How To Heal The Sick - Jason Chin

Jason Chin teaches on healing the sick.

Put Down Your Checklist

My guest blogger today is Joel CoResurrected Adifon.

You won't learn how to effectively heal the sick by reading your favorite revivalist's latest book or by watching his new teaching and applying his 'foolproof' principles.

You'll learn how to heal the sick by understanding there is no longer any separation between you and the man who became a life-giving Spirit.

As you spend your day breaking bread with Him and growing to trust in the fact that this Jesus believes in you, you will become acquainted with each of His intricate mannerisms – the way He talks, the way He walks, the way He cracks a joke, the way He can have a laugh at your expense without making you feel like your dignity is lowered in any way, the way that He lets you lean on His chest, on days when the world seems against you, and asks you to tell Him everything – it is from this place that we are called to minister, from a place of knowing Him.

Healing is not about us. Healing is not even about the person in front of us.

It's about Jesus.

And as cliche as the above statement sounds, I can't even tell you how easy it is to overlook this pretty important fact.

My dude and bro Caleb New shared something with me that has been absolutely undoing the way I think about ministry. He vocalized something that Holy Spirit has been teaching me, but I didn't quite have language for.

This is a paraphrase of our conversation, not a direct quote.

"When you want to pray for healing – before you do anything else, before you command, before you release, before you speak a word – ask Jesus how He wants to minister to that person. Ask Him how He would pray and what He would do. Then, quiet your heart, turn your affections towards Heaven and watch Him. Watch where He places His hands, listen to what He says over the person, feel the way He touches the brokenness. Then, do that."

Away with all our formulas and gazillion-step methods!

Away with all our efforts to do ministry without resting in His abiding presence!

Away with all our attempts to learn to function in the gifts apart from the Anointing that teachings us all things!

The Christian life is not a journey to become some super-anointed revivalist or the next big apostle-prophet-overseer-evangelist-whatchamacallit.

The Christian life is about enjoying Christ and being satisfied in an ever-unfolding relationship with Perfect Love.

A relationship has no 'method'. A relationship has no 'strategy'. A relationship has no 'mapping'. A relationship has no 'manual'.

Go take a walk with Jesus and ask Him what it was like for Him to grow up in Nazareth.

Next time you go to watch a movie, ask Him what He wants to watch.

Take Him out for a night out and ask Him what restaurant He wants to go to.

If any of these things sound silly to us, then it's clear we need more work learning to practice His presence and realizing just how tangible He really is.

When you learn to live every moment with the understanding that He's always with you, you'll have no problem asking Him what to do to make a tumor disappear or raise a dead body back to life.

Put down your checklist.

Pick up relationship.

I've Received Prayer - Why Am I Still Sick?

I'd like to dedicate this message to the friends who have come to me often for prayer and are still not healed. I want you to know that I haven't given up on seeing you healed. You've received prayer from so many people and you're still not well, but you refuse to quit. Your persistence is remarkable. I've learned some things by talking with all of you and it's my hope that eventually you'll get the breakthrough you're looking for.

Thanks for being patient with God as He teaches us about healing. Thank you for not giving up on us.

I want to recognize a couple of friends who've challenged and enlightened me on my journey. My wife is at the front of the line. She's my best friend and one of the people who awaits her complete healing. She's my inspiration for pressing forward in understanding how healing works.

Jon Sellers has been at my side continually reminding me of the need for a balanced approach in looking at healing. It's easy if you're passionate, to become one-sided. As Emeril Lagasse said after seasoning both sides of a steak, "I hate one sided- tasting food." It's because of Jon's wisdom that I'm even considering these things, which lie outside the box for most of us.

I'd also like to thank Matt Evans, who took an interest in me and got me started in healing. He's been a fountain of information. Lastly, I'd like the thank David McLain for the countless phone calls, text messages, jokes, humorous pictures, words of advice, perplexing questions and hours that he's spent praying for me.

We’re on a journey of discovery. That journey is a progressive revelation of eternal truths that have existed in the mind of God and upon which His kingdom was built long before Adam walked with Him in the cool of the day. On this journey, we’ll find many things that have been hidden, waiting for us to find them. For in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and it is His good pleasure to gives us the kingdom. Yes, God has hidden from us the treasures of wisdom. Why, you ask? So that we might pursue them and in the process find Him. The journey is nothing less than the complete revelation of God and all of His ways through His son, Jesus.

One of the mysteries we hope to uncover has to do with the question of why some people are healed while others are not. Some may be content to shrug their shoulders and say, “We’ll never know.” I am not one of them. I think we may know, but I believe many will reject the truth, finding it distasteful.

So the question is: Why are some people not healed despite having received prayer from faith - filled believers, who know their authority and who otherwise have good results?

I’d like to share a story about a co-worker that I prayed with who wasn’t healed the first time I prayed with her. We worked at our station on the west side of Phoenix, Arizona. On October 17th 2011, early in the morning as she made her way outside to wash an ambulance, I noticed that she was limping and asked what was wrong. She showed me a painful, swollen knee that was wrapped in a support device. I asked if could pray with her to be healed. With some fear about what I planned to do, she agreed. I prayed over her knee three times but she felt nothing.

On the same day I prayed with a different co-worker, who had a partially torn Achilles tendon and pain in his back. He was healed of everything instantly, but she wasn't. That day and for a few days following, I asked God why one person was healed and the other wasn't. Here's what I heard: The man with the Achilles tendon injury was healed because he gladly received his healing without fear or worry. She was afraid I would hurt her and that fear prevented her from being healed. It wasn't that God could not heal her. It wasn't that He didn't want her healed. It was because she could not receive healing in a state of fear.

I was disappointed. I really wanted her to be healed. I saw her a few times afterward, still walking with a limp. On December 2nd  2011, she saw me loading my gear in the ambulance. She came over and asked why she wasn't healed. I told her that I talked to God about it and I believed it was because she was afraid of being hurt. I asked her to explain why she thought I was going to hurt her. It turns out, her father had asked her the same question, "Do you want to be healed?" When she said ‘yes’, he hit her hard on her injured knee. So when I asked her the same question, she was afraid I would do the same thing.

I told her I had no reason to hurt her and I let her know that the offer was still open. If she wanted to be healed God would heal her. She said she did. We sat on the couch in the day room. She showed me her swollen knee, wrapped in a black elastic bandage. I asked God to bring his presence upon her then asked what she felt.

"I feel really relaxed and at peace."

I commanded the swelling, inflammation and pain to leave and commanded the ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, cartilage and bones to be healed. She felt heat going through her knee, which increased each of the three times I prayed over her knee. While her knee was being healed I taught her about the battle over healing. I warned her that the symptoms might return, told her to stand in faith and believe she was healed and to command the symptoms to leave if they returned the same way I did to make them leave. She seemed to understand.

I saw her three weeks later and asked how her knee felt. She said it felt great. I asked if she was serious. With a smile, she looked at me and said, "Yeah - it feels great!"

When she wasn’t healed the first time, the easiest explanation would be to assume that God didn’t want her healed. This is what many of us do. The fact that she was healed at a later date demonstrates that it wasn't a problem with God. It was a problem with us. Unfortunately, we often blame God when healing doesn’t happen, but this should be the last explanation we consider.

The most likely explanation for failed healing is a lack of faith in the one praying. The next thing to consider is that some obstacle may be present in the life of the one we’re praying with that needs to be removed. Sometimes it’s a spirit of sickness; sometimes it’s an attitude toward God or us that needs to change. In this case, it was fear. Once the fear was removed she was healed.

I'm a creature of habit. One of my habits is finding patterns in things. I'm not sure that I do it intentionally. It just seems like I notice patterns more than most people. In my time on Facebook, I've noticed many different patterns of behavior and beliefs among the thousands of friends I have. People who have these behaviors fall into groups, at least in my mind, and sometimes they form literal groups. Three groups of people continually interact with me.

