The First Healing in the Bible

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website.  It is located here:  http://bornofspirit.net/the-first-healing-in-the-bible/
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When studying the bible, you can find some great truths if you examine the passages where a subject is first mentioned.  That concept is the basis for this article.  We are going to look at the first time divine healing is mentioned in the bible  It is found in Genesis chapter 20.  Here's a link to it on YouVersion.

Here is a brief summary of the story, along with a little background.

• Abraham is married to Sarah.
• Sarah is a very attractive woman.
• Abraham is afraid of someone harming him in order to take his wife.
• On several occasions, he asks Sarah to lie and say she is his sister.  

In Genesis 20, Abraham and Sarah journey to a city named Gerar.  The king of this city is named Abimilech.  Abimilech finds out about Sarah somehow, and he takes her to be in his harem.

Before Abimilech is able to have relations with Sarah, God warns him in a dream that she is Abraham's wife.  God makes it clear that it is in Abimilech's best interest to return her to her husband Abraham, because some bad stuff is going to happen if he doesn't.  In fact, he's going to die, and the women in his land are no longer able to have children

So, Abimilech returns Sarah to Abraham.  Then Abraham prays for healing for Abimilech and everybody else, and God heals them all.

That's it for the summary.  At first glance, it is a strange story that does not go the way most of think it should go.  I want to identify some principles based on this story that carry on throughout the bible and on into the present day.

1 - God works through flawed people.

Abraham is the one at fault here...he lied and caused this whole problem.  Yet, Abraham is the first person that God works through to demonstrate healing power.  This shows us that our ability to avoid sin is not a factor is whether or not we get to operate in divine healing.  Sin does not stop God's power.  God is bigger than our sin.

Sin is bad, don't get me wrong.  But, don't fall for the temptation to think that God won't use you because you aren't good enough.  Divine healing is based on God's divine goodness, not your human goodness.   This is huge, and it is the main point I want to get across in this article. Don't just read past this fact.  Let it take root.  God works through flawed people because that's all He has to choose from.

2 - The person that is ministering healing may be in need of a miracle as well.

At this time, Abraham and Sarah were childless.  They were not able to have children.  But, part of the healing that God ministered in this story was restoring the ability of the women in Gerar to conceive.

If you are fighting some kind of physical condition, don't let that be a roadblock that keeps you from stepping out in faith and ministering to others.  100% perfect health is not a prerequisite to be used in divine healing.  Don't disqualify yourself, and don't disqualify others, just because you (or they) are currently in a struggle with a sickness.

3 - Although the healing may be instant, the physical evidence may show up later.

Part of the healing that took place in this story was the restoration of the ability of the women to conceive.  Because of the nature of the healing, it would be a while before they could tell for sure what happened.  They were totally healed immediately, but they would have no physical evidence until they became pregnant.

Sometimes an action is required on the part of the "patient" in order to fully demonstrate the complete healing.  In this case, each woman would have to have relations with her husband, and then some time would have to pass before they would have some kind of physical proof that the healing was real.

4 - God does things differently than we do.  

I think most of us would expect some kind of punishment for Abraham.  It seems like the wrong guy is getting in trouble (Abimilech).  Now, he is not innocent either, according to our modern moral standards, but it seems like Abraham's dishonesty is the the real cause of all the trouble.  If he would have been truthful, then maybe this whole situation could have been avoided.

But, if you go back a few years in Abraham's history, back to Genesis 12, you will find that God made a promise to him.  God said "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you."  God is simply keeping His promise here.  This promise wasn't conditional on Abraham's moral behavior.  It was based on the fact that Abraham believed what God said.

This is much like the promise we have from God.  If we will believe the gospel of Jesus, then He will not count any of our sins against us (past, present, or future), He will adopt us into His own family, give us eternal life, and make us a co-heir with Jesus.  And just like the promise to Abraham, this is not dependent on our ability or inability to keep a code of ethics.  It is dependent on whether or not we believe what God said about His Son.

Healings Testimonies

Here is a list of conditions that God has healed, and I was a personal witness to it.

These are first hand.testimonies, people healed in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  I got to see it happen, or I am a personal friend of the person that experienced it.  I am putting these on here in hopes that this may build your faith, and give you hope if you are fighting some kind of health issue.

These are listed in no particular order.

