" THE MINISTRY OF HEALING "

THE MINISTRY OF HEALING

The ministry of healing was given to the believers. "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:18). The ministry of healing is for the church today. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). This epistle of James is inspired, as "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine" (2 Timothy 3:16). Brewster states: "Some important teaching emerges from these scriptures:

FIRST, God can heal people without the aid of either man or medicine.

SECOND, there is no sickness or disease which God cannot heal, irrespective of how long anyone has been afflicted.

Thankfully, Jesus healed all manner of sickness. In one case a man had suffered for thirty-eight before Christ instantly healed him (John 5:5).

There is a sacred connection between the atoning work of Christ on the cross and divine healing.

Christ's commission in all its fulness is for today. If it right to go into all the world and preach the gospel today, it is right to go into all the world and lay hands on the sick for divine healing today. No mandate has ever been issued to tear out any section of the inspired command.

The laying on of hands and anointing with oil are procedures ordained by God".


WHO MAY BE HEALED?

Divine healing is for believers. "But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs" (Mark 7:27).

Though Jesus states healing is for children, He honors faith as we see in the following verses. "And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed" (Mark 7:28-30).


DO ALL RECEIVE HEALING?

The answer to this question is evident, as there are many sick, who have been prayed for and have not been healed. We do not always understand why some are healed and other are not.

Brewster states: "Many Christians have prayed to the Lord to spare their loved ones, but instead of being healed, the Lord has taken them. Unfortunately, in some cases those left behind have become bitter. We must seek to comfort those who are bereaved and it is good for us to know that God knows exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it. Peter tried to stop the Master doing something, but Jesus insisted, saying: "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). What a comforting promise this is! Again, observe Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

When faith touches God, we can see miracles of healing today, as in the Bible days. But, genuine faith will cause us to trust God, regardless of how He answers our prayers. Peter, by a miracle from God, was delivered from prison, but James and Stephen were killed. Why? We do not know! This goes to prove that God's ways are so much higher than ours, that we should not ask, why? But rather have faith that says, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him..." (Job 13:15). True faith does not ignore God's sovereignty.

Even Christ was limited in His miracle working ability, by the unbelief of the people. "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58). In his Journal, John Wesley records no less than two hundred forty cases of divine healing in connection with his ministry. If this divine gift was lost through unbelief, it is reasonable to expect it to be restored through faith.

Faith in God is not presumption of experiment. Faith that is based upon God's Word, believes that what He has said will come to pass. And like Abraham, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he is able to perform" (Romans 4:20-21). This quality of faith is unmovable, it keeps on believing God.