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When it comes to healing, I’m the most gregarious person in the world. I’ll talk to anyone about it, I’ll ask anyone I respect to pray for me or for others, and I can be like the four friends who lowered their paralyzed friend down through the roof to be healed by Jesus. It is my passion, and there’s nothing quite so electric as seeing someone healed by the power of God.
What’s this got to do with a church becoming a healing church? Well, healing churches have to be gregarious about healing. Churches need others who know more than they do to really round them out in the various areas of healing. It is really important to find fivefold ministers to visit who move in the power of the Spirit and can also teach. Doctrine is important though, so it is wise to study the doctrine of your visitors before they visit, not after. Avoid ministers who move in power but have really erroneous doctrine.
A while back, in a home meeting, I innocently asked the question “what gifts does everyone here operate in?” All I received were blank stares and perhaps one or two hostile ones. I continued to quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6,
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
It says here that God works all of them in all men. I don’t believe there is a believer without spiritual gifts. Your gifts may be different from mine, but I believe God operates certain gifts in the life of each born-again believer. If there is one tragedy in the Body of Christ today, it is that this is not taught and many believers will go on to glory without operating in their gifts to benefit others. I’m sad when I think of the thousands who never walked in gifts of healing, faith or miraculous powers because they were not taught and thus never knew.
Healing churches should teach their congregations about, and encourage them to seek after spiritual gifts. This is one area where it is OK to be a glutton, that is having more and more of the Holy Spirit!! Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. I daydream sometimes about a healing room team of three members, one operating in the word of wisdom, another in gifts of healings, and yet another, in miraculous powers. I think they would be seriously effective.
When it comes to healing, we need to be as organized as the military, for two reasons. First, it is war, and second, the enemy is organized. “Jesus won already!” I hear someone say. I quite agree, but did you read Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3,
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
And again, in 1 Timothy 1:18,
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,
What war? This war that Paul refers to in these scriptures. So yes, we already have a victory through Jesus, but we are involved in an enforcement action that is war. My prayer is that more pastors teach, develop and equip their people to be used mightily in the healing ministry. Amen.
Hello,
I was wondering on your comment on spiritual gifts. Do you view normal things, such as music, as a spiritual gift? Many do. Especially since it makes sense that we ought not to have this dualistic separation between ‘spiritual’ and ‘natural’. However, doing so raises some questions on how we are to use our spiritual gifts.
Why I’m interested in this is because I’m becoming more aware that, perhaps, the reason why we are seeing so few healings in the church today is precisely because we don’t see healing as a ‘gift’ but more as a ‘miracle’. Miracles and healing are not always the same thing – miracles are more like the times when God decides to move whereas healing is something it seems He has given us to do.
Also, where DO you go for training for healing?
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your insightful question about natural vs spiritual gifts. A spiritual gift in my view is one that is “worked” by the Holy Spirit through us. Certainly the Bible lists 9 gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, as an example.
Is music a spiritual gift? Strictly speaking, no. However, will the Holy Spirit heal in an atmosphere of anointed music? Yes, He does, as he also does during worship, praise, prayer, waiting, wherever the Name of the Lord is exalted.
So in summary, I would say music is not a spiritual gift, but we can have anointed music and worship in which God moves as His Name is exalted. That’s why I urge churches to have such meetings, where God is praised and worshipped. He will move in such meetings.