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  #1  
Old 04-25-2013, 09:06 AM
larrylyates larrylyates is offline
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Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

A recent post by an Apostolic friend effectively made the case for how severely we limit our effectiveness for God by believing only part of the Gospel.

Are you a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ? Because Jesus is our Lord, we take His commands very seriously. Most of us have heard the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20. First, He gave us the great commission, to go into all the world, preach the gospel and baptize. Then in verse 20, we are instructed to teach everything that He commanded.

Matthew 28:18 - 20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen


In the following passages from Matthew, Jesus is commanding His disciples. Notice the common message and theme that we saw in Matthew 28. As we go preach the Gospel, He gives the signs that should follow us, including
healing!

Matthew 10:7
7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Matthew 11:1
1Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities

Note: Between Matthew 10:7 and Matthew 11:1, the break in the chapter is something man put in (not God). It goes to follow that Matt 11:1 does not have a time lapse from chapter 10. Read the verses together as if they were not separated by chapter and see how they flow together.

Jesus taught His disciples how to preach the kingdom. When we study Scriptures, it is important to not only notice what is said, but also what is NOT said. In this passage, Jesus did NOT give an end date for His commands.

Mark 16:15 - 20
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen

Notice that verse 18 states that believers (1) Shall lay hands on the sick, and (2) They shall recover.

Let’s back up to verse 15. How long are we to preach the Gospel? It says we are to preach to every creature. That means that we can stop our work when every creature has heard the Gospel. Jesus said until that time, we are to keep preaching with signs following. Healing has not passed away, and will not as long as believers are doing their job.

And that’s not all! Jesus does not stop with the list of signs that follow believers in Mark 16. Read what He says in John 14:12:

John 14:12 -15
[I]12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.[/I]

We believe on Jesus, so we are authorized and commanded to not only do the works that He did, we are to do GREATER works! What works did Jesus do? Healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, fed the multitudes, commanded the weather and preached the Gospel. Jesus said that we are able to do these things because He went unto the Father. Jesus gave no ending criteria to these mighty works, He only gave the beginning: “because He went to the Father.”

In verse 15, we see that if we love Him, we are to keep His commandments. Often when Christians hear the word, “commandments,” we think of the 10 commandments given to Moses; Jesus is talking about doing everything that He commanded and did, and even greater things. Jesus ALWAYS healed the sick. We have no record of Jesus refusing or being unable to heal someone. If we love Jesus, we will lay hands on the sick and God will heal them. By laying hands on the sick, we are also obeying the command to love our neighbor.

To get a different perspective, turn Jesus’ statement in verse 12 around: We cannot say that we love Jesus if we do not keep His commandments.

We don’t need prompting, we have Scripture
To be led, do the Word; take the Word literally.
The Holy Spirit leads us into all Truth. Once He leads us into truth, we are responsible for acting on it.
When you stand before people, you represent God to them; when you stand before God, you represent the people to Him.
We are to love God and love our neighbor, doing to others as we would want done for us.
We are led by truth and compassion.

No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

We know that divine healing and divine health are ours because Jesus paid for all sickness and disease at the whipping post. He was also given all authority over everything after He rose from the dead; thus so have we.

We know that Jesus said that we only need to believe (have faith) and we will receive healing, along with all the other blessings and promises of God.

Remember that healing is only one of the promises of God. There are many others, and they are all received in the same way.
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  #2  
Old 04-25-2013, 09:18 AM
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Esaias Esaias is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Very good!

Now, someone will be along shortly and ask, "But what about the times people don't get healed?"

How do we answer them?
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  #3  
Old 04-25-2013, 09:23 AM
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Digging4Truth Digging4Truth is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

I agree totally.

I also notice that it isn't happening the majority of the time. This is a subject of study I have been involved in. I have recently been studying Jesus' response when he was asked if he was the one or should they look for another. His response was to heal others for about an hour and then instruct them to tell John that the lame walk... the blind see... the gospel is preached to the poor etc.

