Pastor Edgar Mayer; Living Grace Community Lutheran Church; Message on Healing by Faith; Date: 25 May 2008

For more sermons and other writings check out pastor’s homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar

Fixing Your Eyes On Jesus

(On Healing By Faith)

I read from the Bible – Mark 9:21-24: “Jesus asked the [sick] boy’s father: ‘How long has he been like this [convulsing and foaming at the mouth]?’ ‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ said Jesus. [‘If I can?’] ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ … “

Jesus gave the father the key to the healing of his boy. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” This was good news – breathtaking news: “Everything is possible!” – but at the same time Jesus was confronting him: “Do not come and say to me: ‘If I can … ‘ Come to me with faith saying: ‘You can and you will heal my boy.‘”

This brief interchange is in the Bible and therefore we do not want to argue with the words too much but – nevertheless – many of us struggle with Jesus’ teaching on two accounts: 1. This is aiming too high. (How can everything be possible?) 2. This generates too much pressure. (Don’t put the healing outcome on me and my faith.)

We have our objections but Jesus put emphasis on this particular truth. For instance, he said – Mark 12:22-24: “ … I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” And then, another Bible passage – James 5:15 – confirms the promise: “ . the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up … “

Time and again Jesus would heal people and then tell them – Matthew 9:22: “ … Your faith has healed you … “ Matthew 9:29: “ … According to your faith will it be done to you … “ Matthew 15:28: “Woman, you have great faith! Your [healing] request [for your daughter] is granted … “ Mark 10:52: “ … Your faith has healed you … “ Luke 7:50: “ … Your faith has saved you. Go in peace … “ Luke 18:42: “ … Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you … “

The same dynamic reappears in the work of the first Christians – Acts 14:8-10 – I read from the Bible: “In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”

Thus, the key to healing – your healing – is faith in Jesus Christ. Again, we may not like these words, want to object and even bristle with indignation, saying: “What about the person that is not healed? Would you want to tell that person: ‘Jesus wanted to heal you but he couldn’t because your faith was not strong enough.’”

This kind of suggestion seems cruel toward a sick person and hence Jesus was never that insensitive with the sick themselves. Those in pain need healing. They need love. They need compassion. In the opening interchange Jesus did not confront the sick boy but the father and, before the father was confronted, he said to the entire crowd – Matthew 17:17: “O unbelieving and perverse generation … “ and then explained further to his disciples – Matthew 17:20: “[You could not heal the boy] because you have so little faith … “ Healing is by faith but not necessarily the faith of the sick person. It may be the faith of a father, a mother, a relative, those praying for healing, the faith of the church, etc. Thus, at all times – you and I – be sensitive with the sick and maybe deal with the log of unbelief in our own eye first.

A healing evangelist writes: “One impossible night, as I preached about radical faith, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Todd, you’ve got to pray for that girl over there.’ Later in the evening, the fourteen year old girl, Julie, approached me and asked me to pray for her. Her grandfather in the United States had suffered a stroke that left him mute as well as paralyzed on his left side. ‘He doesn’t know Jesus … please pray that he would be healed and know that Jesus was the one who did the miracle,’ she asked.

We agreed together and prayed, ‘Jesus, I ask you to heal Julie’s grandfather … ‘ and just then, Jesus interrupted our prayer … ‘What are you doing, Todd?’ the Lord asked. ‘I’m praying.’ ‘You just preached on radical faith for the impossible … what are you going to do about this?’

I knew in my heart that my prayer for the girl’s grandfather was simply a courtesy prayer, but my faith changed right then as I prayed, and suddenly I was translated in the spirit to the man’s hospital bed where he lay asleep and hooked up to IV’s and a heart monitor. I laid hands on him and rebuked the effects of stroke. The man rose out of his bed and ran down the hospital hallway, the IV still in his arm! Hours later, I learned that Julie received a telephone call a few hours later after she’d returned home … ‘Praise Jesus, praise Jesus … I’ve been healed!’ shouted her grandfather … “ (Todd Bentley: Journey Into The Miraculous, Shippensburg: Destiny Image Publishers 2008, 142-143).[1]

How can we pray and not just pray a courtesy prayer for people but pray with faith? What precisely is faith? We need to know because faith is not only for healing but even more importantly for salvation. The Bible says – Romans 5:1-2: “ . since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in our hope of experiencing the glory of God.” There is nothing more central than this: By faith we are justified. By faith we have peace with God. By faith we have access into this grace in which we now stand. Everything is by faith – friendship with God and then healing. What then is faith?

