4. I. JESUS HEALS
Jesus heals! We may not know how many
miraculous healings Jesus performed during
His earthly ministry, as what the apostle John
said, “If they were all written down, I suppose
the whole world could not contain the books
that would be written” (21:25), but we know
that 17x in the Gospels it says that Jesus
“healed all their sicknesses”!
Some are specifically recorded in the Bible:
He healed a man’s son (John 4:46-54), a
Canaanite girl (Matthew 15:21-28), a Roman
soldier (Luke 22:50-51), a centurion’s slave
(Luke 7:1-10), Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke
4:38-39), and women (Luke 8:43-48; Luke
13:11-13).
Such healings were miraculous as He healed a
man with swollen arms and legs (Luke 14:1-4),
a sick man (John 5:1-9), a paralyzed man
(Luke 5:18-25), a deaf man (Mark 7:31-37),
mute men (Luke 4:33-35; Luke 11:14), blind
men (Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 8:22-26; Luke
18:35-43; Matthew 9:27-31), and lepers (Luke
5:12-13; Luke 17:11-19).
He simply healed them sometimes by touch
(Mark 6:56; Luke 4:40) and sometimes by
word (Matthew 8:3; 9:22; Mark 1:41; Luke
5:13; John 5:8). And when He heals, they are
healed instantly and totally (Matthew 8:3,13;
9:22; 15:28; 17:18; 20:34; Mark 1:42; 7:35;
10:52; Luke 5:13; 13:13; 18:43; John 5:9)!
All of these affirms not only the deity of Jesus
but also the words of the apostle Paul that
"the Lord cares about our bodies" (1
Corinthians 6:13).
II. COMMISSIONED TO HEAL
Many are aware that the Great Commission
verse is Matthew 28:19-20 but only few are
aware that it has a parallel passage.
* Parallel passages occur when a single event or major concept is
given in two or more places in the various scriptural accounts.
And Mark 16:15-18 is its parallel passage.
In v. 18 (of Mark 16) is a promise, "... [You]
will be able to place [your] hands on the sick,
and they will be healed."
Note: the command and the promise in Mark
16:15-18 is not restricted only to a special
category of Christians, but to ALL Christians.
Yes! We are all commissioned not only to
make disciples, but also to "place our hands
on the sick"!
Jesus healed and He commissioned us before
He ascended to heal the sick too in His name.
Pressured? You and I shouldn't be. It is vital to
remember that IT IS GOD who heals (Exodus
15:26), not us. Our role is to believe and obey
Mark 16:15-18, and let God be God.
In the book of Acts we see how the apostles

5. believed and obeyed it:
| Acts 3:6-8 [to a man who is lame since
birth]; "...’in the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, get up and walk!' Then Peter took
the lame man by the right hand and helped
him up. And as he did, the man's feet and
ankles were instantly healed and
strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his
feet, and began to walk! Then walking,
leaping, and praising God, he went into the
Temple with them."
| Acts 9:34 [to a man who is paralyzed and
bedridden for eight years]; "Peter said to him,
'Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and
roll over your sleeping mat!' And he was
healed instantly."
| Acts 14:10 [to a man who is crippled feet
since birth]; "So Paul called to him in a loud
voice, ''Stand up!' And the man jumped to his
feet and started walking."
| Acts 28:8-9 [Ill with fever and dysentery];
"…Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying
his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the
other sick people on the island came and
were healed."
III. GIFTED TO HEAL
It is clear in 1 Corinthians 12:9 that the Holy
Spirit graciously bestows the gift of healing to
"whom He wills" (v.11). This does not mean
though that the gifted is the Healer! We know
it is God who heals (Psalm 103:3).
Here are 5 questions to assess whether you
are graciously bestowed by God with this gift:
1. Do you have a deep compassion for people
who are sick?
2. Do you have a deep conviction that God
can heal anyone He chooses?
3. Do you enjoy praying for people who are
sick, and have you seen people healed when
you do so?
4. When God heals someone, are you excited
because it helps reveal His power to others?
5. Do you long for the coming of God’s
Kingdom (mentioned by Jesus 82 times),
when there will be an end to all sickness?
Today, around the world, we find examples of
those who were gifted with this extraordinary
gift. This does not mean that we can leave it
all to them. The commission to heal is for all
of us. Just as we do not all have the gift of
evangelism, but we are all called to tell others
about Jesus, so we do not all have the gift of
healing, but we are all called to pray for the
sick.
IV. SOME SAY: DIVINE HEALING HAS
CEASED

