kingdom perspective so that the question is not
"Why isn't everyone healed?" but "How can we have the Kingdom
out breaking with such intensity and power that everyone is healed." When
the early Church saw incredible healings it was because they prayed from that
faith framework. (Acts 4:29-31 NASB) "And now, Lord, take note of their
threats, and grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all
confidence, {30} while Thou dost extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders
take place through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus." {31} And when they
had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with
boldness…(Acts 5:12 NASB) And at the hands of the apostles many signs and
wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord
in Solomon's portico. It is like getting a flat tire in a car. You can spend
all your time arguing about the problem (how it got punctured) or you can ask
"how do we fix it" (where's the spare etc). The second is a more
constructive solution and puts you back on the road a lot faster. I don't know
why so and so was not healed but I do know how to see much more healing than we
are seeing. The practical question I ask is "How can I develop faith for
healing and receive power and authority to heal?" and its natural extension
"How can I develop a Spirit-filled community of believers that have faith
for healing and who have received power and authority to heal? - through humble
belief in the word of God and crying out to Him to endow us with this gift.
Common Questions
About Healing
If what
the Bible says about healing is true why don't we see more of them?
Unbelief definitely pays a part (Matthew
13:54-58 NKJV) And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their
synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get
this wisdom and these mighty works?...Where then did this Man get all these
things?" {57} So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them,
"A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own
house." {58} Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their
unbelief.
Jesus'
baptism had so changed Him and so endued Him with power that He could no longer
fit into the mental boxes that people in His home town had put Him in. They
said "Where then did this Man get all these things..?." they did not
appreciate the equipping he had received (perhaps just received - see the
parallel passage in Luke 4). I think wrong mental boxes are a large
reason why we see so few healings today. Here are a 12 common misconceptions
put in "lay language" that I think stand in the way of a powerful
healing ministry today...
(I). The
healings were "due to Jesus' divinity" were a "one off" and are not repeatable by us today. (Covered in the first few articles). The
early church healed. They weren't God or divine. It’s a gift to the body of
Christ to be exercised by ordinary Christians.
(Ii) Jesus
wandered around in a beard and sandals then vanished. His ministry in
Heaven and the power He can send from Heaven are forgotten. Hebrews 4:12-16
tells us to get "grace in time of need" from the ascended Christ. He
is still accessible to us today.
(iii) The
material world is solid and the spiritual world is sort of weak and fuzzy and
not really real. Therefore we can't expect something weak, fuzzy and
spiritual like prayer to really move something as solid as a disease. Yet by a
word were the heavens and earth created and with a word they will be dissolved.
The material world is upheld by Jesus and "the Word of His power" and
all things are made "by Him and for Him" and "without Him
nothing was made". If its His Creation He can heal it.
(iv) You
have doctors for physical diseases and priests for the soul. Healing
has been taken out of the province of religion and is no longer expected from
it. People have been mistakenly divided into separate spiritual and physical
compartments which "do not interact". But God is Lord of all.
(v) Healing
is something that saints do, it happens in the past and it leads to building
shrines. This is a bit like number 1 except that it involves bringing
"the magical" element in and can lead to idolatry, relic worship,
etc. This leads to two opposite dangers 1) darkness and superstition 2)
thoroughgoing skepticism about the miraculous. Both cause damage to the
manifestation of a genuine healing ministry by the laity.
(vi) Respectable
Christians don't engage in a healing ministry. This is something
that pressures me. Charlatans and "snake-oil salesman" have given the
area such a bad name that people need a lot of courage to enter it and learn
it.
(vii) The Bible stories make me feel good but I'd be mad to take them too literally
or to attempt to do them. Many Christians treat the Bible as little better
than motivational literature that "picks them up". It is like reading
an inspiring biography that we can pick and choose the bits that we will align
ourselves with. However, it is a New Contract that we have been given and it
should be studied like any contract to see what compliance is expected and what
benefits can be gained. The Word activates the Spirit - but it must be the Word
taken seriously and believed.
(viii) I
have to be in the right emotional state before God can use me and I am not
there very often... We are to preach the gospel in season and out of season
and to heal even when we are tired, hungry, harassed and exhausted just as
Jesus and the disciples did. (Mark 6:31, 2 Timothy 4:2).
(Ix) Healing
is a product of something within myself; my own power, piety, intelligence,
emotional intensity, fasting , rituals etc and if I do them at greater intensity
then one day I will break through and see people healed... This is a
terribly pervasive lie. It leads to enormous spiritual frustration and
discouragement when the results don't show. When you are tempted to believe it
just remember Jesus before His baptism – perfect in every respect in piety. Yet
without miracle working power (at that time). Human perfection cannot work the
works of God until it receives the power that is from God. (Acts 3:12 NKJV) So
when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you
marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or
godliness we had made this man walk?" and...(Galatians 3:3-5 NKJV) Are you
so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the
flesh? {4} Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed it was in vain?
{5} Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you,
does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Somehow,
believing, even naively, that our "goodness' merits God's power kills the
"faith connection" stone dead. Hence Jesus warned about the
"leaven of the Scribes and the Pharisees' and how even a little could ruin
the whole lump of dough. (Matthew 16:6-16, Luke 12:1, Galatians 5:9).
(x) The
Good News has become just Good Advice. The gospel is something we live in
not something we live up to. It is "Good News" - the only thing you
can do with news is accept it as true or untrue, to believe it or disbelieve
it. We can live in it and take advantage of it or we can choose to ignore it,
but we do not "live up to it". If you saw an advertisement
advertising free Christian music and you believed it then you might get
enthusiastic, tell your friends, then go out and get as much as you could. That
is an appropriate response to good news. An inappropriate response would be to
try to open your own shop or to pay for the music. The good news is that Jesus
has made healing available. We need to accept this, believe it and live in it.