This is where it gets difficult. The Bible does not give us anywhere a definition of faith. The closest the Bible comes to a definition is in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Thus, faith is about knowing something – being sure of something – being certain of something – which is not seen. Furthermore – as we learn in the same Bible book – this kind of knowing – faith – is not about some thing but someone. The Bible says – Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith … “

And that’s the key! Faith is all about fixing our eyes on Jesus. Faith is not something that we make happen – that we discover in ourselves. Faith is looking at Jesus who then imparts something from him to us. Living by faith is living with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2: “ … fix your [original: our] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith … “

There is a good illustration of faith in the Bible. There was a storm and it was dark and the disciples were in a boat struggling to cross a lake. Then the Bible reports – Matthew 14:25-33: “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’ … “

Faith – according to this Bible story – is again not about knowing some thing or some principle but it is about knowing someone and Peter knew Jesus and he knew that Jesus was faithful and he knew that Jesus was amazing. Therefore, fixing his eyes on Jesus with faith he first asked him whether Jesus – in this situation – would want him to come out and walk with him on water. Because without Jesus’ word and promise any stepping out of the boat and attempting to walk on water would not have been faith but presumption.

Then – having fixed his eyes on Jesus thus – Peter discovered that there was power in faith. Trusting Jesus – the invitation to come – he was outside the boat walking on water – in the middle of a storm. Wow! What an experience – and who knows what we will experience? But then Peter also discovered the flipside of faith power. There is weakness and failure in unbelief – doubt – because as soon as he lost sight of Jesus – as soon as he became afraid of the wind – he went under – drowning fast in the storm.[2]

However, thank God for sinking feelings – the dark times – because desperation brought Peter back to faith – not his own resources – not his feelings – not the outward circumstances – but to faith which is fixing our eyes on Jesus – crying out to him: “Lord, save me!” And Jesus – because he is faithful – did not fail to hear his cry of faith – as he never fails to hear our cry of faith.

Now let me ask more pointedly: Where does faith come from? Where did Peter’s faith come from? On the one hand – as we have heard before – Jesus is said to be the author and perfecter of our faith – which means that our faith originates with him and is sustained by him – he introduced himself to Peter (and to us) and he kept taking Peter under his wings – but on the other hand in this Bible story – when Jesus saved Peter – he added a gentle rebuke by quizzing the disciples: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” “Why did you doubt?” At this point of time Jesus clearly expected more of his disciples – more faith – because faith and walking on water by faith – by now – was up to them. At some stage – you and I – we are all responsible for our faith. Think back to our opening Bible story. There Jesus rebuked a sick boy’s father by placing a demand of faith even on him – charging him: “Do not come to me saying: ‘If I can. If I can heal the boy.’ Come to me with faith because everything is possible for him who believes.” The time comes when Jesus expects those around him to take ownership of their faith and he wants their faith to be believing for healings and walking on water.

As we are sitting in our pews right now many of us – probably most of us – are not any further advanced than the disciples or the sick boy’s father. We are still hearing the same gentle rebuke from Jesus: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” But why do we have to keep hearing the rebuke? How can we have more faith for the future?

The Bible explains – Romans 10:17: “ … faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”[3] The eyes of faith remain fixed on Jesus – faith comes from hearing the message and Jesus came for that very reason. When he began preaching the kingdom of God, the people (I quote the Bible – Mark 1:22) “were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the [other] teachers [original: of the law] … “ Jesus’ preaching – the word of God from which faith comes – happened with authority and when in the midst of his preaching Jesus commanded an evil spirit to come out from a man, the same people were again amazed, saying – Mark 1:27: “ … What is this? A new teaching – and with authority [with power]! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”

Thus, there is an authority – there is a power – that operates as the word of God is preached.[4] Therefore, how can we have more faith – growing faith – faith for believing more? We immerse ourselves in the word of Christ – the Bible, preaching, testimonies, books, … – and this can be exciting but in the experience of most Christians this is actually not so easy.

