| Christians with chronic illness need to know there is a | | | | healing to the instantaneous. The word "miracle" |
| source for healing beyond secular medicine that does | | | | simply means of divine or supernatural intervention. All |
| not follow the pattern or knowledge of this world. | | | | healing is divine and miraculous by its nature (Exodus |
| That source is spiritual and comes from God! But | | | | 15:26). |
| there is a problem. Millions of Christians are being | | | | The view held that spiritual healing must be |
| robbed the gift of spiritual healing through spiritual | | | | instantaneous to be a miracle has led many Christians |
| malpractice. | | | | to abandon their faith in God to heal altogether. They |
| Numerous Christian traditions (doctrines) hold that the | | | | reason: Almost no one is instantly healed of chronic |
| time of miraculous healing, spiritual healing, or by | | | | illness; therefore, whatever healing may occur must |
| whatever name it is known by, is over. These | | | | happen through physical means beyond the direct |
| traditions claim the time of divine healing, anointing | | | | intervention of God. Can you see the fallacy here? |
| with oil and laying on of hands ended when the last | | | | Without the direct intervention of God, could there |
| Apostle died. With this kind of teaching, no wonder | | | | be healing of any kind? God's Holy Word tells us that |
| there is so much confusion, sickness and suffering. | | | | God is Yehovah-rapha, God our healer. But just for a |
| Those who make the claim that God no longer | | | | moment, imagine that God has turned His back on |
| intervenes in this world through spiritual healing need | | | | healing the sick. |
| to ask themselves one question. From who did this | | | | You fall sick with illness. The doctors tell you there is |
| claim originate, God or Satan? If from God, then His | | | | nothing more they can do. You are not expected to |
| will be done. But what if this teaching is not from | | | | survive. What a bleak picture! Not because the |
| God? Suppose it is from Satan whispering in the ear | | | | doctors tell you that they can't help you, but |
| of man that God has ended spiritual healing. What | | | | because God is out of the picture. |
| then? What is the consequence of believing and | | | | Friend, this is what happens many times a day in |
| teaching such a doctrine? | | | | churches all across the land: Churches turn the sick in |
| Such a doctrine and Church leaders who proclaim it | | | | the body of Christ out to the world. God has not |
| would be responsible for denying millions of chronically | | | | abandoned His children as their healer; Churches have |
| ill Christians the gift of spiritual healing. For elders, | | | | abandoned God as our healer! |
| pastors and Church clergy are all charged with the | | | | When the teachers of the law wanted to know by |
| spiritual oversight of their flocks. The doctrines they | | | | what power or name the Apostle, Peter, |
| teach have real consequences. | | | | administered spiritual healing to a crippled man, Peter |
| Spiritual Malpractice: | | | | replied... |
| Canon Mark Pearson, author of Christian Healing, put | | | | "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, |
| it this way, "To keep the ministry of healing from | | | | whom you crucified but whom God raised from the |
| God's people because it happens not to interest | | | | dead, that this man stands before you |
| Church leaders of a given congregation is as much | | | | healed...Salvation is found in no one else, for there is |
| spiritual malpractice as it would be medical malpractice | | | | no other name under heaven given to men by which |
| for a hospital to refuse to treat heart attacks | | | | we must be saved." - Acts 4:10-12 (NIV) |
| because the staff preferred only to treat | | | | Notice that Peter made no distinction between the |
| pneumonia." | | | | man's healing and salvation, because both are found |
| Spiritual malpractice is a serious charge, because | | | | in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ |
| those who teach will be judged more strictly (James | | | | (the Gospel). Although the men Peter addressed did |
| 3:1). More importantly, think of the millions of people | | | | not want to believe him, they nevertheless |
| who may have gone to an early grave, all because | | | | understood his statement. Why can't we? Peter said |
| they believed God no longer heals. | | | | this man was healed, not because he (Peter) is an |
| The Church today is but a shadow of the godly | | | | Apostle, one of a select group of men, but because |
| influence it once enjoyed, due largely to the unclean | | | | of the healing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. |
| spirit that whispered in the ear of man that God is | | | | What a statement! This is the crux of the cross, the |
| out of the healing business. It is a lie from the father | | | | absolute beginning and end for all healing, be it |
| of lies. | | | | physical or spiritual. Nothing has happened to change |
| Creating Confusion:: | | | | this truth since Peter spoke those words 2,000 years |
| Many Church leaders today teach that healing must | | | | ago. For just as God intends freedom from |
| be instantaneous, something that is immediate to be | | | | oppression for all mankind, so too is God's intention |
| called a miracle. But God's Word does not limit spiritual | | | | for spiritual healing through Jesus Christ our Lord. |