The gospel is an accomplished fact that you announce so that others can take
advantage of the offer. (Hebrews 9:12, 26-28; 10:10; Col 1:23; 1 Thess 1:15)
(xi) This disease is too much for my faith. The size of your God, not the size
of your faith is what matters. When faced with cancer we forget that the Good
News has been announced, that healing is available, that God is in heaven and
Almighty. Like the ten spies we look at the size of the problem relative to
something in us (our faith, resources, knowledge) rather than measuring the
giants against the Lord. However, Jesus said to his disciples after they had
failed to heal someone... (Matthew 17:20-21 NKJV) So Jesus said to them,
"Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith
as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,'
and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. {21} "However,,
this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Mountains are
bigger than disciples but smaller than God.
(xii) I
can't see how God can do it.... Many people need a "mechanism" to
be explained to them before they can believe. "Just believe" is too
nebulous an explanation. "How" God heals a cancer is important. For
such people I take them back to Genesis and God's mighty Word activating the
Spirit which created the Universe and transformed and ordered matter. God can
create matter, destroy matter and renew matter. (Psalms 104:29-30 NKJV) You
hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and
return to their dust. {30} You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And
You renew the face of the earth. (John 6:63 NKJV) "It is the Spirit who
gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are
spirit, and they are life.
He can
give Creation its shape and form. The spoken Word of authority can impart life,
strength, healing and in combination with the Holy Spirit produce awesome
transformations. (Genesis 1, 2 Peter 3:5-13, Colossians 1:16-17, John 1:1-3,
Revelation 4:12)
2. What
is the difference between the "gift of healing" and the normal
Christians ability to heal? The gift of healing is a "charism" or
"gracelet" as someone called it. All gifts are given "as God
wills" (1 Cor 12:1-11) though they can also be sought (1 Cor 14:1). There
seems to be two ways of gifts operating a) as temporary bursts that are
"one offs" like Mary's prophesy.(Luke 2) B) As abiding gifts (like
the prophetic gift on Isaiah etc). This also seems to be true with regard to
healing. Most Bible-believing Christians have a "burst" when they
pray for someone's healing and it occurs, much to their amazement. For a few it
becomes a regular ministry and affects the whole way they view the church.
There is no sharp dividing line between the gracelet and the full-blown gift
and it seems that one can sometimes grow into the other with time, practice and
an increase in faith. The gift is part of the Body and is to be used for its
up-building in love (1 Cor 12-14). All Christians should be able to exercise
healing prayer, particularly the elders of a church.(James 5:14). All
Christians should be able to minister healing to some degree though not all are
"healers". We cannot leave all healing up the healers any more than
we should leave all evangelism up to the few evangelists among us.
3. What
is the role of the local church?
There is
also a healing ministry role for the church as a whole. The assembled body of
Christ is a powerful army and things happen in Bible study groups and in
services that do not happen with just one on one ministry. One of the aims of
this training is to increase the general level of faith for healing in the
church so that we may become a community regularly ministering healing. Jesus
wanted others in the community of faith to be also able to heal and sought to
empower them to do so. The person with the gift of healing should ideally
operate within a faith-filled believing community that is also being trained to
heal the sick. Even Jesus had little success when the community around Him was filled
with unbelief (Matthew 13:54-58). The church does not just provide a platform
for healing to take place, it provides a praying, believing community that
exercises healing though its eldership, its gifted members and through the
Spirit working through it when it is gathered for worship. (James 5:14 ff; Acts
5:12-16; 1 Cor 12:4-11)
4. What
about those who are not healed?
There were
"unhealed" people in the Bible, Timothy had "frequent
ailments" and Trophimus was left ill/recovering at Miletus. Paul's response
to the first was sanctified common-sense "take a little wine for your
stomach and do not exclusively drink water..". The second seems just to be
acceptance of the fact (I Tim 5:23; 2 Tim 4:20). Some of the Corinthians were
sick because of unrepented sin such as immorality and abuse of the Lord's
supper. In such cases repentance was called for. If I may rephrase this
question to be "How can we love those who are not healed.." I think
the answer becomes easier. This shifts the emphasis from power to love and
brings us back to center ( 1 Corinthians 13). The still sick person needs (1)
To be loved, supported and cared for. (2) Have good common-sense applied
including the use of appropriate medication . (3) Be able to confess any sin
privately and with dignity. (4) Be encouraged to grow in faith as part of a
believing community that is also growing and faith and praying for their
healing. Jesus only blamed the disciples for lack of faith - never the sick
person.
5. What
about Paul's thorn in the flesh?
The
"stake in the flesh" was a Greek equivalent of a "sharp pain in
the neck.." a metaphor for real hindrance and nuisance. It is disabling,
painful and causes anguish of the soul and it brings the mighty low (as in the
lion in Aesop's fable that was brought low by a "thorn in the
flesh"). The "messenger of Satan" seems to be an angelic
hindrance. Some recent commentators have speculated that "the thorn"
was someone who went around "rabble-rousing" inciting the Jews to
kill Paul and hindering his ministry - perhaps Alexander the copper-smith. It
could be either (1) a malicious human/group of people banded together against
Paul (2) a malicious spiritual entity that aroused people against him. The
opposition was so fierce and relentless that Paul was constantly thrown back on
God in weakness. The consequence of the "thorn" is persecution and
distress not physical sickness. (1 Cor 12:1-10)
For
questions 6-10 also see the article Healing, Health and Medicine which was
written 5 years after this article.
6. Should
Christians use medicine?
Some
couples in Australia and America have been charged with manslaughter and child
neglect for refusing medication to seriously ill children "in faith".
Such well publicized cases do not help the cause of the gospel. The gospel has
four main aspects wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. (1
Corinthians 1:30 NRSV) He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption,. These four aspects of the gospel are not in competition but part
of one seamless Whole - which is Christ Himself. Healing is a part of our
redemption - the buying back of our body from the dominion of sickness. The
wise faith-filled use of medicine can be Wisdom - which is also from God, in
Christ. Proverbs urges us to use wisdom and to acquire it - and Biblical wisdom
was always practical and effective. Luke is called "the beloved
physician" and there are no injunctions in Scripture to put aside
medicines. At least twice in the NT "household remedies" are invoked,
wine for Timothy's stomach ailments and "oil" for wounds and bruises
(the Good Samaritan) which is seen as an appropriate act of compassion. There
will even be medicine in heaven! The leaves of the tree of life will be used
for the healing of the nations. Who these nations are is a puzzle but the fact
remains that their healing is provided for - by a medicine. (Rev 22:2). Though
medicines existed in Jesus day He never exhorted the faithful to abandon them.
