In Scripture
we find different ways by which the Lord heals infirmities through
His people. Two of these ways can be classified as the authority
to heal on the one hand, and the gift of healing on the other hand.
These two have different functions. Luke 9 describes the function
of the authority to heal.
Luke
9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power
and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2
and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to
heal the sick.
Luke
10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two] others and sent
them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was
about to go. ...9 "Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The
kingdom of God is near you.’"
The
Lord gives to his disciples---whether apostles or non-apostles---power
and authority to heal the sick and drive out demons specifically
for
the context
of preaching
the
kingdom
of
God to
the lost. For
those who do not yet believe, seeing miracles can be a powerful
aid to faith in Christ. In contrast, the
gift of healing is given primarily to build up the body of Christ,
that is, those who already believe
in Christ. The Apostle Paul, referring to the function of the
gifts of the Spirit for the body of Christ, taught:
1 Corinthians
12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given
for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit
the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means
of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
In Chapter
14, continuing to teach on the purpose of spiritual gifts, Paul
adds:
1 Corinthians
14:26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone
has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or
an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening
of the church.
Thus
the primary venue for the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit
is in gatherings of believers. In such meetings believers
are ministered to, strengthened, and blessed in various ways.
Among other benefits, believers can be healed from their infirmities
as the gift of healing is manifested. For example, as believers
worship the Lord in a gathering, the presence of the Lord may
appear
and the sick are miraculously healed. The gifts of the Spirit can
also be manifest in what are called "Healing
Rooms" associated with churches where mostly needy
believers come for healing and ministry.
How
can we better understand the difference between the authority to
heal and the gift of healing?
Let’s
take the analogy of the United States of America. When America
is threatened by foreign enemies, she sends out her armies to fight.
The American military has unparalleled power. Through displays
of “shock and awe” it defeats the enemy. This is analogous
to the Church sending out believers to proclaim the Kingdom of
God to the lost, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Awesome power
is released as they exercise their authority over disease and demons
by rebuking them and commanding them to go in Jesus’ name.
The sick are instantly healed and testify of God’s healing
grace. The message of the gospel is confirmed by the miraculous
signs and precious souls enter the Kingdom of God by putting their
faith in Jesus Christ. The Church is indeed capable of putting
on such displays of “shock and awe”---that is, signs
and wonders---to defeat the enemy. We have seen this happen time
and time again after disciples of Jesus are taught to exercise
their authority to heal the sick.
The
picture back home in America contrasts sharply. Soldiers and tanks
and incredibly destructive weapons are not seen in the streets.
There are no displays of military might or “shock and awe” in
our communities. Rather we enjoy our peace and prosperity. We celebrate
our blessings at various holidays throughout the year. We like
to give one another gifts, especially around Christmas time, to
bless and encourage one another. This can be analogous to believers
blessing one another with gifts and manifestations of the Spirit
during their gatherings.
Nevertheless,
throughout the larger body of Christ, there is not yet a healthy
balance between “military” and “civilian” activities.
Most of the activity of the Church today consists
of “civilian” gatherings of believers where they are
built up through the word of God and manifestations of spiritual
gifts. Rarely does the Church send out believers as a well-trained
and well-equipped “military” force to engage the enemy
kingdom. Rarely do we hear of armies of believers going out to
the lost to heal the sick, cast out demons, and save souls through
the preaching of the gospel. The awesome “signs and wonders” that
the Church is capable of displaying against the enemy kingdom is
yet to be seen.
But
today God is in the process of restoring the spirit and power of
Elijah to the Church for the proclamation of the kingdom of God
to the
lost.
He
is restoring the understanding and the function of the kingly office
to us. We now understand the clear differences between the authority
to heal and the gift of healing.