Miracles and Healing by Power of Holy Spirit--No. 3
MIRACLES AND HEALING BY POWER OF HOLY SPIRIT NO. 3
My friends, again I propose the question, are miracles performed by the power of the Holy Spirit through men today? In previous addresses I have discussed some of the great miracles performed by men under the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have also exposed some of the false claims of miracles today. Let us continue our consideration of these matters.
Please be assured that your speaker is well aware of the fact that many honest and sincere people believe that miracles are being performed today, as in Bible times. Many sincere and devoutly religious people honestly believe that they have been healed of some incurable disease by the spec-ial miraculous power of the Holy Spirit, through the hands of some human being. Many honest souls have heard some preacher say, "just lay your hand on the radio and be healed," and they believe they were healed of some physical disability by the strange and unique power of laying their hands on the radio. We do not doubt the sincerity of those who honestly believe in the miraculous healing power claimed by some men today. But we are sure that such people are honestly mistaken. We are deeply con-cerned about the truth of God's word in the matter and we are anxious that no one shall be deceived by false and unscriptural claims of men. In former addresses, I have discussed reasons why miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit are not performed by men today.
Healed of Cancer, Died of Cancer
We certainly are aware of the fact that many claims for miracles are made today, but unimpeachable proofs are not in evidence. Many of the claims are obviously false. To illustrate: a few years ago the fallacy of such claims was revealed on a national TV program. The recorded TV film was quite revealing.
A lady who had cancer believed that she could be healed by Oral Roberts, a TV modern "Miracle" performer. She was flown from her home in Burbank, California, to Cincinnati to attend a "healing" service which was televised on film to be broadcast later. After the "healing" service while on her return home, the lady told relatives in Evansville, Indiana, that she was healed by the "miracle" performer by the laying on of his hands and prayer. However, the irony and sadness of the episode was the fact that the woman died of cancer the very day the TV filmed pro-gram presented her as being healed of cancer. This honest soul was deceived. Her physician at the Pasadena Tumor Institute listed the cause of death as cancer.
Many honest and sincere people have been deceived by the "would-be" miracle performers. Obviously such peo-ple believed that men have the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit today. Not a few, however, have died of the disease of which they were supposed to have been healed.
Why Not Raise The Dead?
Ladies and gentlemen, hear me! Are you listening? Men on earth today do not have the miraculous power to heal. If one could heal the sick, he could also raise the dead, as I pointed out in my previous address. Since many people have died after having been "healed" of "incurable" diseases, the miracle performers might have redeemed themselves by raising their believing followers from the dead, thereby really proving their ability to perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. I repeat, if a person has the miraculous power to heal the sick, he could also raise the dead. In fact, our Lord commanded that the dead be raised. Hear him! "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" (Matthew 10:7-8).
Did you hear it, ladies and gentlemen? I say, are you listening? The same verse in which our Lord said "heal the sick" He commanded, "raise the dead." Where are the dead that the miracle performers have raised? The answer is obvious. Man today can no more raise one from the dead than he can heal the sick. He can no more heal the sick than he can raise the dead! When you hear men today claim the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles, just remember Jesus commanded, "heal the sick.. ..raise the dead"! If one can heal the sick he can raise the dead! I questioned a minister one time, who claimed he had the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles. I inquired if he could raise the dead, or if he had ever raised the dead? He replied, "I have raised, some near-about dead!"
I assure you, beloved, that the very fact that no bonafide case of miraculous healing, certified by a recognized medi-cal doctor, can be found in the world today, is evidence of the fact that miracles have ceased.
Incidentally, ladies and gentlemen, Christ and the apos-tles never received any money for their working of mir-acles. They had no books to sell and appointments were not necessary.
Ladies and gentlemen, the inspired Apostle Paul warned us about "lying wonders" and counterfeits. He warned that the true signs and miraculous wonders would be counterfeited and used to deceive! Read very carefully 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10!
Objections
Often times when the false claims of divine healings are questioned we hear the exclamation, "Don't tempt God!" My friends, we are not questioning the power of God, but we do have a Biblical right to question men about these matters. It must be remembered that God did tell us to try , or question these witnesses. In 1 John 4:1, the apostle declared, "....Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
Now, let us consider some objections to the affirmation that miracles, as done by men in Bible times, have ceased.
Must Have Faith Your speaker, ladies and gentlemen, is aware of the fact that someone may object by saying, "but you must have faith to perform miracles or heal the sick," or, as an excuse for failures, "you must have faith to be healed." May I ask, my friends, how much faith did the dead son of the widow have? Read Luke 7:11. Did the dead daughter of Janus have faith? Read Mark 5:41; Mark 5:32. How much faith did the loaves and fishes have? Read Mark 6:35; Mark 6:44.
Ladies and gentlemen, if we should ask the modern "healers" of today, "Why do you not heal all the sick?" Do you know what the reply would be? They usually say, "It is the lack of faith." But I inquire, how much faith did the dead have? You know the dead were actually raised during the days of miracles. Read Matthew 9:18-25; Luke 7:11-15. Lazarus had been dead four days. How much faith did the dead man, Lazarus, have?
God Same Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
I tell you, furthermore, often times when you question the ability and power of men to perform miracles today, they may remind you that God is the same yesterday, to-day, tomorrow and forever; therefore, God is working through them today as He did through inspired men of New Testament times.