He simply provided a more effective alternative. The refusal of medicine to a
child merely to prove a religious point is seriously wrong and I believe
"contrary to the faith". It seems close to Pharisaism.
7. Should
Christians trust in doctors?
Our first
trust should always be in God. Many people seek the doctors first then, if they
are in really big trouble, they then go to their church for healing. May I
tactfully suggest that it should perhaps be the other way around with prayer
being the first reflex when one is ill. ( 2 Chronicles 16:12.) Doctors can be
used and their advice heeded but they must not become the sole repositories of
our faith.
8. What
about home remedies, vitamin pills, physiotherapy etc?
The
general attitude of Scripture is that of empowering people to live prudent,
healthy, independent lives. I believe that a good knowledge of safe folk
remedies - cures for hiccups and bee stings etc makes good Christian common
sense and I would love to collect them and put them in a book one day. We need
a Christian challenge to alternative medicine. Part of the reason for the
Sabbath and the OT dietary restrictions was a physically and spiritually
healthy lifestyle. A "kosher" diet is virtually free from parasitic
infections, disease and association with the more common occult practices of
the time. However, Jesus made it clear that our diet does not make us clean or
unclean before God. It may help our health but it has nothing to do with our
spiritual status (Mark 7:14-23).
9. Can
a Christian participate in the use of alternative medicine?
There was
a great deal of 'alternative medicine" around in Jesus' day and in the
Gnosticism that pervaded Asia Minor. None of it was recommended for the
Christian and some of it seems to have been actively preached against
particularly in Colossians 2. This is incredibly complex. If this is a real
issue for you or your family the best I have read is the chapter
"Christian Healing and Alternative Healing Movements" in "Sent
To Heal" by Harold Taylor. My brief response is to divide
"alternative medicine" up into a few compartments (1) Folk remedies
outside of conventional medicine but which do work (eg aloe vera for stings).
(2) Things like the "Kambucha mushroom" which claim to cure
everything and are highly suspect. (3) Cures that require subscribing to a
non-Christian or anti-Christian philosophy such as yoga . (4) Occult cures such
as reiki, pendulum divination, use of divining rods for healing, magic
crystals, the use of spells, sorcery or "white magic", channeling,
witchcraft, color therapy, use of diagrams with "special powers" etc.
Category one is OK, category two mainly damages your hip pocket and your pride
but can occasionally endanger your health,. Categories 3 and 4 are always wrong
for a Christian. If in doubt -don't, seems good advice here.
10. What about Christian use of psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists?
Gifts of
wisdom and knowledge are given to the Church by Jesus to help the members edify
each other. Part of Jesus' mission was (Luke 4:18-19 NIV) "The Spirit of
the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for
the blind, to release the oppressed, {19} to proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor." Spirit-filled counseling can bring real help and release the
oppressed. Bad counseling oppresses people yet further. When seeing a counselor
ask yourself: Is the goal of their counseling compatible with Christian
sanctification? Is their philosophy reasonably "Christian" or does it
draw heavily on other religions? Do they explain their technique to you so that
you can understand and evaluate it? Are they open to questions? Are they
competent, disciplined, on-time and properly certified?
In a
perfect world we would all be healthy and in Heaven there is no more crying or
sickness or pain. Death - the eventual and final result of sickness will be no
more - in Heaven. The victory has been won. However, in a fallen world God has
made certain obvious provisions for healing:
God
designed our bodies and their immune systems to defend us, heal us and repair
us. I am not a medical practitioner but I am told by them that the immune
system is so good that ""its amazing that we ever get sick".
He has
given us wisdom on how to stay healthy - especially by obeying His laws and
lifestyle.
He has, in
the answer to the prayers of millions of Christians, "given the doctors
wisdom" so that at a societal level we are seeing amazing medical breakthroughs.
He has
created certain plants which have healing properties and even in Heaven the
leaves of the trees there will "be for the healing of the nations".
He has
given the Church the mandate to heal the sick in the name of Jesus Christ.
God has
designed this multi-faceted healing system so that those without the gospel
might not also be without help for their illnesses. God places some form of
healing within reach of every person and the most powerful and instantaneous
form of healing in the hands of His Church. He is a God of compassion.
God wishes
that those who call upon His name might call upon Him first when they are sick.
The instructions to sick Christians are found in James (James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is
anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the
prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he
has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one
another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective,
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Thus the first port of call for a sick Christian should be the healing ministry
of the local church. However, this has fallen into disrepair. Few churches have
a reliable and powerful healing ministry though some do. Even in this paucity
of effective healing we should call on God first of all.
Secondly
God has placed within us an amazing immune system that will protect us if we
keep ourselves healthy. Therefore we should remember our bodies are temples of
the Holy Spirit and live in holiness, and with a lifestyle that is free from
over-indulgence, gluttony, drunkeness and promiscuity. These three things –
drunkeness, gluttony and promiscuity cause many of the health problems in
Western society.
Good,
Neutral and Bad Medicine
"Bad
medicine" is the
medicine of the witch-doctor, shaman or medicine man, the medicine of the quack
healer, the New Age hypnotist, the witch and the magician. It has no intrinsic
value - the medicine man's rattle will not heal anyone by itself. This kind of
medicine requires some kind of occult influence such as a spell or incantation
in order to work. It is witchcraft. In the Old Testament when people turned to
such sources for help they were severely rebuked. It can harden the spirit to
God and in some cases precipitate mental illness.
