Gifts of Healing
Audio Version
- 1 Corinthians 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by
the same spirit.
What it is not:
- As good a medical science is and great is the need for good
doctors and hospitals, the gifts of healing that are spoken of in 1
Corinthians are not referring to doctors that are gifted in that type of
vocation. This is not to speak against their great service to humanity
but it’s not the same thing. We have great doctors, nurses, surgeons and
they are indeed gifted in that area but this is not the gifts of the
spirit or the gifts of healing. Mankind tends to try to turn the
supernatural power of God into something they can understand in the
natural realm. When we do not see the power of the Holy Spirit being
manifest like it was in the days of the apostles we tend to explain it
away with our own natural thinking. However, we must remember that
the natural man does not understand the spiritual things of God. The
gifts only disappear if we let them disappear. If we want to try to
spread God’s word without the power, our influence will be limited.
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We have in today’s world the use of alternative medicines,
herbs, vitamins and other methods of healing. Some of those are
beneficial but those things are not what are referred to as the
spiritual gifts of healing. We have that stuff at our house and I do
believe in natural supplements and anything to keep from going to a
doctor unless I absolutely have to. Yet even if that works, it is not
the gifts of healing spoken of in 1 Corinthians.
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It is not mind control, incantations or the use of emotions and
spiritual mysticism. I talked to someone who believes in the fact that hands can
heal and she held her hand over my head and I did feel something warm
and strange but I want nothing to do with that kind of stuff. If it
isn’t in the name of Jesus bringing glory to Him, I do not want it. That
kind of healing might just be temporary enough to get us into weird
stuff that does not bring souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
We can get good feelings from many false religions, idolatry and other
things. Satan wants us to settle for his
counterfeit religion so that we will not be saved and inherit eternal
life. He does not want us to bring people to Jesus. That is why he
wants us to either ignore the gifts of the spirit or else get his
substitutes.
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It is not anything we do apart from the power of
God and the name of Jesus to heal the sick. The real gifts of
healing are supernatural in every way. It is a manifestation of the
Spirit of God that brings healing from physical disease, mental
disease or physical defects etc. by the miraculous intervention of
the power of the Holy Spirit. This kind of healing cannot be
produced by man or any modern scientific methods. All of the gifts
of healing are gifts from God. They come from the mind of God and at
the will of God. Men or women in themselves do not heal anyone. The
Holy Spirit will use any willing vessel to heal. It can be a child,
an elderly lady, a young man, a janitor, or anyone who is walking in
tune with the Holy Spirit and
willing to be used by the Holy Spirit.
Signs are to follow us as we teach, preach and present the gospel. They
are to bring people to Christ and to edify the body of Christ.
The bible says that if there are any sick among you, let them call for
the elders of the church and they are to pray over them anointing them
with oil and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, the Lord shall
raise him up and if he has committed any sins it shall be forgiven him.
So healing does not come to anyone apart from salvation or turning from
one’s sin. They are saved at the same time they are healed but they are
to go and sin no longer.
We know that every time we anoint with oil and pray for people, not
everyone is healed. If the gifts of the spirit are present though when
we pray for the sick, they will be healed. Notice the word gifts of
healing is plural. This shows me that these gifts are from God and it is
according to His will when the gifts are present and operating. We are
to be willing vessels of the spirit waiting upon Him.
There are times when God heals according to our faith and when He sees
someone that is sincerely pouring out their hearts to Him petitioning
Him to heal a loved one. This is another way God heals but it is a
gift from God.
We have seen people to claim to have the gift of healing. I’m not going
to dispute that but I believe these gifts are given to all believers as
a whole and anyone of us can be used at various times in any gift at the
will of the spirit. Our part is to be willing vessels. It is not limited
to one or two people, but to the whole body of believers who are filled
with the Spirit. Sometimes we think it is just for the clergy or to
special people but is for the whole body of believers.
Sometimes we may see one who majors in one gift or the other. That could
be that they are called in that area but according to what I read in
Acts, the apostles, the men appointed to do other things so that the
apostles were free to preach, and ordinary men were used of God to heal
the sick. I don’t believe this is limited in any way. Any vessel that
listens to God and is filled with the spirit may be used by the Holy
Spirit to heal the sick.
- Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
That verse says, them that believe. That believe what? That believe in
Jesus.
The purpose is to prove that the word of God we preach and teach is
true. It proves the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must
never major on any gift and remove it from the foundation of Jesus
Christ because the main reason for all nine gifts is to prove that all
need to be born again by the spirit to be saved and that Jesus is the
only way of salvation. Signs follow to prove what we say is true.
