No
4. Healing Procedures
Biblical
accounts of actual healings by Christ and His disciples show that there are a
variety of methods employed, depending on the circumstances and the persons
involved.
Laying on of hands
The
most common practice for imparting healing was the laying on of hands, which
provided a point of contact for the Spirit to be imparted. It also has the
capacity to release faith in the recipient. Laying on of hands is a ministry
for ALL who believe.
“These signs will follow those
who believe…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:18.
Administered by Jesus Who Rejected no One
When the sun was setting,
all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him;
and He laid His hands on every one of
them and healed them." Luke
4:40.
“And the whole multitude
sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” Luke 6:19.
“When they got out of the
boat, immediately the people recognised Him, ran through that whole surrounding
region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they
heard He was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they
laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch
the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” Mark 6:55-56.
Administered by the Apostles
“And it happened that the
father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. P
“And through the hands of
the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people.” Acts
5:12.
“…so that they brought the
sick out into the streets and laid them on
beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on
some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to
Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean
spirits, and they were all healed.” Acts
5:15-16.
Accompanied by Anointing
With Oil
Some accounts reveal that laying on of hands was accompanied by
anointing with oil, which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
“Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord.” James 5:14-15.
“And they cast out many
demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” Mark 6:13.
Accompanied
by the Use of the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ
The use of the name of Jesus in ministry is not an optional
extra. It signifies before all powers of
darkness that oppose this ministry that you are representing the Lord Jesus
Christ, and that you have the
Then Peter
said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give
you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
What Peter did have was the
“Men of
Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though
by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”
And His name,
through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and
know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given
him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:6-8, 12-13, & 16.
Obviously a healing ministry must be accompanied by faith, but
Peter knew where his faith came from. So often we struggle to build up faith,
and to say the right words, resulting in stressful fleshly activity that bears
no fruit. If our ministry is initiated
by the Lord, and completely surrendered to Him, we can trust that He will
uphold it by imparting His faith.
“If we are faithless,
He remains
faithful;
He cannot
deny Himself.” 2 Tim 2:13.
Sometimes Accompanied by a
Command or Action
Sometimes actions or a
command like “stretch out your hand”
were part of a healing ministry, not as an aid to the actual healing process, but
as a means of releasing faith in the recipient.
Obedience to a command often releases faith, and that is why Peter asked
Jesus to command him to come to him on the water. “And Peter answered Him and said,
"Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, "Come." And when Peter
had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Matt
14:28-29.
The Holy Spirit knows each heart, and the way to release faith in
each individual, and it is He who initiates such actions. This stresses the
need to be continually open to His guidance in all ministries. e.g. “He spat on the ground and made clay with
the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said
to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).
So he went and washed, and came back seeing.” John 9:6-7.
The clay and
saliva had no healing properties in their content, but the command and the
going gave time for faith to come forth and grow as he acted in obedience. Here
are other examples.
“And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man,* "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was
restored as whole as the other.” Luke 6:10-11.
“Arise, take up your bed and walk.” Mark
2:9-10.
Peter “took him by the right hand and lifted him up” Acts
3:7.
The
Presence of the Lord in the Power of the Holy Spirit
When we minister in the name of Jesus, we have His promise that He
is in our midst. These readings show
that He is personally involved in each ministry.
“Therefore they stayed
there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to
the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”
Acts 14:3.
“And they went out and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming
the word through the accompanying signs.” Mark
16:20.
Washing the Disciples’ Feet
Jesus “rose from supper and
laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured
water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was
girded.” He explained to His disciples,
"What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this…
"You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you
should do as I have done to you.” John
13:4-7, 13:13-16.
Of course Jesus did not expect us to take this literally, and go
about looking for feet to wash. The feet
are our contact with the world, and so this is an enjoinder for us to minister
to those who are “dusted up” by living under the pressures of being in contact
with worldly activities and people.
Taking a broader perspective, it is an instruction to minister to all
those in need – the bowed down, the sorrowful, the depressed, and those with
debilitating ailments. Healing of those who have been bowed down by their circumstances
is a pressing need in our high pressure society.
Should we minister to everyone who presents himself? In washing
each others’ feet we should minister in the name of Jesus to all who present
themselves, unless we are checked by the Holy Spirit as by word or a strong
lack of peace. Words of comfort and love may be all that is needed to restore
those who have been cast down.
The Power to Heal varies according to the Will of God
While we are engrossed with the circumstances we are involved in,
God has an all encompassing view of the Church and the establishing of the
Lord’s kingdom on earth. The scope and power of each ministry is measured by
God, who sees what is best for the ultimate growth of the Lord’s kingdom.
“Now it happened on a
certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the
law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and
Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present
to heal them.” Luke
5:17-26.
“Now God worked unusual
miracles by the hands of P
On the other hand, the
negative attitude of the local populace can have a detrimental effect on a
healing ministry.
“Now He could do no mighty
work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.” Mark
6:5-6.
THE MINISTRY
OF THE ELDERS
“Is anyone among you sick?
Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save
the sick, and the Lord will raise him
up.” James 5:14-15.
This reading points to a specific kind of ‘sickness.’ The word asthenei literally means "to
be weak." The ministry is directed
especially, but not exclusively, to those who have been overwhelmed by the
pressure of their ministries, through being confronted with spiritual warfare
and reprisals from Satan, and through being continually confronted by persistent
need and suffering. In such a state of
depletion, spiritual, mental, psychological or physical depletion, they are
advised to “call for the elders of the
church, who will “pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” There are four aspects to the ministry.
1.
They are to anoint his head with oil, which is a symbol of the
Holy Spirit.
2.
This will
3.
The elders are to pray over him the “prayer of faith.” The
prayer of faith is a declaration of what Jesus procured for us by His
sacrificial death for us on the cross. e.g.
“Himself
bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might
live for righteousness — by whose
stripes you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24.
The reading says that the prayer of faith “will save the sick.” ‘Sozo,’ the Greek word used for save,
has these meanings: “to heal, preserve,
save, do well for, be made whole.” By this prayer of faith every claim of
Satan to inflict the sick person if negated, and so it is declared that he is
set free, or saved from Satan’s legal rights or power to inflict him.
4. The way is now paved for
the next process: “the Lord will raise him up.” Notice
that this is not a promise of immediate healing. Raising up suggests that a gradual healing
process is initiated.
Confessing Sins
James continues his discourse on healing by saying, “Confess your trespasses* to one
another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16.
Jesus confirmed the relationship between sins and healing in this
ministry.
“Then
behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed…When He saw their faith,
He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
In answering the scribes and the Pharisees concerning His
Jesus warned “…if you do
not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses.” Matt 6:15. In particular, sins such as not forgiving
others, dishonouring parents, and not discerning the Lord’s body, have a
punishment attached to them that may fall on us if we do not repent and confess
our sins.
The dire consequences of not discerning the body, will be
discussed in the following study, number five.