"Neutral
Medicine" is the
medicine of doctors, hospitals and home remedies. This medicine relies neither
on God nor on spells. It works by itself. Anti-venene works in a believer,
unbeliever, Buddhist or Christian. However, it tends to only heal the body and
not affect the soul or spirit. No-one gets saved through pills. The Bible makes
no comment in general except for a few "home remedies" such as
"take a little wine for your stomach.." etc.
"Good
Medicine" is the
healing that is available in Christ Jesus and which points to God and which can
cause someone to find Jesus and be saved body, soul and spirit. It is quite
capable of working in combination with "neutral medicine" but not
with "bad medicine" with which it is in direct conflict.
The
Health Food Shop
The
question arises - is the stuff in the health food shop "bad medicine"
or "neutral medicine". Here you have to show discernment. If it
requires a spell or incantation to be said or is labeled as being an item for
Wicca, Magic or Witchcraft then avoid it! If it is Vitamin C that works on its
own then that is neutral medicine. Things like vitamins, rose-hip oil, camomile
tea, and valerian are neutral - they work by themselves and are natural,
plant-based medicines. I personally take the precaution of saying a quick prayer
over anything bought in such a shop which goes "I bind any occult
influences that may have been put on this product in Jesus name. Amen" -
then I use it - providing it is neutral to begin with. 1 Corinthians chapters 8
and 10 and Romans 14 are very instructive in this regard.
Do I
Throw My Pills Away "By Faith"
No. God
has given people wisdom to produce pills and to diagnose and treat illnesses
and we need to receive His grace through them as well as directly through the
healing ministry of the local church. To argue that divine healing is the only
"spiritual" way to be healed is poor theology. To be blunt - if you
are going to throw away your pills why not throw away your immune system as
well so you can really rely on God? If healing by 'natural' means is wrong then
your immune system is wrong too! The only healing that is wrong is healing
through occult sources.
Demons are
variously caricatured as "naughty spirits" and even portrayed as
"sources of wisdom" in some New Age teachings. The Bible, however,
sees demons as truly evil and deceptive beings arrayed in rebellion against God
and whose fate will be eternal torment imprisoned in a lake of fire. This
latter view is far closer to the reality experienced by demon-possessed people
and those who have dealt with demons in others.
A demon
possessed person is often deeply deceived - thus showing the deceptive nature
of demons, a demon-possessed person often engages in activities that display a
lack of conscience toward others or a delight in the evil and the bizarre. This
betrays the evil, amoral and actively wicked attitude of the demonic. A
demon-possessed person is often angry at ministers, scornful of Scripture,
fearful of communion, mocking at morality and may hold bizarre views of Christ.
Christian praise and worship can cause strong negative reactions. This displays
the demonic hatred of God and rebellion toward His legitimate authority over
this Earth that He made. Those who deal with demons sometimes find that demons
are both aware of and terrified of the eternal fate that awaits them. They
believe in the lake of fire even if some theologians do not. This article will
look at what the Bible says about demons, their fate, and how we can stop them
hindering our Christian life.
Let’s
start with the positive...
Jesus'
Triumph over the Demonic Realm
He who
sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil. (1 John 3:8 NKJV)
You are of
God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 NKJV)
We know
that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps
himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18 NKJV)
The book
of 1 John was probably written when the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian
really began to bite. Satan and the his instrument - the pagan Roman Empire
seemed to be indefinite ascendancy over the church, God and all the forces of
good. 1 John is thus a very radical and bold epistle in its claims to victory
in Christ. There are three realities described here:
1. The
reality of Christ's mission in particular His incarnation. The reason Jesus
Christ was manifested in human form was so that He could tackle Satan on his
own turf and destroy all his works. Like a hand-grenade exploding in the
Devil's face the incarnation brought the awesome power of the Son of God into
proximity with evil so that it might completely destroy it.
2. The
reality of Christ in us the hope of glory. He who is in us is He who came to
destroy the works of the Devil. Jesus overcame the world then, and now, He is
in us, and continues to overcome the world.
3. The
reality of the indestructibility of our real eternal selves which are based on
Christ in us. A person who has been born again has a new self that is created
on a new order and a higher plane. It is eternal, imperishable and
indestructible, it cannot be defiled. It is sinless and cannot sin. It is born
of God and partakes of the very principles of the nature of God (but on a much
different scale). (1 John 3:9 NKJV) Whoever has been born of God does not sin,
for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of
God. This new self battles with the flesh in a life long struggle for dominance
(Galatians 5:16-18) so Christians still do sin but this sin is not a part of
them that will still be with them in Heaven. There will be no need for
Purgatory, the new self has been sinless from the "new birth". This
new self cannot be "touched" by the evil one. The person we will be
for the next ten million years cannot be affected by sin , defilement or
temptation and it has already passed out of the judgment of God (John 5:24,
Romans 8:1,2). While Satan can destroy your flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5) he cannot
touch the real eternal you.(See article on the Inner Man for more detail)
These
three powerful realities mean that even though Satan and his demons are at
times quite formidable foes they ultimately cannot harm us. They are defeated
rebels whose rebellion will come to nothing in the end. Jesus Christ came to
destroy ALL the works of the Devil and through His church that task is being
completed and will be finally climaxed at the return of Christ. Let's look at
how the Devil lost the weapons from his armory.
Inasmuch
then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise
shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power
of death, that is, the devil. (Hebrews 2:14 NKJV)
The
incarnation gave Jesus the flesh and blood He needed so that through death He
could defeat Satan's ability to wield the power of death, keeping the world in
fear and abject slavery.
And you,
being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made
alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, {14} having wiped
out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to
us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. {15}
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:13-15 NKJV)
(For
further expansion on this verse see the article “The Cross In Colossians”).These
verses in Colossians indicate that the weapon of accusation has been removed.
Satan has been disarmed by the forgiveness we have received. He no longer has
any basis for accusing us. The Charge sheets are all nailed to the Cross.
Satan's ultimate
defeat will be an ignominious vanquishing (Revelation 20:10 NKJV) The devil,
who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast
and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and
ever.