Two of the groups operate in divine healing. The first sees people healed by exercising authority over sickness. Authority and faith are the tools they're familiar with. But they have one problem; not everyone they pray for is healed. It's been said, "If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I think this group suffers from working with a small toolbox.

Because they believe that only faith and authority are involved in the equation, every failure is attributed either to a lack of faith or a lack of exercising their authority. They rarely consider other possibilities. And although they see impressive results in the area of physical healing, they don't do as well with deliverance or emotional healing, though they agree that 100% healing is the goal.

The second group also has the focus of healing, but their approach is different. This group focuses on other things besides faith and authority. Although they recognize them to some degree, it isn't to the degree of the first group. They're more likely to approach healing from a revelatory standpoint. They desire to have God reveal the issues involved in a person's life that contribute to their condition and through a process of dealing with each issue, healing takes place. This group probably doesn't have the success in physical healing that the first group has, but they seem to have better results in the areas of inner healing and deliverance.

Both groups have a measure of success and a measure of failure, but neither sees everyone healed. I think both groups could learn a great deal from the other, but this never seems to happen. Both groups are highly suspicious of the other and frankly - there's a lot of hostility between them. Sadly, the hostility is instigated and encouraged by many of the leaders.

The third group is small; just a handful of people who receive healing prayer often from many of us but their illness remains. Most of these illnesses manifest as physical symptoms. Often their symptoms confound medical experts and defy conventional diagnostic tests. They’re often told “We don’t know what the problem is”, “We can’t find anything in our tests” or they simply receive a generic diagnosis like fibromyalgia, which is really a confession of ignorance. While other people with serious illness gradually get better or experience a sudden miracle, they suffer continual disappointment, never getting better and some actually become worse. They always ask, “Why?”

I've begun to see patterns in this group as well. It seems like many of these people have gone through times of emotional trauma without being completely healed of the painful memories from their past. In addition to the memories, there are a host of feelings they struggle with like helplessness, worthlessness, rejection, fear, bitterness, mistrust and loneliness. Some of them clearly appear to be suffering from demonic oppression. I believe at least one contributing factor to the failure of their physical healing is their failed emotional and spiritual healing.

What they desire most is physical healing from the symptoms of disease. What they seem to want least is to re-live the events of their past and go through the emotions again or to be involved in the circus that inner healing and deliverance can become. Most have found a way to survive the emotional trauma and keep going in spite of their physical afflictions. I believe it's God's ultimate desire for all of us to be healed, set free and walking in the truth. God is interested in our complete healing; body spirit and soul; in a word; Sozo.

When we use the term sozo, we're talking about something that's more than just physical healing. In fact, sozo contains the idea of physical healing but it’s much broader in scope. It means to:

1.       Save
2.       Keep safe and sound
3.       Rescue from danger or destruction
4.       Rescue from injury or peril
5.       Save from suffering or disease
6.       Make well
7.       Heal
8.       Restore to health.

If someone is healed of an illness affecting the physical body, we refer to it as physical healing. If they receive deliverance from an evil spirit, it's a spiritual healing. If they're healed of post-traumatic stress disorder, it's an emotional healing. If they were to be healed of all three, we're describing something referred to as being made 'whole', which is the idea behind the word 'sozo'.

Jon Sellers and other friends have taught me the importance of wholeness, and the fact that God is just as concerned about our spiritual and mental health as our physical health, even if we are not. Let me rephrase that; God may care more about our emotional healing than we do. The same is true for spiritual healing. The problem is that some of us care too much about the physical healing we want and not enough about the spiritual and emotional we need. The fact is that our physical condition may require emotional and spiritual healing to be completed first. Why?

There are two reasons. The first is that some physical diseases have demonic origins. As we’ve seen with the woman who was bent over for 18 years and the boy with seizures who was deaf and mute. Both had physical symptoms that required deliverance from a spirit before they could be healed. Many who so badly desire to be physically healed, are actually in need of deliverance (spiritual healing) first. And because that hasn’t occurred, they remain unhealed and tormented by the enemy.

The other reason is just a hunch. God wants us to be healed in every way. Strange as it may sound, some of us only want to be healed of a disease or condition that causes physical pain. We have no great desire to be healed of painful emotions or memories. We’re willing to put up with feelings of fear, rejection and other wounds because to us, they’re just a part of life. But God wants us to be free of those as well.

Perhaps God knows that if we were to be healed of our physical sickness, we might never seek healing for the unforgiveness that poisons our soul or the spirit of fear that attacks us at night. The wisdom of God may allow our physical healing to manifest only after the spiritual and emotional problems are dealt with as a way to assure that in the end, we are completely healed. What good is a healed body connected to a bitter, unforgiving heart? What benefit is a sound tummy to someone plagued by a spirit of fear that dominates their every thought?

I think what these friends need most is not more prayer over their physical symptoms, but the completion of their emotional and spiritual healing which, if it were to happen, would result in their physical healing being completed. Many of us need some degree of deliverance and others need inner healing to take place before any long-term physical healing will happen.

The pain involved in dealing with the past may prevent us from pursuing those problems and resolving them through inner healing. The healing that God desires for us may require us to do things we'd rather not, like facing bitterness, unforgiveness, rejection, fear, lust, abandonment, shame, etc. Submitting ourselves to God and surrendering our right to allow these things to remain as a part of us is a process but as long as we allow them to remain, they hold us captive and the spirits of infirmity will have a hold on us that can't be broken, no matter how many people pray for us to be physically healed.

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. I'm all for persistence in prayer. I'm convinced that some things just take time. But those cases are the ones where gradual progress is being made. If we pray and pray and pray and absolutely no progress is made or the person seems to be getting worse, and there are obvious signs of emotional healing and deliverance needed, it's foolish to continue on the same course. In such cases we must consider using other tools. That might require us to discover tools we haven’t heard of or perhaps use tools that others use which we don’t like.

If we are to walk as Jesus walked and do the things He did, we might consider the novel, peculiar and sometimes bizarre methods he used. I don’t think Jesus avoided predictable formulas just to confound us. I believe He continually asked His Father for the best solution to the problem he faced; not assuming it would be the same as the previous one. His openness to the leading of the Father was what gave Him such a consistent and power-filled life of victory.

Todd White - Power & Love

Todd White discusses our identities as sons and daughters of God at the New England School of  Power & Love.

Cowboy Healing

 This is Cheryl Fritz's video from the Fair on August 16th.The man in the video had back pain until his leg was grown out. After this, a whole bunch of guys (18-25 years old) gave their lives to the Lord, COWBOY-STYLE. That was their description of getting down on one knee all together and praying!

Ian Clayton on Transrelocation

Ian Clayton is a pioneer in walking out the supernatural life of the kingdom of God. One of the things he's experienced often is spiritual transportation. He has traveled frequently both in the spirit and in his physical body to different locations. In the podcast below, he shares his observations on this fascinating subject.

Click on the Podcast below Ian's picture to hear the message.

Related messages:
Traveling In The Spirit

Healing In The Workplace

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book on healing.

The first ten verses of Luke 5 describe what happened to Peter when he allowed his workplace be a platform for the ministry of Jesus. After the Lord taught from Peter’s boat, he asked Peter to go into deeper water and let down his nets. After telling Jesus he’d been fishing all night without catching anything he reluctantly obeyed. He was astounded when the catch was so great it began to sink the boat, requiring help from others to bring it in. God blessed Peter, James and John with an immediate increase in their business when they allowed their occupation to be used by him. Just as he did with the fishermen, God wants to bless us when we’re willing to be used by Him where we work.

One day, while working on the ambulance, my regular partner took the day off. I worked with someone I didn't know very well. ‘Cindy’ and I were having a slow day. We were five hours into the shift and hadn't run a call. To help the time pass, we talked about different things, including one of my favorite subjects; dreams.

