Healing, Deliverance, Gifts, and Miracles are for Today: The Problems with Cessationism
It is my prayer that every believer would come to know the fulness of the Holy Spirit’s power. Every believer has the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit has every believer. As I see it, those who reject the spiritual gifts are simply choosing to settle; they’re choosing to do things the hard way.
It is my prayer that every believer would come to know the fulness of the Holy Spirit’s power. Every believer has the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit has every believer. As I see it, those who reject the spiritual gifts are simply choosing to settle; they’re choosing to do things the hard way.
Though I prefer to avoid labels, traditionally speaking, some- one who believes that the spiritual gifts are no longer in operation is called a “cessationist”; the belief that the spiritual gifts have ceased to be operational is called “cessationism.”
Ultimately, it’s very difficult to debate a cessationist with Scripture, because they really don’t have anything even closely resembling a scriptural basis for their belief. They simply just assert their belief.
Now to properly weigh in on the discussion, I would need to write an entire separate book. But I at least want to give you a few very basic thoughts on the matter so that you might be loosed from the intellectual chains that hold you back from speaking in tongues. Whenever you hear a cessationist speak of why they believe the gifts have ceased, I want you to listen very closely. Generally speaking, they will use one of the three following lines of logic:
#1 Speculation
The cessationist can offer many points of speculation but never any portion of Scripture that clearly teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased.
Example 1: Only the early epistles mention the spiritual gifts, but the later ones make no mention of them. So the gifts must have ceased.
Example 2: Paul the apostle had poor eyesight; because God didn’t heal him, that demonstrates that the gift of healing (and the other gifts along with it) has ceased.
Here’s the issue with that sort of reasoning: In order to demonstrate biblically that the spiritual gifts have ceased, you have to be able to point to the Bible verse that tells us so. Otherwise, you’re just left with speculation. The biblical evidence is overwhelmingly supportive of the spiritual gifts; it’s not even close. The entire New Testament is fundamentally supernatural. If someone wants you to believe cessationism, they need to do better than offering unfounded inference and wishful speculation.
#2 Arguments from History
Another line of logic followed by the cessationist is the historical one.
Example 1: Some of the early church fathers believed that the gifts had ceased, and, therefore, we should believe the same.
Though we honor our early church fathers, we get our truth directly from the Scripture. Even if it can be proven (and that’s a key “if”) that most of the early church fathers believed the gifts had ceased, all that proves is that we had cessationists in the early church too. The question is not, “What did the early church fathers believe?” or “What does the history of the church record?” The question is, “What does the Bible teach?” We mustn’t put people on pedestals, not even the early church fathers. They were men, not gods. We have to be humble in our assessment of ourselves; we are only human. We must stick with just the Word of God, period.
Example 2: Church history records a decline in the use of the spiritual gifts.
Just because something isn’t properly recorded in history doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. There are several things you do each day that won’t be preserved in history’s record. The cessationist is being pre- sumptuous when he claims that generations of believers didn’t pray in tongues. How on earth could the cessationist know what didn’t happen in the early Church? To know that, one would have to have a complete record of every life of every believer—a record detailing even daily activity. We don’t have that. In fact, to make the claim that a certain Christian figure or group of people certainly didn’t pray in tongues, we would need a record of them telling us just that. So anyone who tells you that the early Church didn’t pray in tongues is making a big assumption. In fact, it’s presumptive to make that claim about any believer in history’s timeline.
#3 Poor Biblical Interpretation
Unfortunately for the cessationist, the burden of proof rests on those who claim that the gifts have ceased. From Genesis to Revelation, we see our powerful God performing miracle after miracle, involving Himself in the lives of His children. And we’re supposed to believe that God just suddenly stopped? Out of nowhere, His tangible interaction with mankind just ceased? It’s unreasonable to think that we’re supposed to just insert some imaginary marker on the timeline of all of history and say, “Right here is where God stopped.”
