A Christian Faith Healer Talks About the Power to Heal

A Christian Faith Healer Talks About the Power to Heal

 

Randy Clark is the author of several books about how God has used his healing ministry.  Over the years he has seen tens of thousands healed and brought to salvation.  He encourages fellow Christians to walk in the supernatural power of God.  I would like to hit some of the high points in his book, “Authority to Heal”.  This book has blessed me so much and I hope it will bless you too. 

 

Dr. Randy Clark discusses the Biblical foundations for healing.  He mentions that God always provided a healing stream throughout the Old Testament years before Christ came. That healing stream flows from the very nature and goodness of God.  In the Scriptures God reveals himself as Yahweh-Ropheh, which means “the Lord who heals you.” And God promised to protect Israel from the many diseases that afflicted mankind if they would follow Him and obey His commands. (Exodus 15:26) God healed sick persons through Moses and God also healed the sick through many of the Old Testament prophets, especially Elijah and Elisha. 

 

When Jesus came, He went about healing all the sick who came to Him.  Everywhere He went He took care of the sick people, unless they refused and rejected Him.  Jesus said this about Himself: “The spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18-19) 

 

Jesus commissioned His followers to follow in His footsteps and also heal the sick.  And He taught His disciples to be God’s agents and let God’s healing power flow through them to heal the sick. Shortly before Jesus went back to heaven, He gave His disciples the “Great Commission”. (Mark 16:15-18)   Jesus gave all of His followers a job to perform. Our job is to go out and offer His salvation and healing to the world. And Jesus promised that His Holy Spirit would be with us to give us His power for this undertaking.  The healing stream that ran through the centuries during the Old Testament age, now with Holy Spirit power has become a river of healing flowing through our modern New Testament age.

 

In His “Great Commission”, Jesus calls all of His followers to: “Go into all the world and preach to gospel to every person. ..  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues. 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.”  (Mark 16:15,17, 18) 

 

A few Christians, in religious meetings, play with snakes whose venom is deadly and drink poisonous drinks to try to prove that God is with them.  We don’t believe that Jesus ever meant that we should play with real live poisonous snakes to tempt God!   Bible scholars believe that t the snakes or serpents Jesus mentioned could be spiritual evils or demons that try to harm the Christian. God’s power does shield believers from harm. Even when we get sick and die, the grave has no power over us. (1 Corinthians 15:55) I believe we Christians would be amazed if we could see how many evils there are out there that God has protected us from throughout our lives.    

 

Jesus calls whoever believes to go out and witness and heal.  He says: “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.  Whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.”  (John 14:12-14) Healings and miracles were the number-one-way God received glory in the Scriptures.

 

Dr. Randy Clark insists that before the Christian goes out to witness and heal in Christ’s Name, he or she should receive an “anointing” from God.  Even though a Christian receives the Holy Spirit when they believe in Christ, they may need to have a release or fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  Many Scriptures point to this.  Here is one Scripture which shows this truth.  “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.  When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them: and they had simply been baptized into the Name of the Lord Jesus.  Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:14-17) 

 

Also, in Romans we again find the concept of impartation (passing on a spiritual gift by the laying on of hands)  Paul says: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (Romans 1:11-12) 

 

Paul, as he went throughout the Gentile world witnessing to justification by grace through faith in Christ, he also emphasized that receiving the empowering presence of God through His Holy Spirit into one’s life was all important.  The Holy Spirit is the true source of our fruitfulness if we try to live our lives for Christ.  Paul reminded Timothy, his beloved helper in the ministry, to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands.”  (2 Timothy 1:6)

 

A believer can receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit without the laying on of hands. But it is one way that many believers have received this fullness. Another way is through praying and fasting and waiting upon God. Scripture says that God is simply looking for those who are willing to yield their hearts and live by all that God wants to work through them.  – those who are willing to believe for more, because, according to Scripture, there is more. 

