The Healing Ministry of the Believer

It is important for us as believers to realize that healing was provided for us on the very same basis as forgiveness of sins and salvation. Healing is in the atonement. Divine healing was promised to us by prophecy in the very same verse that declares our salvation.

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

You can see clearly in this passage, the twofold aspect of our redemption—our healing was provided by Jesus beating at the whipping post and our freedom and forgiveness from sin was provided by His death on the cross.

The prophetic fulfillment of this promise was foreshadowed by Jesus’ earthly ministry:

Mat 8:16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

Mat 8:17  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

We as believers can minister healing to others with the same confidence we present the message of salvation. We do not have to pray for some special anointing, as we already have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Nor do we need a special leading or “word” from God. While some do ,in fact have a “Gift” of healing, we as believers  simply need to recognize and acknowledge that healing is part of our purpose and calling.

Mar 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mar 16:17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

Mar 16:18  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

We have a commission to minister the Gospel to the world and the whole Gospel message includes the reality of Divine Healing. The Apostle Paul made this clear in his letter to the Romans.

Rom_15:19  Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

The Gospel presented without signs and wonders, is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to adjust our thinking and realize that this ministry is our responsibility, and is not to be limited to some sort of “professional clergy.” Our pastors are given to us for the purpose of traing and equipping US to do the work of the ministry.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Not only do these verses make it clear that we as believers are the ones responsible for the ministry of signs and wonders; they also emphasize that the five-fold ministry will endure until the coming of Christ at which time we will be perfected.

We see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Peter’s letter to the Church:

1Pe_2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

We can go forth in confidence bringing the full Gospel message of salvation, healing and deliverance. This is not only our privilege, it is our responsibility. We are accountable to God for what we do with our Great Commission. We can no longer sit by and leave this to others. It is time for saints to rise up and take our place in the world with the message and ministry of reconciliation.

2Co_5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

The New Chistian Divide

Are there any clear indications as to how the Church in America is headed? Ed Stetzer believes that based on certain researched trends, the church in America is not dying, but there are still some challenges and changes to be considered. He goes on to describe four “Mission trends” that need to be considered when it comes to the state of the church in America.

Stetzer argues that when we consider missiology (the area of practical theology that investigates the mandate, message, and mission of the Christian church), part of the discipline includes considering how churches relate to their culture in a dynamic way It also considers what current cultural changes mean for future church engagement of that culture.

In a recent article published in Christianity Today, Stetzer outlines four trends that are already evident and expected to increase in importance in future:

1. The Word "Christian" Will Become Less Used and More Clear.

There are three broad categories that make up the approximately 75 percent of Americans who refer to themselves as Christians:

• Cultural Christians, about 25% of the U.S. population, are simply those who, when asked, say they are a Christian rather than say they are an atheist or Jewish. They are "Christian" for no other reason than they are from America and don't consider themselves something else.

• Congregational Christians: They account for another close to 25% of the population. This person generally does not really have a deep commitment, but they will consider refer to themselves as Christians because they have some loose connection to a church—through a family member, maybe an infant baptism, or some holiday attendance.

• Convictional Christians, also about 25% of the population, are those people who self-identify as Christian and who orient their life around their faith in Christ. This includes a wide range of what Christian is—not just evangelicals, for example. It means someone says they are a Christian and it is meaningful to them.

Stetzer elaborates: “The trend is that less people are calling themselves Christians and those who are will take it more seriously. In other words, cultural and congregational Christians, or the "squishy middle," is collapsing while convictional Christians are staying relatively steady. In the future, the word Christian will mean more to those who would be considered convictional Christians. However, it will mean—and will be used—less to those who were nominal Christians in the first place. The word will be less used and more clear.”

Stetzer’s research also brings out another startling reality: America’s true Christian population is therefore at about only 25%, which means it is now only a Christian nation in name by virtue of about 50% of Americans professing Christianity as their religion of preference, as compared to just 25% of convictional and practicing Christians. The Bible indicates the test of the true Christian:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. (I John2:3-5).

It certainly seems clear that as far as God is concerned, those we consider “nominals” are actually no different than the self-professed “nones”.

2. The Nominals Will Increasingly become Nones.

Stetzer explains: “Type one (cultural) and two (congregational) are what we would generally call nominal Christians…they're simply calling themselves Christians because that's who they consider themselves to be, not because of any life change or ongoing commitment. Those types of Christians, about half of the population now, will become a minority in a few decades. We are now experiencing a collapse of nominalism. The "Nones," those who give say they have no religious preference, could potentially represent as many as half of the population in the next 20 to 30 years…”

The natural consequence or conclusion of this is that as the Nones rise in their number, Christian influence on culture will begin to wane and Christianity will be further marginalized. In essence, those who profess Christianity in name only, and without a serious commitment to Jesus Christ, will find it easy to disassociate themselves when the tag ‘Christian’ starts to be seen as a liability or inconvenience, and will thus end up missing the “narrow gate” and the “difficult way” that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).

