SCHAHM 001 – HEALING AND THE HEALING MINISTRY

I beg that you permit us to use the term, Healing Anointing in the place of the general accepted term, Healing ministry or the Gifts of Healing. This is because we will be talking about this on a very practical note.

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, as well as those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. 1 Cor 12:28-31NIV

So we translate the above scripture as follows;

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having Healing Anointing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have Healing Anointing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. 1 Cor 12:28-31NIV

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND OF THE HEALING ANOINTING

Contrary to what some teach, the healing anointing did not start with the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is as old as God’s plan for man’s redemption immediately after the Fall. God understood the spiritual, physical and emotional implication of the Fall on humankind and the world at large. So while He was putting things in place to redeem man’s soul, He also was putting things in place to heal his body and environment. With the Fall came weakness of the body and emotional distress like fear which resulted because man has been separated from the presence of God. The Garden of Eden carried an atmosphere of renewal but outside Eden was a different atmosphere. With the hardship pressing on the human body, sickness was inevitable. Worry will bring depression and demons could now harass them. “The Day you eat of this tree you shall surely die”, has come to be true but the Love of God would not leave His enemies to perish.

Abraham operated prophetic healing anointing

By this we mean that he was a prophet with healing gifts. There are Apostles or Evangelists who carry the healing anointing or other gifts too. Even though we cannot rule out that a personality as anointed and spiritually positioned as Melchizedek operated in this level of ministry in his time, Abraham was the first bible character referred to as a prophet with the healing anointing.

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” ..Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again, for the Lord had closed up every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Abraham’s wife Sarah Gen 20:7, 17-18NIV

Elijah operated prophetic healing anointing

Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” 1 Kings 17:21-24NIV

Elisha operated prophetic healing anointing

She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:3NIV

Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'” And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken 2 Kings 2:21-22NIV

The Lord Jesus Christ operated in the prophetic healing anointing as the Messiah on earth.

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Matt 8:16-17NIV

Healing for the sick is inbuilt to God’s original plan for mankind. He introduced Himself as the healer of His people.

He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” Ex 15:26NIV

Take note of, I AM the Lord who heals you. That covenant name of the Lord which He introduced to Moses when He was about to deliver His people from Egypt, I AM that I AM, is the same name He presented when He talked about His healing ministry in the midst of His people. In His nature, God is His people’s doctor and He is proud to announce it so.

In this scripture we can also get another support to the fact that it is also His desire to heal the sick. We have stated earlier that the Lord Jesus Christ expressed His willingness to heal the sick when He moved close to touch and heal that leper

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Matt 8:2-3NIV

We also saw from the scriptures that healing the sick is part of the expression of the work of redemption of mankind.

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Matt 8:16-17NIV

When we come to ask God for healing of our bodies and soul, we should understand that we are not putting extra burden on Him. It is like when a wealthy man hosts his son’s birthday; part of the plan is to prepare rich food for all the guests. You will not be doing him a favor if you refuse to eat. In fact, you will be wasting his resources because the food was already prepared for you.

The redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ took into account our need for the healing of our bodies and souls. We should just approach and have it. The same goes when we pray that people should get healed. We should look at it like we walk into the kitchen, open the fridge and take some milk that was already prepared. Such should be our attitude while praying for the sick.

It is in God’s promise to heal. When He said, I AM the Lord that heals you, He by that statement promised to heal us. God’s promise is like a bank cheque and He is committed to do as He has said. Though He may use different methods to execute the healing but be assured that He will heal.

“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord 2 Kings 20:5NIV

Remember we have said earlier that the Lord recommended they applied some herbs on the boils to effect the healing but it was God who healed him. This will bring us to the different channels God could employ to heal.

JESUS CHRIST WANTS PEOPLE TO BE FREE FROM SICKNESSES AND DISEASES

When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matt 8:1-4NIV

Before the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, men did not know the exact will of God concerning those who are sick hence it was appropriate for them to pray, “Oh Lord, please, if it is your will, heal me of my diseases”.

We don’t have to pray like that today because the bible which is the word of God has shown to us that God has never intended sicknesses and diseases for humans. Sicknesses and diseases resulted when Man abandoned God and followed the ways of the devil. In retaliation, all of God’s creation began to rebel against man.

It is easy to understand it like this; a kind hearted man handed over all he had to a stranger. He also passed on other servants he had before the stranger came. At one point the stranger turned against the kind man and began to say all kind of negative things about him. The servants of the kind man are disappointed at the behavior of the stranger and so began to disobey and work against the stranger. Sicknesses, diseases, natural disasters, harsh weather conditions, over flooding seas and all other things that God created have ever since started working against man. The result is sicknesses and confusion of mind

Before the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world, man had concluded that the prevailing harsh situations around us was God’s will for us. The Lord Jesus Christ decided to correct that. Our text expressed the clash between what man had come to believe and what the true divine position was.

The leper wished it was the will of God for him to get freedom from his leprosy but the Lord Jesus Christ made him understand that God’s perfect will is that he should be freed from his disease.

There is something else in that text; by the then prevailing Jewish Laws of Moses, people did not draw near to lepers. The lepers walked at safe distance from people. If anybody was “unfortunate” to have contact with him, the person became ceremonially unclean for seven days and would need a special religious ritual to be reintegrated into the community. But here we see the Lord Jesus Christ did not only draw close to the leper but actually touched him. The difference however was that instead of the leper defiling the Lord Jesus Christ, he was healed of his disease. The Lord Jesus Christ then instructed him to go and show himself to those who had proclaimed him a leper to prove that he was really healed.

When we have the opportunity to pray for the sick, we should know that it is God’s will that they get well. We should never say things like the leper said because the will of God is clear about healing. We can look out for obstacles to the healing that God has already made available but should never imagine that the person was not healed because God wanted him to remain sick. Neither should we ever wonder if we are the kind of people that should pray for the sick person to get well.

The Lord Jesus Christ was clear about this; everyone who believes in Him have the potential capability to heal the sick the way He healed that leper

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. John 14:12NIV

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mark 16:17-18NIV

Every believer has the in-borne capability to do those things that the Lord Jesus Christ did while He was physically on earth.  And that includes YOU!

Prepare your mind because we will be reechoing this again and again as we journey through this meditation.

If ever you get sick, prepare your mind to get healed when a believer in Jesus Christ comes around to pray for you because he has been empowered through the Holy Spirit to heal you of all your diseases. You can even call on other believers with the singular purpose to pray for you to get healed

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:14-16NIV

You can see that it is okay to call someone to pray for your healing.