Here, the cessationist might interject, “We believe that God still moves. God still does miracles. We just don’t believe that God gives power, such as healing the sick, to individuals anymore.” Or they might say, “We believe God still moves; we just don’t believe men can heal the sick by their own will anymore.” But who actually believes that the power to perform the miraculous ever came from human beings in the first place? Who actually believes that men ever healed according to the exercising of their own will or power? Who believes that man on his own ever wielded the power to heal the sick? I sure don’t.
Going back to even the Old Testament, where cessationists admit that God was moving miraculously, we see Moses, supposedly given power of his own, unable to immediately heal the sick through prayer.
So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!” But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back” (Numbers 12:13-14).
That God left the prayers of Moses unanswered does not mean that He stopped working miraculously through people—the rest of the Bible is proof of that. So why would anyone’s unanswered prayer today indicate that God no longer moves? If cessationists were there with Moses, they might have suggested that God was done moving in Israel.
King David was likewise unable to heal the sick through prayer:
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered (Psalm 35:13).
But we all know that God continued to do miracles long after King David left the earth. It’s been God all along, and He works through people.
I don’t believe Peter carried his own power to heal the sick; it was sourced by the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe that Elijah or Moses had any ability, apart from God’s empowering presence, to perform miraculous displays of authority over creation. It was always God.
It’s simple: just as God moved according to His will through people in the Old and New Testament, so God moves according to His will through people now. There’s never any indication in the teaching of Scripture that states otherwise.
It’s all semantics, word play. Either you believe God still works among us or you don’t. This middle ground doctrine of “God still moves but not like He used to” is a dodge on the part of the cessationist. Truthfully, the best a cessationist can offer is a misapplication of this portion of Scripture:
Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).
Obviously, we won’t always need the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I can’t imagine the need for the gift of healing in Heaven where there is no sickness, the need for the gift of prophecy in eternity where there is no time, or the need for the gift of faith in Heaven where God can be seen. The day will come when the gifts of the Holy Spirit will cease.
So when will the gifts cease? Let’s look at what the Bible says in the very next two verses:
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely (1 Corinthians 13:11-12).
We are given two clues. The gifts of the Holy Spirit will cease when we see everything with perfect clarity and when we know everything completely (just as God knows us completely).
Do we see everything with perfect clarity now? Some sincere cessationists might believe so. Cessationists argue that the time of perfection was fulfilled when the Bible was completed. However, even though we have the Word of God, I don’t know a single living human who knows “everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
Of course, in my spirit I know God, but only Heaven will fully manifest what is known in my spirit—without the trouble of the flesh.
So clearly, First Corinthians 13 is describing eternity, not the here and now. So the gifts will cease when we are all face to face with God, as the King James Version puts it.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away child- ish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1 Corinthians 13:11-12, KJV). =
Furthermore, it cannot possibly be that the gifts will cease before the end of time, because Jesus promised that those who believe in Him will do greater works.
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father (John 14:12).
He didn’t say that a select few before a certain dispensation would do greater works. He didn’t say that greater works would be accomplished for just another couple of generations. He promised that “anyone” who believed in Him would do greater works.
So cessationism fails miserably as a biblical doctrine. Yes, when we know “everything completely,” the gifts will cease. Until then, flow in the gifts, especially the gift of tongues.
Excerpt from “Praying in the Holy Spirit” by David Diga Hernandez.
The Healing Touch of Jesus
I love the way the Scripture words that: “…as many as touched him were made whole.” And the wonderful reality is that Jesus still heals. Nowhere in all of Scripture does it teach that Jesus has stopped working miracles. Everything Jesus was anointed to do while here on the earth, the Holy Spirit continues to do for and through us.
The woman with the issue of blood. The blind beggar. The paralyzed man. These are just some of the many Biblical examples of people who experienced the healing touch of Jesus.
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. (Mark 6:56, KJV)
I love the way the Scripture words that: “…as many as touched him were made whole.”