A pastor writes: “One Sunday night a young man in our church fell in the back of the santuary and broke his arm. The mother came to me quickly and said, ‘Come pray for my son.’ The healing of broken bones, even the ones from decades ago that healed incorrectly, had become commonplace. I ran back and found him laid out on the ground, his arm clearly broken. I got down on the ground with him, put my hand on his arm, looked at the break – and suddenly fear stole into my mind. I forgot every miracle I had ever seen, and I said, ‘Let’s call the doctor.’ Now, I wouldn’t fault anyone for calling a doctor in that circumstance. For most it would be the proper thing to do. But for me the moment was personally revealing. I had seen deformed bones disappear, bones re-set, hips reshaped, blind eyes opened, deaf ears unstopped – but now, looking at a young man with a broken arm, I forgot everything I had seen … My experience with miracles hadn’t fully shaped me. I repented and apologized to the mother a week or so later, not because I felt guilty or ashamed, but because I realized I had a long way to go in having my mind renewed” (Bill Johnson: The Supernatural Power Of A Transformed Mind, Shippensburg: Destiny Image 2005, p91-92).

This pastor knew that faith was fixing your eyes on Jesus and that there was power in faith – he knew the Bible teachings and he had already experienced the truth of them: deformed bones disappeared, blind eyes opened … the word had worked faith in him, yet one evening he forgot and instead of fixing his eyes on Jesus, he fixed them on a broken bone which allowed doubt and fear to rob him of a healing. At least that is what he thought.

But – to ask the questions again – we identified these objections in the beginning – since this is a little radical – was he not aiming too high and was he not putting himself under too much pressure? He says: “No.” And writes: “ … don’t feel too bad. It happened to Jesus’ disciples too.” The pastor took encouragement from the disciples and so may we.

One time Jesus was preaching in front of more than 15,000 people and late in the day everyone became hungry but there were no shops close by. Then Jesus said to his disciples – Mark 6:37: “You give them something to eat,” which to them was not any less radical than saying: “You heal the broken bone.” The disciples objected – Mark 6:37: “That would take at least $30,000 [original: eight months of a man’s wages]. [We don’t have the money.]” But then Jesus made them perform a food miracle whereby five small loaves of bread and two fish multiplied in their hands as they were distributing food to everyone – with twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish left over.

Wow! Jesus meant them to learn from this experience – his word and the miracle. Immediately after the feeding of the crowd of thousands the disciples were caught in another crisis. They were in a boat in the middle of a lake in a storm and they struggled. Then Jesus came – I read from the Bible – Mark 6:51-52: “ . he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves [the previous miracle]; their hearts were hardened.” According to this Bible reading – in light of the previous miracle and the previous experience of faith power – the disciples should have been able to deal with the storm themselves – making the wind die down with their spiritual authority – but – and this is what it says – “they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

“They had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” May our hearts be softened and may we understand what Jesus says: “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

A young Southern-Baptist missionary – not yet out of language school – attended a worship service in the jungle of Mexico. There were about 400 Indians standing around and – in his own words – the Holy Ghost was everywhere in the meeting. They brought a little girl to him who was four years old. They set her down. He didn’t know what was wrong with her. She couldn’t hear. The problem was that she was born deaf. So he knelt down there. He had watched the power of God fall in the place and knock everyone down. He had watched people wailing and moaning. Jesus came and he was amazed at what was going on. Benches and benches full of people were falling and wailing and moaning. He had never seen it before. He – in his own words again – he was just a little Baptist guy. But it didn’t matter to him. He didn’t value manifestations. He valued Jesus. He wanted Jesus.