I shared a few dreams I’d had about healing. That led to a discussion of healing itself. I shared a few healing stories, which prompted her to tell me about the car accident she was in a few years ago that left her with chronic pain between her shoulder blades. We talked and I gained her trust. So when I asked if she wanted to be healed she was comfortable having me pray with her. I explained the process then put my hand on her back and commanded it to be healed. And it was.

In ministry, it's helpful to build relationships. Before asking someone if they want to be healed it’s wise to spend a few minutes getting to know them. The degree to which you’ll minister to anyone is dependent on the relationship you have with them. Some Christians have turned ministry into a game of numbers, boasting about how many people a day they’ve reached for Jesus. Many of those converts remain strangers to the believer and God. Society has grown tired of it. Christianity devoid of meaningful relationships is empty and its fruit doesn’t last. Jesus asked us to make disciples, not converts. Discipleship is relational.

If the one you want to pray with is someone you know, the relationship may already be strong enough for prayer. Asking a stranger if they want to be healed isn’t something most people do. It’s natural for them to wonder about our motives. With a stranger it’s helpful to engage in safe conversation, allowing them a few minutes to evaluate us and our motives. You should expect to have your motives questioned. Spend time thinking about why you’re doing this and how you’ll explain your motives when asked.

As we minister in the workplace, we should remember a few things; Jesus healed all who came to him, but many chose not to come. As badly as we may want others to receive God’s healing touch, we must always ask permission and respect the wishes of those who say no. If we show honor and respect, it will be shown to us, even from those who disagree with us. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)

Another thing to keep in mind is that employers hire us to work and they have a right to expect us to be productive. We should desire to make our employers successful. If we spend too much time engaged in ministry while at work and it interferes with productivity or proficiency, they may need to take corrective action. We should treat customers and co-workers well and be diligent in our duties. When we’re good employees, we fulfill the command to “do all things as unto the Lord”.

A generation ago, it was common for people to talk about their faith in the workplace. Today, separatists and secularists are trying hard to ban public discussions of faith. Workplace evangelism is becoming a risky proposition. In some parts of the world discussing Jesus puts you at risk for harassment, punishment or termination. Many people believe we have no right to engage in religious discussions while on the job. Make no mistake there will always be a cost that must be considered by outspoken disciples of Jesus.

At the outset, I had concerns that God wouldn’t heal the people I prayed with and I’d look foolish. Concerns about how we’re perceived by others are sometimes rooted in pride. In this case I had to choose obedience over what others thought about me. Humility allows us to take risks at the expense of our ego. My fears were short-lived. I did go through a season of praying with people who weren’t healed, but not because God didn’t want them healed. It was because I didn’t know what I was doing yet. After changing my approach and commanding healing instead of begging God to do it, I saw the number of people healed increase dramatically. I never really experienced the things I feared. I suppose the enemy may have been trying to discourage me. He’ll probably try it with you, so be brave if God asks you to step out in faith.

Operating as a divine healer in the workplace can be a challenging task, but the rewards are profound. When I began I met a few people who objected to a paramedic praying with patients while at work. I had a discussion on a medical blog with a doctor who was offended when she learned that I talked to my patients about God. In her mind my actions were unethical. She believes that patients are vulnerable and see medical workers as experts. Her fear was that I would abuse my ‘expert’ status and push a vulnerable patient into accepting a religious point of view, without having time to fully consider it. I suppose some may operate this way, though it seems rather manipulative. There is no reason why open discussions can’t occur which allow both people to share ideas without crossing the lines of sound ethical practice.

Rules regarding discussions of faith vary depending on your occupation and where you work. Check to learn what restrictions apply to you. The medical industry allows for some people to discuss faith openly with patients. If you’re on the pastoral staff you’re allowed a lot of freedom. These positions enjoy a privileged status the rest of us don’t. There seems to be a trend toward more restriction on workplace discussions of faith. This trend needs to be challenged and the responsibility falls on us. If you work in a place where you aren’t free to talk about God, it’s your responsibility to engage in discussions with management to have the rules changed.

If our attempts to bring Jesus into the workplace cause customers to go elsewhere or co-workers to file complaints against us, perhaps we should re-think our strategy. After years of ‘witnessing’ to people on the job, and having no fruit come from it, I began instead to discuss healing. In the time I’ve used this approach, which I use almost daily, I haven’t had a complaint from anyone. Many have been healed, and even the people who weren’t were grateful.

There are a thousand ways in which healing can be brought to the workplace. The only limitation is our own creativity. Healing is often used as a tool for evangelism, but it’s also a gift of the Holy Spirit and the gifts are intended to benefit the church. I tend to operate more in the gift of healing with believers than in healing as an aid to evangelism.

I keep my eyes open for anyone who is walking or moving in a way that shows they are in pain. I look for immobilizers, canes, crutches, and wheelchairs or a look of pain on anyone’s face. If I see someone taking Advil, I ask why. I’ve also developed selective hearing, where I tune into certain conversations and tune others out. I listen for medical words. After a bit of practice you become more perceptive to the needs of others. One day you’ll realize that asking a stranger if they want prayer is no longer considered ‘risky behavior’, but a normal activity.

It’s surprising how many people discuss their health problems in public. When someone discusses a surgery, a chronic painful condition or even something like insomnia, there’s a need for healing standing in front of you. All you need to do is politely ask about the condition, maybe share a testimony of healing and ask if they’ll let you pray with them. After a few people are healed, your co-workers will begin to talk. As word gets around, you’ll find more opportunities. As more people are healed, your faith will grow and you’ll probably see more miracles. If you’re experiences are like mine, co-workers will start coming to you first, before making an appointment with their doctor.

The disciples of Jesus became habitual healers. They kept routines and visited certain places often. And wherever they went, the sick were healed and the dead were raised. They became so well known for healing, and their routines so regular that people laid the sick in their path, knowing that as their shadow passed by, sickness and disease would leave. There’s nothing keeping you from developing this same kind of reputation for healing. It’s a matter of how much compassion you have and how closely you want to follow in the steps of Jesus.

Practical Examples - Todd White

Todd White teaches how to (and how not to) build relationships with strangers.

Bill Johnson - God's Concealed Glory and Sovereign Healing

Bill Johnson discusses why God generally conceals His glory and on rare occasions, reveals it more fully. He also discusses the purpose of God's sovereign acts in the earth.

Power and Love Training

Host Location:

Wellspring Church

222 Lincoln St.

Berlin, CT 06037

Date: August 15-18, 2012

Online Registration:

Full School (all 4 days) Regular Rate Registration: July 19 to August 10, 2012 -- $80.00

Full School (all 4 days) At the Door Registration: $100.00

Per Session Rate: For those who can only attend part of the school, the rate will be:

$20 per morning session

$20 per afternoon session

$40 per day:

There is no advanced registration for individual sessions. These will be

available at the door only, space permitting.

Student Discount: Full time students can register at $15.00 off each full school rate above or $5.00 off the per session rate. You will need to show your Student ID when you arrive on Wed morning or you will be charged $15 at the door.

Jason Chin - "In My Shoes"

I saw this video that Jason Chin posted.

I liked it so much, I left a message on his Facebook wall.

Here it is:

I love the videos people like you, Todd, Pete and Thomas put out. I've really been encouraged by them. They've strengthened my faith a lot.

But when a person goes out on the streets and prays for a dozen people and no one gets healed, there are a lot of questions to be answered. And the video guys aren't usually around to answer them.

People who watch the videos get this idea that everyone is supposed to be healed every time, because that's what they see in the videos. They get a view of healing that's not really accurate.

We need leaders to show their failures, misses, mistakes, etc. I've probably posted as many failed healing stories as I've posted successes because I've had so many and I feel that people need to know it's not always going to work out the way you hope for.