3. Christians Will Increasingly Change Cultural Tactics.

According to Stetzer: “The next 20 years are going to be a challenge for convictional Christians and churches in many places. We will be engaging in cultural conversations often as the minority we truly are. Those who aggressively fight this as a culture war will find it hard to reach people. Instead of being seen as those who are seeking to engage and serve people in the culture, Christians will be seen as an enemy…In Biblical terms, we may experience what it means to be salt and light in the midst of an adversarial culture.”

Stetzer suggests that to counter this “adversarial culture”, we must hold the Word of God in high authority as the Berean Christians did in Acts 17:11. Christians must become seriously committed to Scripture and the Gospel in every aspect of our lives. We should also wisely discern the present culture and strategize how to best glorify God. "From the Issacharites, who understand the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chronicles 12:32).

Stetzer concludes that “...There are ways to stand for the good, advocate for cultural realities that engender human flourishing, and do so in a loving way. That's the future convictional Christians need.”

4. More Robust Churches will Result from the Death of Nominalism.

In Stetzer’s view, the next 20 years are going to be a challenge for convictional Christians and churches in many places. It is beginning to cost something to be a Christian in America—not as much as in many places in the world or in much of history, but more than it used to.

Churches that are preaching the Gospel and are focusing on Biblical truths are going to become more clearly distinct from the culture around them. The end result? Robust Christian communities are going to get stronger. These Gospel-preaching churches will have members who are more, not less, committed and these committed churches will have less nominal Christians in the years to come.

Christianity will become more of a minority in culture, but more refined, more Biblical, and more missional churches will be the result.

Stetzer concludes by saying that “the lasting effects of these shifts will force churches to make a critical decision. They will either become a cultural church that allows the societal trends to dictate their ever-changing beliefs. Or they will become a counter-cultural church that faithfully adheres to Scripture and proclaims the gospel in a carefully considered way. The latter church will offer real hope in the midst of an adversarial culture and is the only real future for the American church.”

How true. We are already witnessing the increasing divide between the culturally conforming churches that support such vices as abortion and homosexuality, and the uncompromising churches that do not. Preaching against sin and immorality is now being labeled “hate speech.” Sadly, much of the persecution that will be suffered by the true Church will come from the conforming, compromising churches. Jesus warned: They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.(John 16:2).

Yet, the promise of God still stands firm and secure:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:35-39).

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/June13/135a.html#s5jTVT6BGgBLAaio.99

All the Fulness of God

The fullness of God dwells in you! Let that sink in. It is a concept that most Christians reject out of hand and makes the rest very uncomfortable. Safe to say that the vast majority of Christendom remains quite oblivious to this marvelous truth.

            It is generally agreed that all the fullness of God was in Christ. We can see this from such verses as John 3:34:

 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

The challenge comes when one realizes that the words “unto Him,” were added by the translators who were unable to accept the full implications of this verse.

            Further we have Colossians 1:19 which plainly states that: “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;” This is confirmed by a third witness in Colossians 2:9: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

            It is here that people begin to balk and ask what this has to do with us—they stubbornly cling to the idea that we only receive the Spirit by measure. But John 1:16 presents a challenge here that bears scrutiny by serious Bible students, indeed all believers: “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” Most will agree with Ephesians 1:22,23: “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, ²³ Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” They take this to mean that one day the Church will be perfected. But this is not what the verse is saying.

            Again, out of the mouth of two witnesses we find a truth that when properly understood will revolutionize our Christian walk. Ephesians 3:19: “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Paul’s prayer here concludes by assuring us that indeed all the fulness of God dwells in us. Compare this with Philemon 1:6: “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” Our ability to communicate our faith is enhanced and made more effective by the simple acknowledgement of the good thing that is in us in Christ Jesus. We know this is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

            We find it clearly established that one of the tasks of the Five-Fold Ministry is to help us grow up into this tremendous reality. Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us:  ^“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:¹³ Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” Verse 13 makes it clear that the Apostles, Prophets, etc. will remain until the Church as a whole is walking in this great truth.

            Think of it! The very same fullness of the Godhead that indwelt Jesus now dwells in us. This means we can continue His task of destroying the works of the devil with the same power and same ability Jesus had.

            Properly understood, this concept will revolutionize your prayer life. No longer will saints pray to a god far away in Heaven, but will realize in truth that, “He walks with me and He talks with me.” We will begin to be free of the need for healing as we learn to walk in divine health. Gifts will be bestowed more freely and demonstrated with confidence, as we understand who it is that dwells in us and our inheritance as saints in light.

            No longer will we be at the mercy of the enemy of our souls. Realizing what we have and what we are, we will easily defeat his every move. I want to get this truth out of my heart and into my head as quickly as possible for truly: “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19.

            It is time for the Children of God to arise, take up their inheritance and begin to fully manifest the truth that “ as he is so are we in this world!”