 

In the Old Testament we see the principle of impartation (laying on of hands) – a transference of anointing in Deuteronomy 34:9, “Now Joshua, son of Nun was fill with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.”   There are many other examples of this principle of impartation throughout the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.

 

Scripture teaches us that God gives each believer a spiritual gift or gifts to use in their ministry with other believers to build up each other in Christ.  These gifts are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)  “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:  For to one is given the word of wisdom, through the Spirit to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit.  To another, faith, by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit.  To another the working of miracles, and to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, and to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each believer individually as He wills:  (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11)

 

We need power from the Holy Spirit to use our spiritual gift or gifts as we go about doing God’s work.  If you feel a stirring in your heart for more of the power of God in your life and for more of the Holy Spirit to work through your life, you can pray and ask the Lord to create a hunger in you for more of His Spirit and His gifts. You can ask God for more of the power of the Holy Spirit. You can ask that the Lord create faith in you to receive whatever He has to give you.  If you ask and humbly believe, you will receive.

 

Most of this blog has been taken from Dr. Randy Clark’s book, “Authority to Heal” Restoring the Lost Inheritance of God’s Healing Power.     

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Jesus Calls Us to a Life in the Spirit

Jesus Call us to a Life in the Spirit

 

Today we are continuing our study of Jesus’ words on how to live our lives.  He preached about this in His famous “Sermon on the Mount” found in Matthew 5,6and 7 of our Bibles.  Jesus is calling out a people to reject the world’s ways of doing things and live their lives completely trusting their heavenly Father.  As children of God, Jesus calls us to a new way of living, and He gives us His Spirit to help us walk in this new way.  Jesus gives His followers many different commands in this sermon.  Without His Spirit to help us keep these commands we would not be able to obey any of them on our own.

 

We have covered much of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” already in previous blogs.  But today we will continue as He has many commands for His followers.  And some of Jesus’ commands go against worldly wisdom and upsets our sense of pride.  Here is one that I struggle with.  Jesus asks us to go the second mile.  Here is what He said: “You have heard it said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  Whoever slaps you on one cheek, turn the other.  And if anyone sues you and takes away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow, do not turn away.”  (Matthew 5:38-42)

 

Jesus has a great deal to say about humility.  And no wonder, since it was pride that first caused mans’ downfall into sin when Adam and Eve felt that their own way was better than God’s way.  Now restored godliness requires that we humans do the opposite and humble ourselves before God’s will.  Perhaps here in Jesus’ command to go the second mile and turn the other cheek, He is calling His followers to renounce any form of pride and retaliation against those who treat us badly and leave all vengeance to God.  Obedience is the response of faith to Jesus’ commands. 

 

We are to let mistreatment by others remind us to overcome their evil through love.  Our heavenly Father will take care of us and be our shield and defense.  Even when our enemy kills our bodies, we will be taken to heaven and will be made whole.  In these situations, we are promised that “not a hair of our heads will be harmed!”  (Luke 21:18) But of course, this promise in Scripture must have a spiritual meaning. There is nothing that our enemies can do to harm us that our heavenly Father cannot take care of, even if we don’t see the reward until we reach heaven. 

 

Jesus gives more commands concerning how we are to live our lives in His “Sermon on the Mount.”  He says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. … No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else be loyal to one and despise the other, you cannot serve God and money.”  (Matthew 6:19-21 and 24)

 

There is a common thread throughout all of Jesus’ commands.  That we should be like little children, trusting our heavenly Father with our lives.  And that we are to “travel light” and not be anxious or worried about grasping for more and more money and coveting more earthly stuff.  And we must not put all of our efforts on becoming wealthy and make that the goal of our lives.  Worldly riches can be stolen or lose their value in a falling stock market.  But our heavenly inheritance is incorruptible.

