NOTE (1/12/18): We’re all learning and growing.  Some of the stuff I’ve written in these old posts may no longer be exactly what I believe or think, or at least may not be articulated the way I’d do it nowadays.  I preserve them in an attempt it to be transparent about my journey, and in the hopes that readers may still glean some insight from the core ideas found here.  Thanks for journeying with me!

Welcome back!  I hope you tuned into part one which briefly explained with Scripture why we can, and should, be healing the sick. I want to expand on that more here, give some practical tips on how to do it, and then answer the looming question on whether everyone who is sick should be healed. This is Bill Johnson, the main pastor from Bethel Church (where I went to school last year), looking beyond the box of what many of us church folk have seen God’s will for our lives as.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItLIUWPujg8&w=640&h=385]

So you can see once again, this stuff isn’t optional – it’s a command. Like it says, “Anyone who claims to be in Christ must walk as Jesus did”.  (1 John 2:6) Plus, getting people set free feels pretty swell!

I admit, it’s easier to get out there with people who already do this kind of ministry. But don’t let it be an excuse! There are many people in your life just waiting for an encounter with something real. You have the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead living in you (Romans 8:11)! That’s a lot of power waiting to be released.  Don’t let your experience trump what the Bible says about you.

The final question I want to look at is whether we should be getting everyone healed.  Though I would like to put it in my own words, this article sums it up very well:

http://www.revivalorriots.org/jesus-healed-all

The following video explains healing and the atonement more clearly, so if you don’t have time to listen to all of Curry Blake’s teachings you should check out this video. I haven’t watched the whole thing myself but I understand it’s a good summary.

http://blip.tv/play/gqkx5vAKAg%2Em4v

And lastly, for anyone who has thought that Paul’s thorn in the flesh justifies why people shouldn’t get healed, take a look here.

Remember, Jesus is our perfect example (Hebrews 1:3), and anyone who has faith in him will do what he did and greater things (John 14:12).  Easy concept, but seems to have gotten lost in translation for many.  Let’s get back at it – it will revolutionize the world!

I understand that a lot of people stand against this stuff (I mean just type in Bill Johnson or Curry Blake on google – some people have very colorful things to say about them), and yes, I know some people think I’m crazy and misled and such things.  And if you begin to agree with this stuff, you’ll probably be labeled the same.  But let me ask – is truth always found in crowds? Of all there is to know in the world, how much do you know?  Like the old saying goes…it’s dead fish that go with the flow.  I don’t say this to get you to agree with me – I just want you to just think for yourself rather than relying on your parents, pastor, horoscope, or whatever.  Truth may not make us feel comfortable, but it will make us come alive – that’s why the disciples stuck with Jesus even when everyone else was offended and left him (John 6:68).

I’m in no way saying that healing the sick is the only way to show people Christ.  Indeed I simply want to balance our actions to look like Jesus’. We’ve got to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1) – and healing the sick was something he did everywhere he went (Matthew 4:23-25, 8:16-17, 9:35, Mark 1:33-34, 6:56, Luke 5:15, 9:11…etc). …However, I am not yet an imitator of Christ yet to the point that I spout off something and then leave without explaining it – get a hold of me if you want to know more or see it happen!

Yup…So you can lay hands on the sick, and they WILL recover.  Too good to be true?  Well…proclaiming healing, freedom, and deliverance (Luke 4:18) is kinda why we call it “good news”.  And even though not every sick person we’ve prayed for has gotten better (up to this point) we can’t use our experience to set aside the commands of God and follow man-made ideas (Matthew 15:6).

So, another part of our mission is clear.  The world is dying for a true demonstration of something to life for. So let’s stop making the body of Christ so lame! You can be the next hero in the hallways of eternity – don’t let the devil tell you otherwise.   Let us show our love for Jesus by obeying his command (John 14:15) to love as he loved. And by knowing the furious love he has for you, you’ll never pass by people with canes, wheelchairs, and pain without wanting to giving them a taste of the freedom that Christ bought…purchased not just for us, but for the whole world (1 John 2:2).  Live it real.