So, he was holding onto this little girl. He was down on the floor. He had seen other things already get healed in the meeting and he was impressed with Jesus and his heart was almost ready to burst with joy and faith. He just knew it was going to happen. And he knew that he was going to run off that mountain like a madman, screaming and yelling and glorifying the King. And he prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and the healing did not happen. That impressed him. There was that much of Jesus, and what he could see and what he could feel, and the little bits of knowledge that he did have in him, and it bothered him and irritated him that she was not healed.

He was weeping. He was complaining. He was screaming. He was commanding. He was jumping. He was very frustrated and she stayed deaf. All right. He was humiliated now. All of the great wonders of God were going on all around him and this baby that he wanted to be healed so much, she was still deaf. He didn’t like that. Something had to change.

And now I quote from his account. He said: “ … So as I was on my knees weeping and holding this child, I called out to Heaven, ‘Please, would you help me? Just a little bit?’ And He did, there was a vision. I haven’t had a lot of them, just a few, probably 4, maybe 5 open visions where it is like a movie and I was there. What happened was, there was this awesome pasture, and it was beautiful, lush, and green and full of nutrients. The right things were there. And there was a huge beast, a big bull that was very strong, that represented me. He was snorting, and ripping the ground, and eating the right nutrients, and the power was definitely there. And the bull was tearing up the field with its horns. And then, suddenly in the middle of this huge beautiful pasture, there was a little present placed there by the Holy Ghost. And this huge, power bull walks up to that present, and with all of his power and might and all of his great ability, he could not open that present. In the next moment, there was a baby, 10 or 11 months old, maybe 15 months old at the most, sitting in front of that present and was very happily and easily opening the present. The big bull was tearing the ground up, was very powerful, was eating the great nutrients, but it was the baby that opened the box, not the big bull.

And I said to Jesus, ‘Either make me that baby or I’m not going to preach.’ And He said, “You must become like a little child to enter the Kingdom of God.’ It’s not the manifestations; it’s not the great power you possess; it’s not your great abilities, it’s becoming like a little child and using the gifts of heaven in your life. That’s the answer. That’s it! And so I’ve been working on that ever since” (David Hogan: Faith To Raise The Dead).

This example story is a little different because faith was present – the missionary prayed with faith and joy – and then jumped and screamed expecting a result – but to no avail. Why? What else is there about the nature of faith which is important for healing the sick?

I repeat: Faith is fixing our eyes on Jesus and not on us – even though we may be big impressive bulls snorting with spiritual power, tearing up the ground. Faith that opens the present of healing is not born out of striving and exhausting ourselves with disciplines but trust and intimacy with Jesus.[5]

The Bible says – Galatians 5:6 (I quote from the Amplified Bible): “For … in Christ Jesus nothing [original: neither circumcision nor uncircumcision] counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.”[6] It is love that releases the power of faith. Ephesians 3:16-19 provides more insight into this. I read from the Bible: “ … I pray that you … may have power, together will all other Christians [original: the saints], to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

According to these verses the measure of all the fullness of God – which includes faith and power for healing – the measure of all the fullness of God is filling into us as we grow in intimacy with Jesus Christ – as we grasp – by the power of the Spirit – how wide and long and high and deep is his love for us.[7] The bull of the missionary’s open vision may be tearing up the ground striving to open the present but the child – 15 months old – the child knows who he is – a beloved son, a beloved daughter of a most affectionate and adoring Father in heaven – and he or she – fixing their eyes on Jesus – knowing in their heart the love of the Father – they open the present without effort.[8]

Love – knowing the loving favour of God – the intimacy with God – makes faith strong and this is further expressed in other outcomes such as peace and joy.[9] Hear the Bible – Philippians 4:7: “ . the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Nehemiah 8:10: “ … The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Love, peace, joy – not striving.[10]

Not striving but – and I now identify a common problem – when the healing does not happen – as in the case of the stomping missionary – or the healing does not happen straight away, we do – all too easily – tend to strive with ourselves, turn on ourselves – come under condemnation, saying: “This is all my fault. My faith is not big enough. I need to do more praising, more positive thinking, more claiming, more declaring, more shouting, … “ However, - as much as there may be some truth in the above – this is once again not fixing our eyes on Jesus but on ourselves – this is once again not knowing that we are the beloved children of the Most High – and therefore the outcome cannot be anything but despair because we cannot produce faith by our own strength. Faith is a gift from God. Faith is looking toward Jesus, falling in love with him, becoming overwhelmed by the truth of his sacrifice for us, becoming assured that his will is always good towards us, trusting him, etc. Faith – and you may want to examine yourself – our current level of faith – may not provide us with all of the answers – there are still mysteries with healing – but faith never despairs because faith is looking toward Jesus and he loves us.