Fibromyalgia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Headaches
Tendinitis
Hearing loss
Vision loss
Degenerative Brain Disease
Asthma
Plantar fasciitis
Neck Pain
Back Pain
Leg pain
Arthritis
Spinal cord injury
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Ménière's disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Poison Ivy
Shingles
Cancer
Swelling and loss of movement in a thumb
Loss of feeling and loss of movement in a toe
Exposed nerve in a finger
Torn muscle in a shoulder
Uneven legs growing out to be even


If you are suffering with one of these, then just know that God's power heals your condition.

There are many ways to be healed.  All of them are accomplished by the Holy Spirit working on your body.

You can be healed through your own faith (Mark 5:34)
You can be healed through the faith of a friend (Matthew 8:13)
You can be healed by having others pray for you (James 5:14-15)
You can be healed by commanding the condition to leave your body in the name of Jesus (Luke 4:39)

There are many other ways too.  This is just to get your started.  A good way to start is to believe that God is good, and that He is willing (Matthew 8:3).  You can even ask Him to help you believe (Mark 9:24)

Jesus Healings part 3 - Speak to the Problem

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/jesus-healings-speak-to-the-problem/
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Luke 4:39-39 (AMP)
38 Then He arose and left the synagogue and went into Simon’s (Peter’s) house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering in the grip of a burning fever, and they pleaded with Him for her. 
39 And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she got up and began waiting on them. 

Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.  Jesus didn't pray for her, though.  Instead, Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her.

The word "rebuke" can also be translated "scold" or "sternly warn."

Jesus gave orders to a physical condition.  He spoke to a sickness.  Instead of praying to the Father about the fever, He spoke to the fever.  He was talking to the problem.

Think about that.  Jesus spoke to a fever, and the fever left.  That is amazing.

Although He didn't operate in this way every time, this is not an isolated case.  There are many other examples of the same kind of working.

Take a look at these:

Mark 7:32-35
32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 
33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 
34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." 
35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.

Matthew 8:3
Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

In these examples, Jesus is speaking to physical conditions, and giving orders.  The physical bodies of the sick people respond to His orders.

This is a completely different dynamic than praying to the Father for healing.  It is speaking to the problem on behalf of God, rather than speaking to God about the problem.

Now at this point, you might be tempted to say "yeah, but that was Jesus."

But don't forget that all of the miracles of Jesus were performed in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38).  This is the same Holy Spirit that lives inside of every single born-again Christian.

And, don't forget that Jesus said this in John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

If you read the healing accounts in Acts, you can see the followers of Jesus behaving in the same way many times.  In some cases where healing is concerned, they were not praying for God to do something, they were speaking to the problem, acting as a representative of the One they were serving.

Acts 3:1-8
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.

This makes complete sense when you think about the fact that Peter and John watched Jesus do things like this probably hundreds of times.  They were just imitating their mentor.  They were doing what Jesus would do, and they got the same results because it was the same Holy Spirit at work in them that was at work in Jesus.

Here's another one.  This time it is Paul.  Paul didn't become a believer until a long time after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.  So, he wasn't there to watch Jesus during His earthly ministry, but he was acting the same way as the rest of the Christians.

Acts 14:8-10
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. 
9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
10 said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.

As children of God, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.  He is the same Holy Spirit that lived and worked in Jesus when He came to earth.  He (the Holy Spirit) knows how to heal people.  He was present and active in every divine healing that has ever happened, so He has plenty of experience in fixing up broken bodies.

Everywhere you go, He goes.  You will never run into a physical condition that He is not prepared to handle.  He has chosen to work through us to demonstrate His love and His power on the earth.  We can participate by believing this, and acting on it.

So, this is a new way to pray.  As an ambassador of Christ the King, you can speak to the problem the same way that your King would if He were physically present.

The Source of Sickness

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/the-source-of-sickness/
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In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, we are told that God made earth, and He made the first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve).  Here are a few passages that tell us what life was like at that time in human history:

Genesis 1:27-31

1:27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 
1:29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 
1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” It was so.
1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.


Chapter two gives us more details of the creation of man from chapter one.

