I received an e-mail note one-day from a pastor. I had just recently preached at his church. He told me the following story. Fran (not her real name) came forward for prayer in our meeting and had only one of two lungs that functioned. As we prayed God opened her lung and she could breathe. The next day, her doctor confirmed that this was a miracle. This was not the only healing that occurred in that meeting, but it excited the pastor the most. The reason was that this was only Fran's second time at his church. She was a non-believer. She did not respond to the call for salvation that morning, however she did respond to the call for healing. After this healing the pastor was able to lead her into a relationship with Christ.
In this lesson we will focus on one specific aspect of healing ministry. This aspect is the aspect of evangelism. There are many purposes for which we should seek to become healers of mankind. It demonstrates the love of the Heavenly Father for His children. It manifests the Kingdom of God through the lives of believers. It is part of the covenant blessings of God in our loves.
In this lesson, I want to focus on the effect of healing ministry on the lives of unbelievers. One of the reasons I want to continue to be used in the gifts of healing and miracles is because of the impact it has when combined with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the Power of God unto Salvation.
The Good News plus God's Power make a strong case for following Christ. The gift of healing when coupled with a clear presentation of the Good News is a powerful combination to win unbelievers to Christ. We could liken this combination to that of a lawyer presenting his case to a jury. The presentation of the gospel is the facts of the case. The healing power of God is the evidence. This has been the pattern throughout the Old and New Testaments. And as we shall see later this was also the pattern in the life of the evangelist Philip.
Every Believer Is An Evangelist
Let me make clear from the outset that I am not talking about some elite group of people here. It is not just those who are called to the office of evangelist who are called to evangelism. Each believer is called to make other believers. Each disciple is called to disciple. Healing is another tool that can be used to confirm the message of the gospel. Jesus died for our sickness in the same manner that He died for our sin. Therefore healing cannot be separated from the gospel. It is an inseparable part of the gospel.
The Power Follows The Preaching
When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples, He gave them the following instructions, recorded in Matt 10:7-8: "As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (NIV)"
After Jesus was moved with Compassion, He assembled His disciples and sent them out with clear instructions. Preach the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper and drive our demons.
These were things that all of his disciples were commanded and empowered to do. He did not tell some of them to be the preachers. He did not commission some with special healing ministries. He did not sanction only a few to specialize in raising the dead. He did not ordain a commando team of demon chasers. He told all of them to do all these things.
Preach, heal, raise cleanse, and drive out. These are all commands and actions. They are not some kind of order or level of spiritual power. If you can preach the kingdom, then you can heal the sick. If you can heal the sick, you can raise the dead. If you can raise the dead then you can cleanse the leper. If you can cleanse the leper, then you can drive out demons. If you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom is working through your life then it should be expressing itself not just through words, but through actions. This is exactly what the disciples did. They proclaimed a message and backed it up with power. Luke 9:6 says, "So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere." (NIV)
Thank God we are seeing a restoration of the power of the message of the gospel with signs following. When the church operates fully in this power. We will see cities and nations won to Christ.
Miracles Make Believers Out Of Unbelievers
Throughout history God has used miracles, signs and wonders, including healing to get the attention of unbelievers. He awakens His unbelieving children with miracles as He did with the nation of Israel; He will awaken a slumbering and religious church with His power.
Isaiah 29:13-14, "The Lord says: 'These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." (NIV)
He will also convince the most unbelieving skeptic that He is real. Reasoning and rationalizing will not do this. This will not be done by scientific proof. It will be through word and deed. A clear presentation of the Gospel, followed by a clear demonstration of the gifts.
Dead Man Walking
The most powerful demonstration of healing and miracles I can imagine is the raising of the dead. This clearly requires the gift of miracles and the gift of healing. Not only does the person have to be brought back to life. They also have to be cured of what caused the death in the first place. In almost every instance of this miracle in the Bible, the result was unbelievers became believers. We see this in the ministry of Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, Peter and Paul. The most notable case is that of Elijah the prophet, who in this case acts a little like an evangelist.
God has sent a famine in the land of Israel through the words of Elijah the prophet. As a result God sent Elijah to a neighboring nation to be sustained miraculously by a widow in the city of Zarephath. Now Zarapheth was not in Israel. In fact Jesus mentions that there were many widows in Israel at the time of the famine but God did not sent Elijah to any of them. Instead He sent Elijah to a pagan nation, to an unbelieving widow. Through this series of events we see God's plan to reach in pagan environments with His miraculous and healing power.
I King 17:17-18, "Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" (NIV)
We see here that this woman had a son, who became ill and eventually died. This woman was so full of unbelief that she blamed Elijah for the death of her son. This doesn't sound like the optimal environment for healing ministry to take place. I can just imagine Elijah saying, "How can I work a miracle with such unbelief?" Can you turn on a worship CD and get the atmosphere in here to be conducive to healing? No! Of course that wasn't his approach. In fact, it seems as if Elijah thrived on opposition. It seems as if his faith swelled when the faith of others failed. And through his faith alone a healing miracle takes place and this unbelieving woman becomes a believer.
I King 17:22-24, "The Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, 'Look, your son is alive!' Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.'" (NIV)
After the boy was healed and returned to his mother, she became a believer. She understood that the power of God was working through Elijah. She believed his words because of this power. Remember this concept because we shall see it again.
Healing Knows No Economic Boundaries
The previous example was one of God's healing power causing a poor widow to believe. Some times people with wealth and influence can be more difficult the reach with the gospel. Many times, it is the "down-and-out" that are more open to the change and repentance necessary for salvation. The "up-and-out" may feel more self-sufficient or may feel they have other options. Healing ministry may be a tool in this case.