Transparency in what we do is absolutely critical if we're going to be taken seriously and not seen as a bunch of delusional nut-jobs or magicians ala Chris Angel.

People not being healed is a huge part of being transparent. Yeah - it opens the discussion up to more difficult questions, but we're beginning to get some decent answers to the hard ones people ask.

Thanks for doing this. I would encourage others who make videos to do the same.

Here's a link to Jason's website; Lovesaysgo.com

Do Miracles Establish Our Identity?

After your identity in Christ is established and the miraculous life of the kingdom becomes more or less normal, at some point you'll be asked to show a stranger a miracle as evidence that you are the man (or woman) of God that you claim to be.

How do we respond to such a request?

Jesus worked miracles as part of the Father's witness to the message He carried. The miracles verified His message, not His identity. It's important to make a distinction between our message and our identity. They are not the same thing and they're not established in the same way. 

When the religious leaders demanded that He give them a sign to prove by what authority he did things, they were bringing into question His identity. He replied that they would receive no sign from Him.

Why did he refuse to show them a sign?

When His identity was questioned, He could have worked a miracle to prove who he was. When He was questioned about His identity in the wilderness, Satan asked him to turn a rock into bread as proof of His identity. But Jesus refused. He knew who He was. He didn't need to establish His identity for anyone. He knew what the Father had said of Him at His baptism. That was all the proof He needed.

When our identity is called into question, the issues we're facing are insecurity and pride. If we're insecure in who we are in Christ or if we're proud of who we are, we'll give in to the temptation to prove our identity by working a miracle. In doing so, we fall into the enemy's trap.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Gospel of Mark says that the disciples "Went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." (Mark 6:20)

The message we carry is to be confirmed with miracles, signs and wonders. But the miracles don't validate our identity. God establishes our identity and our identity is a matter that stays between God and us. It seems wise to avoid foolish conversations, disputes and challenges where people question our identity and demand proof of who we are by signs and miracles.

Once our true identity is established, we don’t need to be concerned with who we are, but rather who we represent. “We preach not ourselves, but Christ”. If we keep the focus on Him and not on us, the issue of our identity should never be a matter of discussion.

Keeping Our Healing

In the discussions that I’ve had with believers who heal the sick, there is much controversy over whether we need to keep our healing.

The controversy stems from the belief by some, that it is not necessary or even possible to 'maintain' healing that comes from God. They look at the bible and see no mention of the idea that people healed by Jesus had to maintain their healing. From this they conclude that it's neither necessary nor possible to do it. I respect this viewpoint and I won't criticize those who take this position. And since this issue isn't a major one, the position we hold is not essential.

In this message we'll look at what the bible says about whether we have a responsibility to keep our healing. I'll also share a dream that I had and we'll look at some personal experiences.

In the time that I've been involved in healing, I've met people who have experienced healing, only to have the symptoms return. I've also experienced this myself. So have many of my friends who are used by God to heal others.

Roger Sapp, who has prayed with over 25,000 people for healing, estimates that 25% of those who are healed experience a return of symptoms in a few days. The evidence seems to indicate that losing the effects of healing is a real phenomenon, even if we don't completely understand the mechanism of it.

The Big Picture
I'd like to take a big- picture view of healing and discuss some related issues, before looking at the issue of keeping our healing. There are four different perspectives or 'wills' we must take into account if we hope to understand the things that affect our healing. The first perspective is the will of God. We know that the will of God is that we would all be healed. (See my message titled The Biblical Basis For Healing). Jesus delivered and healed all who sought it. None were turned down. As long as they were willing to be healed, He was willing to heal them. If healing does not manifest, we should never assume that God doesn't want us healed. There are other things to consider that result in failed healing.

We must also consider the will of the enemy. Jesus said the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) The will of the enemy toward us is sickness and death. One reason God would have us heal the sick and raise the dead is that the enemy is out to kill and destroy us.

Opposition from the enemy is what prevented the disciples from healing the boy who had a mute and deaf spirit and suffered from epilepsy. (See Matt 17:14-17 and Mark 9:17) One of the obstacles to healing is demonic opposition that has not been removed. Again - if healing does not manifest, don't assume God doesn't want the person to be healed. Consider the possibility that a demon is opposing the work of healing.

We must consider the will of family and friends and we must consider the will of the sick person as well. When a loved one becomes sick, one of our natural reactions is to want them healed. Knowing we have a commission to heal the sick, some of us spring into action and begin praying and commanding them to be healed. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

I recently received a prayer request from a friend who desired to have a relative healed. Before praying, I asked if they knew whether or not the sick person wanted to be healed. (She had not yet asked) The next day she wrote back, sadly informing me that this person, who is a Christian, is also a Baptist and did not believe in healing nor did he expect to be healed.

I've been presumptive in the past and tried to get people healed who didn't want to be healed and as you can guess, they weren't healed. God doesn't force healing on those who will not receive it. Another obstacle to healing is the fact that not everyone wants to receive it.

I should mention here that a person who is not able to communicate their desires toward healing, should be presumed to want healing - until you know otherwise. If a person is comatose I would proceed with healing, until evidence is presented that they are opposed to it.

Healing and Grace
Healing is sometimes a gradual process, like the rest of God’s work in our lives. From the first day we believe in Christ as our savior, changes begin to take place inside of us. Although we are immediately given the righteousness of God, our conduct doesn’t immediately become righteous. The transformation from rebellious sinner to obedient son or daughter is a process called sanctification. How quickly it happens is determined by our cooperation with the Spirit God as He works to change us into the heavenly image God has in mind. The more we resist the work of God's grace, the longer it takes. Over time, God’s grace transforms us into the image of His Son. The Apostle Paul said that salvation is an act of God's grace:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, not of works, that no one should boast.”(Eph. 2:8)

The word ‘saved’ in this verse is the Greek word σῴζω (sozo), which means to save, preserve, protect, heal or make whole. This verse shows that healing is one of the ways in which God’s grace operates in our lives. The work of God's grace, both in salvation and healing is a process that is being worked out as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as Paul also told believers:

“…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12-13)

Salvation, though it is immediately available to all who desire it, takes time to be brought to fulfillment. God's desire is to bring sanctification, but His grace can be resisted by us, delaying its completion. Healing, because it is also a work of grace, can be resisted in the same way. God’s grace toward us for healing is always available. We can obtain it immediately. But the changes in our body, spirit and soul can take time. God’s plan for healing can be resisted by both us and by the enemy, which may result in a delay or loss of our healing.

Some Christians have been taught that if we, as the ones praying, have the right kind of faith, people will not only be healed, but they will remain healed. They believe that a return of symptoms indicates weak faith on our part. They believe this because there is little mentioned in the bible about those who were healed having to maintain their healing. They see healing only as a product of their own faith and authority, which releases the power of God. They reject the idea that the sick person has any part in being healed or keeping their healing, putting all the responsibility for healing on the one who is praying.

I'd like to address the absence of biblical commentary on healing, but first let's look at the absence of biblical commentary on salvation, since salvation is more extensively covered in scripture and better understood by most of us.

The narrative passages in scripture tell us that people were added to the church at different times. An example is when approximately 3,000 were added to the church on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:41) We know these people were 'saved'. But what isn't revealed is that all these believers who were saved on that day, would wrestle with the realities of their salvation for the rest of their lives. Some would wonder from time to time if they were really saved. Some would struggle with rebellion against God in different areas. Some may have even walked away from God before their death. The details of how their salvation was worked out are for the most part, absent.

For the same reason that many of the details of salvation are left out of the bible, the details of healing of various people is also missing. If these details would have been included, we may have read about some of the same things we experience today. The absence of details concerning people who were healed by Jesus and the disciples doesn't negate the possibility that they had the same problems we have.