The Christian's
Power And Authority Over The Demonic Realm
The
Christian's power and authority over the demonic realm is not based on having
more "might" than the demonic realm (I do not know of any Christian
with the spiritual might anywhere near that of Satan) but on authority. The
distinction is important. Joash became king of Israel when he was 7 years old.
Though physically puny and intellectually hardly a match for bad queen Athaliah
he had more authority than her or nay of his rivals. He was king. Similarly
even a "baby Christian" has more authority in the spiritual realm
than the biggest baddest demon on the block. As a small child is more important
than the largest fiercest lion so God has deemed that even the least Christian
outranks the mightiest power and principality. The authority comes because of
their position in the heavenly hierarchy. In God's household we are the
"sons" and angels, even the mightiest of them are just servants of
God. And sons outrank servants.
Are they
(i.e angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who
will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14 NKJV)
Do you not
know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this
life? (1 Corinthians 6:3 NKJV)
We have
undergone a spiritual transformation as a result of the gospel. In the Old
Testament we were " a little lower than the angels", we were like
children who, in their minority, have less status than say the butler and are
expected to treat the household servants with respect. But with the gospel we
have come of age and are now full-fledged sons of God
But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name. (John 1:12 NKJV)
Therefore
the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. {25} But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. {26} For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:24-26 NKJV)
This transformation
means that a huge change in status has occurred so that inhabitants of the
Kingdom of God are truly awesome spiritual beings.
And raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, {7} that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His
grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7 NKJV)
Which He
worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly places, {21} far above all principality and power and
might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also
in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:20-21 NKJV)
Assuredly,
I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than
John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than
he. (Matthew 11:11-13 NKJV)
We have
been raised up with Christ and seated at His right hand in the heavenly realms
far above all principalities and power and might and dominion so that Jesus
could say of us that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the
mightiest of the Old Testament saints. This is "amazing grace" and is
God displaying His kindness for all the world to see.
Wielding
Our Weapons
With this
in mind let’s look the authority we have been given and how we are to wield it.
Then He
called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all
demons, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1 NKJV)
After
these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two
before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to....Then
the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject
to us in Your name." {18} And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. {19} "Behold, I give you the authority to trample
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
shall by any means hurt you. {20} "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are
written in heaven." {21} In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and
said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden
these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. {22} "All things have been
delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the
Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills
to reveal Him." {23} Then He turned to His disciples and said privately,
"Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; {24} "for I tell
you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not
seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." (Luke 10:1,
17-24 NKJV)
Jesus
commissions the twelve and then the seventy to have power of evil. In these
verses we discover three things:
1. The
power we have over the demonic realm is a gracious gift from Jesus "I give
you..." to equip us for ministry (it is in the context of a ministry
trip).
2. This
power is both offensive I give you the authority to trample on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. and defensive and nothing shall
by any means hurt you.
3. That
our operating principle is not to be power consciousness but instead humble
gratefulness for the grace of God."Nevertheless do not rejoice in this,
that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are
written in heaven."
Binding
and loosing...
The
Apostle Peter
"And
I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. {19} "And I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(Matthew 16:18-19 NKJV)
Christians
in general
"Assuredly,
I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. {19} Again I say to you that if
two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done
for them by My Father in heaven. {20} For where two or three are gathered
together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:18-20
NKJV)
Binding
Satan and his
demons
(Matthew
12:27-29 NKJV) "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. {28} "But if I
cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon
you. {29} "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his
goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his
house.
"And
if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?
Therefore they will be your judges. {20} "But if I cast out demons with
the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. {21} "When
a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. {22}
"But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes
from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. (Luke
11:19-22 NKJV)
Thus we
see that the power to bind and to loose has been delivered over to God's church
(Matthew 16:18-19) and can be exercised by any two or three Christians coming
together in agreement before God (Matthew 18:18-20). Because of the authority
we have been given on the basis of the completed work of Christ we can come
against Satan as "someone stronger" and overpower him, binding his
activities (Matthew 12:29), neutralizing his weapons (Luke 11:22) and taking
back the things he claims ownership of. (Luke 11:22).
In The Name Of Jesus
"And
whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified
in the Son. {14} "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John
14:13-14 NKJV)
"You
did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father
in My name He may give you. (John 15:16 NKJV)
The
seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons
submit to us!" {18} He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from
heaven like a flash of lightning. {19} See, I have given you authority to tread
on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will
hurt you. (Luke 10:17-19 NRSV)
She kept
doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the
spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her."
And it came out that very hour. (Acts 16:18 NRSV)
The name
of Jesus is the delegated authority of the Son of God. In the Gilbert and
Sullivan opera "The Pirates of Penzance" the pirates are arrested and
the police say "We charge you yield in Queen Victoria's name...".
They confront the pirates in the delegated authority of Her Majesty Queen
Victoria. When we come against Satan and his demons we can say "We charge
you yield in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God, King of Kings
and Lord of Lords". The "name that is above every other name" is
the ultimate source of authority. Say the pirates in the opera had
answered...we resist in the name of the Pirate King..then there would have been
a clash of authority (in fact they said "we love our Queen..it was very
sarcastic..) In such a clash of authority it is the "highest name"
that wins. A queen outranks a counts who outranks knights of the realm that
outrank commoners etc. So it is in the heavenly realms. Such is the privilege
of Christians that we are allowed to use "the name that is above every
other name" when we challenge demonic authority. We come bearing the
highest authority in the Universe. (Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV) And being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of
death, even the death of the cross. {9} Therefore God also has highly exalted
Him and given Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of
those under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So to use
the name of Jesus in prayer is a declaration of authority. Even Jewish
exorcists found it had enormous authority until it was challenged (Acts
19:13-18). They were operating on "bluff" they were not converted and
had no right to use the authority of Jesus name in exorcism. The basis of
praying in Jesus name is , first of all, being converted. Jesus name can be
used in two ways 1)In declarative mode "In the name of Jesus I
command..." e.g. when Peter healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful
(Acts 3:6 NKJV) Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what
I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and
walk.". Secondly it may be used to request things from God eg, in the
verses from John's gospel above "And whatever you ask in My name, that I
will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.". The difference
between command mode and request mode is that we command lesser beings but
command greater ones. So when addressing a demon, a disease or a mountain or a
storm we operate in command mode as sons of God proudly bearing the authority
of Jesus name. When addressing the Father or Jesus we do not presume on the
authority we have been given but we come humbly as expectant children with
every right to ask and to receive but always in wonder and awe for we have a
majestic God.