 

This earth is not our home, we’re just passing through.  Our citizenship is in heaven and our lives should be different because of that.  Scripture always warns about the love of money taking away our love for God.  Jesus reminds us that we cannot put God first and also put the pursuit of wealth first. Jesus isn’t warning us against working to earn money to provide for our families.  Scripture doesn’t say that money is the root of evil.  It says that “the “Love” of money is the root of all evil.”  (1 Timothy 6:10)

 

Lastly, Jesus warns His followers of false teachers that will come in our churches and pretend to be good Christians – or the sheep of God’s pasture.  But really, they are there as ravenous wolves to destroy your church.  Here is what Jesus said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do people gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistle bushes?  Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not (Matthew 7:15-20) 

 

False teachers have been there to ravage and destroy the Church from the very beginning.  They plant seeds of unbelief and rebellion wherever they go.  They pretend to be religious and good, but they hate Jesus Christ and they deny that He died for our sins and that He is the Son of God and Savior.  That He came in the flesh and that He is the only Way, Truth and Life. Over my lifetime I have seen many of these false prophets come in and tear apart the Church.  We have been warned by Jesus.  And throughout Scripture there are stark warnings. 

 

And Jesus closes His Sermon by giving the parable of the wise and the foolish builders.  (Matthew 8:24-28)  One person builds his house on the Rock and the other person builds his house on the sand.  When the storms come, the wind and rain are too much for the house with no foundation that is built on the sand.  And it falls down and is destroyed.  But the house with its foundation built firmly on the Rock withstood the storm.  The Rock is Jesus Christ and the sand is everything else that we can build our lives on.  This parable shows the necessity of doing the will of God. 

 

After Jesus finished his Sermon to the crowd that was gathered, He began healing all those in the crowd.  And He spent the next couple of years going through the countryside with His disciples and healing the sick.  He made the lame to walk and the blind to see.  He cured leprosy and He even raised the dead.  Jesus healed everyone who came to Him.  And He sent His disciples out and many were healed when they prayed for the sick.  When Jesus rose from the dead and went back to heaven, He left His Spirit to empower each of His followers, so He could work through them. The early Church grew and was persecuted because the Holy Spirit power flowed through their lives.  And they loved one another, and miracles and healings occurred wherever they went.    

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Jesus Tells Us How God Wants Us To Live

Jesus Tells Us How God Wants Us to Live

 

Today we are continuing our study of Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” found in Matthew 5,6 and 7 of our Bibles.  Jesus is calling out a people to reject the world’s usual way of doing things and live their lives completely trusting their heavenly Father.  As children of God, Jesus calls us to a new way of living, and He gives us His Spirit to help us walk in this new walk.  Jesus gives his followers many different commands in this sermon.  Without His Spirit to help us keep these commands we would not be able to obey any of them on our own. 

 

Jesus calls His followers to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh. To be citizens of the “kingdom of God” and not of this world.  One of Jesus’ commands in his sermon is the command that we not judge other people. Many of us like to judge others.  Jesus does not forbid the condemnation of wrongdoing.  But He does forbid the spirit of faultfinding and overlooking our own shortcomings while assuming the role of judge and picking apart others.

 

 Here are Jesus’ words regarding this command: “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged: and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matthew 7: 1-2)

 

It’s so easy to judge others and to find fault.  The whole world around us does this and it often is a natural response.  Sometimes it is even fun.  But Jesus calls us to a different lifestyle in the Spirit.  We are called to build others up and not tear them down.  Other Scriptures tell us as Christians that when we see a fellow Christian falling into a sin, we should with love go and confront him or her. And try to help the fellow Christian turn from sinning.  But that is different from cutting a sinner down behind his or her back.  

 

Jesus stops briefly and gives this advice to His followers: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs: nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”  (Matthew 7:6) As Christians we are called to tell others about Christ and hold Him up as Savior and Lord.  But we must sometimes use discretion when we tell others. To share God’s Word with those who hold Christ in contempt and to share with those who blaspheme and make fun of our Lord, not only cheapens our precious faith, but some of these rebellious people can harm us. 