If an evangelist preaches the gospel and a few of those who were saved do not manifest the realities of their salvation, do we blame the evangelist?

This is essentially the same question we have about keeping our healing - is it right (or even biblical) to believe that when people fail to manifest their healing, it is because the one who prayed with them failed to have enough faith to keep them healed?

For the same reason that it is not the responsibility of the evangelist to assure the the continued work of salvation in the believer, it not the responsibility of the healer to maintain the health of the one who is healed. The one who is healed must cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing their healing to completion.

The Dream
The dream that I had was about people who were being treated at a hospital for different diseases. As they were healed, they left the hospital and had to make a decision. They had to either leave their account with the hospital open or they had to close it. Those who kept their account open could continue discussing their disease or injury as long as they wanted to. They could return for another round of treatment and discuss the progression of the sickness with a doctor or make payment arrangements for further treatment. These people always became sick again.

The other group closed their account with the hospital after being healed. They were not allowed to come back for follow up appointments. They didn't talk about the disease or even think about it after being healed, except to testify once in a while about their healing. This group never again became sick once they were healed. This was the content of the dream.

The dream shows us two mindsets or two types of people and how they view and respond to healing. One is focused on sickness and the process of treating it. The other is focused on health and healing itself. The dream seems to point to the issues in our mind and how they can either keep us focused on sickness or set us on the road to permanent healing. The choice being determined by what we choose to focus on.

The bible does have a few things to say about how we might keep our healing, so let’s have a look at them. There was a man who had an infirmity for 38 years who was healed at the pool of Bethesda. After he was healed, Jesus caught up with him and shared these words of warning:

“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.” (John 5:14-15)

In looking for keys to keeping our healing, some point to the fact that Jesus told the man to sin no more, lest something worse would come upon him. This implies that sickness can be the result of sin and that healing might be maintained if we avoid sinful behavior. Since Jesus was the one who healed him, the return of his symptoms would not be a result of inadequate faith on the part of Jesus. It was the man’s responsibility to keep his healing and we have a similar responsibility today.

Our Testimony
Notice that the man went to the Jews and testified about his healing. In the dream that I had, those who remained well, were those who testified about their healing. Could our testimony be a key to remaining healed?

One problem that many of us have is that we love to testify about our sickness. We complain and grumble and tell everyone we know about how bad our disease is. Some of us believe that our ability to put up with our illness proves something about our character. Much of our complaining is an attempt to gain sympathy from others. And most of us refer to our condition with terms like “my diabetes” or “my cancer”.

The bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21) Our words are a reflection of our thoughts. Our thoughts flow from the things that we meditate on in our heart. That which we focus on we talk about. And that which we talk about we empower. It is our tongue that holds the power of life and death and it may hold the power to keep us healed. Our words reveal that at times, we take possession of our diseases and acknowledge ownership of them. Once we take ownership of something, getting free of it can be a difficult process.

Some people I've asked to pray with have confessed that they didn’t want to be healed because if they were, they would lose their disability check. Others choose to remain sick because it gives them attention and sympathy. When we use sickness to obtain something we want, we become dependant on what it provides and we become slaves to sickness.

Whether it brings money, attention or the opportunity to obtain pain medications, some of us are accustomed to a lifestyle of sickness. We expect to have doctor appointments for the rest of our lives. Cal Pierce noted that our health care system is more like a disease maintenance system. It can become the thing around which our world revolves. Some of us are so dependant on this lifestyle that we fear what life would be like without doctor visits and medications. Those who allow sickness to become their lifestyle are doomed to remain sick no matter how many times they receive prayer and are healed.

In the dream that I had, those who continued a lifestyle that focused on sickness always became sick again. Those who refused to talk about sickness kept their healing. Their words and the fact that they refused to focus on the sickness helped them keep their healing. I’m convinced that the key to keeping our healing is a matter of what we choose to focus on and what we talk about.

My Experiences
One night as I went to bed, I developed sudden pain in my lower back that radiated down the back of my left leg. I’d never had this type of pain before, but I knew from transporting hundreds of people with these symptoms, it was consistent with a herniated lumbar disc. The pain was severe and for a moment I panicked, thinking I’d done something to injure my back.

As I thought about the pain, I remembered that God had been speaking to me about pain returning after healing. This was a new concept as I’d only been praying with people for about a year. On a hunch, I took the position in my mind that the pain was not a herniated disc, but an imitation of that pain, caused by a demon. I told myself repeatedly, “I do not have a herniated disc”. Suspecting there was an evil spirit at work, I commanded the spirit to leave and for the pain to leave as well. After ten minutes of warfare the pain was completely gone. But it returned 20 minutes later. When it returned I repeated the same process and had my wife stand in agreement with me. After another ten minutes of warfare, the pain was gone. But 20 minutes later it returned. This went on for two hours. Each time we did warfare it would leave, only to return. Finally, I was so exhausted I had to go to sleep, even if the pain was still there. I decided to rebuke the spirit one more time and command it not to return. When I went to sleep the pain was as bad as it had been all night. When I awoke in the morning the pain was gone and it never returned.

I learned a lot from this experience. I learned that we can have the symptoms of a condition that perfectly mimic the condition itself, with no actual injury or disease process in our body. A demon can create a near perfect imitation of a real medical problem.

I also learned that a key to victory over the enemy lies in what you believe and what you say. I refused to believe or admit that I had a herniated disc, even though the symptoms I had felt exactly like it. I also learned that although we might see complete removal of the spirit and symptoms, it doesn’t mean they won’t return. And if they do, the strategy that worked the first time can be used again as often as needed until the spirit realizes we aren’t going to allow it to afflict us. I’ve taken these principles and taught them often to people that I’ve seen healed since then.

In 2010, I had a chance to help my sister in law obtain healing for an occluded artery in her leg. She had poor circulation in her leg for many years. Her foot was always cold and numb and her doctor had been considering placing a stent in the artery to keep it open. One day, I asked if she wanted to be healed and she said 'yes'. I commanded the artery to be open and the circulation to return. She didn’t feel anything different until the next morning, when she woke up with a warm foot that had normal sensation and circulation. She was beaming with joy. Later that day, her foot became cold and numb and with a worried heart she asked me what happened.

I sat her down and explained that healing and sickness are a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Like it or not – healing is warfare. God wants us to be healed and the enemy wants us to be sick. She immediately understood. I told her that the enemy brought the symptoms back to convince her she wasn’t healed and that all we needed to do was push back a little and do some more warfare. I commanded her leg to be healed again and in a few minutes the circulation returned. I told her that all she needed to do was to resist the enemy’s tactics if it happened again. "If the symptoms return, command them to leave". With a smile of understanding she confidently maintained her healing and she’s had normal circulation since that day.

My sister didn’t want to continue the merry go round of sickness. She wasn’t getting sympathy from anyone. She received no financial benefit. She didn’t dwell on how her ability to endure the condition proved that she had great character and strength. She received no gratification from it. She wanted it gone for good. Once she was healed, she chose to close her account with sickness.

She and many like her will be healed and stay healed, because they earnestly want no part of their condition. Once it’s gone, they don’t imagine what will happen if it returns. Fear that our sickness will come back is a trap many of us fall into. Fear is a tool of the enemy. When we are healed, we are given a taste of God’s power and love. The bible says,

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

When we fear the return of our condition, we do so because we doubt that God has really healed us or that He is able to keep us healed. We may also doubt that He truly loves us. Fear and doubt about God’s goodness allow the enemy to bring sickness back. This is why we must close our account with sickness and choose never again to entertain these thoughts.

Roger Sapp made this observation about keeping our healing:

“I prayed about this matter and felt that the Lord told me that because I was getting them healed on the basis of my faith rather than their faith, this was creating this situation.