In closing I want to make two further points. Firstly – and this is hammering the point – but faith is indeed fixing our eyes on Jesus. Faith is about a relationship – intimacy with a person – and not about some scientific formula or method – which means that our faith and faith healings are dynamic. For instance, a healing evangelist writes: “Many years ago, while I was in a Vancouver, B. C. Campaign, an incident occurred which kept me awake most of the night, with my heart open before the Lord. I had been praying for hundreds that night. There was in that meeting the very real consciousness of the sweet and wonderful presence of the Saviour. Many weary, tired bodies had been renewed by the touch of the Master’s hand. They had found deliverance from their pains and sicknesses, as they knelt at the foot of the cross. I turned to Dr. Gabriel Maguire, pastor of the First Baptist Church, and said, ‘The Lord is imparting faith tonight; the power of the Lord is present to heal.’ He replied that he was never more conscious of the moving power of God in all his life.

A minute later, together we placed our hands on the head of a man. A feeling akin to a vacuum came over me. I felt so empty. The presence of the Lord was with me, but I had no confidence or faith to pray for the man, and nothing happened to him! I prayed again. Then I felt so empty that I was about to cry out to the Lord and ask why He seemed to have departed when He had been so sweetly manifest just before. Instead, I turned to the man and said, ‘Brother, why are you here? Who are you? What is the purpose of your coming to the platform?’ He turned pale. Then he made a confession! He told me that he was a professional hypnotist. He had argued with other people about it, and then had decided to use himself as a test case; as he wanted to investigate first-hand. Then, he planned to hold a public meeting and expose the whole divine healing movement. Now this man had a sickness, indeed! He needed healing; but suppose I had possessed faith for him. Would it not have been disastrous to have brought healing to that man? … ” (Rick Price: The Real Faith, p31).[11] We keep our faith informed by our relationship with Jesus.

The second point is that we may not give up so quickly when the healing does not happen immediately. When Jesus healed ten leper, they were not immediately healed at the meeting but only later as they were on their way again (Luke 17:11-19). Thus, even before we can actually witness the healing, we may act on our faith by praising God and confessing his truth with our mouth (cf. Romans 10:9-10).

We have come to an end. Please be encouraged. Jesus said to the disciples – John 14:12: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these … “ And – in like manner – Jesus told the worried father of the sick boy in our opening story – Mark 9:23: “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

The key to healing power is faith. The key to your healing is faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe even now – after this teaching – we still feel that our faith is not strong enough but please make a stand – remain encouraged. The worried father, who was also not quite sure whether Jesus could heal his boy, he was in the same position and said to him – Mark 9:24: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” “Help me overcome my unbelief.” And Jesus did and the boy was healed. The same is promised to you. Fix your eyes on him. Be healed by faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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[1] Smith Wigglesworth: Greater Works, New Kensington: Whitaker House 1999, 17-18: “Six people went into the house of a sick man to pray for him. He was a leader in the Episcopal Church, and he lay in his bed utterly helpless. He had read a little tract about healing and had heard about people praying for the sick. So he sent for these friends, who, he thought, could pray “the prayer of faith” (James 5:15). He was anointed with oil according to James 5:14, but because he had no immediate manifestation of healing, he wept bitterly. The six people walked out of the room, somewhat crestfallen to see the man lying in an unchanged condition.

When they were outside, one of the six said, ‘There is one thing we could have done. I wish you would all go back with me and try it.’ They all went back and got together in a group. This brother said, ‘Let us whisper the name of Jesus.’ At first, when they whispered this worthy name, nothing seemed to happen. But as they continued to whisper ‘Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!’ the power began to fall. As they saw that God was beginning to work, their faith and joy increased, and they whispered the name louder and louder. As they did so, the man rose from his bed and dressed himself. The secret was just this: those six people had gotten their eyes off the sick man and were taken up with the Lord Jesus himself. Their faith grasped the power in his name. Oh, if people would only appreciate the power in this name, there is no telling what would happen.”