This was in response to OT prophesies that this is what would happen when the Messiah comes. We have scriptures that we should be fulfilling (which you have pointed out here) and yet, for the most part, we cannot answer this question the way Jesus did.

This study has driven me to understand that I cannot be satisfied with what we experience and offer as a church. If I were asked to biblically answer the question... "Are we the ones... or should they look for others?" I would find myself woefully lacking in the evidence required to answer that question.

For that... I pray that God help me find what is missing. God... help me understand where to go from here. God... help me discover why we have lost these promises and how we can find them again.

We have some awesome church... by our current definition... but when I consider these things what was "awesome" is now lacking. I hunger for a real move of God... as defined by God and His word.

Thanks for your thread.
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  #4  
Old 04-25-2013, 09:46 AM
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Livelystone Livelystone is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

It is not a person performing a miracle but God performing a miracle through a person.

The apostle Paul understood that very well and is why he said the following words that shows the reason why we do not seen miracles today on the same level that the 1st century church witnessed miracles happening.

Galatians 3:5
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?


It is upon the hearing of faith coming from the person praying for a miracle that causes God to act and not the words of the prayer. We can see this in the Old Testament where we are told that God heard the cries of his people being abused by their Egyptian masters, however, God did not respond with signs and wonders to deliver them from their tormentors until after a man named Moses was made ready by God and for God to work through.

Today is no different and it is not that the authority of the Holy Spirit has diminished any but because those who walked in the authority of the Holy Spirit while the apostles were at the helm of the church were all on one accord with the truth of the Holy Spirit.

A condition that does not exist today given evidence by over 25,000 different denominations of Christianity representing a modern-day Tower of Babel all with their own doctrines of how to worship in spirit and in truth.
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  #5  
Old 04-25-2013, 10:21 AM
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Lafon Lafon is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Esaias View Post
Very good!

Now, someone will be along shortly and ask, "But what about the times people don't get healed?"

How do we answer them?
How did the Lord answer this same question which His chosen disciples tendered to Him when their efforts to rid (i.e., cast out/heal) a young child who had been possessed of the devil failed to take place?

"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
(Matthew 17:14-20)

Why do we not witness more 'miracles of healing' by God's chosen people who are resident upon the earth today? Obviously, there is an absence of faith, for the words of Hebrews 11:6 makes it explicitly clear that in the absence of faith one cannot please God, and lest that which is done be found pleasing to Him, then it cannot be expected that the thing we petition Him for will not happen.

John wrote to advise us that "...whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (I John 3:22) Therefore it must be recognized, and acknowledged, that if it be the petition for healing we submit to God is not accompanied by unwavering faith in Him to do that which we ask of Him, then (again) the blame lies entirely with the petitioner, and not God nor His desire that such healing occur.
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  #6  
Old 04-25-2013, 11:43 AM
larrylyates larrylyates is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

To all of you above: everyone of you has "hit the nail on the head."
LaFon, you are right on target. I find it noteworthy how severely Jesus chastised them over this inability to manifest healing for this boy. He held them personally responsible for the failure.

Digging, I echo your sentiments as well. I struggle over the disparity between what I read in the Bible and what I see in the Church today. Lively correctly points to one major issue: our lack of love. Jesus "was moved with compassion and healed their sick." The very presence of so many denominations and such fragmentation is proof enough that we don't love one another.

I wish there were simple answers to this issue. Unfortunately, we are still clawing our way back to minimal function after centuries of unbelief. and what makes it worse, is when we do try to step out in faith, it's not the "failures" that are the most discouraging; it's the attacks that come from "unbelieving believers." The greatest opposition comes from within our own ranks! Very few are able to bear up and press on in the face of such pressure and resistance.

We are so quick to boast of our "revelation" and "correct doctrine," and that is indeed important. But we are miles away from where we should be. I know I am. And it truly bothers me to think: "How many people are dying, while I get my act together?"