Go boldly
into the battle armed with the name of Jesus Christ.
Tearing
Down Strongholds
For though
we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. {4} For the weapons
of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
{5} casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV)
Strongholds
are built out of thoughts (Gk. noema). When Satan builds a stronghold in a
human heart, a church, a nation or across a whole planet he uses thoughts.
Thoughts of fear, hatred, envy, enmity and strife. Thoughts that create
jealousy and distrust. Thoughts that turn people against God. Thoughts that
entice to pride and rebellion. Greedy thoughts, lustful thoughts, evil and
cruel thoughts. Brick by brick, thought by thought, constellating together into
a demonic aggregate, a wall that blocks out the light and keeps a world in
darkness. Note that they are described as "arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself". A spiritual stronghold is often characterized by a
form of pride known as hubris that exalts itself against God. Herod in the book
of Acts is an example of this when he accepted worship from men and was struck
dead by God. (Acts 12:21-23) The Gnostic heresies of Colossae (Colossians 2:8,
18-23) the bizarre "knowledge" of Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:1-3) and
the "teaching of The Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6,15) seem also to fit this
category. Those with religious delusions are nearly always full of pride and
impossible to reason with. That is why Paul calls it a "stronghold" .
Bible-based apologetics has its place here on demolishing the "lofty
arguments" and replacing them with truth. Jesus' confrontations with the
Pharisees and Sadducees and His teaching on the Sermon On The Mount were real
"stronghold busters" (You have heard it said..but I say. to you..)
Thoughts
control emotions and actions. If your doctrine tells you that you are no good
then you will feel worthless. If your doctrine demands perfection you will feel
constantly guilty. This will lead to actions based on your thoughts and
feelings e.g a life of constant striving. A stronghold can become so intense
that the person loses touch with reality. To see this in action we need only
look at the severely demon-possessed with their destroyed thought life,
shattered emotions, lack of contact with reality and constant fear.(Mark
5:1-20) Satan controls us to the extent that he can control our thinking. Yet
God has given us weapons against this that are "mighty in God for the
pulling down of strongholds" so there is no problem with our weapons! Let’s
learn to use them. The weapons are listed in Eph 6:10-18.
Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. {11} Put on
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. {13} Therefore,
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand. {14} Stand therefore, having girded your
waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, {15} and
having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; {16} above
all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked one. {17} And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; {18} praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
The
strongholds of Satan are pulled down by people whose lives show moral integrity
and faith and who know the word of God and can pray in the Spirit at all times.
It is a soldierly combat. For example say Satan has established a stronghold of
lustful thoughts in your mind. You need to pull down those lustful concepts
about the opposite sex through a thorough study of God's word and knowing what
the human body is, and is not, meant for . (see article “Your Body is a Temple
of the Holy Spirit”). then you need to fill your mind with things that are
noble and lovely and true (Phil 4:8) praying in Jesus name for God to demolish
this stronghold in your life. If the stronghold is in your church - say a
spirit of parsimony and greed then you may need to teach on generosity and
giving prayerfully wielding the sword of the Spirit until the false concepts of
stewardship have come tumbling down and the church is renewed in faith. If the
stronghold is in your nation you may need to debate publicly, use the media and
refute the lies that keep people bound while guarding yourself and your own
life from the counter-attacks that w ill come. As I said earlier our weapons
are "mighty in God" they are amazing weapons if wielded rightly. Do
not be intimidated the authority of Jesus and the "big guns" of God's
weaponry are on our side.
A
Tactical Armory
The
following table summarizes the ways Satan attacks and the way we should respond
to these attacks. I have called it a tactical armory since it tells us which
weapon to select for the battle. You may notice that many of the Scriptures for
Satan's tactics also contain the remedy for it close by or in the same verse!
God is wise.
Scripture
Ref
|
Satan's
Trick
|
Our
Victory
|
John
10;10
|
Steal,
Kill, Destroy
|
Take
hold of the abundant life in Christ
|
1
Timothy 3:6,7
|
Pride
leading to condemnation
|
Wise
appointing of those in spiritual authority
|
Rev
12:10,11
|
Accusation
|
The
blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony..testifying to what the
blood of the Lamb has done for you.
|
Luke
4:1-13
|
Temptation
through misapplied Scriptures that seem to validate fleshly desires for
physical appetite, specialness to God and power.
|
Knowing
the Scriptures so well that you can spot the lie and counter it with a more
appropriate Scripture.
|
1
Timothy 4:1-7
|
Deceptive
false teachings
|
Reject
fanciful tales, teach the Scriptures, sound doctrine, thankfulness, prayer
|
James
2:17-26 Matthew 7:15-28
|
False
assurance of salvation
|
A godly
life of good works based on Jesus teaching is evidence of having true faith.
|
Deut
7:25, 18:10-13, 32:7, Lev 19:31 Isaiah 47:13, Acts 19:19 1 Corinthians 10:14
|
Ensnarement
in the occult , divination astrology, and the worship of false gods.
|
Destroy
all objects associated with it.
Complete
disassociation from it.
|
2
Corinthians 10:3-5 Ephesians 6:10-21 Romans 8:4-6,.12:1,2 Philippians 4:8
Colossians 3:1-4.
|
Strongholds
made of thoughts that oppose God -especially prideful thoughts and unbelief.