My friends, the Bible does teach that God is the same for all time and eternity (Hebrews 13:8). But that does not mean that He does the same thing today that He did yes-terday; neither does He necessarily do the same thing in the same way that He did yesterday. Will God feed five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes today? He did yesterday. Will God cause the walls of a city to fall down, after people march around it seven days? He did yesterday. Will Jesus be crucified upon a Roman cross again today? He was yesterday!
It is obvious, beloved, that the omnipotence of God and the omnipresence of God have always been and always will be the same. God never intended, however, that miracles should continue through all ages any more than He intended for Christ to be crucified again.
Call For The Elders
But, someone inquires, does the Bible say: ". . . 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 raise him up; and if he have commit-ted sins, they shall be forgiven him"? (James 5:14-15).
Oh, yes, beloved! There were miraculous healings during the infancy period of the church. But notice: why ELDERS of the church? Modern "healers" today claim that any Christian, and especially a minister, or preacher, may perform miraculous healings; not just elders. If miraculous healings belong to all Christians, then this text is of no value to the modern "healers." The sick could call any Christian to heal him, they say. This text, however, specifies, "elders of the church." Why? Obviously, the elders, leaders in the church, were the logical ones upon whom the apostles should lay their hands and confer the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to per-form miracles.
We must keep in mind the elders were the pastors, overseers, and teachers in the New Testament church. In the absence of the written law of Christ, at that time, there was need for leaders to have supernatural gifts. Yes, the sick might call for the elders of the church!
The Prayer of Faith But this text still is of no comfort to the modern "heal-ers" of today. When the modern "healers" fail to heal the sick of an incurable disease, they declare it is because of the lack of faith on the part of the sick! But James declares, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick." He didn't say, "The prayer of faithful," or "prayer of the sick!" The faith, in this text, is on the part of one who was to pray for the sick.
Furthermore, it should be observed that the "prayer" was to be offered by the "elders," and not by the person to be healed. Also, it should be observed that the modern "healers" today are identified as preachers or ministers, both men and women, and not elders. Incidentally, it would be most interesting to know how a woman might qualify to be an "elder" when one qualification of elders is to be "the husband of one wife" (Titus 1:6). The modern "healers" today usually insist that those to be healed should be in the prayer line, come to the prayer altar, or spend some time in a "prayer" room in order to be healed. Those desiring to be healed often times spend hours in prayer, seeking healing of their bodies.
Another thing that should be observed is the fact that when the modern "healer" fails to effect the healing of a diseased body he usually declares that it is God who heals the sick and disclaims any responsibility for the failure. This avenue of escape, therefore, places the responsibility for failures upon God, or the person to be healed. But it must be remembered that, according to this divine record of James 5:14-15, the responsibility is not upon God, nor the person to be healed. God declares that it is the faith of those who are to pray for the sick that resolves the matter. It is true that some who were healed in Bible times did not have faith, but it is false to conclude that healing always depended on the faith of the person to be healed.
Healing Not Installment Plan
Miraculous healings in Bible times were instantaneous and not accomplished through long drawn out exercises, effecting cure of disease on a weekly, monthly, or yearly installment plan! How different from the modern "fake healers" of today. Let us consider some Bible cases.
A centurion came to the Lord one time on behalf of his servant who was sick of palsy, who was being "grievously tormented." He requested Jesus "to speak the word only and my servant shall be healed." The Bible records, "and his servant was healed in the self-same hour" (Matthew 8:13).
There was no period of waiting. He didn't have to make a trip to see Jesus, stand in a waiting, "healing" line, or lie on a cot in a "healing room," nor wait for the Lord to "shout" or "beat" the disease out of him neither did he have to come back for a "second touch"!
Peter's mother-in-law didn't have to "sweat-out" her fever. The Lord healed her instantly, "and she arose and ministered unto them" (Matthew 8:14-15). No prolonged prayer service! No report like, "The Lord is healing her, she is much better today, and by tomorrow, or next week, or next month, she will be healed completely!"
The cripple in Solomon's temple didn't have to wait for some "adjustments," or the pulling and massaging of his legs, or experience some great excitement from the shout-ing of a crowd! The apostles said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
It didn't take a month, a week, or hours to get results; "and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping , and praising God" (Acts 3:7-8).
Can you imagine Peter and John praying for this crip-ple for weeks, then hearing the cripple man report, "I know I'm getting better, for I feel it in my ankle bones." No, beloved! He was healed completely; healed instantly. No man living can perform such a miracle today!
When the blind were healed, it was complete and in-stant healing; a miracle. No blind man, who was healed ever reported, "I can see a little better!" Miraculous heal-ing was never half done. The afflicted woman was "made whole from the hour" (Matthew 9:22). She didn't get a little better from day to day! The lame man didn't just get better and his ankle bones get stronger and stronger. He was given "perfect soundness," the Bible declares. It was a complete job, "perfect soundness," "made whole" in presence of all. (Acts 3:16; Acts 4:9). It was a miracle! Not a fake!
QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATION 1. Does one "tempt God" when he questions men about their faith and practice?
2. Are failures of healings due to the lack of faith on the part of the one to be healed?
3. Why should not God perform miracles through men to-day as in Bible times?
4. Why were elders of the church able to perform miracles in New Testament times?
5. Were healings in Bible times instant and complete?