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Many spiritual gifts thrive in both the Old and New Testament. Can you think of some?
Prophecy comes to mind, as does miracles and certainly leadership.
But healing comes into it's own only in the New Testament. There are more instances of healing in Matthew than the entire OT. Why do you think that
may be? Some believe it is because of how Jesus stressed love and compassion in his ministry, and healing is a compassionate gift.
When we think of healing what do we think of? Whether by modern medicine or miraculous healing, more than likely we think of the healing of physical
illness, And certainly there are a host if instances of physical healing in the New Testament, such as these…
Matthew 4:23 -24 " Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them."
Jesus healed diseases of all sorts. Illnesses. Fevers. Lameness. Blindness. Leprosy. The list goes on and on. He healed them, letting God’s power work through him and through the faith of those who were healed.
Do you believe in instances of "miracle healing" today? Stories abound, even today, of healing that defies the laws of science. And when we are confronted with such healing, we must ask ourselves how we tell a real miracle healing versus a fraud. This is not easy, but it may help to see how Jesus healed.
Look at these stories of Jesus and his healing. They are typical of him.
Matthew 9:21-22 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
Mark 6:2-5 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
What do these stories say about the role of faith in healing? What does this say about the role of building faith as a part of healing? Clearly faith has a key role in healing, and in the gift of healing.
Healing is a spiritual gift when done in the name of Christ…
Acts 9:32-34 (NIV) As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.
Beyond the physical, what other forms does healing take? Emotional. Mental. Even Spiritual healing is often needed. And there are people who have an uncommon ability to heal people suffering. They listen. They care and show that caring. They may even be particularly effective in referring people to just the right help they need. This special form of discernment may well be part of the gift of healing. Even Jesus let others sometimes be part of healing. For instance, look at the following story from Luke…
Luke 17:12-14 (NIV) As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
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Jesus knew that his physical healing was only part of the healing these men
needed. They had been isolated from their families and from their faith by this sickness that made them spiritually unclean. In their own minds, only a priest could make them clean and acceptable to God and to Man. Jesus could and did cleanse them completely, but their spirits needed the priest and Jesus did not hesitate to send them to the place where healing could best take place.
There is another aspect of healing you may not have thought of: the healing of relationships.
Revelation 22:2 (NIV) ...down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
So healing may be of something physical, or it may be spiritual, mental or emotional. It may even involve the healing of relationships. And some people
have an ability to heal that goes beyond medical science, self-help books, or any natural law.
How can we recognize our gift(s) of healing? Ask yourself some questions.
Are you...
* ...concerned about AND sensitive to those who suffer physical, mental, emotional or even spiritual anguish?
* ... able to believe that God wants to, and is able to heal.
* ...eager to be the instrument of the healing?
* ...Do you see yourself as the instrument, not the doctor?
* ...Do you have the faith to ask for healing?
* ...Do people turn to you to heal their spirits, hearts and relationships.
... If so, you may well have the gift of healing.
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