Zeal For Truth

It has been said that there are two sides to redemption – the legal side and the vital side. I believe that is true. On the one hand you have the word of God, his promises revealed to his people, and then you have the actual experiences of his people in relation to his promise. The latter does not prove the will of the Father; rather the former reveals his thoughts toward us. During this series I have done my best to explore the legal side to the best of my ability. Rather than summing up what I have already written, I would like to approach healing from the other, unexplored side.

Personal Experiences
True Christian faith is not based on experiences; it is based on the word of God. Therefore an experience is only relevant to the extent that it is agreement with God’s word. Even regarding experiences that are supernatural, the believer is cautioned not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to be sure they come from God (1 John 4:1).

However, having a record of all the experiences the early church had with the Holy Spirit, we too should expect that God might visit us in much the same way. As long as our experiences are biblical, we have every reason to conclude they are an expression of the same love and power that Jesus manifested. God does not change. When Jesus offered prayer for his disciples in John 17 before being crucified, he also extended that prayer to include those believers who would come after them.

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world (John 17:18-24, NASB).

This prayer reveals that it was Jesus’ will that the same glory demonstrated in his ministry should belong to his church for all ages. There is no hint of generational bias. Although many have relegated the ministry of healing to the early apostles, Jesus said this sign would follow those who believed in his name (Mark 16:18).

My Own Healing
A few years ago I suffered with symptoms consistent with Crohn’s disease. (I cannot say it was definitely Crohn’s disease since I never went to a doctor.) These symptoms persisted for about a year. I had very frequent diarrhea and skin rashes that occurred during night sweats. Nearly every morning I woke up in a cold sweat that literally drenched my sheets and stained them.

I was convinced that I would be healed if I exercised faith, but I endured the discomfort for quite a while before ever approaching God for healing. One reason I did not seek healing was because I was using my illness as a crutch. Any time I did not want to go to work, it was easy to call in sick because I was basically always sick. I got into the destructive habit of feeling sorry for myself.

Although it seems logical that most people who are sick desire to be healed, the truth is that is not always the case. Do you remember that Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda whether he wanted to be healed? Why would he ask such a question? Isn’t the answer obvious? Not exactly. Some people never got so much attention from others before they got sick, and they literally prefer to be sick and enjoy the attention. Despite the fact that they suffer, they enjoy a perverse power of victimhood – something they would have to give up if they got healed.

People like this get caught up in what I call “medical culture”. They constantly talk about their medications, their doctors, their surgeries, etc. It is impossible for people like this to be healed as long as they are consumed with being sick, especially if they get a sense of security from it. Such people prevent themselves from focusing on Jesus.

I was like that. Not to the extent that some people are, but the end result is the same. Eventually God got a hold of me. The Holy Spirit began to counsel me, and reveal to me areas that I needed to change. As crazy as this will sound to some, he showed me that I was heading toward an early grave before I reached my mid-fifties. That was a serious wake up call for me. I changed my direction, believed God for my healing, and was made completely well without the aid of medical science.
Continue reading ‘Biblical Bodily Healing X: Some Final Thoughts’