In other words, I knew how to stand in faith and receive a healing for them but they didn't know how to stand in faith to keep it. Whatever is received by faith in Christ, must be maintained by faith in Christ. When a symptom arose, they quickly doubted that they were healed and didn’t maintain it. So today, we spend more time getting them to believe for themselves, helping them deal with their doubts and teaching them what to do if a symptom returns...which is to do the same thing that they did to receive the healing. They had to believe that the healing belonged to them before they received it. They had to believe that Christ had purchased it for them at the cross. Nothing has changed if they have a symptom, they must believe that the healing still belongs to them despite a symptom, because of what Christ has done. What causes someone to receive…faith in Christ as Healer…is what causes them to maintain. Today, I think that we have a lot fewer people losing their healing.”

Honoring The Body of Christ
There is one more section of scripture we might examine to learn how to maintain our healing. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul addresses several things; one of which is sickness and premature death. He begins the discussion in verse 17, with an observation about the behavior of believers toward one another:

“But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!” (1 Cor 11:17-19 NLT)

Paul continues his list of complaints against their behavior:

“When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!” (Verses 20-22)

Paul then describes how the Lord passed on to him the celebration of the breaking of bread and drinking the cup in remembrance of His death. (Verses 23-26) He then adds this observation:

“27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.” (Verses 27-30)

It would be easy to assume that Paul was referring to how believers viewed the Lord Jesus when he said they should honor the ‘body of Christ’ when they eat the bread and drink the cup. But I don’t believe that’s what he was referring to.

In this passage, two different terms are used. He refers to “the body and blood of the Lord” in verse 27, and “the body of Christ” in verse 29. Paul often referred to the body of believers, or the church as “the body of Christ”.

In this passage Paul was telling the church that their behavior toward one another (the body of Christ) was the reason some had become sick and died. Remember, his complaint against them was division, quarreling and selfishness. As he brings the discussion to a close he again emphasizes their behavior toward one another:

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together.” (Verses 33-34)

Paul ties the judgment that some had received (sickness and death) to their practice of not waiting for others to eat. He actually said that sickness and premature death were a result of not honoring other believers.

In summary, there are a number of things we can do to maintain our healing. One is to treat others, particularly those in the body of Christ, with respect and honor. Another is to avoid sin. It seems good to occasionally testify about our healing instead of testifying about our sickness. From personal experience, I would add that we should refuse to entertain thoughts about sickness returning and instead fix our thoughts on God’s goodness. Another key is to resist the tendency to take ownership of the condition by referring to it as “mine”. And occasionally, if the symptoms return we might need to command them to leave. We must continue to believe after we are healed, that Christ is still and always will be our healer. Once we are healed, we must make a choice to either close our account with sickness or leave it open. The choice we make will determine the degree to which we keep our healing.

Is There a Place in Medicine For Divine Healing?

I looked at the registration sheet in the transfer packet. His religious preference indicated “ISL”. My patient was a follower of Islam. My heart sank. I thought, "There's no way he'll let me pray for him." The unit secretary was still copying records, so it would be a while before we would transport him to another hospital for surgery. I went to his room to introduce myself.

Crammed into a room slightly larger than a closet, I found Maurice, a man in his thirties with some big problems. After passing large amounts of blood in his bowel movements for three days, he reluctantly came to the emergency room. He'd managed to flush most of his blood volume down the toilet. A normal red blood cell count (RBC) is between 4.5 and 5.5. His was 1.6. His hemoglobin and hematocrit were critical. The ER doc ordered a transfusion of 6 units of whole blood for starters.

Maurice was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 15. At the age of 18 he suffered his first stroke and spent 2 weeks in a coma. At 21, he developed kidney failure and learned about dialysis. My new friend had more medical problems than most men twice his age. I explained my part in the continuing drama of his life. We chatted as I thought about how we would get him out of the tiny room and keep the IV attached to his neck from pulling out.

Maurice was curious. The moment we got in the ambulance the questions began.

"Are the lights on?"

“Yes, but only on the left side. Most people don't appreciate bright lights in their eyes."

"Not the inside ones, I mean the ones on the outside. Are the red lights on?"

I smiled and asked if he thought we needed them. He said, "I don't know, what do you think?"

I explained that we don't use red lights much between hospitals because most of our patients are stable. We talked about the risks and benefits of running red lights and siren. But I shared the story with him about the woman we transported earlier in the day who was in premature labor. "We don't like delivering babies in the ambulance."

"What's the difference between an EMT and a paramedic?"

I explained.

"What's the difference between a paramedic and a nurse?"

More explanations.

I really liked Maurice. He was a pleasant man in spite of his medical problems and he laughed at a lot of the things I said. He didn't fit the stereotype of Muslims that I'd built in my mind. He was strangely....very much like me.

In explaining the differences between paramedics, EMT's and nurses, I told him that I was a little different from most paramedics because I saw many of my patients healed in the ambulance.

With a puzzled look he delivered his next question, "What do you mean healed?"

I told him a few stories about patients who had been healed. Now he was even more curious.

"Can you do anything about my headache?"

I asked how bad it was. He said it was very painful, about 8/10. I told him I'd command it to leave. I placed my hand on his head and commanded the pain to leave in the name of Jesus. Then I asked how he felt.

"A little better"

I put my hand on his head again and commanded the pain to leave then asked again.

"A lot better."

I did it one more time. He said, "It's gone...completely gone." He was smiling from ear to ear.

I said, "Jesus just healed you."

He wanted to discuss who Jesus was, but I kept the focus on getting him healed. I told him that God could give him new kidneys, and heal his GI bleed if he would let me continue praying. He nodded in agreement, so I placed my hands on his abdomen and commanded the bleeding to stop and for his kidneys to be healed. We arrived at the destination hospital and moved him to his ICU bed. I gave report to the nurse and left out the fact that his headache was healed.

Two days after transporting Maurice, I went to the ICU to check up on him.

When I asked what the doctors found when he arrived, he said, “You won’t believe it.”

I looked at him and said, “Try me.”

With a grin he told me his doctors ordered all the usual tests - both endoscopy and abdominal scans and found no signs of bleeding. They couldn’t explain how it happened. He was completely healed and they were sending him home. He allowed me to pray for healing of his kidneys again. He gave me permission to tell his story, but we agreed to change his name.

This kind of story has become routine for me. Three years ago, after having a few dreams about praying for patients in the ambulance, I reluctantly began asking patients if I could pray with them. At that time I didn’t believe in divine healing. But I decided to try it and see what happened.

During the next six months, I prayed with several hundred patients, but I didn’t follow up with any of them and I didn’t see any miracles. The lack of results was discouraging, but I continued having dreams about praying with my patients, so I kept asking people if I could pray with them.

One morning, we transported an elderly woman for flu- like symptoms. In gathering her history I learned that she had scoliosis and a torn meniscus in her left knee. I asked if she wanted to be healed. She said she did, so I prayed with her. Both her knee and her back were healed before we got to the hospital. She had no pain and complete freedom of movement. The same day we transported another elderly woman with fractured tibia. She was also healed, almost immediately.

In one weekend in 2010, I saw three ER nurses healed of foot problems. Two of them had plantar fasciitis and one had broken the 5th metatarsal on both feet. All three women were healed instantly. In a recent transport to a cath lab for a pacemaker implantation, I prayed with a 94-year-old woman who had bilateral frozen shoulders due to torn rotator cuffs. After praying with her, it seemed nothing had changed. But ten minutes later she suddenly raised her right arm straight up in the air and said, “Praise God, it’s a miracle!” Her right shoulder was completely healed. On the same weekend, a 95-year-old woman with crippling arthritis in her right knee was completely healed just a few minutes after I prayed with her.