And the wonderful reality is that Jesus still heals. Nowhere in all of Scripture does it teach that Jesus has stopped working miracles.
Everything Jesus was anointed to do while here on the earth, the Holy Spirit continues to do for and through us.
I’ve seen it with my own eyes - miracles of healing. The blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, the paralyzed move, and the afflicted are set free from their pain. Years of suffering, seasons of pain, can all come to an end.
I recall one instance in particular. A little girl attended one of my services with her mother. The girl had developed crooked legs. Her legs were turned inward. That little girl and her mother came to the service believing for a miracle. They came early but could only find seats in the back of the building. Nevertheless, they persisted in faith, knowing that God’s healing touch could reach them even where they were.
During the worship, they began to believe for the miracle to take place, for the little girl’s legs to straighten. Though nothing happened immediately, the little girl insisted that Jesus would heal her. After the service had ended, they began to drive home. The miracle had yet to transpire. But sitting there in the car, that little girl held on to hope. Suddenly, the girl began to hear a popping sound. She remarked to her mother, “Mom, do you hear that? Something is popping like popcorn!”
They didn’t know it until the next morning, but that girl’s legs had become perfectly straight. To their joy and amazement, the miracle had happened.
A miracle can instantaneously turn any situation around. The lesson to be learned is one of simple faith. Don’t worry; only believe. And keep believing, because any moment can be your miracle moment.
There’s no trick to it. There’s no formula, no method, no special approach - it’s just the healing power of God meeting simple faith.
So reach out in faith and touch Him. All it takes is a single touch from the hand of Jesus to make you whole. That same mighty power which flowed through the very body of Jesus, that same healing virtue, still rushes like a river today. Jump into the river of healing.
Be encouraged. Yesterday, today, and forever, our Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, is a healing Jesus.
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The Touch of Healing
There's no natural way to manufacture such power. There's no set of rules to follow, no system to apply. It's just the healing power of God. With just one touch, in a single moment of time, Jesus can make you whole. All you need is one touch.
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. (Mark 6:56)
I love that portion of scripture - as many as touched Him were made whole! When it comes to miraculous healing, there really is nothing more to it. It really is simply the touch of God.
There's no natural way to manufacture such power. There's no set of rules to follow, no system to apply. It's just the healing power of God. With just one touch, in a single moment of time, Jesus can make you whole. All you need is one touch.
How does one touch Jesus? It's by faith. You reach out and touch the hem of His garment by faith. You receive of His healing virtue by faith. Be confident in His promises, and be calm in your approach.
They begged for a touch, but you don't have to. You don't need to beg or plead. You just need to receive. Faith is confidence in what God has promised, and confidence is calm. It's difficult to receive from the Lord when we're all worked up with emotion, pleading, and doubtful desperation.
Whenever I minister to the sick, I try to bring people to the posture of faith. Rarely have I ever seen someone, who was so worked up with the fear of not receiving, actually receive. Many times, people are too panicked to receive.
The key to calm and confident faith is focusing on Jesus. His gentle and loving countenance will bring peace to your troubled mind and emotions. The sense of His power brings reassurance. Kathryn Kuhlman put it this way: "When Jesus becomes more real to you than your sickness, you'll be healed."
Trust the Lord. Trust His willingness. Trust His ability. Trust His timing. And know that it takes just one touch to change everything, to make you whole.
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Setting the Atmosphere
There’s nothing wrong with taking our message “outside the four walls of the church”, as long as we recognize that those “four walls” aren’t wrong - they can, at times, be useful.
And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. - Luke 5:17, KJV
Notice the key wording: “the power of the Lord was present to heal them...”
The atmosphere was set.
While I believe that God’s healing power can be taken anywhere at any time, I also know that setting the atmosphere for the Lord to move is key.
Jesus, though He traveled through villages and towns, traveled to synagogues.
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. - Matthew 9:35, NLT
Jesus’s ministry is commonly misunderstood in this regard: people imagine Him as some wanderer with no structure, who just hung out in the streets and performed miracles.
