Sunday 17 May
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Theme: -
Introduction to Healing – Why did Jesus Heal? And can we do it too?
My message this week is based on readings from: - 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-11 and Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 - 4
1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-11 (NIV)
verse 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1-4 (selected verses)
Warning to Pay Attention
verse 1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, ……
verse 3 How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
verse 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Message: - Christ’s Healing Ministry
Healing has many facets as the stories of healing in the Bible testifies: - physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. The reason we see these recorded in scripture is that, Christ is being recorded healing everyone who came to him. Sometimes Jesus said it was to be kept secret and other times the person was to go tell, the priest for example. Sometimes it was enough to heal them, other times Christ told them their faith has healed them.
These healings and other signs were always to exemplify the message of Christ being here on Earth “to proclaim the good news, that the Kingdom of Heaven has come close”. That message remains the same today!
It is worth noting that even Christ's disciples failed to heal on occasion. It would therefore be wrong for us to expect anything different now!
I have no doubt that the advances in medical science is a God given gift! Sometimes there is full healing, sometimes just partial or temporary healing, other times there isn’t any outward sign of healing at all. I think this is because medical science is still in the dark in some areas or is working towards the improvement needed.
Just as we should be praying for both situations and for folks all the time, we should also be praying for healing. We would do well to remember the disciples as we pray, because sometimes there is full healing, sometimes just partial or temporary healing, other times there isn’t any outward sign of healing at all. Why? – God knows! I know this can sound like a platitude and it isn’t meant to be one. Only God knows the circumstances of all the prayers said, so only he can know why sometimes there is healing and sometimes there isn’t any apparent improvement.
However, just like in any other prayer scenario what we need to do is try! We need to be leaving room for God’s Grace and God’s will where we can, after all He sees the big picture and his plans are perfect! It is God who gives the Spiritual Gifts as he sees fit. But and it is a big “but”.
Ever since God put the rainbow in the skies, he will not impose his will! We need to ask! As we heard from our Hebrews reading, we need to remember Christ’s teaching, we need to know deep in our hearts that healing prayers can and do work and we need to ask in faith for the gift of healing then go do it! If we can accept that healing prayers can work some of the time, then the act of healing and the telling of these stories can both build up the church and it gives evidence that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.
We do need to remember however, that healing prayers only work when we are working in partnership with Heaven, and that, I believe, even applies when the healing is by the intervention of the medical profession. Medics working in partnership with God, even when they don’t know it.
Way back in 2006 I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa on a mission trip. Whilst I was there a man, I will call him Alan, came to speak to me and told me he was taking a migraine and he believed God had sent him to me. I had a good First Aid kit but nothing for migraine. All I could offer was a prayer that his migraine would be healed, something I had never done before. So, we prayed. I, asking God for the gift of healing for his son Alan who had come to help God's other children there in Africa.
Alan reported his migraine had gone so we prayed again thanking God for hearing our prayers and healing Alan and left for the work we were to be doing that day. Over a couple of years later I had a chance meeting with Alan in a supermarket. I say chance but in reality, I believe it was a God-incidence. As we caught up there in the aisles,Alan told me how he had never had another migraine, when he would normally expect a couple or more a year. Once more, there and then we gave our thanks to God for his healing power and his grace for Alan.
I pray you can be inspired to believe God might just be ready to answer your healing prayers.
I pray God will bless you this week and hope you will click back for next week’s message.
Introduction to Healing – Why did Jesus Heal? And can we do it too?
My message this week is based on readings from: - 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-11 and Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 - 4
1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 8-11 (NIV)
verse 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1-4 (selected verses)
Warning to Pay Attention
verse 1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, ……
verse 3 How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
verse 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Message: - Christ’s Healing Ministry
Healing has many facets as the stories of healing in the Bible testifies: - physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. The reason we see these recorded in scripture is that, Christ is being recorded healing everyone who came to him. Sometimes Jesus said it was to be kept secret and other times the person was to go tell, the priest for example. Sometimes it was enough to heal them, other times Christ told them their faith has healed them.
These healings and other signs were always to exemplify the message of Christ being here on Earth “to proclaim the good news, that the Kingdom of Heaven has come close”. That message remains the same today!
It is worth noting that even Christ's disciples failed to heal on occasion. It would therefore be wrong for us to expect anything different now!
I have no doubt that the advances in medical science is a God given gift! Sometimes there is full healing, sometimes just partial or temporary healing, other times there isn’t any outward sign of healing at all. I think this is because medical science is still in the dark in some areas or is working towards the improvement needed.
Just as we should be praying for both situations and for folks all the time, we should also be praying for healing. We would do well to remember the disciples as we pray, because sometimes there is full healing, sometimes just partial or temporary healing, other times there isn’t any outward sign of healing at all. Why? – God knows! I know this can sound like a platitude and it isn’t meant to be one. Only God knows the circumstances of all the prayers said, so only he can know why sometimes there is healing and sometimes there isn’t any apparent improvement.
However, just like in any other prayer scenario what we need to do is try! We need to be leaving room for God’s Grace and God’s will where we can, after all He sees the big picture and his plans are perfect! It is God who gives the Spiritual Gifts as he sees fit. But and it is a big “but”.
Ever since God put the rainbow in the skies, he will not impose his will! We need to ask! As we heard from our Hebrews reading, we need to remember Christ’s teaching, we need to know deep in our hearts that healing prayers can and do work and we need to ask in faith for the gift of healing then go do it! If we can accept that healing prayers can work some of the time, then the act of healing and the telling of these stories can both build up the church and it gives evidence that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.
We do need to remember however, that healing prayers only work when we are working in partnership with Heaven, and that, I believe, even applies when the healing is by the intervention of the medical profession. Medics working in partnership with God, even when they don’t know it.
Way back in 2006 I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa on a mission trip. Whilst I was there a man, I will call him Alan, came to speak to me and told me he was taking a migraine and he believed God had sent him to me. I had a good First Aid kit but nothing for migraine. All I could offer was a prayer that his migraine would be healed, something I had never done before. So, we prayed. I, asking God for the gift of healing for his son Alan who had come to help God's other children there in Africa.
Alan reported his migraine had gone so we prayed again thanking God for hearing our prayers and healing Alan and left for the work we were to be doing that day. Over a couple of years later I had a chance meeting with Alan in a supermarket. I say chance but in reality, I believe it was a God-incidence. As we caught up there in the aisles,Alan told me how he had never had another migraine, when he would normally expect a couple or more a year. Once more, there and then we gave our thanks to God for his healing power and his grace for Alan.
I pray you can be inspired to believe God might just be ready to answer your healing prayers.
I pray God will bless you this week and hope you will click back for next week’s message.