Genesis 2:8-17

2:8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 
2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
2:10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. 
2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 
2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there). 
2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. 
2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 
2:16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 
2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”


Up this point, sin had not entered the world, and there is no mention of Satan having any influence.  Everything seems to be pretty awesome.  There was no sickness or disease or death, and there was no lack (there was an entire planet's worth of resources, and only two people to use it).  With everything in this state, God said that it was "good."

In chapter 3, we have the story of the serpent deceiving Eve, and then Adam making his decision to join Eve and disobey God.

Genesis 3:1-7

3:1 Now the serpent was more shrewd  than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” 
3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 
3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’” 
3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 
3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.”
3:6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 
3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.


At this point in our history, life on earth changed.  Originally, man was free from sickness, sin and death.  He had unhindered fellowship with God, and God had put him in charge of the earth  But from here on, death enters the world, along with increasing amounts of sickness, sin, famine, and poverty.  Satan has also usurped man's role as ruler of the earth (John 12:31, 1 John 5:19, Ephesians 2:2) and we get to see the results of his activities in the world around us from then until now.

We also know from the last few chapters of the book of Revelation that in the future, Satan will be removed from his current role, and cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).  After this everything goes back to being awesome again.  There's no more sickness, no more death, no more poverty, no more sin, etc.

So...

• Before Satan gained influence in the earth, there was no sickness or sin.  
• After Satan's influence is removed in the future, there will be no sickness or sin.

Sickness entered our world when man gave in to Satan's influence and committed the first sin.  I have heard it said this way:  "Sickness is the foul offspring of its father, Satan, and its mother, sin."  This is the source of sickness.   This is where it came from.

I am not saying that every sickness is directly caused by Satan, or that every sickness is the direct result of a personal sin.  What I am saying is that without Satan and sin, we would not be dealing with sickness.

So, what do we do about it?  Let's begin with a look at Jesus.

Jesus came to earth to usher in the New Covenant, and to display God's will.  He showed us how God wanted things to be going.  He said that he only did what the Father showed him (John 5:19).  He was always doing the Father's will.  When you read about His activities, you find stories filled with healing the sick, casting out demons, and forgiving sins.

Acts 10:38 - 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.

1 John 3:8b - For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.

John 10:10 - The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When someone is sick or dying from a terrible disease, I believe we are on safe ground if we start with the notion that God wants to set them free.  That's what Jesus was doing all the time, and that's what He told His representatives to be doing. 

I think people should be very careful about jumping to any other conclusions.  Without direct revelation, you should never blame the person, or the family members and friends, or God, for disease or sickness or tragedy.  If you want to make assumptions and attach blame, then the one you should start with...blaming and getting angry with...is the devil.  The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy.  Jesus wants to bring life. 

Jesus Healings part 2 - Willing

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/jesus-healings-willing/
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Matthew 8:2-4
2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Mark 1:40-45
40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 
41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 
42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed
43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once,
44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 
45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

Luke 5:12-15
12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 
13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.
14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 
15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.


The leper came in faith the Jesus could heal him, but he did not seem to be in faith that Jesus would heal him.

This reminds me of many prayers I have prayed before (and I am sure that I am not alone in this).  I could get to the point to believe that God could heal people, but I didn't want to presume that He wanted to.

The prayer would go something like this:  "Please heal John Doe, if it is your will. Amen."

That is the way that this leper came to Jesus.  He said "if you are willing, You can make me clean."  He believed in the ability of Jesus to heal, but he questioned His willingness to use it.

Jesus wasn't mad about this.  Instead, look at the simple reply.  Jesus said "I am willing."

The Greek word that is translated "willing" gives some additional light to this:

WILLING
Greek = thelo = Strong's 2309

1) to will, have in mind, intend
1a) to be resolved or determined, to purpose
1b) to desire, to wish
1c) to love
1c1) to like to do a thing, be fond of doing
1d) to take delight in, have pleasure

Jesus made it clear that healing this man is something he would very much like to do. It's not like Jesus said "well...ok, but just this once."  It was more like "I would love to!"  This attitude toward healing that Jesus displays here is consistent in all other examples we have listed in the four gospels. He is willing to minister healing.  That is something to keep in mind when you have the opportunity to minister healing to others.

Let your faith toward Jesus and your opinion of His nature be in harmony with what the bible says about Him.  You are not being presumptuous if you believe God wants to heal.  Read about Jesus in the four Gospels to see if God wants to heal.  Jesus always healed the people that came to Him, and He was always doing the will of the Father (John 5:19).