Smith Wigglesworth: Greater Works, New Kensington: Whitaker House 1999, 19-21: “ … Everything he said was true from the natural standpoint. The man was helpless. He was nothing but a mass of bones with skin stretched over them. There was no life to be seen. Everything in him spoke decay. I said to him, ‘Will you shout? You remember that at Jericho the people shouted while the walls were still up. God has a similar victory for you if you will only believe.’ But I could not get him to believe. There was not an atom of faith there. He had made up his mind not to have anything.

It is a blessed thing to learn that God’s Word can never fail. Never listen to human plans. God can work mightily when you persist in believing him in spite of discouragement from the human standpoint. When I got back to the man to whom I had sent the postcard, he asked, ‘Are you ready to go now?’ I replied, ‘I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe. I know this: no man looks at the circumstances if he believes. No man relies on his feelings if he believes. The man who believes God has his request. Every man who comes into the Pentecostal condition can laugh at all things and believe God.’

There is something in the Pentecostal work that is different from anything else in the world. Somehow, in Pentecost you know that God is a reality. Wherever the Holy Spirit has the right-of-way, the gifts of the Spirit will be in manifestation. Where these gifts are never in manifestation, I question whether he is present. Pentecostal people are spoiled for anything other than Pentecostal meetings. We want none of the entertainments that other churches are offering. When God comes in, he entertains us himself. We are entertained by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Oh, it is wonderful!

There were difficult conditions in that Welsh village, and it seemed impossible to get the people to believe. ‘Ready to go home?’ I was asked. But a man and a woman there asked us to come and stay with them. I said to the people, ‘I want to know how many of you can pray.’ No one wanted to pray. I asked if I could get seven people to pray for the poor man’s deliverance. I said to the two people we were to stay with, ‘I will count on you tow, and there is my friend and myself. We need three others.’ I told the people that I trusted that some of them would awaken their privilege and come in the morning and join us in prayer for the raising of Lazarus. It will never do to give way to human opinions. If God says a thing, you have to believe it.

I told the people that I would not eat anything that night. When I got to bed, it seemed as if the Devil tried to place on me everything that he had placed on that poor man on the sickbed. When I awoke in the middle of the night, I had a cough and all the weakness of a man with tuberculosis. I rolled out of bed onto the floor and cried out to God to deliver me from the power of the Devil. I shouted loud enough to wake everybody in the house, but nobody was disturbed. God gave the victory, and I got back into bed again as free as I had ever been in my life. At five o’clock the Lord awakened me and said to me, ‘Don’t break bread until you break it around my table.’ At six o’clock he gave me these words: ‘And I will raise him up’ (John 6:40). I elbowed the fellow who was sleeping in the same room. He said, ‘Ugh!’ I elbowed him again and said, ‘Do you hear? The Lord says that he will raise him up.’

At eight o’clock they said to me, ‘Have a little refreshment.’ But I have found prayer and fasting the greatest joy, and you will always find it so when you are led by God. When we went to the house where Lazarus lived, there were eight of us altogether. No one can prove to me that God does not always answer prayer. He always does more than that. He always gives ‘exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Eph 3:20).

I will never forget how the power of God fell on us as we went into that sick man’s room. Oh, it was lovely! As we made a circle around the bed, I got one brother to hold the sick man’s hand on one side, and I held the other, and we each held the hand of the person next to us. I said, ‘We are not going to pray; we are just going to use the name of Jesus.’ We all knelt down and whispered that one word, ‘Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!’ The power of God fell, and then it lifted. Five times the power of God fell, and then it remained. But the man in the bed was unmoved. Two years previously, someone had come along and had tried to raise him up, and the Devil had used this lack of success as a means of discouraging Lazarus. I said, ‘I don’t care what the Devil says. If God says he wil raise you up, it must be so. Forget everything else except what God says about Jesus.’