The
Holy Spirit brings people to Jesus and then we are to disciple others to
bring more people to Jesus. We must not be moved away from that
foundation. Jesus is the foundation. Gifts of healing along with tongues do cause a lot of controversy
because they get attention. As with all gifts of the spirit though we
have to be careful not to forget the giver and major on the gift or the
person being used of God with the gift. This is the mistake we make. It
is a human mistake and understandable but we have to keep our eyes on
Jesus or we will fail.
Before Smith Wigglesworth died, he cried out in despair. He knew God was
going to take Him home because people were getting their eyes too much
on him instead of the Lord. They were looking to him to do something
every time someone needed healing. When we start to see people healed, we must start encouraging all to be
filled with the spirit and spread these gifts to the whole body of
believers, not just to one or two. Our eyes need to stay focused on the
Lord. How do you think the Lord expected us to spread the gospel all
over the world if the gifts were only for a select few like the apostles? That’s only
small number of people. This is for all of us
to be partakers in. We are all to be filled with the spirit and be used
of God, so the glory belongs to God and not to any individual.
The gifts of the spirit are never to be used to get rich or rake in a
lot of money. The apostles never got rich and increased with
goods. We must never attempt to buy and sell anything that God
gives to us freely. Freely ye have received so freely we must
give. When God begins to use us though we must stay on the foundation of Jesus
Christ and not major on the gift itself. The gifts are to show the proof
that the gospel we preach is true. I'm repeating this over and over
because I want us to get this if we do not get anything else from this
study. Why do you think Paul said to prefer to prophesy over all the other
gifts? Because when we speak a word from God we bring conviction of sin,
we bring the gospel, we bring exhortation, warning, comfort and we speak
that which will edify the body. Faith comes by hearing the word. Faith
is needed to save the lost and do all the other things God wants done.
So when God begins to use us in these gifts of the spirit, let us
remember what their purpose is: To spread the gospel, to teach the word,
to bring glory to Jesus Christ, to edify the church body, and convince the lost that Jesus is the
only way to have eternal life and be saved. I fear to get into the gifts
of the spirit if we leave this foundation of truth behind like so many
have done. There are all kinds of examples of the gifts of healing in both Old and
New Testament.
- The woman with the issue of blood - Mark 5
- The man at the gate of the temple - Acts 3
- The healing of Naaman – 2 Kings 5
- The healing of Aeneas – Acts 9
- The healing of Hezekiah – Isaiah 38
Most instant, miraculous healings occur when the gift of faith is also
present and all is done at the will of the Holy Spirit. It occurs more
often among those that are first coming to Christ; I believe to prove
the truth of the gospel. Why would heathen people believe our word above all that they were
formerly taught? They need to see the power of God demonstrated to show
them that what we preach is true or else how would they know?
Here is a question that troubles most of us: Why doesn’t everyone we pray for get healed?
These are gifts from God. They have to come by the power and will of the
Holy Spirit, not our will or when we decide something needs to be done.
We need to be seeking God to use us instead of us making our own plans
and then asking Him to bless our plans. Yes, unbelief will hinder many of these things. Someone can’t be healed
when they are surrounded with a mountain of unbelief. Being of the same
mind and one accord is the first step in finding the will of God and
inviting the Spirit of God to work among us. Yet it has to be His spirit
and not our will. Let’s not be quick to blame someone’s unbelief when healing does not
occur. That could be the case but that is also a copout for a powerless
church. We have to pray for God’s gifts to be working among us and we
have to be willing to be vessels the Holy Spirit uses. We also have to
remain on the foundation of Jesus Christ and not be moved away from it.
We must be Christ centered and not man centered. Our eyes must be on
Jesus and not on the man or woman doing the speaking, laying on of hands
or praying. I cringe when I hear words like, “Brother so and so is coming to hold a
revival. We will surely see something happen then." Why do we have to
wait for brother so and so? Is the Holy Spirit limited to one special
person? Does not the bible teach us not to hold men’s persons in
admiration? The word of God, the Holy Spirit, the gospel of Jesus, and
the gifts of the spirit are for all who will believe.
If a group of people gather together and start to pray fervently wanting
to see the lost saved and their church revived, they do not need anyone
special. They need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and restored to the
joy of their salvation. They can have revival. This does not mean that
God can't send us someone that He has called for teach in a certain area
to edify believers but it does mean that the work of God is not limited
to that one person and he has nothing that God can't do through someone
else.
If God sends them someone to help and it’s from God that’s different but
it may be that He will just start using those that are gathered together
to pray. Getting our eyes solely on Jesus and seeking Him together as a
body of believers is the first step to seeing the Holy Spirit poured out
and His gifts being present among us.
Gift of Miracles
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