In the last three years, I’ve seen hundreds, perhaps thousands of people healed. One of the great myths about healing is that healing is a gift, only given to a few special people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Twelve years ago I was an atheist. Four years ago I believed in God, but not in healing. I was the least likely candidate to receive the gift of healing if such a thing existed. The truth is; healing miracles can be a part of your life, just as they became a part of mine.

Divine healing and emergency medicine may at first seem like strange partners. Divine healing is a matter of faith. Medicine is mostly a matter of science. Our culture has at times, identified these two as being in conflict with one another. But the truth is; divine healing is an excellent compliment to the practice of medicine. There are many conditions for which medicine has little to offer. The power of divine healing has virtually no limitations. While patients have a high degree of trust in the medical community, most patients also believe in a higher power.

In the minds of our patients, there is no conflict between healing prayer and medicine. In the last three years I’ve asked over 1,000 patients if I could pray with them for healing. Less than a dozen have declined and those who did thanked me for asking. When I began to ask patients about prayer – I wasn’t prepared for what I would find. I couldn’t believe how many people not only welcomed prayer, but were deeply touched when I asked. Many cried tears of joy simply because a stranger in an ambulance asked if he could pray with them. I’ve been surprised at how many agnostics, atheists, and people of other faiths have wanted me to pray with them. The ones who saw no immediate healing were grateful. The ones who were healed were ecstatic.

My observation is this; if you’re afraid your patients don’t want you praying with them – you’re wrong. More people are willing to receive prayer than you might think. This is especially true when the patient believes they are in dire straits.

Operating as a divine healer in health care is rewarding but it does come with a few challenges. I’ve met a few people who objected to a paramedic praying with patients on duty. I had a discussion with a doctor who was offended when she learned that I talked to my patients about God. In her mind my actions were unethical. She believes patients are vulnerable, seeing medical workers as experts. Her fear was that I would abuse my ‘expert’ status and push a vulnerable patient into accepting a religious point of view, without having time to fully consider it. I suppose some people may operate this way, though it seems rather manipulative. There is no reason why discussions can’t occur that allow us to share ideas without crossing the lines of sound ethical practice.

The truth is that my attempts to proselytize patients are extremely rare. When I ask a patient if I can pray with them, I have only a couple of things in mind. The main goal is to get them healed. A secondary goal is to introduce them to God in a way that is personal and memorable. I simply invite God to touch them in a way that will allow them to know He is real. And they are fully aware that’s what I’m doing. I allow my patients to hear me as I ask God to touch them. I don’t preach to them and I’m not in the habit of asking them to believe in Jesus as their savior.

If your motive for praying with a patient is to convert them to your religious belief, people have a right to question your motives. If on the other hand, your desire is to see your patients healed; your motives will be seen as less selfish and more consistent with the goals of sound patient care.

If EMS is about delivering the highest level of care and the best customer service possible, then divine healing should be a part of what we do, at least for those interested in the realm of faith. Yes, there are cultural obstacles to overcome. But there are no legal restrictions preventing us from pursuing this avenue of care.

If you’re new to this blog and interested in learning more about divine healing and how to make it a part of your practice, check out the teaching articles and video testimonies I've posted here.

Raise The Dead - Training

Dead Raising Team Training

Three Locations and Times:

March 30 - April 1 - Tri-Cities, Washington.

April 13 - 14 - Tacoma, Washington

April 20 - 21 - Elmira, New York

Tyler Johnson and the Dead Raising Teams have been doing just that. Not only are people healed and delivered but to date, eight people have been raised from the dead right here in North America.

Delving into the reality of resurrection power, this training is for those that desire to walk in the miraculous, especially pertaining to raising the dead.

We realize this is uncommon for most, thus the training starts with more basic teaching and builds from there.

Those that go through this training will have the option to be apart of the first DRT in this region.

Register early, these trainings fill up quickly! Register at:

Click Here for the link to register

http://www.oneglance.org/One_Glance_Ministries/DRT_Trainings.html

Classic Reactions To Healing - Tom Fischer

This is a compilation of short scenes of Tom Fischer on the streets healing strangers. Their reactions are priceless and sometimes vulgar. So if you have sensitive ears, you might want to skip this video. If not, enjoy watching God touch those who don't know about His power.

Making Disciples

I became involved in a discussion a while back with a group of leaders from the street healing movement. Brandon Lee, one of visionaries of the movement asked a group of us how we might go about making disciples after seeing people healed.

Most of us have seen hundreds of people healed on the streets. After they were healed, some were led to a profession of faith in Jesus. But almost none were walking in the power of God as we had hoped.

Preaching and healing can bring people to God. Getting people to make a profession of faith isn’t hard to do. Keeping them in a relationship with God afterward is more problematic. Church polls reveal that many new converts leave the church or lose faith in God shortly afterward. Among those who remain committed followers of Jesus, few can honestly say they're living the kind of life Jesus and his disciples lived. Many leaders have recognized that present models of evangelism and discipleship aren’t working.

In the span of three years Jesus took uneducated men and through frequent demonstration and teaching on the kingdom of God, transformed their lives into ones that looked like His. When the process was done their lives replicated the life of their teacher. This is the goal of making disciples. It’s the replication of the kingdom of God in the lives of others.

The gospel of the kingdom of God is transformational. Wherever the kingdom goes it destroys mindsets that are opposed to the righteousness of God. It frees people from bondage to sin. It empowers them to release miracles into the lives of others. The kingdom of God is not a set of precepts we agree upon, it is the transformational power of God that works in the lives of believers, changing them into the image of Christ.

The question that leaders of the street healing movement are asking is, "How do we go about making disciples in the manner that Jesus did?"

Most of these leaders are young and on fire for God, which probably accounts for their enthusiasm and passion. They’ve seen the effects of powerless preaching and the weakness of a church body sitting in a pew on Sunday lulled to sleep by sermons. They have a vision of a church that’s different. Their vision is of a vibrant, spirit-filled, demon-casting, sickness-destroying, dead-raising army of disciples who do the things Jesus did.

They know that this vision will never become a reality without leaders who can demonstrate the kingdom and train believers to follow after them. This vision requires leaders who have a different mindset. And that puts them at odds with the leaders of most church congregations.

The church tends to reflect the operational values of it's leaders. Although Jesus is the head of the church, the manifestation of Jesus in the world is largely dictated by a handful of leaders, who collectively cast a vision for how the church impacts society. The leaders involved in street healing have noted that few other leaders seem to understand the value of training and equipping believers to go into the streets and do the works of God.

A few years ago I began to re-evaluate what I believed about the church and how it operates. One of the books that challenged my presuppositions was "The Shaping of Things To Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church", by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.

Frost and Hirsch have three main observations about the church and how it operates. The first is that most churches are attractional instead of missional.

Traditional churches create sacred spaces that are uncomfortable for not-yet-Christians. Our goal is to attract the not-yet-Christians into these spaces. With the attractional church model, evangelism is about inviting people to meetings.

Jesus didn't instruct his disciples to gather in a building and wait for people to come to them. He sent his disciples out into the community. The disciples were guests in their homes and businesses. This is a very different approach than the one most churches use today.

Even when traditional churches try to reach out to the community, "church planting" generally involves planting another Sunday service in a new location, rather than establishing authentic Christian communities.

The answer from Frost and Hirsch is that church must operate missionally. The missional church does not seek to attract people to it. It seeps into the cracks and crevices of a society in order to be Christ to those who don't know him yet. It does this through proximity spaces, shared projects, and commercial enterprises.

Proximity spaces are places or events where Christians and not-yet-Christians interact with each other. They are definitely not churches. Examples of proximity spaces include art workshops, pubs and cafes where Christians form part of the regular clientele. Shared projects are activities of interest to the wider community, which meet a need and provide an opportunity for Christians and not-yet-Christians to meet in a natural situation.