In fact, Jesus was organized and intentional. He focused on teaching in the synagogues.
Why?
There, He would set the atmosphere of faith. He would teach the Word and then perform miracles.
There’s nothing wrong with taking our message “outside the four walls of the church”, as long as we recognize that those “four walls” aren’t wrong - they can, at times, be useful.
It is important and spiritual to set aside a place for the purposes of God. It is effective to minister in an atmosphere that is set.
In a set atmosphere, distraction is removed and the people become focused on the Word. And when they are focused on the Word, their faith rises. And when their faith rises, miracles happen.
To set the atmosphere, simply remove distraction and then build faith with the Word. That’s what Jesus did. The healing anointing is intensified in an atmosphere set aside for and dominated by the Holy Spirit.
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Doubt: An Unwelcome Enemy of Healing
Before raising the little girl from the dead, Jesus removed the doubt from the room. And that, dear reader, is the simple and effective way to deal with doubt. Simply remove it.
The spirit of doubt targets those who stir faith. As someone who ministers healing, you will be confronted by spiritual resistance, because you operate in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When learning to defeat doubt, the best example we can look to is Jesus, the greatest healing evangelist of all time.
38When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” 40The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up!” 42And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
Mark 5:38-42 (NLT)
Before raising the little girl from the dead, Jesus removed the doubt from the room. And that, dear reader, is the simple and effective way to deal with doubt. Simply remove it.
It’s good to study and know the Word. It’s good to be prepared to answer difficult questions about healing and miracles. It’s good to avoid ignorance. But we must learn to simply put doubt out. Put it out of the room. Put it out of your heart and mind. Don’t tolerate it. Refuse to give it undeserved time and attention. Boldly deny its access into your life.
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Becoming a Vessel of Healing
Heroes of the faith are reflections of the glory of God, but they are only reflections. While we can receive impartation, wisdom, and inspiration from those who have gone before us, we must aim to imitate them only in this one regard: ourselves becoming reflections of the brightest light. We must look to reflect Jesus.
Heroes of the faith are reflections of the glory of God, but they are only reflections. While we can receive impartation, wisdom, and inspiration from those who have gone before us, we must aim to imitate them only in this one regard: ourselves becoming reflections of the brightest light.
We must look to reflect Jesus.
Jesus was the greatest healing minister of all time. All others are only flawed imitations, myself included. So, when it comes to ministering God’s healing power, we must look to Jesus as our bright and pure example.
Jesus had a prayer life.
Jesus prayed in seclusion.
After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. - Matthew 14:23, NLT
Jesus prayed in the morning.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. - Mark 1:35, NLT
Jesus prayed at night.
46After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 47When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. - Mark 6:46-47, NLT
Jesus prayed often.
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. - Luke 5:16, NLT
There is no substitute for prayer. There is no substitute for God’s healing power. Either you pray or you don’t. Either you carry God’s healing power or you don’t.
If you want to have Christ-like power, you must have a Christ-like prayer life. If you want to heal like Jesus healed, you must pray like Jesus prayed. To move like Christ moved, you must live like Christ lived. A prayer life is key to the healing ministry.
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Your Healing: Just a Matter of Time
If Jesus wanted you to be sick, He would not have paid such a high price for your healing. Healing is God’s will. Your healing is God’s will. Healing is a blessing of the cross, a gift of the covenant. The shed blood of Jesus was the purchase price for your total well-being. As surely as God is in control, your healing is on its way.
If Jesus wanted you to be sick, He would not have paid such a high price for your healing. Healing is God’s will. Your healing is God’s will. Healing is a blessing of the cross, a gift of the covenant. The shed blood of Jesus was the purchase price for your total well-being. As surely as God is in control, your healing is on its way.
I believe that. Every word of it with all of my heart.