 

Jesus gives us a big compliment.  He tells believers in Him that we are “salt” and “light”.  Salt gives food it’s flavor and light will chase away the darkness and show the Way. Here is what Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before people that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:13-16) 

 

Christ says that when we share God’s Word and love others and help those in need in His Name, we are the “salt” being added to a bland and sometimes meaningless life.  Our Christian “salt” adds flavor and zest and spices up lonely and sad lives with the knowledge of Gods’ redeeming love. Our “salt” gives joy and meaning to life.  And when we bring our “light” into this dark world, it shatters the darkness. Our little light is really Christ, the Light of the world, shinning through us and pointing the Way.

 

But Jesus warns us not to let our precious “salt” lose its flavor, for then it is useless - good for nothing.  Jesus also warns us to hold our light up high on a lampstand so all can see.  To never hide our light so those around us continue stumbling through the darkness.

 

 How sad it is when Christians water down the Truth and hide or forget the Light they have been given.  And how sad to go to a church that gives out salt with no flavor and holds out a light that is all covered up!  As Christians our salt and our light are alive and powerful. Let’s not forget how much Christ has given us who believe.

 

In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies.  This is what He said:  “You have heard that is was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, ‘Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.  That you may be sons of your Father in heaven: for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45) 

 

Jesus continues: “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore, you shall be ‘perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  (Matthew 5:46-48)

 Why does Jesus command us to love our enemies?  His answer seems to be “That you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  (Matthew 5:48) In other words, we are children of our heavenly Father and we are to be like our heavenly Father and fit into our heavenly family. Children should have some resemblance to their fathers. And our heavenly Father continues to love and show mercy to sinners. Always waiting for them to come to Him.

 

The devil tempts us to hate our enemies and it is so easy to follow that lead.  But we are not children of the devil and should never follow him. Christ commands us to pray for our enemies and have compassion and good will toward them. We are citizens of the kingdom of God – not the kingdom of this earth.  We are children of the Light – not the darkness.   Let us always live in the Light.  – the Light of Christ.  If we do that, we must put off our judging and our hatreds.    

 

You see here that Jesus is calling us, His followers, to do things that are almost impossible for us to do without His help.  But He give us His Spirit for just that reason.  We will be able to obey His command to love our enemies, not be judgmental and to obey the other commands He gives us in this sermon, if we ask for His help.  His Spirit is here in our lives to give us power to give up hating our enemies and to love these enemies through us.  Jesus doesn’t ask us to do anything that He doesn’t give us the power through His Spirit to do. 

 

As we are approaching Easter, we will be celebrating the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.  And because He lives, we shall live also!  Hallelujah!  (John 14:19)

 

 

 

           

 

 

 

            

Jesus Last Word from the Cross - It is Finished

 Jesus’ Last Word from the Cross – “It Is Finished”

 John 19:30

 

Jesus had been hanging on the cross for six hours bleeding, gasping for breath and enduring the terrible pain, while many in the crowds standing around watching were mocking Him. At noon the sun had stopped shinning and darkness covered the land. (Luke 23:44-45) Finally, around 3p.m. in the afternoon Jesus said His last word in Hebrew: “Tetelestai” or “It is finished” and bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit.

 

Scripture says that shortly before Jesus died, He “knew that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 19:28) What was “it” that had been finished or was accomplished on the cross?   What did Jesus do to fulfill the Scriptures?  There are many prophecies throughout the Old Testament proclaiming that God would send a Messiah or a Sacrifice to save us from our sins. Humans couldn’t save themselves from sin and death, but God could.  The promise was there waiting to be fulfilled.

 

The word in Hebrew that Jesus used on the cross was “Tetelestai,” which means “It is finished”. This word is found in ancient documents showing that a loan or a debt had been completely paid off.  But what was the debt or “it” that had been completely paid off on the cross?  To answer this question, we need to go way back to the beginning in the Garden of Eden!

 

We read that in the beginning that God created the earth and everything in it.  And everything God created was good.  God also created Adam and then Eve and they were both created perfect and good.  God created them to live forever and He put them in the beautiful Garden of Eden.  God gave them the animals to name and care for and all the fruits and vegetables in the garden to eat, except the fruit of one tree. God only gave Adam and Eve one law that they were not to break. They were not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that stood in the middle of the garden. If they ate the fruit on this tree, God warned them that they would lose their immortality and die.  