One day a woman of substance came to Jesus with great desperation and received healing. We see this in Mark 5:25-29. "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." (NIV)
This woman obviously had great wealth and because of it had a great many options. She had seen many doctors. No doubt this had been costly. It was not until her substance ran dry, she had spend all that she had, that she was open to the ministry of Christ. Her need for healing ministry was what caused her to come to Christ.
More on Healing and Evangelistic Style
The Politician With A Problem
In the book of 2 Kings, we find the story of a wealthy and powerful man. This man was a politician in a nation who did not believe in the one true God, but worshipped many gods. His spiritual journey led him to a change in his believe system. However, he did not set out on his journey to receive the knowledge of the one true God, he commenced his search in order to find physical healing.
II Kings 5:1,9-10,14 says, "Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded... He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, 'Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.' So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy." (NIV)
Namaam was obviously a man of great import and resource. The King of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel on his behalf, this proves his influence. He came to Israel with a caravan and eventually offered the prophet money and possessions in exchange for his healing. This suggests that he had substantial wealth.
Despite his influence and wealth, it was his physical need that caused him to come to Elisha for help. It was the gift of healing, through the working of a miracle that convince him of the existence of the one true God. He is converted because of the healing power of God. This conversion is recorded in II kings 5:15, "Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, 'Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.'"
Perhaps you know of someone who is closed to the gospel. It could be they feel that they have no need for "religion", viewing it as a spiritual crutch. The gift of healing may just be the key to open the door to a relationship with Christ.
City and Regional Transformation Through Healing
There are currently many wonderful ministries worldwide that spread the gospel through the use of the healing and miraculous. My opinion is that we will see many more such ministries raised up like these in the near future. While every believer is called to evangelize and is equipped with the gift if healing, some will be called to impact regions and nations with the gospel. Philip was such an evangelist.
Acts 8:5-8 describes his ministry. "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city." (NIV)
I believe Philip is a example of what twenty-first century evangelism should look like. His is the primary biblical pattern for New Testament evangelism. He followed the instruction that Jesus gave when He sent out His disciples. Preach the kingdom, heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. As result, the entire city was transformed, and there was great joy!
Healing Ministry, A Non-Negotiable
Some would instruct us today the leave the healing ministry out of the gospel. I attended a major evangelism conference where healing ministry was held in contempt or considered to be a negotiable part of the gospel message. Evangelists were urged to "keep the main thing, the main thing." The "main thing" being the proclamation of the gospel. This has become the norm, especially in our western style of evangelism. Why is this the case when biblical evangelism clearly contained both the presentation and demonstration of the gospel?
My opinion is that the healing movement that swept America in the 1940s and 1950s paved the way for a healing generation of this millennium. At that time, God raised up evangelists who were powerfully equipped with spiritual gifts of healing. They saw many thousands saved and healed. However, in some of the ministries character issues arose and personal weakness were exposed. As a result, many of these ministries were cut short. Additionally, there was little teaching that empowered Christians who were not called to mass evangelism or proclamation ministry to operate in these gifts. Since that time, most major evangelistic ministries that were raised up avoided the healing gifts or held them in contempt. This has been a great loss to the church and the cause of evangelism.
The time for healing ministry in evangelism to rise again has come. Twenty first century evangelism will be a proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. God will raise up new evangelists equipped with the skill of preaching and power like Philip. Also Christians will be taught and equipped to share their faith and demonstrate the power of God through healing. The proclamation and demonstration of the gospel through healing ministry will transform nations, cities, schools, factories and offices.
Healing Ministry Takes Various Forms
I come from a long line of do-it-yourselfers. My grandfather used to lock himself in the garage for days disassembling and then re-assembling his Ford, without a diagram. As a kid, I watched my dad do everything from laying down concrete to nailing down roofing shingles. He never needed an instruction manual. Needless to say, I have inherited this uncanny ability to do things without assistance. I travel thousands of miles each year by car and I never need a map. Neither do I stop and ask for directions. I never get lost. Just ask my wife. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't mention it to her. I don't think she recognizes my gift. Sometimes she insists that I am lost. I assure her that I am just taking a short cut.
Before you begin to label me as overly independent or self-reliant, consider that I might just have a different style of learning than you. Some people learn best by observing. Others, like me, learn most readily by doing. This trait effects not just the way I learn, but also the way I teach. I learn best by experiencing. I teach best by demonstrating. This is why when writing or speaking I have a tendency to use personal stories to illustrate a point.
I do believe, in healing ministry, each of us will have a leaning toward one of the five styles that we are discussing in this series. That does not mean that we are limited to that particular style. One of the dangers of determining our healing style is that we label ourselves and limit ourselves to that style. For instance, I am primarily prophetic. There may still be instances where I will be called upon to teach about healing ministry. Also, I need to move in compassion in healing ministry. I must have a focus toward unbelievers. Therefore, I cannot ignore the others styles, I must nurture them in my life. The prophetic part of me may be the strongest, but I must also be apostolic in vision, evangelistic in focus, pastoral in heart and, to the best of my ability, pass on to others what I have learned.
This course is designed to help you understand who you are and how that relates to your healing ministry. As you discover your style, you will find your strengths, and you will find your weakness. Don't be limited by either. Realize that you will be most effective and fruitful in healing ministry when you operate in your God-given style. But also understand that you can be used more broadly when you nurture all the styles in your life.
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