(PS.  Jesus "strictly warned" this man not to tell anyone what happened, but to go do what the Law required. If we assume that Jesus meant what He said, then we cannot say that the primary purpose of healing this man was to spread the gospel.  God can heal you just because He is compassionate.  Our God is good.)

Jesus Healings part 1 - Ministering Twice

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/jesus-healings-ministering-twice/
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I'm going to be going through the various passages in scripture where we are given some details of how Jesus ministered healing to people with various ailments.

I chose this one first because it is so  fascinating.

Mark 8:22-25
22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.
23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

In Bethsaida, a blind man came to Jesus, seeking to be healed.  Before ministering to Him, Jesus took him out of the town.  From reading Matthew 11:21, it appears that the people of Bethsaida never really received Jesus.    It doesn't say why He took him out of town before praying for him, but there were other times where Jesus made people leave before He ministered because of their mocking or unbelief (Matthew 9:24-25).  This could be another case of that, but we don't know for sure.

Anyway...

After going out of town, Jesus begins to minister to him in a very unusual way.  He spit on his eyes (more on that later), and then laid hands on him (and no mention of any praying).  Then he asked him how his sight was.

From the man's answer, there was only a partial healing.  So, Jesus laid hands on him again, and then the healing was complete.

Here we have biblical evidence that Jesus had to minister to someone twice before their healing was completely accomplished.  Even Jesus, had to minister twice!  That is so amazing to me, and so encouraging.  Jesus is always operating in the perfect will of the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and yet this one took two times to work completely.

This tells me a number of things.

1 - Ministering healing doesn't have to include any praying, or even any talking...Jesus just "put His hands on him" and then asked if he saw anything.

2 - You can be absolutely in God's will, ministering to someone in the power and leading of the Spirit, but not see the person get completely healed the first time.  But, you can keep going until everything is 100% healed.

You can minister to someone and get results progressively.  What I mean is, someone can feel a little bit better immediately, but you may need to keep going.  If Jesus had stopped after the first time, the man would have been a little bit better off, but he would not have been totally healed.  This may sound strange to some of you reading this, but this story is in the bible.  I didn't make it up.

I don't advise building a complete doctrine or formula off of one example, and I'm not aware of another one like this (ministering twice) in the life of Jesus.  However, there are some principles here to remember.  This story does prove without a doubt that healing can be progressive, and that there may be times where healing only comes fully after ministering to someone more than once.  It also proves that although praying is good, it is not a requirement for ministering healing to others.

(Now a note on the spitting.  Apparently, at this time there was a belief that the saliva of the firstborn in a family had some kind of healing properties.  It could be that the Holy Spirit was instructing Jesus to do this in order to demonstrate that He was indeed the "firstborn" Son of God.  That is just my opinion, though.)

Healing is in God's Character and Nature

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NOTE: An updated version of this article is available on my new website: http://bornofspirit.net/healing-is-in-gods-character-and-nature/
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Jesus said "if you have seen me, you have seen the Father." (John 14:9)

Jesus also said "I always do things that please the Father." (John 8:29)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us...to make Him known to us...to show us what He is like.  Based on the three passages above (along with many others), I believe that we can look at the life of Jesus to learn some things about the character and nature of God, and get to know Him better. We can learn how God the Father feels about different subjects. We can see what it looks like for the Father's will to be demonstrated and obeyed perfectly on the earth.

Those are some general statements, and now I would like to be more specific.  Let us view the actions and attitudes of Jesus during His time on earth in a physical body to get a view of how God our Father feels about sickness, disease, and other physical ailments.  

Acts 10:38
...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.

Matthew 8:2-3
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:5-6
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

Luke 9:10-11
And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

Matthew 14:14
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

Luke 4:40
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

Matthew 4:24
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

For many more examples just like these, you can read through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, looking for instances where people approached Jesus that needed to be healed.  You won't find any cases of a person coming to Him in need of healing, and going away without being healed.  But, don’t just take my word for it, study it out yourself.  See what you find.

What I find is Jesus having compassion on sick people, and ministering healing to them. Healing was a large part of what He did, and it was always included in the instructions whenever He sent out people to represent Him.