Every one of these posts deserves serious reflection and should give us pause. I believe we will get there, if we continue to refuse to settle for where we are. We have to reach for more!
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Old 04-25-2013, 11:51 AM
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Digging4Truth Digging4Truth is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Quote:
Originally Posted by larrylyates View Post
Digging, I echo your sentiments as well. I struggle over the disparity between what I read in the Bible and what I see in the Church today. Lively correctly points to one major issue: our lack of love. Jesus "was moved with compassion and healed their sick." The very presence of so many denominations and such fragmentation is proof enough that we don't love one another.
Yes sir. As I often say... do you know why Jesus healed the sick? Because they were sick. Even when we seek and desire to see healing the reasoning behind it can be related to the growth of our local "kingdom" rather than the Kingdom at large and helping others.

Your thread has been thought provoking.
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Old 04-25-2013, 11:57 AM
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Timmy Timmy is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Staying out of this one. And everyone says

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Old 04-25-2013, 06:27 PM
bbyrd009 bbyrd009 is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Timmy View Post
Staying out of this one. And everyone says

Woo-hoo!
Wait...you posted to say you're staying out of this one? O.o
Now see, what I really hate about that post--besides missing the probability that you won't make someone get all tied up in their theoreto-ology trying to answer you, is that the point you might have made--is not.

I find it signif that it always is not; to me, this has too much similarity with those constant new versions of Bigfoot shows, all showing that same 12 seconds of Bf walking thru that meadow--you know the one.

Now, I believe (what Lafon said) in healing, at least on a theoro~spiritual level; I say this because I believe in Christ, and all He said. And yet I can't say that I have ever seen a bona-fide miracle healing. (I'll work it for ya, T; I know this on eby heart). Now what T normally says here is ..."and neither has anyone else here," or something similar...

I like what Lafon said, except how does one that is about to be raised from the dead--for this should be part of the deal, too--'hear' anything? But that's maybe semantics. Back to what T (didn't) say, which is, essentially, if it was, then, why isn't it, now? A regression seems to have taken place, when it seems like a kingdom of God would be...I don't know, shining ever brighter unto that day?

(Personally, I'm convinced that that period was part of a special time, given to show a type; but I'll let someon else answer T here )
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Old 04-25-2013, 10:55 PM
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Timmy Timmy is offline
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Re: Healing is in the Believer's Job Description!

Quote:
Originally Posted by bbyrd009 View Post
Woo-hoo!
Wait...you posted to say you're staying out of this one? O.o
Now see, what I really hate about that post--besides missing the probability that you won't make someone get all tied up in their theoreto-ology trying to answer you, is that the point you might have made--is not.

I find it signif that it always is not; to me, this has too much similarity with those constant new versions of Bigfoot shows, all showing that same 12 seconds of Bf walking thru that meadow--you know the one.

Now, I believe (what Lafon said) in healing, at least on a theoro~spiritual level; I say this because I believe in Christ, and all He said. And yet I can't say that I have ever seen a bona-fide miracle healing. (I'll work it for ya, T; I know this on eby heart). Now what T normally says here is ..."and neither has anyone else here," or something similar...

I like what Lafon said, except how does one that is about to be raised from the dead--for this should be part of the deal, too--'hear' anything? But that's maybe semantics. Back to what T (didn't) say, which is, essentially, if it was, then, why isn't it, now? A regression seems to have taken place, when it seems like a kingdom of God would be...I don't know, shining ever brighter unto that day?

(Personally, I'm convinced that that period was part of a special time, given to show a type; but I'll let someon else answer T here )
Well, I am staying out of this one, but only because there's nothing new here, and I have nothing new to add. Well, that and a lot of folks are just tired of me!

But I would like to correct something you said, in your prediction of what I would have said. I could be wrong, but I don't think I've ever said here on AFF that nobody has seen a real miracle. I've said things like nobody can really tell if they have, just like the observers at Pharaoh's court, watching rods turn to snakes. Which were divine miracles and which were magic tricks? Obviously, we supposed to believe Aaron's demo was the "real" thing and the magicians' were "false". But there's no way to know for sure.

(How's that for "staying out"? )
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