 

Adam and Eve were created “in God’s image” and like God, who has free will, they were given free will also.  Would the first man and woman who ever lived on this earth use their free will to love and trust God, their heavenly Father?  Would they believe His warning that disobeying Him and eating the forbidden fruit would cause their death?  Or would they choose not to believe God and decide to disobey Him and do their own thing?  Would they think that they were wiser than God and didn’t need to follow Him?   They were given two choices – to believe God and obey or to not believe God and disobey.   Which would they choose?   

 

We read the sad story in Genesis 3:1-6. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, “Has God indeed said that you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, or touch it, lest you die.’  Then the serpent said, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  So, when the woman saw that the fruit of the tree would be good to eat, and that is was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”   

 

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they knew that something had gone wrong.  Scripture says that right away they were ashamed of being naked and they sewed leaves together to cover their naked bodies. Somehow, they already knew they weren’t good enough and needed a covering. When God came to walk with them in the garden, they ran away from Him and hid.  Their sin had distanced them from a holy God.

 

 And when they did meet with God, Adam blamed and accused Eve, his wife, for tempting him to eat the forbidden fruit   And Eve blamed the serpent. (Genesis 3:7-24) Sin caused their marriage relationship to suffer and divided them from one another a bit.

 

Because of that original sin, Adam and Eve fell from being immortal to being mortal and they eventually died as God had warned them would happen if they ate of the forbidden fruit. And sadly, their children (all of us) inherit their mortality and we all sin and die. We are born mortal and sinful, like our first parents were. And Scripture says that all the created world is also under a curse now because of sin!  And not the way God created it to be.

 

Who can change all of this and free us from being sinful and suffering the consequences of sin?  The Bible answers that question.  One of many passages says: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23) We asked earlier, when Jesus was on the cross and cried out that word, “Tetelestai” or “It is finished,” what did He mean?  What was paid off, completed or finished on the cross?  What was “it”?

 

Scripture tells us that Jesus completed the goal for which He was sent to accomplish.  Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth to pay the price for our sins and redeem us.  Scripture says: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus completed the work necessary to bring us back to God.  His work was dying on the cross. We humans couldn’t bring ourselves back.  Only He could do it for us.  Scripture says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation is come, the old has gone the new is here.  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18a) Only Christ can make us new.  Only through Him are we “born again”.  We can’t do it ourselves.

 

Sin distanced us from a holy God.  Through Christ, the distance from God is erased.  (Matthew 27:51) Sin has enslaved us to sinful desires.  Through Christ, the enslavement of the enemy is overcome.  (John16:33) Sin divides us from one another.  Through Christ, the division with each other is replaced with unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

 

Let’s not leave Jesus’ finished work as our unfinished business.  Scripture says; “For by grace are we saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not of works lest any one might boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We must have faith in God and His promise to take away our sins through Christ.  We must believe it.  We are offered the gift of salvation and we must accept it.  

 

We can experience God’s favor rather than trying to earn it.  (Ephesians 1:3) Religion says “Finish the work.  But a relationship with Jesus says: “The work is finished.”  We can’t work our way to heaven.  The work is finished in Christ.  All we have to do is accept this Gift He is offering us.  Believe that Jesus took away our sins by His death on the cross. 

 

Adam and Eve sinned because they didn’t believe God.  We are tempted by that same sin.  Nothing has changed.  Let’s believe God and believe the Bible that Christ has taken away our sins and given us eternal life.  Our salvation is finished.  Christ paid it all.  Believe it and follow Him.  Jesus is the answer. Allow Him to come into your life. There is nothing for you to do.  Every stumbling block is rolled out of the road and every gate is opened.  Your salvation is finished through Jesus Christ.  He has taken away your sins.  The debt has been paid in full.  The victory over sin and death has been won!  “Tetelestai “  “It is finished.”      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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