Title: Possibility of Healing in Today / (Matthew 9:35)
Contents
During Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, He focused and worked on three main activities: He taught, preached, and healed the sick. Matthew records: Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness (Matthew 9:35). ), and healing, these three are the three major works of Jesus.
So, does Jesus still perform miraculous healing today? Or did the healing work of Jesus Christ, as is often said, ended in the age of the apostles? If miraculous healing is possible even today, what is the reason for dying without being healed even while carrying out the healing ministry, and if the Apostolic Age ended, how should we understand the healing phenomena that are appearing today? Therefore, it is meaningless to discuss the possibility of healing itself for a long time. That is because in fact healing is still taking place. The only questions are whether healing is limited to special gifts or is generally practiced, the spiritual background of the healing, and whether the formula of faith commonly claimed by faith healers is biblical.
In conclusion, we can say that it is both. Sometimes the work of healing is done in response to prayer, sometimes as a result of a gift. It is all extremism to attribute the healing to only specific healing powers or answers to prayers.
1) Spiritual background of healing
However, just because miraculous healing occurs does not mean that it is all accomplished by the power of God. This is because miracles of healing can be seen in pagan religions, and there are cases where they are publicly performed by the power of evil spirits, and there are many healings that are performed in the name of God but have nothing to do with God.
Perhaps these are the words of God addressed to such healers: On that day many said to me, Lord, Lord, we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and in your name many mighty powers. have I not done this?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22-23).
A miraculous healing with a spiritual background can be interpreted as either having a Holy Spirit or a demonic background. Therefore, it is important to understand the spiritual background of this healing well.
3. Strategies for church growth through healing
Through this healing, the sick person first gained physical health, and secondly, he became a person who lives without relying on others mentally, that is, a person with mental health. Third, the physically disabled who have come to the temple a lot but cannot go inside and worship God. You can see the evidence that he got physical and spiritual health by jumping into the temple and praising God. Fourth, he could no longer live as a beggar and became financially self-sufficient. Fifth, he glorified God and sixth another saint. They experienced God's existence, power, and love, and brought great spiritual benefits, and evangelized the seventh unbelievers to return to God, which was a great strength. Since all churches today must contribute to the growth of the church by actively utilizing the gift of healing, I would like to present a strategy for church growth through healing.
1) knowledge
We must have a biblical knowledge of God, Satan, and the believer himself in order to heal. However, here, we will omit God and Satan and look only at the Christian himself. It is important for the Christian himself to have a correct knowledge of himself. Satan is what keeps the spiritual eyes of Christians from being victorious in the fight against Satan. Amy Simple McPherson says that when it comes to healing, the patient himself must know that he can be healed.
a. Ching of
Paul tells the Saints in Rome: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24). He was transformed into a righteous man. The sinner's status was changed to that of the righteous, and he received Salvation by Justification. When we possess this marvelous grace of God, our spirits are healed of the sickness of sin.
b. location
All those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as Lord are natural persons. When a natural person accepts Jesus Christ by faith, he becomes a new creation. Paul said to the Ephesians: He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and seated us together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6) ). God has raised us up with Christ and has placed us on the throne of God in Christ. We are in a very supernatural and spiritual position.
We live in a world. But it does not belong to the world. The position of our saints is in heaven. Although we are sometimes weak and ill, when we realize that we belong to the kingdom of heaven, the healing power within us is revealed.
c. power
Our saints have been given the authority and power to deal with evil spirits. As we go to work for Jesus Christ, He assures us of His power. Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; therefore go and make disciples of all nations... (Matthew 28:18-19). The word therefore here means that he will guarantee us dominion in heaven and on earth, as long as we obey his commands. The authority as the power over evil spirits and disease is the authority he bestows upon those who work for Jesus.
As long as we Christians have a normal relationship with Jesus Christ, we need to assure ourselves that the power he possesses becomes ours.
2) emotions
a. Forgiveness
God's healing power flows into his body from God when the patient receives God's forgiveness and there is no obstacle between him and God. But even if that person is forgiven by God, healing is impossible unless he forgives others.
We must forgive others. In doing so, healing energy flows from God. It flows into our soul and waters our heart, so that the healing power spreads throughout our body, so that we can be healed spiritually, mentally, and physically.
b. love
Dr. McMillan said that hate is a disease-producing emotion. It is said that when we hate another person, a chemical reaction takes place in our body. The toxicity produced by this chemical reaction is said to be the cause of disease. We must not only accept God's love, but love others so that toxins are not produced in our bodies, but healing powers are produced in our bodies. Thapford said that love is a healing force. He said that love has the ability to heal not only mental but also physical ailments. Love removes the evil power hidden in disease.
c. belief
Faith is a decisive factor in healing. Faith means to receive, to accept. Receiving Jesus Christ, the healer, into your heart is the first step toward healing. The prophet Isaiah emphasized: by his slap we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) by his wounds we are healed.