TK wrote:Michelle wrote:
Why is healing so important? Is it important for believers to never by sick? If so, why?
As to the first question, I believe that Jesus expects us to carry on with his Kingdom mission. Part of his kingdom mission was healing the sick; more specifically:
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD
Before He left, He said: "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21). I believe that those things listed above, among others, have been left to us to carry out.
But it's not simply healing for healing's sake. It is healing associated with the good news of the Gospel. God is not just a big talker; he backs His words with His power. Paul said: "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." (I Cor. 4:20).
So, it's not healing for healing's sake, but a sign; and the sign is about God's power. Is that right? I think that makes sense.
In other words, the gospel message, at least in my eyes, should not just be so much rhetoric. Jesus backed up his message with demonstrations of power, as did the apostles. I am not sure where we get the mindset that we today can get by without any demonstrations of the Spirit's power.
I agree with what you are saying here, but I'm not sure who you are referring to when you say, "...we get the mindset that we today can get by without any demonstrations of the Spirit's power." I realize that you distance yourself from Word of Faith teachers, but do you feel that some of us distance ourselves so much that we dismiss the Spirit's power in our lives? For me, that's not the case, however, the power of the Holy Spirit hasn't been demonstrated in healing. That's why I'm so interested in this topic.
I am very new to thinking this way. I grew up in very conservative non-charismatic church backgrounds. But I have been exposed in the last couple of years to a more charismatic way of thinking, and I must say I like it!
Same here, especially the part I bolded. I may have a little catching up to do to get to where you are in liking what you've learned;
some of the practices of
some Charismatics have been sort of detrimental to my understanding. (My apologies to the many Charismatics who post here. I'm not talking about anyone of you)
As to your second question (Is it important for believers never to be sick?) I can only answer that I would prefer not to be, and I would prefer others not to be. Therefore, if we can effect a healing via the power of almighty God, I'm all for it. What I refuse to do is accept that it is God's will for someone to be sick. I just don't buy that any more. If I don't believe that God wants people well, then I cannot have faith that anyone will be healed.
TK
Here's the thing: I have a disease, one that is common enough to be called epidemic, and for which there is currently no easy cure. Right now it's not life threatening, but it is lifestyle changing and probably life shortening. I've never once considered asking God to heal me, and I'm not sure why I haven't. It just doesn't seem that important. I guess if I was healed I could eat anything I wanted to, but then I'd actually be less healthy than I am right at this moment. Strange, huh? I don't believe that it's a matter of a lack of faith on my part, or a rejection of the power of the Holy Spirit, because I do believe I have faith and I've seen plenty of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life as well as in many lives of those I know. Now, however, you've got me thinking about whether or not I'm missing something. By the way, I also don't ever feel like whining or eating worms or complaining about my lot in life.
Thanks for discussing it with me,
Michelle