When we start to follow Jesus and actually do what he wants us to do, like heal the sick, or cleanse lepers,or raise the dead, or cast out demons, we can run into some large roadblocks in our mind! This is not just taking us out of our comfort zone, for some it's ripping up the zone and throwing it away!

But, we have to approach Jesus' commands from the point of view that they give us the truth about our abilities and knowledge of the love of God for us and those He brings us into contact with.

So let's continue this article with other first principles to see what God says, what the results should be, and why things don't always go according to OUR plan.

Principle 3.

Healing is not just up to God. A cursory look at the New Testament will show this.

There are many ways healing is provided, and ones faith and unbelief are things that Jesus said can restrict or access healing.

It's interesting that throughout the gospels Jesus NEVER even suggested that the faith (or lack of it) of the person who was sick should be a barrier to their healing.

A. He showed that if they had enough faith they could TAKE their healing as in the case with the woman with the issue of blood.

Mark 5:28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

Jesus didn't know anything about it. She just took the healing that His anointing included.

B. He also showed that once someone had asked elders to pray for them to be healed the responsibility for having faith for healing fell onto the elders. We can see this when a man brought his son to Jesus' disciples to be healed.

Matthew 17:16 "I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

So in this case Jesus tells the disciples, the 'Elders' praying for the miracle, that their unbelief was the problem. Unbelief had negated their faith. The problem was not at God's end. They stopped it!

We notice in the above case the disciples asked why THEY could not heal the boy and that's what Jesus answered. There's no question in the scriptures of God not wanting to heal 'in his sovereign will' or the boy's faith being a problem. Jesus only ever said that faith was required by those commanding healing for the sick and also those hanging around looking to see the miracle; i.e., guardians, the general crowd or the townsfolk.

C. Which brings us to the problem of the 'faith' of the gathered crowd!

Speaking of another time and location the scriptures tell us this regarding the area of Nazareth.

Mark 6:5 And he (Jesus) could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

Jesus marvelled that the unbelief of the people of His home-town could be so high that it limited what God's Spirit could do to help them. So this is the second area to watch out for when commanding healing for the sick.

I can see that unbelief can turn up in many disguises; because of wrong knowledge; because of fear; because of past experiences; and perhaps others; and we have to watch out for it when we pray for healing or a miracle or when we attend where people are praying for the sick.

The good thing is that once we know either our unbelief or the unbelief of others around us can be a problem then WE can draw close to God; point EVERYONE to the source of all faith, 'God' and learn how to remove the unbelief so that we can be of more help to those for whom we pray.

Then we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ and access His faith without unbelief! Thus even our mustard seed of faith, without doubt being a factor, will be able to do the miracles that Jesus did. And, Jesus said that with growth we will do even greater things! But of course you have to believe. Some don't believe even the simple stuff is possible, let alone greater things than Jesus did! (John 14:12).

But, it's never God's fault that no healing takes place. He provided all necessary healing 2000+ years ago through Jesus Christ.

1 Pet 2:24 Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.

Notice it's all in the past tense. Jesus is not being beaten with stripes today for anyone's healing. He provided it all 2000+ years ago.

I could give other obvious points on healing like - “God does not go against a person's will”. So if they don't want to be healed God is not going to force it on them because someone prays for it! Notice in John 5:6 Jesus asked a man sick for years if he wanted to be healed!

John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

People can want to stay sick! They want the disability payments to continue. Sickness gives them attention and sympathy. They feel they can put up with it. They think it shows humility that they are stoically living with the illness. They've had enough of life and want to die. They've had enough of the pain and want to die. They've been let down by someone (spouse's affair, etc.) and want to die.

God has given us 'free will', so He asks, “Do you want to be well!”

Principle 4.

God has given believers the anointing to heal the sick. Not some special group - “Believers”!.

Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

This is an attribute of those who believe (believers), “They will lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover”. Of course many people sing about belief, but that does not make them believers who actually believe! Jesus even expanded on what believers would be able to do, if they believe…

Mat 10:8. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Matthew tells us that Jesus passed on to us the ability to do all the above! These were ordinary believers who had only been believers for a year or so! It was not just the 12, there were 120 disciples who went out doing this! There were 120 in the upper room awaiting the Holy Spirit baptism! There were 120 believers who had tongues of flames over their heads and spoke in tongues! We also have received Holy Spirit without paying!

How long do we have to be believers before we believe we can heal the sick also?

As disciples of Jesus we are to do all that He did.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

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