In John 5:19, He says this:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Jesus was doing what His Father showed Him to do. All of these times that Jesus was healing people, it was the will of God the Father being acted out by God the Son...Jesus.  It was God’s will to heal people.  If we go by the accounts provided to us in the four Gospels, it looks like it is ALWAYS God’s will to heal people, because that’s what we see Jesus doing.

Are there exceptions to this?  Are there times where God’s will is for the person to remain in their sickness?  Read the Gospels and find out for yourself.

(NOTE:  If  you are thinking about Paul’s thorn right now as an exception, click here.)

There is only one place that I'm aware of the Gospels where people didn't get healed:

Mark 6:5-6

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Notice that is says he "could" do no mighty works there. It doesn't say that he "would" do no mighty works. The implication is that He was willing, but the people were not interested because of their unbelief. If you read the preceding verses, you will see that they were offended at Him, and basically wanted nothing to do with Him. In spite of all this, He still healed a "few sick people." He can still heal people even when there is unbelief around. Just come to Him.

(A note on the word "unbelief" here: This is not the Greek word for doubt, or for little faith. It means "faith in reverse" or "believe against." These were not Christians who were struggling with doubt. These were people who "believed against" Jesus and wanted Him to go away. In spite of this, He still healed some of them.)

This is very good news, if you ask me. My God wants to heal sick people. Healing is a part of His character and nature. It is something He wants to do.

So, from now on, let us never begin with an assumption that it is not God's will for someone to be healed.  

If you pray for someone and you don't see any immediate results, don't get discouraged, but don't automatically assume it was God's will for them to be sick.  

Maybe you need to wait. Remember that the 10 lepers were healed "as they went," not while they were standing there with Jesus. (Luke 17:14)

Maybe you need to pray again. Jesus had to pray twice for the blind man in Mark 8:22-26.

Maybe you need to stop and ask for wisdom or revelation on what to do. There may be something going on that you don't know about.

Any of these choices are better than making assumptions that disagree with the life of Jesus.

Acts 10:38 - Holy Spirit Power

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NOTE: An updated version of this post is available on my new website. Please visit it here: http://bornofspirit.net/how-jesus-did-miracles/
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Acts 10:38 - 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 want to break this down into two parts.

PART 1:  "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power..."

Jesus is God.  He was God throughout eternity past, and He is God throughout eternity in the future.  Omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (everywhere at once), and omniscient (all wise and all knowing).

However, 2000 years ago He took on the limits of being a human, and He came to rescue fallen humanity.  Part of this rescue mission involves Him subjecting Himself to the limitations of the human existence (Philippians 2:5-8).

For example, while He was on the earth in a human body...

• He had to walk from place to place.  He was not exercising His omnipresence.
• He had to grow in wisdom (Luke 2:52).  He was not exercising His omniscience.
• He got tired and hungry (John 4:6).  He was not exercising His omnipotence.

Even though He is God, He put himself in our shoes and made Himself subject to our limitations.  We actually don't know much of the first 30 years of His life, other than the fact that He worked as a carpenter, and He had a remarkable grasp of the scriptures.

Then, on the day He was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit fell on Him (Luke 3:21-22), and He began to do things that ordinary people can't do.

Before this day, there are zero miracles done by Jesus in the bible.  After this day, there are multitudes of miracles done by Jesus in the bible.

Look at the way the people in His hometown reacted:

Mark 6:1-3 - Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.  When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!  Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph,Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

Their reaction shows that something was VERY different now.  They were not used to Him teaching and doing miracles.

We are told in Luke 4:14 and Luke 4:18 that Jesus is now walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that is the reason for the sudden change.  When the Holy Spirit came on Him, Jesus went from living within the limits of a "regular person" (and I say that reverently) to living as a regular person who has the Spirit of God working through Him to demonstrate miraculous power.

This is exciting news for the rest of us, because it is the same Holy Spirit that lives in every believer.  The Holy Spirit is God, and He wants to do the same things with us that He did with Jesus.  He wants to use us to demonstrate the power of God.

PART 2:  "...who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, and that's what He wants us to do too.  What would Jesus do?  He would do good and heal all who are oppressed of the devil.

Jesus didn't go about telling the sick people that God made them sick to teach them patience or to deepen their piety.

He demonstrated the power of God with authority.  He commanded sickness to leave.  He commanded people's bodies to be healed.  He commanded demons to go.

