God has a sense of humor
A few years ago, I was talking on the phone with a friend in Atlanta. A few minutes in, she mentioned that she would be going in for an operation the next Friday, two days away. I asked what the…
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Paul’s Thorn Revisited
In a previous post, I discussed Paul’s Thorn and how a careful reading shows that it has nothing to do with sickness. Instead, Paul was referring to persecution he faced again and again as he sought to fulfill his calling…
How Healing Comes – Avenue #15
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…
Who Are You, Really?
It never fails. Regardless of which church or which city I’m in, attending a typical evangelical church, I hear that one phrase that grates against my heart and my sensibilities. It might be a pastor or an elder stepping up…
Whose faith is it, then?
We have seen up to this point, multiple ways by which God heals. In some instances, the process is initiated by men, and in others, it is dependent on the gifts of the Holy Spirit working through others. A common…
How Healing Comes – Avenue #14
In Jesus’ day, invalids would wait at the Pool of Bethesda, near the Sheep Gate, for the ‘stirring of the waters’. John describes this in John 5:1-4, 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which…
Costly Mistakes in Ministry and Redemption
Years ago, I was called to a hospital to pray for a young woman who endured a brain aneurysm. She was in a coma and had been so for days. My friends went to feed the parking meter, and I…
Don’t Blame God
The scenario is a common one. A sickness occurs among friends or loved ones, we fire up the prayer network, we gather round in a large group and pray for the person, but nothing happens. We do it again for…
A Church’s Practical Path to Healing (Part 4)
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…
A Church’s Practical Path to Healing (Part 3)
The role of intercession has always been critical in church history. Webster’s Dictionary describes intercession as “prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another”. Pentecost was ushered in through prayer and intercession (Acts 2); Paul and Barnabas were also selected…
A Church’s Practical Path to Healing (Part 2)
For a church that makes a commitment to become a Healing Church, the truth is that everything will change. First, it will probably lose members. Every church I know of that made this commitment has gone through the process. “Such…
A Church’s Practical Path to Healing (Part 1)
I recall sitting in a large church meeting that was once again, dismissed without an altar call. Having attended the church for a while, I was fairly confident there were more than a few new faces in attendance. Most of…