I have heard that some believe that healing should not be a major aspect of the church's ministry. The gospel should be focused on saving the lost. Saving the lost is the most important thrust of God's work in the earth; however, as Jesus said, "unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe...(John 4:48)" the power of God in healing is meant to help bring others to salvation. Without the healing, delivering, cleansing, and casting out authority of the name of Jesus the gospel is stripped away of its confirming power. Jesus also said:
John 10:37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe
that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
If signs, wonders, and miracles were needed so that we'd know and believe that the Father was in Jesus how much more true is it for His Church? The early church testified that many miracles were done in His name and this verse testifies to it:
Mr 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming
the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
To me telling someone that healing is a minor issue, a side issue, or even a non issue is wholly missing Jesus' ministry. It would be like a football coach saying that they will never pass the football, only run. Or a basketball coach saying that we will only shoot the ball towards the hoop when we have to...we don't want to make passing or shooting a major issue!
Taking major components of the gospel and eliminating them, demoting them, or making them seem extreme is not from God it's from the other guy.
John 10:37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe
that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
If signs, wonders, and miracles were needed so that we'd know and believe that the Father was in Jesus how much more true is it for His Church? The early church testified that many miracles were done in His name and this verse testifies to it:
Mr 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming
the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
To me telling someone that healing is a minor issue, a side issue, or even a non issue is wholly missing Jesus' ministry. It would be like a football coach saying that they will never pass the football, only run. Or a basketball coach saying that we will only shoot the ball towards the hoop when we have to...we don't want to make passing or shooting a major issue!
Taking major components of the gospel and eliminating them, demoting them, or making them seem extreme is not from God it's from the other guy.
When Jesus sent out the twelve and then the seventy listen to what he told them!
Mt 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give.
Lu 9:2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Lu 10:9 "And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
If this idea that healing, signs, and wonders are not to be a major aspect of the gospel were true then Jesus commission of these disciples (the twelve & then the seventy) would have left out "heal the sick." It would have been:
Freely you have received, freely give...
He sent them to preach the kingdom of God...
say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
The Great Commission has been presented to just preaching salvation but that is not what Jesus commissioned!
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Verse 20 gets left out or ignored! Teaching them (disciples) to observe (do) all things whatsoever I have commanded you (apostles)...For most the Great Commission stopped at verse 19...
I am writing this because it is clear that the healing ministry of Jesus is OUR ministry too. And if Jesus healed all who came to him, that is multitudes, he must have majored in healing!
Jesus didn't heal people just to demonstrate God was with Him so that they'd listen to him...which is what most churches believe and teach today....if that were the case then he would have healed this one or that one, maybe a very demonstrative case in order to get their attention...then he would have stopped healing because it would have been taking away from His mission...but if you noticed He didn't stop healing....because His mission was to show God's compassion for the sick; to show that God has redeemed all from the curse of the law; to show that God's glory and kingdom means each one who comes...He must have spent as much as 80 percent of his time healing the people....taking away the very thing that held them captive....the very thing they feared the most...proving that Jesus is Lord of all...proving that His mission is to deliver the captives!
This passage is the inaugural address of Jesus describing His ministry!
Lu 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Jesus' mission wasn't just to preach the gospel to the poor...His mission and this verse continues! It continues with "heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..."
Jesus majored in healing, deliverance, cleansing the defiled, and casting out evil spirits because the curse is so rampant and so many are sick and diseased...what would compassion do? Preach the good news and heal a few? Wouldn't good news preach the good news and heal all?
It is written of Jesus some seventeen times that all that came to him were healed! He didn't turn anyone away and they came to him in droves...
Ac 10:38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
I have written extensively about how Jesus' ministry is our ministry in my booklet on "Healing is a Major Aspect of the Gospel" (revised) I go in to detail how it is that Jesus' came to re-produce Himself in us!
If Jesus majored in healing shouldn't we? If anyone doesn't want us to major in healing I wonder who that might really be? Does anyone have an idea?
Mt 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give.
Lu 9:2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Lu 10:9 "And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
If this idea that healing, signs, and wonders are not to be a major aspect of the gospel were true then Jesus commission of these disciples (the twelve & then the seventy) would have left out "heal the sick." It would have been:
Freely you have received, freely give...
He sent them to preach the kingdom of God...
say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
The Great Commission has been presented to just preaching salvation but that is not what Jesus commissioned!
Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Verse 20 gets left out or ignored! Teaching them (disciples) to observe (do) all things whatsoever I have commanded you (apostles)...For most the Great Commission stopped at verse 19...
I am writing this because it is clear that the healing ministry of Jesus is OUR ministry too. And if Jesus healed all who came to him, that is multitudes, he must have majored in healing!
Jesus didn't heal people just to demonstrate God was with Him so that they'd listen to him...which is what most churches believe and teach today....if that were the case then he would have healed this one or that one, maybe a very demonstrative case in order to get their attention...then he would have stopped healing because it would have been taking away from His mission...but if you noticed He didn't stop healing....because His mission was to show God's compassion for the sick; to show that God has redeemed all from the curse of the law; to show that God's glory and kingdom means each one who comes...He must have spent as much as 80 percent of his time healing the people....taking away the very thing that held them captive....the very thing they feared the most...proving that Jesus is Lord of all...proving that His mission is to deliver the captives!
This passage is the inaugural address of Jesus describing His ministry!
Lu 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Jesus' mission wasn't just to preach the gospel to the poor...His mission and this verse continues! It continues with "heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..."
Jesus majored in healing, deliverance, cleansing the defiled, and casting out evil spirits because the curse is so rampant and so many are sick and diseased...what would compassion do? Preach the good news and heal a few? Wouldn't good news preach the good news and heal all?
It is written of Jesus some seventeen times that all that came to him were healed! He didn't turn anyone away and they came to him in droves...
Ac 10:38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
I have written extensively about how Jesus' ministry is our ministry in my booklet on "Healing is a Major Aspect of the Gospel" (revised) I go in to detail how it is that Jesus' came to re-produce Himself in us!
If Jesus majored in healing shouldn't we? If anyone doesn't want us to major in healing I wonder who that might really be? Does anyone have an idea?
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