When Jesus heals, it is not because I am good or otherwise, but because he Himself is doing his ministry to you individually, which is his love to you, His ministry.
Healing History
In the 1920’s (perhaps earlier) the Episcopalian churches across the city’s cathedrals in Australia had 20 bishops sign a document that divine healing is a necessary part of church life. Healing was observable. For all ages, there are those who actively stand in the way of healing services and teaching.
F. F. Bosworth comments that healing is a normal and expected part of church life, as seen in Acts, and that it is evidenced in those Churches where families have healing as part of their life, ministers uphold it, and elders take it in good stead. From this positioning, its reality is also with agreement of parishioners. How have we lost this essential part of Christ’s ministry to us? It is meant to be normal as certainly as preaching salvation is normal. And, in its place, we are bombarded with radicalism and non-comprehension of the experience and principles of healing. This radicalism only displays disconnect in relationship with others and people’s own families.
For example, at a coffee get together, the wife of a well known Christian leader said he would not allow her to attend a healing service. She was sad about this as was I.
Jesus is the one who searches the Churches as stated in the bible’s book of Revelations. Do we therefore judge ourselves to see if we are on track or going off track? The man who stays off track typically pushes other people to agree with them. We really do not like anger responses when we question someone. However, I do not know of a significant number of Churches teaching their congregations about healing. If the lay are taught to be critical in spirit, (as opposed to careful right judgement) then parts of the ministry the Lord offers by default are suffering with absence of some kind.
Administrative Church meetings are usually for administration, not for accountability of how the flock is being shepherded. Subtle or obvious false teachings, or absence of content continues as a result. If someone commits an illegal act, there is more likelihood for a swift response, but not so with teachings that look like good fresh apples that are poisoned on the inside. A bad teaching, especially when escalating with influence, has underlying spiritual conditions attached.
People are suffering extensively in the absence of healing ministry. Those who seek it, often testify of going outside their regular Churches to find healing, and many have. This does not mean we have instantaneous healing on all things, or that people do not get deeply upset when they hope for healing and do not get it in a healing meeting. Kathryn Kuhlman felt this pain when she was younger when standing at the back of a healing service. I know this pain too. I have also seen people come to meetings knowing afterwards they are going home to soon die. This is in-depth pain, so the subject of healing is not flippant or simple.
Regardless, God is always actively present with us.
While pain exists as a real and horrid condition, for now we at least realise it will one day be entirely absent. We will fully appreciate that contrast.
So I return to the question, that if healing is so vital, and people run to it, why do the majority of Churches not lovingly provide for it? One may say it does, as Churches have prayer lists read out at Sunday services. While this is good, it is not what we are looking for for the ministry. As said, if various conditions are by nature against the work of the Holy Spirit (who heals our mortal bodies – Romans 8) then people will not be looking for it, believing it, or seeing it.
I have seen negative attitudes develop. “Healing no longer occurs.” “Did your healing last?” “I don’t believe you.” This opposing position comes from somewhere, from various sources. Antagonism can be one response. The fact a person is not aware of being antagonistic is enough to show there is a problem at bay.
At another end of the scale, we find people fanatical about healing. So, if you are prayed for and not healed, you are at fault, you did not have enough faith. I didn’t know I could put faith onto my kitchen scales and weigh it.
Healing generally takes place if people persist – it is not possible to have longer-term healing meetings and not have healings occur.
Healings I have personally seen have come about through personal defeat, or where the Church is caring. Around age 20, I was extremely ill. No one had an answer. The Lord so impressed upon me to go to a Church I knew in New Zealand. Who goes to another country when they are so ill? I went. The illness reached a point where one morning I agreed with God it was time for me to die and go home. Immediately after this, I was told the minister and elders were wanting to pray for me in that morning’s service. I went to the altar rail. The elders were quite young. The minister used a healing service from his Anglican book of services. He, his wife, the elders lay hands on me while I knelt, and anointed me with oil. As a stood up and started to turn around, I was completely healed. Many decades later I was a bit scared of another medical condition so I asked the Lord if this illness had come back. The Lord quickly and clearly let me know it would never come back, it was completely gone.
This is only one example of healing, but we see the sincerity and belief in healing. The minister was fairly young and said he of course believed in healing, and was part of the Church ministry to provide.
When we move into an interest in healing, we have a long journey ahead of us. People will say all sorts of things, but there is supporting consensus among those you will meet. Examples of incorrect teaching – you only pray once, or only to the Father. If you are not healed after a specified time such as a year, you must no longer pray. You must have sinned so badly for God to have punished you like this. All these statements are completely false. So, it is an interesting endeavour.
Healing is related to all aspects of our lives, either longer-term or more dynamic, including what we never expected. The Apostle Paul asks us to focus our lives on the Spirit. This will be part of our journey. I have seen where the Holy Spirit has been mocked by those who do not, who for some reason continued their abusive behaviour, inventing and spreading untruthful ideas about others, or who would be exposed if they did believe. It all comes back to the source of our decisions or what aspects of our lives need healing to bring us into more sound wholeness.
Divine Healing
Divine healing is under Christ’s authority. It appears to be more present in geographic areas that see it as part of their Church life, as normal. One country can have more healings than another, which suggests a spiritual state. Healing is manifest a lot during true revivals. How could it be otherwise if we are brought into the presence of God’s glory.
All was created through Christ. Just as the Lord commanded nature, demons or anything else, there is no incongruity in commanding healing. The problems we face are with misunderstood ideas and actions. For instance, someone raises their voice and says, “Be healed” and the person is not. We have examples where a person is prayed for from afar during a prayer meeting, and the person in hospital suddenly feels a distinct change and the medical condition is gone. It is absent, not just healed.
We grow in the Kingdom of God as we develop in our sanctification and consecration. It is a responsibility of some to pray for healing in the Body of Christ, but we also pray privately. For example, a skin condition that hung on for 25 years one day was permanently gone. Winter colds and flu were far less frequent or limited. Sinus pain when flying, gone. Attending hospital and feeling the Lord’s presence along with speedy care and testing when normally this would not happen. On the way to hospital for emergency with a phone call en-route to divert to another location. These are simplistic examples when considering the enormity of what our Savior is doing.
We have many testimonies of parents praying for their children. I listened to a friend where overseas authorities would have imprisoned him for a mistake without a miracle. All this serves to show God is interested in our situations, so why deride it? It also shows that while healing has depth and various principles we see from time to time, it is not a formula, it cannot be demanded. We must move with the Spirit, even though by grace things do suddenly happen.
The Lord is our High Priest. Healing is meant to be in our experience not only for our active salvation while here, but so we develop our spiritual life and awareness of the Lord’s Kingdom and who we are.
Often I have seen where people are curious, trying out a healing service, then go away. I had one healing that was critical to my life that occurred after nine months of prayer with others. I know of a person who took forty years to receive healing which occurred immediately after forgiving someone.
There are people who instead of coming to the Lord for help will race off to meetings for demonic knowledge (acknowledged as such.)
We must state over and over again, the Lord is in our hospitals. Mankind benefits by good things such as correct use of medicine. There is an indoctrination that goes around where people refuse medical help, causing great sorrow to family members, and to their own person with prolonged pain or even death. Our bodies can only tolerate a certain level of pain before debilitation or inhumane agony. This does not mean a GP cannot make a mistake, just as a dentist can. We should be grateful for the medical and clinical professions.
As we minister in healing, we develop our faith and love for each other as a family. We function. This is not a “name it and claim it” faith. We learn further compassion for the realities of life around us.
We should want healing. The Lord’s healing, is foundational.
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