A sixth time the power fell, and the sick man’s lips began moving, and the tears began to fall. I said to him, ‘The power of God is here; it is yours to accept it.’ He said, ‘I have been bitter in my heart, and I know I have grieved the Spirit of God. Here I am, helpless. I cannot lift my hands or even lift a spoon to my mouth.’ I said, ‘Repent, and God will hear you.’ He repented and cried out, ‘O God, let this be to your glory.’ As he said this, the power of the Lord went right through him.

I have asked the Lord never to let me tell this story except the way it happened, for I realize that God can never bless exaggeration. As we again said ‘Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!’ the bed shook, and the man shook. I said to the people who were with me, ‘You can all go downstairs now. This is all God. I’m not going to assist him.’ I sat and watched that man get up and dress himself. He sang the doxology as he walked down the steps. I said to him, ‘Now, tell what has happened.’

It was soon told everywhere that Lazarus had been raised up. The people came from Llanelli and all the district around to see him and to hear his testimony. God brought salvation to many. Right out in the open air, this man told what God had done, as a result, many were convicted and converted. All this occurred through the name of Jesus, ‘through faith in his name’ (Acts 3:16). Yes, the faith that is by him gave this sick man perfect soundness in the presence of them all (v. 16).”

[2] In his hometown – so it says in the Bible – Jesus could not do any miracles because of their unblief and – Mark 6:6: “ . he was amazed at their lack of faith.”

[3] Cf. James 1:18: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, … “ Mark 4:1-20; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6; Romans 1:16; Acts 6:4; Acts 12:24; Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 55:11.

[4] When we listen to a sermon or read the Bible or read a Christian book, then – according to John 16:13 “ … the Spirit of truth [in a supernatural powerful way]… guides us [original: you] into all truth … “ (cf. John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:8-11). The Bible further explains – 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” – and here I add – as the Spirit works faith by hearing the word of God.

Frequently – in addition to mere preaching – as seen before in the way Jesus amazed people – the word is further confirmed by the Spirit. Jesus always preached and at the same time healed the sick and drove out demons, saying to his detractors – John 14:11: “ … believe on the evidence of the miracles … “ (cf. John 20:30-31). Likewise the first Christians said – 1 Thessalonians 1:4: “ . our good news came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit … “ The apostle Paul wrote – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5: “My message and my preaching were not wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”

Cf. Acts 4:29-30: “ … enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 15: 18-19: “ … Christ has accomplished through me in leading the non-Jews to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit … “ 2 Corinthians 12:12: “The things that mark an apostle – signs, wonder and miracles – were done among you with great perseverance.” Hebrews 2:3-4: “ … This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” John 14:12: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” “1 Corinthians 4:20: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” Galatians 3:5: “Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”

The Spirit’s demonstrations of power can only ever point to the truth but are not the truth itself. Therefore, 2 Corinthians 5:17 remains valid: “We live by faith, not by sight.”

[5] While it is not wrong to seek God with all of our heart – repent and turn away from sin, fast and pray – faith – in the end – is never about our own power but God and his power – born out of his love for us – intimacy with him. Cf. Galatians 3:2-5: “ … Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you have heard? … Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”

[6] Cf. 1 Timothy 1:5: “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

[7] In Mark 9 advises the disciples that they could not drive out the demon because this kind can come out only by prayer (v29). Jesus was praying beforehand and importantly in his time with God the Father he learned again about intimacy with him. The Father told him: “This is my son, whom I love … “ (v7). Then Jesus frequently prayed with the language of intimacy and encourages us to do the same, calling the Father in heaven Abba: Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6.