Jesus healed sick people, and he cast demons out of people that were under demonic influence.  This is called "healing all who were oppressed by the devil."

Notice that sickness is not from God. Sickness is oppression from the devil. God made earth an mankind without sickness. There was no disease in the garden of Eden. Sickness became a part of our life on earth when Adam sinned and gave his dominion away to the devil. Sickness is not part of God's plan for your life.  It is a part of the devil's plan for your life.  God's plan is that we drive out sickness by the power of the same Holy Spirit that worked in Jesus....the same Holy Spirit that lives in each of us who believe.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and he gave us the authority to do the same.  He said that we would do the same works that he did, and even greater works because He was returning to His Father (John 14:12).  When Jesus returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He poured out the Holy Spirit on the church (Acts 2:33), and then they starting doing the same things Jesus had been doing.

Somewhere through history, it seems like a lot of the church has forgotten about this.  May we all wake up and realize our inheritance.  And not only realize it, but actually start taking advantage of it.

Ephesians 1:17-18 ...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints...

Paul's Thorn

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available at my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/pauls-thorn/
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I imagine that most people who spend time studying the subject of divine healing will eventually encounter the following question:  ”What about Paul’s thorn?”

Before you continue to read this post, I strongly encourage you to read the passage in context for yourself.

2 Corinthians 11:16 – 12:10

There were people in Corinth that were spreading false teachings.  In this passage, Paul is listing some of his experiences as a Christian to show that his “resume” qualifies him to speak with authority when he comes against the false teachers.  This is an oversimplification, but I provide it here as a brief background to give context.

In the passage, he spends nearly all of his time talking about the persecution he has faced.  He had been beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, lost at sea, hungry, thirsty, cold, and naked (and the list goes on).  (Notice that physical disease is not mentioned anywhere as part of this list of persecutions.  That should be kept in mind as you read the passage where he gives more detail regarding his “thorn.”)

Next, he talks about “surpassingly great revelations” that he received.  We know of no man that ever lived that received more revelation concerning the gospel of grace than Paul.  God showed him things that he was not even allowed to talk about.

That brings us to the passage that contains the thorn.

2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

According to Paul, the thorn in his flesh is actually a messenger from Satan.  Satan’s messengers are also called demons, evil spirits, or unclean spirits.  Paul is saying that there was a demon that was causing problems for him.

So, Paul's thorn was a demon.  That brings up another question, though.  What was this demon doing?

There are many possibilities, but I believe the three choices below provide a general summary of the main explanations I have come across in my studies.

The demon was either…

1. …causing a physical sickness or disease in his body
2. …attacking Paul’s conscience by accusing him of his past persecutions of Christians
3. …stirring up severe persecution in the places Paul visited

If we limit our view to the immediate context of the entire passage, the option that appears to be the best fit is number 3.  Paul has been talking at great length about the persecutions and troubles he has been facing, but he says nothing about having diseases or deformities, and he says nothing about having a guilty conscience.  The messenger from Satan was probably inciting resistance to Paul’s ministry, which often led to him being physically mistreated.   This doesn’t mean that the other two options are not possible, just that they are less likely, if we are to base our opinion solely on the immediate context.

If we are to look outside of the immediate context, we must remember the fact that Paul had authority over demons.  He exercised this authority on several occasions in Acts, and he taught on this authority in his letters to the churches.  He exercised his authority in such a way that his reputation became well known even among the demons themselves.  (See Acts 19:13-16)

I find it very unlikely that Paul would permit a demon to operate continually in his body or in his conscience.  However, the idea that a demon or a group of demons would go around stirring up trouble for him is not difficult to imagine.

If it is true that the demon was stirring up persecution, then Paul would have been praying for Jesus to remove the persecution he was facing.  However, Jesus has warned all of His followers that persecution is part of the journey, and the fact that he said “no” to Paul’s request should not be surprising.  However, for Jesus to say no to a request for physical healing would go against the many examples he set forth when he walked the earth as detailed in the four gospels.

For these reasons, it is my strong belief that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was not a physical ailment, but spiritual warfare that was manifested in persecution.