These thoughts can control the life and emotions of a person, church or
country.
|
Biblical
apologetics, renewing the mind. Setting the mind on the things of the Spirit
Use of our spiritual armour combined with faith, the word of God, prayer in
the Spirit and humble submission.
|
Matthew
23:17,19,24,26 Luke 4:18 John 9;39 Romans 10:7-10,25 2Corinthians 3:14-17,
4:3,4 Ephesians 4:17-24, 1 John 2:10,11
|
Blinding
the minds of unbelievers. Especially those who stubbornly refuse Christ.
|
Turning
to Christ. Having a willingness to accept the light and seek it further.
Renewal of the mind. Loving your brother in Christ Good teaching and
intercession can "open the eyes of the blind".
|
1
Corinthians 10:14-22
|
Religious
ceremonies that appear "cultural" but are in fact demonic.
|
Awareness
of the spiritual realities that under gird such things.
Not
participating in them.
|
Matthew
12:27-29, 16:19, 18:18-20, Luke 11:19-22
|
Unrestrained
Satanic activity. Spiritual wickedness in the heavenly realms. Spiritual
"strong men" occupying a person, place or nation.
|
Binding
and loosing in Jesus name which may often have a corporate dimension to it.
|
Matthew
9:32-34 Luke 13:11-16 Matthew 8;16,17 Mark 9:14-29
|
Disease
caused by demons (not all disease is meant)
|
Healing.
Prayer and fasting. Faith. Use of command prayers in the name of Jesus.
|
Luke
10:17-19 Acts 16:16-18 Mark 5:1-20, 9:14-29 Luke 11:20-26 Acts 5;16, 8:7
|
Demon-possession
|
Use of
the name of Jesus with authority. Command the demons to leave. Sometimes it
may help to identify the demons. Then the delivered person must live a Holy
Spirit filled life. Faith and prayer are necessary and sometimes fasting.
|
Conclusion
I hope you
are feeling a bit more confident in spiritual warfare by now. Please answer the
following revision questions. They will help you learn the material.
What was
one of the purposes in Christ's coming as a human being? (1 John 3:8 , Hebrews
2:14)
What victories did He win? (Eph 4:8 , Colossians 2:13-15, John 16:33, 1 John
5:4)
What change took place in the heavenly status of believers between the time of
John the Baptist and the day of Pentecost? (Mt 11:11-13)
Are Christians greater or lesser than angels in authority? (1 Cor 6:3, Heb
2:14, Eph 2;6,7)
What is the importance of authority in spiritual warfare? (See section on the
power and authority of the Christian)
What are strongholds made of? How do we combat them? (2 Cor 10:3-5)
What are the two ways of using the name of Jesus? (Acts 3:6, 16:18 John
14;13,14, 15:16)
What is meant by binding and loosing? (Matt 12:27-29, 16:19, 18:18-20)
Why can the demonic realm "not touch us"? (1 John 4:4, 5:18)
What is the right tactic for combating involvement in the occult? (See diagram
above)
(Isaiah
61:1 NKJV) "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has
anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the
prison to those who are bound;
(Jeremiah 3:22 NKJV) "Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal
your backslidings." "Indeed we do come to You, For You are the LORD
our God.
(Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV) Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I
shall be saved, For You are my praise.
(Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV) For I will restore health to you And heal you of your
wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they called you an outcast saying: "This
is Zion; No one seeks her."'
(Jeremiah 33:6 NKJV) 'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal
them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
(Hosea 6:1 NKJV) Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He
will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
(Hosea 14:4 NKJV) "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely,
For My anger has turned away from him.
(Malachi 4:2 NKJV) But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall
arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like
stall-fed calves.
(Matthew 4:23 NKJV) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
(Matthew 8:13 NKJV) Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as
you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed
that same hour.
(Matthew 8:16 NKJV) When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were
demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who
were sick,
(Matthew 9:35 NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness
and every disease among the people.
(Matthew 10:1 NKJV) And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave
them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of
sickness and all kinds of disease.
(Matthew 10:8 NKJV) "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
(Matthew 12:22 NKJV) Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind
and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
(Matthew 14:14 NKJV) And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He
was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
(Luke 6:19 NKJV) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went
out from Him and healed them all.
(Luke 9:6 NKJV) So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the
gospel and healing everywhere.(The twelve are sent out)
(Luke 10:8-9 NKJV) "Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat
such things as are set before you. {9} "And heal the sick there, and say
to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'(The seventy are sent out)
(Luke 17:15 NKJV) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned,
and with a loud voice glorified God,(The story of the ten lepers)
(Acts 3:12 NKJV) So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of
Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by
our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
(Healing of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful) (Acts 4:29-31 NKJV) "Now,
Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness
they may speak Your word, {30} "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and
that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant
Jesus." {31} And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled
together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
spoke the word of God with boldness.
(1 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV) to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts
of healings by the same Spirit,
(James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of
the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will
raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess
your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be
healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
(Revelation 22:2 NKJV) In the middle of its street, and on either side of the
river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its
fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
(Luke 8:47 NKJV) Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came
trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of
all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed
immediately.
(Luke 8:48 NKJV) And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your
faith has made you well. Go in peace."
(Luke 5:17 NKJV) Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that
there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of
every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was
present to heal them.
The
following is a recommended healing service procedure and is a brief service
that is easy for an unwell person to cope with and which ministers healing,
hope, love and comfort to the sick through faith-filled prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ. The main part of the service is 45 minutes, the ministry time 15
minutes and the supper 20 minutes - feel free to adapt it to suit your own
needs.
Note: The service should be something that
you are comfortable with and perhaps initially a "once per month"
event until it gathers momentum. Behind this order of service are two concerns
a)That sick people will feel cared for and thought of and not be asked to
engage in an unduly long service or in a high level of physical activity. b)
That the church will operate out of truth and genuineness not out of
"hype".
Before
The Service(45
minutes) 6:15-7:00
The team
meets for prayer, Bible study and personal encouragement. The team prays
specifically for Jesus to be manifest among them and through them. They ask for
the authority and power to heal all sicknesses and all people. The team is thus
"prayed up", faith-filled and ready before the service. Specific
known needs can also be prayed for at this time of pre-service intercession.