Commercial enterprises are businesses, run by Christians for the wider community, which are not overtly evangelistic. The point of all of these activities is to find neutral ground where the Church can intentionally meet with the world.

The second observation they make is the traditional churches are dualistic instead of Messianic. That is, they believe that there is a separation between that which is secular and that which is sacred. This idea is rooted in Greek philosophy, not the Bible. This separation of the sacred from the secular impacts all aspects of life. We have sacred and secular people (clergy and laity), sacred and secular places (church buildings and the rest of the world), and sacred and secular activities (church services and the rest of our activities).

The separation of the sacred from the secular has a major impact on how we live out our Christian lives. It allows us to relegate spiritual duties such as healing and evangelism to the professional clergy, minimizing the impact of the average believer. It leads us to believe that only the things that happen on Sunday are truly spiritual, which compartmentalizes our Christianity.

Frost and Hirsch encourage the Church to abandon this distinction between secular and sacred, and to adopt the attitude of Jesus, who saw all activity as part of his ministry. We need to adopt an attitude which sees all of our activity, work, relaxation and specifically Christian service as a sacrament. All of our life must be sacred, and we must take Jesus with us wherever we go.

The third observation is that the traditional church structure is hierarchical instead of apostolic. Frost and Hirsch say that traditional churches have a hierarchical leadership system. They argue that this is neither Biblical nor efficient, and the Church should instead adopt the leadership structure taken from Ephesians chapter 4 (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers).

The heirarchical model put enormous power in the hands of a few people and emphasizes the gifting of those individuals. It also ranks people in higher and lower places of authority, which is a model taken from society, not the bible. In contrast, the Ephesians 4 structure provides for a flat leadership model where the gifting of all the 5-fold offices are represented and no one is higher or lower in rank. This plurality of leadership based on spiritual gifting meets all of the needs of the Church, whereas a traditional hierarchical model often leaves gaping holes.

The traditional church model lends itself well to certain things. It is effective for teaching in the broader sense where a single message can be heard by thousands of people at once. Dissemination of information can accomplished this way. But the application of what is taught is a different matter.

Putting instruction into practical use can’t be accomplished in large groups over an hour or two a week, particularly if feedback is needed. This must be done in smaller groups, to allow for personalization and time for questions to be answered. Congregations that meet once a week have no time for practical application. Some churches have developed small groups that meet during the week for this reason.

The hierarchical leadership structure tends to emphasize and draw from the gifting of one or two key individuals who lead the congregation. It rarely allows for the development of the gifting of the congregation itself. Among fellowships where the gifting of the average believer is acknowledged and developed, it seldom deviates from the gifting of the leaders and it is rarely allowed to surpass it.

This structure allows for some of the things that the church needs to accomplish, but it isn't effective for making disciples. And it’s this issue that leaders of the street healing movement are most concerned with.

I mentioned that many of us tend to compartmentalize our Christianity. Some of us have little interaction with other believers outside of Sunday morning church services. We tend to bring out our spiriuality only when it's required. On Sunday we put on Jesus, but he remains hidden the rest of the week. The traditional church model forces many of us to live as a part-time Christians.

The spiritual growth necessary to be transformed into a disciple is a daily process. It happens little by little through daily renewing of the mind. As we meditate on new revelation from God and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, our perceptions, beliefs and actions take on new directions. As we get together with others and operate in the power of God, faith for the miraculous grows. The transformational process that makes us into disciples can't do it's work if it's only operational one day a week.

One of the men who discipled me is David McLain. I had a dream in which he and I walked through the streets of the town we lived in. We were starting a new type of church called a ‘missional’ church and we were looking for a "person of peace". Finding them was the first thing we had to do. I’d like to draw your attention to the instructions Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew chapter 10 and Luke chapter 10.

In His instructions, Jesus told the disciples to go out into the cities of Israel. The first thing that should be noted is that He didn't tell them to bring people to a central location, as we do today. His instructions were for them to go out into society. He also told them to inquire who was worthy and to find a household where a person of peace lived. He told them not to go from place to place, but to remain there, eating what was served, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and teaching them about the kingdom.

What is the emphasis in these instructions? Developing relationships while ministering to strangers and teaching them about the kingdom.

In sending out the twelve and later, the seventy; He instructed his disciples to find a "person of peace". Finding the person of peace is the key to the entire process of spreading the good news.

The "person of peace" is a person who sees the work that God is doing through us. They are willing to partner with us in bringing that work to the lives of others. This partnership requires trust and a spirit of peace. Once the person of peace is found, they will lead us to a group over which they have some type of influence. If we gain favor and acceptance with the person of peace, we will likely gain it with those in their sphere of influence. Just as we are doorways to the kingdom of God, the person of peace is a doorway to the harvest field. The work of God flows through these doorways.

Biblical examples of a "person of peace" are numerous. The gospel came to the Gentiles after an angel spoke to Cornelius, who was called a ‘just man of good reputation’. The angel told him to send for the apostle Peter. He allowed Peter to speak to all who were in his home and the Holy Spirit fell upon them. Cornelius, by virtue of his reputation and influence served as the first doorway for the gospel to reach the Gentiles. (See Acts chapter 10)

The Samaritan woman at the well took the message of the Messiah back to her city after meeting Jesus. She was in a sense, a person of peace who helped Jesus spread the gospel. (John 4:28-29)

Aquila and Pricilla ran a small business. They received Paul into their home where he worked with them making tents until he received outside support. This couple later tutored Apollos and hosted a Gentile church. ( See Acts 18:1-3)

Justus, whose house was located next door to the synagogue, hosted Paul for a time at Corinth. (See Acts 18:7)

Lydia is another example, having opened her home to Paul and the disciples after receiving their testimony. (Acts 16:14-15)

The last example might surprise you. The man with the demon, who called himself ‘Legion’ became a person of peace. Some people are by their own nature, a person of peace. Some become one as a result of our interaction with them. The man with the demon, after he was set free, begged Jesus to allow him to remain with him. The people of Gadara begged Jesus to leave. Jesus sent the man home to Decapolis to tell of the great things the Lord did. Later, when Jesus visited Dacapolis, the people there asked Him to stay and heal their sick and infirmed. The man became a person of peace, whose personal testimony prepared the harvest field. (See Mark 5:14-20 and Mark 7:31-37)

When John G. Lake trained his divine healing technicians, he sent them into the homes of people who needed healing of a terminal condition. The household would have had at least one person willing to cooperate with the work God was doing. They would pray over this person, focusing on getting them healed. They taught the bible and stayed as long as needed, which would have been anywhere from a few days to a few months. This model, which proved to be very effective, is almost exactly like the one Jesus gave to His disciples.

It was after I decided to be intentional about living and walking in the power of God every day that I noticed changes in the lives of people around me. Those who were never interested in my religion, were very interested in the healing miracles they heard about. The deeper I walked into the kingdom, and the more consistently I demonstrated it the more people were attracted to Jesus. And my opportunities to disciple them increased dramatically.

Making disciples requires a large investment of time from the parties involved. We must come to terms with the fact that we only have so much time to devote to the process. Second, we need to accept the fact that there are very few people who are interested in becoming a disciple in the sense that we are discussing. You might see 100 people a month healed, but the number who are genuinely interested in doing what you're doing may only be one or two. Finding the ones who are interested is critical if you hope to see fruit come forth. In my experiences, God can lead us through dreams, visions, angelic messages and divine encounters to the "person of peace".

Once the person of peace is found, you must demonstrate the life and power of God in your daily activities with them. You must develop relationships of trust. If they open doors to the lives of others, ask God how you can meet their needs. You must have regular contact with those you meet, demonstrating Jesus to them in His power, forgiveness, love, compassion and all the things that reveal His life in you.

If we do these things, we will truly make disciples and fulfill the great commission and in the process we’ll reveal the truth that Jesus is alive and breathing in those He calls His bride.