faith healers

anyone who says that because someone is in a wheel chair or dying of cancer it means that they don't have faith is a liar.

Faith and prayer can heal I would distrust anyone who makes that the main message of their gospel. It's much more important to be saved and Spiritually healthy, than physcially healthy. Even faith healers are gonna die eventually.

PEace to all who seek it,
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If you are healed by the intervention of the Holy Spirit, wonderful! There definitely is such a thing as divine healing.

I wouldn't bet my LIFE on beng healed, though. God gave us brains, and we have modern medicine and surgeons and chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Science gives us what would have been considered to be miracles 100 years ago.

IF God has a purpose for you to be healed, then it will happen. But everything is for His use, not ours.

Some faith healing is legitimate. And some is a terrible racket, using gullible people and a crowd frenzy. This has been terribly exploited by people who just want to make a buck.

My personal interpretation is to worship God, and see a doctor.


Peace be with you,
~VOW

I think it's funny when they say, "You're healed!" and then push the ill person on the forehead so they fall on the floor [THUD!]. Therefore it is a "miracle." Faith healers do that to the more stubborn ill people who won't just naturally fall at their "magical" touch.

With a grain of salt, that's how I take it.

I agree that it is most important that we have spiritual health, not physical. I also believe that we should use modern medicine, as it is a result of the intelligence that God gave us. Of course, weapons are too, but medicine helps to preserve God's creation. Still, I believe that along with the medicinal help, we should still pray for healing.

Like so many areas, this is something where a real, true and valid part of the Christian heritage is brought into disrepute by the abuses of a prominent minority. If you read the Gospels, the Acts, and some of the Epistles, it is clear that God is in the business of healing folk through faith in Jesus Christ. Healings and Miracles were almost common place in the early Church. And, given half a chance, he still heals folk today - I have several close friends who would probably not be alive today if someone had not prayed for their healing, and have some minor testimonies myself.

However, showmanship is a long way from the true spirit of Christ. Sometimes God heals folk dispite the would-be healer - because the sick person has faith in Him and not in the mumbo-jumbo. Sometimes some folk need some dramatic 'gesture' to catch their attention and raise their expectations! But, quite often, healing takes place in a very low-key, sensitive and private way.

But some of the more OTT, emotionalistic approaches border on the abusive. In particular the implication - or outright accusation - that failure to 'receive your healing' must come from defective faith or unconfessed sin has no precedent in the recorded ministry of Christ and his Apostles.

Anthony

Also...

I think there's an important distinction to be drawn between 'faith healing' (which could imply that it is the faith that heals, irrespective of God - indeed some 'faith healers' are from non-christian religions) and 'divine healing', where the emphasis is on the One from whom healing comes, rather than on the guy up front exercising his faith!

Anthony

"But some of the more OTT, emotionalistic approaches border on the abusive. In particular the implication - or outright accusation - that failure to 'receive your healing' must come from defective faith or unconfessed sin has no precedent in the recorded ministry of Christ and his Apostles."
I agree wholeheartedly, and when it comes to Peter Popoff and Benny Hinn, I have an award for them. . .
http://home.earthlink.net/~tzt/quack.gif

I tend to look at the motivation of the faith "healer." If it is for God's purposes, then it is more credible. If it is for the healer's purposes, I see it as fake.

The term "Faith healers" actually refer to the con-artist healers of the Philippines. where there's supposedly invasive surgery, lots of blood and they pull some organic stuff out.

I believe you are refering to "divine healing" or gifts of healings. Does that exist and work today? Of course, just as in the New Testament. Many last-stage cancer patients have been miraculously healed in my church. and we have medical reports to prove it. We even have 2 Aids patients healed, supernatural conception etc.

Physical healing not important? To me it is. My body IS the temple of God where his Spirit lives, so it behoves me to keep it in good shape, whether by means of regular medical checkups, diet, exercise or faith for divine health. how can I serve Him better if I'm sick half the time?

The "healers" in the Philippines? That one gets my award again!
Those men are total frauds, using sleight-of hand. They have no powers, the blood they display is betel nut juice or animal blood and the "internal organs" they display are chicken's livers and intestines.

God still heals today, nevertheless, MANY abuse this principle and turn it into a literal cash cow.
Remember Peter Popoff and his radio reciever?
Remember Robert Tilton and his "make a vow of $1,000 to save your relatives and heal your diseases." ?
I think it is better to ask God to heal directly rather than to seek divine healing through a popular "healer."
God healed me, so I believe in divine healing.
However in medicine, we admit that there are quacks in the field and try our best to avoid them.
Should we not be even more careful of quacks in the spiritual?

Just a few off the top of my head

1. by His stripes ye were healed 1pet2:24
2. these signs shall follow those that believe...they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover Mark16
3. ask believing and you shall have it mark11:23-24
4. wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers 3jn

Many Others:
www.bereanonline.com

I agree wholeheartedly, and when it comes to Peter Popoff and Benny Hinn, I have an award for them. . .

I do not endorse Benny Hinn,&nbsp; I don't read his stuff or watch his show, because of the controversy over his ministry. But a well know man in the community was healed while watching Hinn on T.V., this man was left crippled in one leg from a stroke. The doctors had declared him disabled, anyway everyone in town knows this man and what happened to him. He was watching a Christian station one day while he was doing some laundry. As Benny Hinn was coming on, he got up to leave thinking I don't need to be watching this guy, but the Holy Spirit said go back and pray with this guy. He did and was healed instantly, his crippled leg straightened out and he is fine.????????????????????????