But what about those who aren’t healed? What about those who live righteous lives and are still sick? Sin causes sickness, but not all sickness is caused by sin. Demonic power causes sickness, but not all sickness is caused by demonic power. Doubt prevents healing, but not all delayed healing is because of doubt.
(Watch Video: Why Some Aren’t Healed)
Sometimes, the righteous and the faith-filled succumb to sickness. So how does one reconcile the truth that it is God’s will to heal with the reality that some aren’t yet healed?
The answer is logically consistent with scripture but not emotionally persuasive. I mean that it’s difficult for some to accept. Quite simply, the reconciliation for this apparent contradiction is God’s timing. Trust in the sovereign timing of God is the key to perfect faith.
We see an example of God’s timing for healing in Acts chapter three.
As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. - Acts 3:2, NLT
The man is later healed by God’s power through Peter and John.
But let’s examine that scripture for a moment. The scripture tells us that “a man lame from birth was being carried in.” Now think about that. He’s referred to as a “man”, not a boy. So he’s been there for several years. The scripture also tells us that he was brought to the temple “each day”. So for several years, this man was begging at the gate of the temple.
Do you know who else frequented the temple and often passed by that gate where the man begged? Jesus.
Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns. - Luke 22:53, NLT
So here’s my question: if Jesus passed by that man so often, why wasn’t the man healed? Why did the man have to wait until Peter and John arrived in order to be healed? The answer is simply God’s timing.
There will be, for every sick believer, a glorious moment of healing. Even if one has to wait until this vapor of a life has dissipated, healing will come in eternity.
Knowing that God is sovereign and faithful to His Word, I pray for every sick person to be healed “now” but trust the Lord if He decides to heal them ”then” – on either side of eternity.
So have hope. Whether now in this moment, whether later upon this earth, or whether sometime in eternity, you will be made whole. Any moment can be your miracle moment. Trust in God’s timing, but never lose hope that today could be your day!
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The Healing Touch of Jesus
It takes but one touch from the Master’s hand to bring forth a miraculous healing. To heal the sick, Jesus neither toils nor fails. Healing virtue flows mightily from Him and in great abundance. Whether you are in need of a healing yourself or desire to minister God’s healing power to the sick, you need to learn one thing and one thing only: it is the touch of Jesus that heals the sick.
It takes but one touch from the Master’s hand to bring forth a miraculous healing. To heal the sick, Jesus neither toils nor fails. Healing virtue flows mightily from Him and in great abundance. Whether you are in need of a healing yourself or desire to minister God’s healing power to the sick, you need to learn one thing and one thing only: it is the touch of Jesus that heals the sick.
Healing is not found in the touch of a man or a woman. Healing is not found in a gimmick, a technique, or a methodology. Healing is not found in a special prayer or a special message. Healing is found in the touch of Jesus.
As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. - Luke 4:40, NLT
I love that scripture. Its power is in its simplicity.
Often, ministers will ask me, “What is the secret to God’s healing power?” They’ll say things to me like, “The way you minister to the sick makes it looks so easy.”
So what is the “secret”? I’ll be totally honest with you. There is no secret. If there was a secret to it, then that would mean healing is in man’s power to give. And why does healing seem to flow so easily? It’s because I’m doing nothing but surrendering to the Holy Spirit. It has nothing to do with me. I’ve just learned how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Really, that’s all there is to it.
There is no healing power in me except for that which belongs completely to Jesus. And the same goes for you.
It’s only His touch, and it takes just one touch. It truly is simply the healing power of God.
So how does one receive or minister healing power? It’s simple. To minister healing, just point to the Healer. Tell the people about His wonderful healing power, and tell them that they can receive healing from Him. To receive healing, just go to Jesus in faith. Ask for His healing touch and leave the rest to the sovereignty of God.
We ask and then leave it to God. Don’t fret or worry about the results or the timing of the results. Just be at peace knowing that He is a healing Jesus. You don’t have to give money to receive a healing. You simply have to ask in faith. Then trust Him from there.
