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.

Some people who are familiar with talk of “healing the sick” in today’s world may consider the idea strange.  And indeed,  it may be unfamiliar territory.  But is it really strange?   To me, strange is looking at the book of Acts and comparing it with what we call church today. Everyone knows we’re missing something. I have been on a quest to bring it back!  And now that I have found some answers, I want to share the spoils with you so that we can journey on together.

So, what do you think? Is the Bible true?  The whole thing?  (If you answer no, please skip down to the videos or come hang out with us in San Jose, I think it will help you reconsider)  If the answer is “yes”, what do you make of these verses (and please check to make sure they are in context):

Matthew 9:35 – Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness.
Acts 10:38 – Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
John 14:12, 13  – Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”
Mark 16:17, 18 – “And these signs will follow those who belive: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people; and they will get well.”

Many of us claim to live inside a bubble.  It may be true – how much do you want to see beyond it? I have started to see, and what lies beyond is actually quite exciting.  So if you ever wondered why so many people are bored in church or thinking the whole “God” thing isn’t for them, read on.  It’s not that God isn’t your type of thing, it’s just that you are made for more than man-made religion!

Luke 10:9 says that wherever we go, “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.”   These are a few clips of a type of miracle we see a lot of, some of the ones you can actually watch happen if you look closely enough. Lots of people struggle with back pain or sore feet, and a cause of that is their legs are different lengths, due to tight hamstrings or in a few cases disproportionate bones.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4sBsoH8iCg&w=480&h=385]

I recorded in more detail some other supernatural experiences we’ve seen in this article.  But it’s not just us – there are plenty more videos of friends and other Jesus freaks who are doing this and more, check out this site for more videos and testimonies of people being healed.  I wish I had been videoing more the past 3 weeks because I have seen a lot more than that. Just last night a guy was healed of ringing sounds in his ears.  I’ve seen numbness in legs gone, headaches and backaches disappear, cartilage restored to a lady’s knee, a torn rotator cuff healed (after we prayed for 25 minutes!), a lady no longer needing a neck brace, and lots of other exciting miracles take place.  Through this we’ve gotten to show people the goodness of God and I have had the opportunity to lead a few to the Lord, while my friends here have seen many more saved and set free.  There is nothing like “preaching the good news to all creation” in not just a matter of talk but power!

I’ve got plenty of resources here to help you get started healing the sick yourself – not that it is difficult, but if you grew up in church and were taught healing the sick isn’t for everybody then you will definitely be having the same questions I did over the past 6 years, most of which can be answered with this stuff.

First off, let me introduce you to my friends Ryan and Laura Rhoades, whom I’ve known for over a year now and am running with here in San Jose.  I have learned plenty from their website www.revivalorriots.org/ and even more from knowing them personally.

They are connected with Curry Blake, a minister who has been going after this stuff for many years and is seeing incredible results. . Below is a link to a series of Curry’s teachings that helped me out enormously and I highly recommend listening to them.

This message has some pretty huge implications – because if it is true that we have the power to heal the sick, maybe we have a bigger responsibility than we thought.  But hey, letting the world know the good news is the Great Commission, not a Polite Suggestion.  This is what we got enlisted in – something that can actually help save the world.

I realize this is a difficult article for any who haven’t seen the sick healed themselves. But take it to God. And if no one responds to this with questions, I will assume you all agree with me and will act on it as well!  Because that’s the whole point – we’re after truth. So as a friend, I am telling you this because I’d want you to tell me truth as well.  So, as my high school grad theme (almost) said, “Get ‘er done!”

Pretty soon I’m going to put another article up talking about whether everyone should be healed or not. The question may be answered for you from going through Revival or Riots website or listening to Curry Blake, but I’ll put some more helpful stuff up as well.

Alright, be challenged! Love you guys, let’s change the world together. Live it real.