Divine healing, trials, and persecution

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NOTE:  The updated version of this post is located at my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/divine-healing-trials-and-persecution/
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Jesus warned his followers that there would be persecution and hard times for them (John 16:33). He walked this earth as a living example of enduring persecution. He suffered persecution, and so did those around him. When he encountered persecution, he endured it.

He was slandered, shunned, and hated by his enemies, and he was eventually beaten and executed. He warned his disciples that that they too would encounter many trials, and we know from the bible and from history that this is indeed what happened. Many disciples were treated in the same way, including beatings, imprisonments, and executions.

It is important to note, however, that the persecution and hard times were not physical ailments in his body.  Jesus did not endure sickness and disease as part of his ministry, nor did he instruct his followers to do so. In fact, when Jesus encountered sickness and disease, he ministered healing to those that needed it.

Acts 10:38“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.”

During his earthly ministry, Jesus encountered many people with health problems. When people came to him that were in need of healing, he healed them. This is the case in every example that we have in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

There is not a single example of someone coming to him for healing and going away with their condition unchanged. Rather, we see the exact opposite. From the examples we have available for us to read, Jesus was always willing to minister healing.

We also see that every time he sent out anyone to represent him, he instructed them them to function in the same way.

He did this when he sent out the 12:

Luke 9:1 – “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”

He did this when we sent out the 70:

Luke 10:1,9 – “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go……And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

He did this when he sent out everyone else(including you and me) at what we call “the great commission”

Mark 16:15-18 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel…And these signs will follow those who believe...they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

If we want to be followers and imitators of Christ, then it appears that He wants us to have the same attitude towards sickness that He did. If we are to act as His representatives, then we would be wise not to misrepresent Him by saying things that contradict the life He lived.

Healed from Fibromyalgia

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NOTE:  I have a new website now.  Our testimony is available there in an article, and also in an audio version.  Here is the link to it:  http://bornofspirit.net/testimony/
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Before I begin this story, let me make it clear that it is God who heals. I am including the first names of people involved in the story, but we are wise to put the focus on Jesus rather than the people.

In the fall of 2002, my wife Teresa started getting some pain symptoms in her back that we could not find an explanation for. Over the next few years, it spread over her whole body. After going to many different doctors, she was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  The diagnosis was confirmed by more than one doctor.

Fibromyalgia has different levels of severity in different people. My wife’s condition was particularly severe, and her health deteriorated to the point where she was only able to walk about 50 feet or so, and she could only be on her feet for about 90 seconds. The pain was getting worse and worse.

In December of 2005, she was struck with another condition in her arms that was eventually diagnosed as complex regional pain syndrome (aka RSD). Because of the intense pain, she lost use of both arms and hands, and was no longer able to care for herself at all. Her arms hurt so badly that it was painful even for air to blow on her skin sometimes. Over time, not using her arms, and not being able to walk very well, she became weaker and weaker, and her hands actually started to close up into a fist.

In August of 2006, I found out about a prayer email list at the company I work for.  I joined the list, and sent out this email:

—–Original Message—–

 From: Neal
 Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 11:07 AM
 To: *****
 Subject: Prayer Request

 Hi everyone. I have a prayer request.

 Over the past four years, my wife Teresa has developed some chronic pain conditions that have baffled many doctors. The pain has become increasingly debilitating, and has left her very limited in what she is able to do physically.

 God has faithfully brought us through it this far, and sent many people to help us along the way. He has blessed us in many ways, and we are very thankful. He has also led us to some good physicians, and we hope and pray that she is on the road to recovery.

 I would like to ask you all to pray for her complete healing, and that God would use our testimony to bless others.

 Thank you

Neal
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Someone replied to that email inviting me to a lunchtime bible study in one of the conference rooms at work.   It was a study on divine healing.  It was actually being led by a man named Bill Alsop who used to minister at a church I was attending many years ago. I came to the bible study.  After it was over, I spoke to Bill briefly. He didn’t know me, but I asked him about praying for my wife. He invited me to his home that Friday night, August 25.

So, that Friday after work I picked up Teresa and we drove to his house. On the way there I remember that I was somewhat excited, and I was expecting that we would receive encouragment and strength to go on. There had been many people praying for us over the years.  We had a few times where people came by to pray with us, and there were other times when we had gone to different places.  I know there were lots more praying for us that we were not always aware of.  It always helped us to keep going, and that was pretty much what I was expecting.

