Healing as a command

[MikeBigg]

I question why such believers aren't walking the halls of the hospitals and laying hands on those with ...

Never have I witnessed a born-again Christian called into a healing ministry, ever present in any hospital at any time. Not Benny Hinn, not Kenneth Copeland, not (in his lifetime) Smith Wigglesworth, Bosworth, Osbourne, Oral Roberts, Ernest Angsley, Kenneth Hagin, etc. etc. etc. That to me is their mission field, not a progression of teleevangelistic enterprises that establishes their personal wealth.

You make a good point. It seems that many/most (famous) healing evangelists work from a church setting. I think this is ok as there are sick people in the church who need healing.

I did hear Ian Andrews give an account of someone who got healed of cancer and did go round some cancer wards in Japan (iirc) and saw many healed of their cancers. If I'm right, this guy was invited into hospitals by the doctors to pray for people.

The Bible tells us that Jesus healed all who came to Him (certainly in one town at least). In Acts 5 it says the disciple healed all who came to them (again in that one situation). Is this how we should be working? Waiting for people to come to us before we pray?

A contemporary example is the healing rooms initiative - Bill Johnson's church in Redding, Ca are claiming 70% of those coming to them with cancer are being healed.

During the Azuza Street revival, the healings took place largely at the building in Azuza Street. If you wanted to be healed that's where you went.

Is why going to hospitals isn't the right thing to do?

On the other hand, Jesus sent the 12 and the 72, and then us in the Great Commission with the word "go".

I have considered contacting my local hospital. I have seen good results for a particular type of healing and was thinking of offering to pray for some patients with that condition. I'm not sure if its fear of failure, fear of man, or a restraint from God, but it doesn't feel right.

Here's another aspect to the hospital thing - I have heard that in the US, New Age healers and Reiki healers can and do go to hospitals. The hospitals require some form of qualification for them the practice.

In the UK, there is a homeless charity that, over Christmas, recruits volunteers to help the homeless in London. They look for general assistance and people with specific skills, like driving, cooking, medicine, etc. One of the specific skills was new age healing and again qualifications were required.

I only know of one Christian healing pracitioner qualification - Global Awakening (Randy Clark) do one, partly in response to a qualification being needed to go into hospitals.

It is an interesting subject. It seems to me that some parts of the church are re-discovering the power of God in relation to healing. As we grow in the understanding and faith, maybe, just maybe some will start going to hospitals and the like.

Mike

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Well no doubt there were medical facilities in Jesus' day, but theres no where in the Word that says Jesus came to the hospital and healed them all, they came to Him. Even in the Apostles walking and preaching, they did not go to hospitals but they used healing as a means to practically minister to individuals so to verify the gospel message. I don't think going to hospitals is unbiblical, as God can heal whoever, wherever they are, but I do not believe that is thr norm. Doctors and medicine are a means of God healing us, even though we tend not to view it that way, and of course hospitals are full of those two items.

 

[MikeBigg]

Doctors and medicine are a means of God healing us

I was with you all the way until this lol

There were doctors in the Bible - Luke was one. There is no account of Jesus saying to a sick person "see that guy over there, that's my friend Luke, he's got some ointment that will sort you out".

Much of the "healing" that is done in hospitals is not healing at all - much of it is removing the problem by amputation. Ask the woman who had a dual mastectomy whether she was healed or not.

I was at a meeting last weekend talking to a woman who had had a tumour the size of a tennis ball on her neck. As people prayed for her, the tumour just disappeared. That happened 15 years ago and she is still cancer free.

That's what God's healings look like. And there are many accounts like hers.

Another example is diabetes. Doctors don't cure diabetes, they just help the patient control it. When God heals diabetes, the requirement to control it is removed.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for doctors and modern medicine, but I don't think they heal as much as people think, and I don't think the glory goes to God.

Kind regards,

Mike

 

[CGL1023]

When we read through the Gospels and come across accounts where Jesus sent out His 12 disciples (even the 72 in Luke 10) we see He tells them to preach the gospel and heal the sick and cast out demons....

Now I've heard many times preachers preach that we should share the gospel with others and they cite those passages as proof, but they never, ever mention the other half of the equation which is a command given to us by the Lord, HEAL the sick and CAST OUT demons when the gospel is preached.

Now I believe the purpose of those manifestations of the Lord's power are to confirm the Word and express in a practical way God's Love for us, but what do you think?

They are commands, that is undeniable. It doesn't say if you feel like it, or if your hands feel anointed, it says to heal the sick and cast out demons when you preach the gospel.

So also why do you feel this isn't taught anymore, or atleast I haven't heard healing and "exorcism" being taught as commands, just a couple of manifestations in a couple dozen that the Holy Spirit gives us.

I am taught on this subject by a pastor that has a healing line at every service and considers healing and deliverance as commands. She is huge into the gifts of the Spirit. She has so built my confidence that I think I can receive the gift of healing, faith and discernment of spirits, which I hugely desire. That is my goal going forward. I am starting late but feeling blessed for having the opportunity.