As I recall everytime Jesus healed someone, His comment was something like "your faith has healed you", Roman centerioun being a good example...regardless I do believe we have to believe we can be healed and stand in faith for our healing...I truly believe God wants us all to walk in perfect health, but there are factors that come into play in us recieving that healing...for example: a smoker of say 30-40 years knowing the harmful effects of smoking asking to be healed of lung cancer, not that God won't extend mercy, but you see my point..

Originally posted by gwyyn
I was wondering what everyone's take is on 'faith healers'? You know the guys who lay their hands on someones head and makes the person fall to the ground in a trance. I'm not to sure of those guys, myself.

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quote: " But a well know man in the community was healed while watching Hinn on T.V."

And there are many others. Praise the Lord!

Just a friendly warning...

my uncle went to so called "faith healers" in the 60's to try and cure his depression. They were not christians as far as we were aware. Now his children and their spouses are suffereing from severe illness after severe illness with no obvious cause or cure. "The sins of the fathers...." take care not to mistake christian healers for those who practice other arts, because you can land up with far more problems than you began with.

There used to be a group about that time who called themselves faith healers and went about under the name of the white brotherhood, someone I know got very involved with them, he said they meditated on a man they called John the brother of Jesus and his teaching. As he got higher up into their group he eventually discovered that they were satanists and used the power of deamons to "heal"

It took him many many years to get it out of his system and sort out his confusion, they had tricked him in to thinking it was a church, but as he was only a nominal christian when he got involved he couldnt tell the difference until he was born again.

i definitely believe that people can be cured from their own faith, and from laying on of hands. but, i think the majority of times, it's more of a show. i do know of people that got healed. a girl that had cancert got healed at a revival close by my town about a year ago. and there are a few people at my church who have been healed. this great lady at my church, whose family i adore, was in an accident, and her all the bones in her ear got crushed and all this, and she was deaf in one ear, and the doctors said there was no way she would ever be able to hear again. well, around fifteen years later (around a year ago) she got prayed over, and over the course of around three weeks, she got her hearing back in complete. she went to the doctor, and they couldn't explain it, because medically she shouldn't have been able to hear still. also, a young girl at my church got prayed over. she wasn't at church, but at dinner at one of the church member's house, and some of the elders were there and prayed over her. and well, she had broken her leg a few days before, and they prayed over her and she was healed instantly, and they actually took the cast off her, and once again, the doctors had no explanation the next day. anyway, i think things like these are wonderful, and really encouraging. i don't think you should just trust things like that, i mean, modern medicine is a wonderful thing, and should definitely be used, but things like this are just great! anyway, those are a couple of examples of times these healings have been legit, and to people i know.

-katie

Originally posted by jimigold


Well didn't Jesus, himself critisize "those hypocrites".
In the gospels he was referring to the people who stood on street corners who shouted prayers out, or who very publicly gave money to charity.

He called them 'hypocrites' and he said that all charity giving should be done in secret. Actually that's irrelevant, but he did critisize people who only did these things for the crowd.

In short: Don't do it. It is wrong!

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jesus wasn't necessarily saying don't do these things at all, but to not do them for the same reasons these people were doing them. they were doing them for selfish reasons, merely trying to get attention. it's more of the reason behind it that matters. if you're doing this genuinely, and not to put on a show or for attention, this is a great thing.

-katie

Originally posted by coolhandluke


jesus wasn't necessarily saying don't do these things at all, but to not do them for the same reasons these people were doing them. they were doing them for selfish reasons, merely trying to get attention. it's more of the reason behind it that matters. if you're doing this genuinely, and not to put on a show or for attention, this is a great thing.

-katie

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Yes that was what i meant. Sorry if i was unclear.

There are people who just simply yell out to the world how great they are saying thngs like "look at me i'm giving money to charity" or "Hey Everyone, look at what a great guy i am by doing this/that/other"

Jesus did critisize them and call them "hypocrites"

It is perfectly fine to do these things as long as you are not doing it to be popular or to win the crowd. If you are doing it because it is Gods will, it is for God or because personally you feel you should then that's great!

To be honest i have never seen a faith healer on TV or in person (not a lot of that in the UK) but from what i've heard i can imagine that they are pretty "hypocritical" as Jesus would say.

I definitely believe that people can be healed by the power of God, just like i believe that God can do anything.

Hope that cleared it up

Originally posted by jimigold


Yes that was what i meant. Sorry if i was unclear.

There are people who just simply yell out to the world how great they are saying thngs like "look at me i'm giving money to charity" or "Hey Everyone, look at what a great guy i am by doing this/that/other"

Jesus did critisize them and call them "hypocrites"

It is perfectly fine to do these things as long as you are not doing it to be popular or to win the crowd. If you are doing it because it is Gods will, it is for God or because personally you feel you should then that's great!

To be honest i have never seen a faith healer on TV or in person (not a lot of that in the UK) but from what i've heard i can imagine that they are pretty "hypocritical" as Jesus would say.

I definitely believe that people can be healed by the power of God, just like i believe that God can do anything.

Hope that cleared it up

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opps, sorry. misunderstood.