When we arrived, we talked with Bill and his wife Cathy for a short while, and then we started praying. Teresa was actually lying down on the floor at this point, and we were all praying in the name of the Lord Jesus. Some of the time they were praying in tongues, some of the time they were praying in English.

After a few minutes, he told my wife to stand up. He took her to the front door, and he told her to walk to the end of his street, turn the corner, walk up the hill to the mailboxes, touch one of them, then walk back. He told her to talk to God while she walked. (Bill later shared with us that the Holy Spirit had instructed him to do all of that in a vision he received while they were praying).

The first thing that I thought was “What? She can’t even make it to the end of the driveway”…but before I could say anything, she took off walking out the door and down the street.

Then Bill turned to me and said this:   “You have been praying to recieve the baptism with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.”  That shocked me because I had not mentioned anything about that, even though it was absolutely true. That was the word of knowledge in operation,and God was getting my attention…to help me believe.  He succeeded. I stood up, Bill put his hand on my chest, and I began speaking in tongues for the first time…just like they did in the bible.  I received the baptism with the Holy Spirit right there in his living room, while at the same time my wife was walking down the street receiving a miraculous healing from God.

For a few minutes as I was speaking, I was somewhat overwhelmed in a flood of God’s presence, and I forgot that Teresa had gone out walking without me and without her wheelchair. Before long, I looked towards the door and she was standing there talking to Bill.

She made it. She walked all the way to the mailboxes and back.  She was healed as she walked, and it was a miracle.

Bill told us to go buy her some walking shoes, and to go walking every day. We talked a little while longer, and then drove home. On the way home, I remember feeling like I just came out of a whirlwind, and wondering to myself “what just happened to us…”  The pain was gone from Teresa’s body.  She made the comment in the car that she was able to “feel her skin again.”

We got home and went for our first walk together in years. We walked halfway to the end of our street and back, and she made it with no pain. The next day we walked farther and still no pain. No more need for the presciption pain meds for fibromyalgia…and she has not taken one of those since then.

We continued going farther and farther each day, and she was regaining her strength now that all of the terrible pain and fatigue were gone. After about a week, she was able to walk for a mile. Not long after that, it became two miles. We donated her wheelchair to charity. She was able to use her arms again, and feed herself and dress herself and everything else you do with your arms and hands.

She had an appointment coming up with the main fibromyalgia doctor, and we decided to keep the appointment and tell him the good news.  I sent this message to the prayer email list:

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From: Neal

Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 3:06 PM

To: *******

Subject: Testimony Update

Hi everyone.

I am the person who sent out the testimony back in August about Christ healing my wife Teresa from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (FM/CFS).

I just wanted to send out a little story that I hope will build your faith. This is a story about what it is like to tell a doctor that Jesus healed you.

Last Wednesday, I took Teresa back the specialist she has been seeing for FM/CFS. His name is Dr. Charles Lapp, and he’s in Charlotte, NC. He is one of the top experts on for that condition in America, and he is absolutely the finest medical professional I have ever dealt with.

Teresa hasn’t been back to seen him since God healed her on August 25, so we were very excited to tell him what happened. The last time he saw her she was in constant severe pain. She was only able to stand up for about two minutes before feeling like she was going to collapse, and even sitting up was difficult.

This time was a completely different story, because now she walks about a mile or two for exercise every day, and all the pain and suffering is gone

Here’s how the appointment started:

Dr. Lapp: “You look great! How are you doing?”

Teresa: “Have you ever heard of someone getting healed from Fibromyalgia?”

Dr. Lapp: “No I haven’t. (he looked surprised and excited).”

Teresa: “Well, I have a story to tell you. On August 25, God healed me…”

Then she told him the story of what happened. He looked to be both amazed and excited at the same time.

He did all of his tests on her, and he just kept laughing because everything was negative. He said he had never seen anything like this before. We said “we haven’t either, but it sure is awesome!”

Then, he gave her a hug, told her how happy he was for her, and wrote up his report. Here’s what he wrote at the end of the report…and I quote:

“Assessment: CFS/FM – miraculously resolved!”

There’s nobody like Jesus.

I hope this will help you to believe that God is still doing miracles, and healing people.

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And now, seven years later, Teresa is running, lifting weights, and praising the Lord Jesus…by whose wounds she was healed.