I conclude that this subject has not been taught well, past or present, in the US; why, I don't know. I would go so far as to conjecture that is why the churches of today are using every trick in the book to get people into these huge churches. They use professional musicians and media teams to give the people an experience when they come on Sunday. The church leaders know that they have to bring people into the kingdom but don't have the tools today that they had in the church of Acts. They cannot give the the people of today what the people of first century were given. Recall Peter saying to the crippled man, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength."(Acts 3:6-7) Maybe a better example is in Act 5:14-16, "And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 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."

 

[alancrookham]

You must be looking in the wrong circle of churches then! There are huge movements in the body of Christ that take Jesus' command to heal and cast out demons as just that, a command that is for every believer, and expected to be a regular part of our lives. I prayed for a man with arthritis in his hands and feet just a couple of days ago, and have seen God heal dozens of people of all kinds of things. I had a woman's broken ankle bones instantly heal right in my hands at a crusade I was speaking at not long ago. Healing is for every believer, and for right now!

 

[Willie T]

When we read through the Gospels and come across accounts where Jesus sent out His 12 disciples (even the 72 in Luke 10) we see He tells them to preach the gospel and heal the sick and cast out demons....

Now I've heard many times preachers preach that we should share the gospel with others and they cite those passages as proof, but they never, ever mention the other half of the equation which is a command given to us by the Lord, HEAL the sick and CAST OUT demons when the gospel is preached.

Now I believe the purpose of those manifestations of the Lord's power are to confirm the Word and express in a practical way God's Love for us, but what do you think?

They are commands, that is undeniable. It doesn't say if you feel like it, or if your hands feel anointed, it says to heal the sick and cast out demons when you preach the gospel.

So also why do you feel this isn't taught anymore, or atleast I haven't heard healing and "exorcism" being taught as commands, just a couple of manifestations in a couple dozen that the Holy Spirit gives us.

I had to chuckle when I read this. It was some time ago, but I used to attend a church like you are talking about. Not sure some of the people there even knew how to spell the word, heal.

It's only taught at our congregation once or twice a month... because the rest of the time, most of us are out somewhere doing it.

 

[HeartOnFire]

When we read through the Gospels and come across accounts where Jesus sent out His 12 disciples (even the 72 in Luke 10) we see He tells them to preach the gospel and heal the sick and cast out demons....

Now I've heard many times preachers preach that we should share the gospel with others and they cite those passages as proof, but they never, ever mention the other half of the equation which is a command given to us by the Lord, HEAL the sick and CAST OUT demons when the gospel is preached.

Now I believe the purpose of those manifestations of the Lord's power are to confirm the Word and express in a practical way God's Love for us, but what do you think?

They are commands, that is undeniable. It doesn't say if you feel like it, or if your hands feel anointed, it says to heal the sick and cast out demons when you preach the gospel.

So also why do you feel this isn't taught anymore, or atleast I haven't heard healing and "exorcism" being taught as commands, just a couple of manifestations in a couple dozen that the Holy Spirit gives us.

I think you hit the nail on the head! This is very much avoided in most churches or simply not understood. God commanded healing and casting out demons just as much as witnessing. In fact they were supposed to go hand in hand! God wants us to save everyone we can and the word he uses "Sozo" means saved, prospered, healed and deliverd! Most people or churches only focus on the saved going to heaven part. I appreciate your boldness to say this and think you made a keen observation Thanks for saying that.

 

[ToBeBlessed]

When we read through the Gospels and come across accounts where Jesus sent out His 12 disciples (even the 72 in Luke 10) we see He tells them to preach the gospel and heal the sick and cast out demons....

Now I've heard many times preachers preach that we should share the gospel with others and they cite those passages as proof, but they never, ever mention the other half of the equation which is a command given to us by the Lord, HEAL the sick and CAST OUT demons when the gospel is preached.

Isn't it called 'Deliverance' today? I thought this was the term they are using.

I think this 'Deliverance' ministry is kind of scary. A bunch of people walking around telling each other they have demons and casting them out of each other. There is a demon for everything. Name it and claim it demonology.

We know from the bible that they expelled demons from the possessed. I think it removes the focus from God and His healing. Prayer and fasting.

I think it's very experiential now, faith and our walk with God. Is He telling us to drive out demons? Or is it us pursing a gift or power that we would like to have?

Just my opinion, don't shoot!

 

[ToBeBlessed]

You must be looking in the wrong circle of churches then! There are huge movements in the body of Christ that take Jesus' command to heal and cast out demons as just that, a command that is for every believer, and expected to be a regular part of our lives. I prayed for a man with arthritis in his hands and feet just a couple of days ago, and have seen God heal dozens of people of all kinds of things. I had a woman's broken ankle bones instantly heal right in my hands at a crusade I was speaking at not long ago. Healing is for every believer, and for right now!

What I find interesting is that most people that are trying to heal, practice on their own congregation. I would assume these people, in the congregation are also being prayed for and receiving some kind of medical intervention also.

Seems to me like a wham-bam-thankyou-mam kind of thing. Like 'Yeah' I healed you. Then never check with the person again or how do you know what the person would tell you.

I would have a hard time letting a brother/sister down by telling them I was not healed.

I also wonder why they are not in hospitals are in some ministry that allows them to be around sick/disabled individuals. Seems their faith may be in question if they believe they have a gift, but never venture out.