6. In other words, they say that God no longer
miraculously heal people today. They also say
that the supernatural gifts, such as healing,
ceased to operate at the end of 1st century
(this is popularly known as cessationism).
But theologians, biblical scholars, and writers
from the 2nd and 3rd century like Augustine,
Origen, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Theophilus,
Quadratus and Justin Martyr report that such
things as healing continued and formed a
normal part of the activity of the early church.
It is also clear from 1 Corinthians 12-14 that
Paul did not believe that such ability was
confined to the apostles.
Jesus is “the same” yesterday, today and
forever (Hebrews 13:8).
John Dela Victoria adds: “I find no evidence
that the ‘charisma’ gifts or the so-called gifts
of the Spirits ceased after the canonization of
the New Testament Scriptures. In fact, there
is no exegetical evidence that the charismatic
gifts are not for today.
When I began to read John MacArthur’s
Charismatic Chaos and articles on Strange Fire
conference, I always go back to the point that
what I need to follow is the Scripture data
that points to the continuation of these gifts.
Get this; most of the arguments of those
authors are not exegetical and hermeneutical
in nature, but rather experiential, emotional
and bad backgrounds in the Charismatic
movement.
You see, you cannot dismiss the gifts of the
Spirit by appealing to experience. You cannot
say that just because you were not healed
during prayer doesn’t mean you must reject
the ‘charisma’ gifts. Because experientially,
there were many who were healed through
prayer and many who were not. So
experience is not a good standard or grounds
for a belief. As the famed Christian apologist
and philosopher Ravi Zacharias has pointed
out, “You can never build a theology on a
basis of a second hand experience. As a
matter of fact, it is also dangerous to build a
theology on your own personal experience un-
sustained by the theoretical written Word of
God.”
I wouldn’t add to the arguments Neo gave
above, those are quite strong, even if his
intention was to point to the authority of
Scripture, not to prove the continuation of
the gifts of the Spirit. I would recommend
though being very careful of charismania, the
position that says every spiritual experience
must came from God, no matter how strange,
unusual and unbiblical it might be. Also be
discerning if one phenomena is from God or
not. The only way for you to know if that kind
of experience would not contradict the
principles God gave in His revealed Scripture.”

7. V. SOME SAY: ALL SICKNESS IS DUE TO
SINNING
In other words, they say that by not sinning,
no Christian needs to ever be sick.
Although the Bible is clear that we can bring
sickness upon ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:27-
32), this is not always the case. We know that
because Job (2:7), Daniel (5:27), Paul
(Galatians 4:13), Timothy (1 Timothy 4:23),
Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:27), and
Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20) experienced
sickness despite the fact that they deeply
loved God and walked with Him faithfully.
Satan also has the power to make us
physically sick (2 Corinthians 12:7), but
regardless of why we are sick, we need to
pray.
VI. SOME SAY: SEEKING MEDICATION IS
WRONG
In other words, they say that since God can
heal, Christians should not go to a doctor nor
seek for any medicine.
But ponder 2 Chronicles 16:12-13 with me,
"…Asa developed a serious foot disease. Yet
even with the severity of his disease, he did
not seek the Lord's help but turned only to his
physicians. So he died..."
Now the text doesn't say that Asa died
because he turned to his physicians, but that
he died because he has placed his faith on his
physicians for his condition and not on the
Lord. Otherwise he should have sought not
only his physicians BUT ALSO the Lord's help.
The idea that faith is some type of magic cure
that makes all doctors and all medicine
unnecessary is a major misunderstanding.
Those who say that if you go to the doctor for
a medical problem, you lack faith, fail to
understand that the same God who can heal
directly also guides the skilled medical
professionals to accomplish it.
The apostle James mentioned in the 5th
chapter of his letter to “anoint the sick with
oil” (verse 14).
Quoting Daniel Owens’ commentary of the
verse, he says: “Anointing with oil is used in
the Bible to symbolically show the belief that
God is present. The act of anointing or
pouring oil on the forehead of someone
serves as a physical symbol and reminder that
God was there. In Bible times, oil certainly
had a medicinal use as well. Thus, the
knowledge of medicine combined with the
power of God can bring healing to a person’s
life.”
Some approve that Christians may partake
medicine but only those that are herbal. They
go to the original Greek word of pharmacy
which is pharmakeia which can be translated

8. into the English word “sorcery” and apply all
passages in the Bible that speak against
sorcery and the practice of it as passages
against pharmaceutical medicine and the use
of it. It may sound unconvincing but if this is a
personal conviction of a brother or sister in
Christ, I will respect.
But what I see plainly in the pages of the
sacred Scripture is that: All healing comes
ultimately from God. But how He heals and
whom He uses to accomplish the healing
process is up to Him.
VII. FINAL PLEA (TRUST GOD)
If you are sick and disturbed with your illness
right now, please hold on and trust God.
Please allow me to pray for you:
“Dear Lord, You know my friend (the one
reading this) so much better than I do. You
know his/her sickness and the burden he/she
carries. You also know his/her heart. Lord, I
ask You to be with my friend now as You work
in his/her life.
Lord, let Your will be done in his/her life. If
there is a sin that needs to be confessed and
forgiven, please help him/her to see his/her
need and confess.
Lord, I pray for my friend just as Your Word
tells me to pray, for healing. I believe You hear
this earnest prayer from my heart and that it
is powerful because of Your promise. I have
faith in You, Lord, to heal my friend, but I also
trust in the plan You have for his/her life.
Lord, I don't always understand Your ways. I
don't know why my friend has to suffer, but I
trust You. I ask that You look with mercy and
grace toward my friend. Nourish his/her spirit
and soul in this time of suffering and
comfort him/her with Your presence.
Let my friend know that You are there with
him/her through this difficulty. Give him/her
strength. And may You, through this difficulty,
be glorified in his/her life and mine, Amen.”
Personally, I would like you to visit this page:
http://hopefaithprayer.com/scriptures/100-
god-healing-david-emigh/ and for further
study, John Dela Victoria recommends:
Authentic Fire: A Response to John
MacArthur’s Strange Fire and Whatever
Happens to the Power of God and numerous
articles on the topic in askdrbrown.org
website by Dr. Michael L. Brown; Pouring Holy
Water On Strange Fire: A Critique of John
MacArthur’s Strange Fire & Charismatic Chaos
by Frank Viola; and Miracles, a two dense
tome volume and Gift and Giver: The Holy
Spirit for Today by Craig S. Keener.
Cherishing Truth with you,