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In Acts 19:10-12, Luke narrates how God did special or extraordinary healing miracles through Paul,
11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Those who are familiar with healing and deliverance ministry understand the significance of touch and how the anointing can be released through touch.
On one hand, we can look at this scripture and say: “well, this was specific to Paul as a healing method and nothing is said about its generalizability to other ministers”. They would recall when a dead body was thrown into a cave in which Elisha had been laid and the dead one came back to life on contact with Elisha’s corpse (2 Kings 13:20, 21). Surely, we would not introduce that as a general form of ministry, would we?
However, there are other precedents that seem to me to permit this form of healing ministry. Elisha (2 Kings 4:29) had his servant, Gehazi, take his staff to lay on the face of a dead boy for healing (although unsuccessful in that instance). Most important though, the woman with the issue of blood was healed by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Clearly it is not the cloth itself that heals, but the Holy Spirit’s anointing from the individual that impregnates the cloth. With these examples, I suggest this is a viable method of ministering and receiving healing today. However, as practiced today, this method is dramatically unsuccessful or at best, “hit-and-miss”. Why?
I believe the major reason is that we have little understanding in our churches about who has what kind of anointing, calling or gifting in any area. We just gather around en masse, lay hands on the cloths and send them out “on a hope and a prayer”. It is almost ritual now.
As an aside, I have been in meetings where twenty believers gather around a sick person and begin to pray. This irritates me, quite honestly. That is dignifying sickness and ascribing importance to the demonic activity behind some sicknesses. Why are twenty Christians needed to pray for healing for one person? Am I the only one to whom this seems ridiculous? The Greater One lives in us, doesn’t He? If one Christian can change a light bulb, one believing Christian should be able to pray successfully for a sick person’s healing.
Anyway, back to anointing cloths. What would it take to have a better success rate? Teaching and recognition of spiritual gifts…much more of it. Are we an army? Yes, but an army of specialists. Pilots fly planes, tank drivers drive tanks, engineers build bridges. This is important. You have this gift, I have another. Those who have this gifting and success in it should be doing it, not everyone. We just don’t operate like an army and so become largely ineffectual in warfare, particularly when contending for healing.
To conclude, I suggest that anointing cloths are a method by which God heals. Trained and anointed ministers in this area can have great results that glorify God and get the sick healed. Please tell us about your own experiences in this area.
I have experienced this same type of healing through a healing cloth. A member of our church had her baby stop moving in her womb. Her husband called saying that they were heading to a hospital that could deal with this. I prayed over a handkerchief and saturated it with blessed oil. I instructed her to hold it over her belly and pray that all would be well. The baby was born healthy and beautiful. I acknowledge that the prayed-upon handkerchief had something to do with the positive outcome of the event. Call me crazy if you will, but I believe.
Hi Marty,
Nice to hear from you. You’re not crazy, you’re a believing believer! I enjoy hearing such accounts and join you in praising God for the healthy baby. God does use the foolish things, like handkerchiefs, to shame the wise.
Blessings…
I absolutely believe this! But why wouldn’t we? Jesus said, “ANYONE who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12). So it seems to have to do with the measure of faith that we exercise. I love this page. I too write of modern-day healing at http://www.powerdemonstration.com
May God bless you richly and may we continue to shout from the mountaintops what Jesus is doing TODAY. Chris
i am curious as to why having more than one person pray over a person since James 5:14 says, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders (plural) of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” This indicates that the early church would practice this and James affirms that this is right to do. What do you think? Thanks
While I was part of a healing team in Brazil there was a testimony given by a young girl, her mother and their home group leader. The girl had been pronounced dead by paramedics after being run over by a motorcycle. The girl’s mother called the home group leader and would not let the paramedics take her daughter. They prayed and within 30 minutes the girl started breathing again. The video is on youtube. There have been times ministers have been called and nothing happens and they have someone else pray and the person gets healed. Different people in the body of Christ have different gifts. One of the churches in Brazil had 6,000 members and the senior pastor acknowledges that there are people more gifted in praying for healing than he is. Sometimes two different people praying have different gifts that complement each other. From experience with praying for the sick for twenty years a title does not always confer a gifting. Calling the elders is completely scriptural but if the person is not healed, God may desire to heal them through someone else. The main thing is that they receive healing
Hi, David. How did you realize you had the gift to heal?
My Beloved friend, Greeting to you in the most lovely name of the Jesus Christ I am Bro. D. Dasu Pastor of the ZION MISSION our ministry (Love and hope prayer Temple) is non-profitable non-sectarian Christian congregation group established in the vision and burden to save the people from the clutches of poverty through love of God in Jesus Christ. We have been servicing in the mountain areas of the Tribal where who are more than 150 needy families were living and they belongs to fortune teller and no assets.
They are depended on fortunate as the traditional of man. So many peoples were faithful on the mount Gods, because he was saved us from all of my troubles, clutches, and burdens at is their belief. Since then we have been started that to show the Gospel of Jesus Christ while around the 20 such villages of the mount belt. We preach the love Gods among them. First of all they are not accepted, that and this interested towards Gospel message. Although with quitting we have every day evening started the prayer meeting in the centers for proclaim in the word of God since 2003 for them. I praise the lord for God greatly realized them from the clutches of the impact are the god’s grace and affluent. They begun to understand the true Gospel and started to believe it, they have received this glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ where we preaching the scriptures portions from fore chapters of Gospel. As a results of the Gospel efforts they have been encouraged and they now sure of the remis
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of since and have been born again just like a new baby just born from it mother womb. So Gospel as been washed away their weakness and their hearts is obedient and full of gratitude. So many families are saved through is the resurrection of Jesus of holly blood and washed from their over all sins and weaknesses. They who once was sinners, have been now became righteous in Christ. This was the pure Gospel that awakened them and made them righteous, the Bible said “OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY BE HOLD. ALL THINGS HAVE BECAME NOW†– II Corinthians 5:17. There fore we would like to spread this news to Gospel throughout such communities in 32 villages in out Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, India. So that we can proclaim the love of Gods in Jesus Name. please would you help to us for the ministry. work, With prayerful wishes, Glory be to God, Amen. Thanking You Service in Jesus Christ Bro. D. Dasu