Introduction 7:00-7:02
Because of
the unusual nature of the healing ministry a brief word of explanation at the
start of each service is in order. I would anticipate it going something like
this:
"Welcome
to the SmithTown Church and our healing ministry. We want you to feel at home
here. We are just ordinary Christians who believe that God has called us to
pray for those who are ill. We just do the praying - Jesus does all the
healing. If you are a visitor we would like you to feel at ease. You won't have
to pray aloud, give money, or join the church. We will sing a few songs which
you can join in if you feel like it, then there will be a short sermon on
healing and a time when we pray for the sick. We will not ask you to do
anything embarrassing, dangerous or foolish. We want you to feel the love of
God in this place and to be made whole."
Worship 7:02-7:15
Three
songs plus a two minute personal testimony of healing. Songs should not just be
personal favorites but be deliberately chosen to connect people to God and make
them aware of the healing power that is in Jesus Christ. Songs that have good
Scriptural content and that faith can "latch on to" are very helpful.
Avoid songs that merely consist of a connection of unsubstantiated claims of
power. They produce the sensation of unreality and people feel they are being
"hyped up' and start to distrust the service and God.
Communion 7:15-7:25
Focus on
the wounds of Christ and their healing power (Isaiah 53). Focus also on
sins being dealt with through the cross. A time of confession is appropriate as
forgiveness and healing are often linked in the NT. (see James 5:14-16 for one
example).
Sermon/Homily 7:25-7:45
A twenty
minute factual presentation of God's Word focusing on healing, forgiveness,
answered prayer etc. Should be a convincing presentation of what God can do for
those who call upon His Name. No rash promises just words you can believe in.
Prayer
Ministry 7:45-8:00
People can
either come to the front for prayer or just raise their hands where they are.
The prayer team moves around praying quietly and confidentially with each one.
Difficult cases can be taken to a side room.
Supper 8:00-8:20
Just
coffee and biscuits. Allows contacts to be made and follow up to occur.
First of
all it must be said that there is no such thing as a "magical"
healing technique that works every time for every person. If there was it would
have been discovered centuries ago and passed down as something of great value.
Nevertheless there are better and worse ways of going about healing. Firstly I
will share the method that works for me, then I will share the method that
worked for John Wimber.
My
Technique (based on authority)
1. Ask
Jesus for the power and authority to heal to be given to you for that hour/that
person.
2. Ask the
person what is wrong.
3. Then
ask them what they desire as an end result.
4. Then
take authority and command the end result into being in Jesus name.
5. Listen
for anything the Holy Spirit is saying to the person in the situation.
6. Check
to see what is happening for the person.
7. Don't
take "No" for an answer. Keep praying until the result is achieved or
its obvious that nothing is happening.
8. After
praying I give the person directions that I feel God is saying to them about
their healing. This is pretty much identical to the post-prayer instructions of
Wimber discussed below so I will leave it until then.
For
example: a person comes along and you ask them "What do you want?"
(Like Jesus did) and they say "I am blind". You ask "What is
your desired end result?" That I might see." So you might command
"Sight be restored in Jesus name" or "Be healed in Jesus
name" or "Eyes be opened in Jesus name". You then listen for
what God might be saying as you do this. Somewhere in the procedure you might
ask "What can you see.." and they might say "Nothing" or
"Its blurry" and you keep praying until either the see clearly or
there is no improvement. You then give post-prayer instructions as the Lord
leads. Here is an example of this in the Bible:
(Mark
8:22-26 NKJV) Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him,
and begged Him to touch him. {23} So He took the blind man by the hand and led
him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him,
He asked him if he saw anything. {24} And he looked up and said, "I see
men like trees, walking." {25} Then He put His hands on his eyes again and
made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. {26} Then He
sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell
anyone in the town."
John
Wimber's Technique (From his book Power Healing) based on spiritual perception.
John
Wimber's technique is considerably more complicated than mine and takes into
account factors such as unforgiveness and "the real reason" why
people are sick. The problem I have with it is that I don't see Jesus telling
people that the "real reason they are sick is because they have a poor relationship
with their mother" or "your arthritis is caused by bitterness".
This may very well be so because we are creatures of body, soul and spirit but
I am reluctant to do this because a) Its very powerful psychologically and may
create a "guru" mentality b) Jesus just heals them c) I could be
horribly wrong d)It requires a lot of tact. However, John Wimber is FAR more
experienced than I am at healing so I'm including it for what it is worth.
1. The
Interview - Where does it hurt? What's wrong?
2. The
Diagnostic Decision - What's really wrong? What's the cause of the illness? Ask
God to reveal it. Ask questions.
3. The
Prayer Selection - How should I pray in this situation? Wimber talks about
prayers of petition, command, pronouncement, rebuke and agreement. The prayer
of agreement is where you get others to agree with you for the healing and it
helps add authority and power to the battle. (Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV)
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything
that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. {20} "For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of
them."
4. The
Prayer Engagement - Wimber lays his hands on the person (or, in the case of
sensitive areas on top of the person's hands which are placed over the
afflicted area). He then prays "Holy Spirit come and minister healing to
this person". A wide variety of possible responses and reactions are
reported in his book including trembling, laughing and shaking. If a demon manifests
the person is taken to a side room and the demon is dealt with. The prayer
engagement continues until there is a sense that it is over.
5.
Post-Prayer Instructions - Just as Jesus said "Go and sin no more"
(John 8:11) and (John 5:14 NKJV) Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and
said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse
thing come upon you." So Wimber exhorts people to holiness and gives them
instructions on how to keep their healing or pursue its completion.
Books
There are
hundreds of books on healing. I have read a dozen or more. Here are two
excellent books on healing that I think are the best in the field (other than
this one!). The second one is marvellous but may be hard to get hold of.
John
Wimber - Power Healing , London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1987
Harold Taylor - Sent To Heal, Ringwood: Order of St. Luke The Physician, 1993
John Edmiston
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