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. 

It occurs to me that many in the body of Christ are just "easy picken's" to the enemy. The average Christian is easily offended and easily distracted. Most are sense dependent taking what they believe not so much from God's word but from what they see, hear, feel, touch and sense from the natural world around them (I Cor. 2:14). Many are easily entangled with judgments, and being judged; remaining under the law (Gal.5:1). Many are busy with worldly things such as sports, programs, family obligations, career, money, and entertainment, etc. that conflict with being committed to the things of God (Matt. 6:33). Many have a dogmatic view of scripture. They are fixed, rigid, and convinced they are right. Often this manifests with people straining at gnats and swallowing camels (making mountains out of mole hills) like the Pharisees of old (Matt. 23:24). These things and more (and there is unfortunately a lot more) lead people to become disgruntled, disinterested, and either leave or stop coming to a church.

It is important to realize how much our words determine the outcome of any issue (mountain) in our life. (Pr 18:21)  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit." Jesus also affirmed this when He said: (Mt 12:37)  "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." This is certainly under the law; however, that doesn't mean our words no longer matter!

Grace is not going to lead us to speak poorly, badly, or negatively about anything, anyone, at anytime. (Eph 4:29)  "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

Actually our words reflect what is in our heart and what we are believing at the time: (Lu 6:45)  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Note: For us as born again believers the "good man" is our born again spirit and the "evil man" is our old sin nature.)

Pay attention to our mouth! It is amazing the amount of things we say that go unnoticed by our brain. We often criticize others for saying one thing and doing another while we don't notice we do it to. We can actually speak life and death from the same mouth in very close proximity. James puts it this way: (Jas 3:10)  "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." We can locate our heart by what questions we ask or by the statements we make (See booklet "Indicators and Location" at our website Lordsbcc.org/booklets).

Why does our mouth have so much power?

How many of us remember these verses?
    I John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will,     He hears us.
    15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have     asked of Him.
For us to be able to ask anything according to His will, we must be able to know His will. Where do we find His will? We find His will in His word through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Our confidence in faith grows when we know His will. Is it God's will for us to know His Will? There are many verses that say so like this one:
    Col 1:9  For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you     may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

It is very encouraging to see progress towards our new building on Rt. 9. It's location is more than we expected being that it is in the middle of town and on the main route through Waretown. It is as if God wants others to see and hear about the gospel of grace! Who knew that this place was even around? It is a 4,000 sq. ft. facility practically ready for us to use. It will be nice for all of us to have a place we call home. Let's expect miracles, wonders, signs, and the power of God to deliver, heal, and restore to be what this place of grace is all about. Almost like a hospital may it become a beacon of God's amazing forgiveness in manifestation. As we have grown in our understanding of grace as what God has already done; we have grown in our understanding of what we are already in Him. We are swans amen! We are no longer ugly ducklings thinking, speaking, and acting like the world. We have been given the gift of righteousness and God is waiting on us to believe Him and act upon it.

            When Christ offered Himself upon the cross he bore the sin of all mankind forever (Heb. 10:14). The law’s judgment against mankind’s sin was placed upon Him and He took all of it satisfying God’s wrath against us. Old Testament sacrifices were consumed and burned away leaving nothing behind indicating that the judgment was greater than the sacrifice; however in Jesus, after He had suffered, bled and died, He rose again! His sacrifice purged our sins from us but it did not consume or burn him to oblivion. Jesus the Son of God was greater than the punishment, greater than the law’s judgment, and greater than God’s wrath against sin bringing about the fulfillment that mercy and love are greater than judgment (James 2:13).

Jesus said to all of us:
                Lu 11:10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it                 is opened."
A Great Misunderstanding
            We grew up in the church during a day of great misunderstanding. We were led to believe that we needed to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking (after all isn't that what the widow did with the unjust judge? Luke 18:1-8). We were led to believe that the things we needed were outside of us and needed to be added. We were led to believe that our blessings would come to us, that if we asked anything in Jesus’ name He would do it. We were led to believe that receiving meant we didn’t have it yet.
            We all know that a promise is something not yet given, or not done yet. A promise is not needed if you already have it. If I’m married I don’t go to my wife and promise to marry her—I already have. When we see the promises of scripture we often think that these things are yet to be given.