I encourage you now. Reach back to the Lord. Touch Him by faith. Declare the promises of the Word. Focus totally on the Lord Himself. Forget your sickness. Forget your pain. Love His presence. Focus on Him. In the spirit, look upon the face of Jesus. When His presence becomes more real to you than your sickness, you will be healed. You will receive the healing touch of Jesus.
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He Healed Them All!
The touch of the Lord’s hand healed each and every person who approached Him for healing. (See also: Acts 10:38; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Luke 6:19) He healed them no matter what their diseases were. Both serious and minor illnesses alike were completely healed. Jesus never rejected a single person who approached Him in child-like faith. He has not changed.
Meditate upon this simple verse:
As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. – Luke 4:40
The touch of the Lord’s hand healed each and every person who approached Him for healing. (See also: Acts 10:38; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 12:15; Luke 6:19)
He healed them no matter what their diseases were. Both serious and minor illnesses alike were completely healed. Jesus never rejected a single person who approached Him in child-like faith. He has not changed.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. – Hebrews 13:8
Healing is still in His nature. He is still both able and willing to heal all who touch Him, no matter their sickness, no matter their disease.
He heals the major sicknesses like cancer, AIDS, and heart disease. But, dear reader, if you have faith, He will also heal those sicknesses that are considered minor. He will heal hair loss, acne, and the flu. And why not? For He concerns Himself with every detail of your life.
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” – Psalm 37:23
You are His own. The sickness that troubles you, the ailment that brings you pain or embarrassment, can be healed with one healing touch of Jesus. Even those problems which we have accepted as a normal part of life can be healed. He wants to heal you. He wants to make you whole. Big or small, your miracle is yours to claim by faith, for He heals all!
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A Shadow of Healing
Now many often quote that verse and assert that “Peter’s shadow healed people!” But that’s not exactly what the scripture says. The scripture tells us that the people were the ones who brought out the sick. Peter didn’t tell them to do this; this is something they did on their own. And why would they do this? What odd occurrences might have led these people to believe that Peter’s shadow could heal? It’s because the healing presence of Jesus was so intense on Peter that people were healed just by being around him!
Years ago, I traveled to the State of Indiana to conduct a 3 night Healing Service. Those meetings were filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit in a very special way. The services in Indiana had a unique and divine “feel” to them. I celebrate the reality that God puts His creative signature on each gathering.
Yet as wonderful as the services were, what happened after the meetings were over was probably most memorable.
The last service had ended. The people had mostly disbursed. And the pastor and I were talking in the sanctuary. I finished the conversation, turned away and began heading to the parking lot when I heard a commotion in the sanctuary.
One of the church members, who had yet to leave the building, had gone to pick up their child from the church nursery. Upon picking up the child, the parent had noticed something amazing. The baby, who had crossed eyes when dropped off at the nursery, now had eyes that were perfectly straight.
The commotion I heard was the celebration of that miracle.
Nobody had laid hands on that baby. In fact, that baby was in the nursery the entire time I was ministering. So what happened?
The healing presence of Jesus had so filled the atmosphere of that church that miracles simply occurred – all throughout the property.
When thinking back on that interesting event, I am reminded of this peculiar verse found in the book of Acts:
“Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” - Acts 5:15
Now many often quote that verse and assert that “Peter’s shadow healed people!” But that’s not exactly what the scripture says. The scripture tells us that the people were the ones who brought out the sick. Peter didn’t tell them to do this; this is something they did on their own. And why would they do this? What odd occurrences might have led these people to believe that Peter’s shadow could heal?
It’s because the healing presence of Jesus was so intense on Peter that people were healed just by being around him!
Miracles followed him wherever he walked.
And, dear reader, you too can see miracles wherever you walk. You are God’s habitation, the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are an atmosphere, a dominion, a little walking piece of Heaven on earth. You are a carrier of the Glory of God. Know that wherever you go, the Holy Spirit goes with you – healing, freeing and touching people.
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