Relevant Today 2

The Relevance of Healing for Today’s Church

We come now to healing – and, as always, there is a great deal of rubbish talked and taught about healing. Is it God’s will to heal? Does God really heal today? “If the Lord Will’s it,” is the usual plaintive cry.

Let’s get this straight from square one – the Bible says many, many things about healing. “I am the Lord who heals you” Exodus 15:6. “Praise the Lord ... who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases” Psalm 103:3. “...by his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:6.

All present tense please notice.

Then we come to Jesus himself. “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.” Matthew 4:24 – they brought ALL who were ill and He healed them.

Once again, the Word of God says that God wants to heal; that God likes to heal; and that He does (present tense) heal. Jesus regularly healed ALL that were brought before him. Then he did this - Luke 10:1-12 (NKJV) “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.” (Emphasis mine)

So Jesus sent his followers out in order to heal the sick before He even got there – presumably this also lightened His load too. He sent them to heal the sick – it was His intention that no sick people should remain anywhere He had been. There is no sickness in heaven either so , to me, it is so obvious that, not only does God want to heal everyone who turns to Him, but He will do so whenever we ask it or speak it in His name.

Jesus healed the sick and He told his followers to heal the sick. The Great Commandment tells us to heal the sick. Why? So that we might give all the Glory to God. Of course there is healing today. Of course it is relevant to our church today. In fact, instead of us being amazed when someone is healed, we should be amazed, and ask why, when they are not healed.