Jesus Heals!
by Joe Burke

Many churches do not teach and lead their people to the healing power of Jesus Christ for spirit, soul AND body.  There is much mystery about Christianity. God hasn't revealed everything to us.  There is much mystery about healing.  Everybody does not get healed.  However just because we don't know all the answers about healing is no reason to abandon this aspect of God's love for us.  This is a faithless approach to the gospel and is in fact another gospel and should be rejected out of hand as St. Paul suggests.

When Jesus walked on this earth, He spent a major amount of His time healing and casting out demons from the people who came to Him.  Almost half of the gospel of Mark is devoted to Jesus' healing power!  Jesus' command to us is: "Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to carry out EVERYTHING I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)  Everything includes healing and deliverance and the ministry of the supernatural.  Jesus said in John 14:12 "I solemnly assure you, the man who has faith in me will do the works I do, and greater far than these."  What are we going to do with these words of Jesus in the sacred Scriptures?  We need to come to grips with these scriptures and repent for our lack of belief in them if needed.  We need to bring our thoughts and actions in line with the word of God (2 Cor 5:10).  We need to cry out "Lord I believe, help my unbelief." (Mark 9:24)

There is much talk in the Church these days about evangelization in the new Millenium. Jesus expects us to evangelize in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in our own power.  "Not by power, not by might, but by my Spirit says the Lord." (Zechariah 4:6)  Evangelization without the supernatural healing and delivering power of Jesus will limp along and be ineffective.  The evangelizers need to be evangelized, first!  We need to restore expectant, believing faith to the Church, first!  We need to restore the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, first!  We must stop being so passive towards sickness and accepting every sickness as the Lord's will for us.  Sickness is an evil according to Jesus.  Sure we may not be healed and God may want us to offer it up, but that comes AFTER we resist it in the name of Jesus and we ask Him to heal us!  

The first thing we usually do when we get sick is run to the doctor.  How utterly faithless is that!  We act more like a practical atheist than a believing Christian.  Let's run to Jesus first.  Let's pray and ask Him to heal us.  Doctors are great.  We should use them, but in the right sequence and at the right time!  Doctor’s have their place, but it is fourth place, after we have prayed, repented, and worshipped. Sirach 38:9-12 says: "My son, when you are ill, delay not, but pray to God who will heal you; Flee wickedness; let your hands be just, cleanse your heart of every sin; Offer your sweet-smelling oblation and petition, a rich offering according to your means, THEN give the doctor his place lest he leave, for you need him too."

Some years ago right after we were Baptized in the Holy Spirit, my wife Binnie had a tumor develop on her ovary, "the size of a small grapefruit" as described by her doctor.  Surgery was scheduled.  However Binnie through prayer and a series of confirming events, believed that Jesus wanted to heal her Himself.  Surgery was cancelled.  The Doctor wrote in her medical file, "I take no responsibility for this pelvic mass that Mrs. Burke refuses to have removed."  Binnie put her trust in Jesus and His personal "word" to her.  Some months later, the same Doctor verified that the pelvic mass was gone.  It never reappeared again.  Jesus was true to His word.

Come Holy Spirit and convict us of our lack of trust and belief in the healing power of Jesus. Lead us to repent of our lack of belief in your word.   Restore to us the ministry of the supernatural in the Church.  Cause us to give great glory to the name of Jesus and may your Kingdom come.  Amen.