HEALING THE SICK A SIGN OF A BELIEVER
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“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature... And these signs will follow those
who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new
tongues; they will take up serpents; and if
they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands
on the sick, and they will recover.’”—Mark 16:15-18
Jesus went
about healing all who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). Scripture tells us that healing the sick is a
sign of a believer. And yet most
Christians have never prayed for a sick person.
A recent poll asked the question, “How many times have you sought
someone out to lay hands on and prayed for their healing?” Most answered they had never prayed for
anyone to be healed and thought that it was the pastor’s responsibility to pray
for a sick person. I was shocked by the
polls finding, but it made me ponder why Christians have lost their zeal to see
people healed?
Perhaps the
simple answer is that believers are not being taught that they have a
responsibility to lay hands on the sick.
In our zeal to preach the gospel to every creature have we forgotten that
the gospel is the good news for the sick person, as much as the person who is
lost and in need of salvation? The book
of James admonishes the believer, “Is any
sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him,” (5:14-15). These and other scriptures clearly tell the
believer that he or she is commissioned to go in Christ’s Name to heal the sick. In fact, the Gift of Healings is one of the
nine gifts of the Spirit that has been given to the believer (1 Corinthians
12). All through the book of Acts we see
the results of people being healed because someone dared to put into action
what they heard and saw Jesus do.
Jesus told
his disciples that if they would ask anything in His Name that He would do it. And
He plainly tells us in John 14:12 “…He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I
go unto my Father.”
I encourage you to take every opportunity to pray for the sick. Together you and God can change someone’s
life because you have courage to believe what He has spoken. He
will back up His Word with signs following.
Prayer—Heavenly Father, thank You that You have chosen to partner with
me in healing the sick. Help me to
remember that it is not by my power that anyone is healed, but it is by Your
power and might. I ask You to lead me to
the people that You would have me to pray for and I thank You that You will
confirm Your Word with signs following, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