Jesus frequently healed by the power of compassion and love. Cf. Matthew 9:35-36: “Jesus went … preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them … “ / Matthew 14:14: “When Jesus … saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” / Matthew 20:34: “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

[8] Charles Price: The Real Faith, p27: “For twenty years and more I have been conducting campaigns in which a prominent place has been given to prayer for the sick and the suffering. To this ministry my Lord has called me, and to that call I have responded with all my heart. To His glory and praise, I record that I have seen the eyes of the blind opened. Miracles of power divine have raised cripples and paralytics from their wheel chairs and cots, and cancers and tumors have melted by the healing power of our wonderful Lord. But—do you know what I have noticed? All great healing services have been preceded by nights of consecration and seasons of prayer. When the crowds have rushed forward, seeking healing, the meetings have been hard and difficult. When they have sought the Healer, rather than the healing, however, the sweetness of His presence has broken the power of the enemy; and the sunshine of His presence has melted the icy feeling that gripped the heart. It may be self-pity, or even self-love, which brings us to His feet; but our whole viewpoint is changed—once we are there—as we at last see Him!”

[9] The faith that is empowered by love – the faith that begins to grasp the extent of Christ’s love – is also the faith that knows peace and joy.

[10] Cf. Philippians 1:25: “ … your progress and joy in the faith.”

[11] Charles Price: The Real Faith, p34: “Some years ago I was conducting a meeting in a Presbyterian Church in Medford, Oregon. The Lord led us to hold a healing service one afternoon. The place was crowded, and many were standing outside and on the window ledges, looking into the building. One of that number was a little crippled boy who walked with the aid of crutches. My heart bled for the little fellow, for there was such a look of pathos about his blue eyes that my heart was stirred. Silently I lifted my heart to the Lord, and asked for faith for the healing of the little lad.

Then across the platform there came for prayer a line of children, most of whom were accompanied by their parents. A little girl stood in front of me. Her mother was weeping. I laid my hands on her head and prayed. Nothing happened; but the spirit of the meeting seemed to change. There was a deadness and a heaviness which weighed heavily upon me. I prayed again; and the feeling seemed to increase. I looked at the weeping mother in bewilderment. She was sobbing. At last she cried out, almost hysterically, ‘Why won’t Jesus heal my girl?’ ‘Where do you worship?’ I asked. ‘I go to the Methodist Church,’ was her reply. I looked at her closely. Then into my heart there came a suspicion. Just at that moment the Lord imparted the gift of discernment to one of the people by my side who asked the woman this question: ‘Have you ever been in Mysticism or Occultism?’ She had, she confessed. Her little girl did not go to the Methodist Church. She, herself, had not been there for months. She had been attending a spiritualist séance week after week.

Then I knew why my Lord had withheld His blessing and His faith. The mother continued to cry in her agony of soul, ‘He has healed others; please ask Him to heal my little girl.’ I said, ‘Sister, do you know anything about salvation through the shed blood of Jesus on Calvary?’ She said she had at one time, but a sorrow had come into her life and, instead of taking a little tighter grip on the hand divine, she had turned away from God. In response to my appeal, she said that she would like to give her heart to Christ then and there, and asked me to pray for her. She repeated a prayer of surrender after me, and then I closed with the words, ‘I am trusting in Jesus as my personal Savior, and I claim the promise of the blood as the atonement for all my sin.’ Into my heart, and into hers too there swept a glory wave from heaven.

As I reached out my hand once again to her little girl, I knew that her days as a cripple were over. She sprang to her feet. She was healed! Then I looked at the poor little crippled boy and held out my hand for him to try to climb through the window and come to the platform for prayer. He did not come. Instead, he fell through the window, leaving his crutches on the outside! He too was healed. The Holy Ghost took such charge of that service, that I have seldom seen anything to equal it. Not only were people healed, but many were saved. Down the aisle came a dear, old lady who had been in a wheel chair for years. She was leaping, shouting, and praising God, even as they did in the days when the Savior walked the streets with men. What a meeting! What a time to make men adore Him and angels to rejoice.

Now, suppose I had possessed faith for the healing of that little girl. Suppose that when I first laid hands on her head, she had gone away well. Her mother would have taken it as a sign that the séance was in the order of the Lord, and from that moment on she would have been more deeply enmeshed in the spiritism that I do not believe is of God. So, when I prayed in my lack of understanding, the spirit of faith and assurance was lifted from me. How empty I felt. Then, when the mother accepted Jesus as her personal Savior, faith was imparted and the work was done. Instead of struggling to be healed, how much sweeter and richer life would be, were we to look to Jesus who is “the Author and the Finisher of our faith.”