The Family Of Healers

I watched a mystical TV show where there was a young man who discovered that he had a gift of healing. By laying hands upon others, they were often healed. The young man was a school janitor, but instantly became famous with many offering him money to heal them while others mocked his ability to heal. There was both fame and rejection, even rejection by his own stepfather. Furthermore, each healing left him totally exhausted until he, himself needed healing. The show portrayed that the ability to heal was inherited from his mother and she had to lay her hands upon him for him to receive healing. Although the movie was somewhat mystical in nature it presented some interesting concepts.

As I watched the show and prayed as to why God had allowed me to be wide awake in the middle of the night to watch this show, I believe that God gave me some revelation. If you have given your life to Jesus as your Lord and saviour, then you are also born into a family of healers.

I. Our spiritual father in the faith was and is a healer.

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Romans 4:16-17).
"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).

"So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children" (Genesis 20:17).

II. Our ancestors in the faith were healers.

"And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee" (Numbers 12:13).
"And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" (I Kings 17:21-22).

"So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake" (II Kings 2:22).

III. Our heavenly Father is a healer.

"O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me" (Psalms 30:2).
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalms 103:3).

"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalms 107:20-21).

"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds" (Psalms 147:3).

IV.. Our elder brother, Jesus, is a healer.

"And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them" (Matthew 4:24).
"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" (Matthew 8:16).

"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw" (Matthew 12:22).

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38).

V. Other of our siblings have been healers.

Jesus gave the disciple "exousia" (authority) to heal. The disciples of Jesus were healers. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matthew 10:1). "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils" (Mark 3:14-15). Again the word translated "power" is the word for authority. In other words, he delegated authority to them to heal.

"Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength" (Acts 3:6-7). "Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them" (Acts 5:15).

"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come" (Luke 10:1). "And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you" (Luke 10:9).     "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name" (Luke 10:17). The seventy were healers.

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me" (Mark 9:38-39).

"And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked" (Acts 14:8-10). "And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed" (Acts 28:8-9).

The early church prayed for power to heal. "By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus" (Acts 4:30).

Stephen was not an apostle, but rather a deacon.   "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people" (Acts 6:8).

Philip was an evangelist, but he was also a healer.   "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.    And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.    For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.    And there was great joy in that city" (Acts 8:5-8).

VI. It has been prophesied that we also would be healers.

Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). What did Jesus do? Among other things, he healed the sick.
Jesus said this about Believers, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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" (Mark 16:17-18). Look at what happened, "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen" (Mark 16:20).

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).

"To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:9).

VII. Here are some factors about healing.

A. Some will believe and receive healing.
"And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way" (Mark 10:51-52).
B. Some may not want to be healed.
"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6).
C. Some may not have the faith to be healed.
"And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them" (Mark 6:5).
D. Some may want to be healed but are not willing to repent.
"And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians" (II Chronicles 16:12).

E. Some may want to be healed but only on their terms
"Naaman didn't want to bathe in the Jordon river to be healed. "And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper" (II Kings 5:10-11).

F. Some may receive healing but lose it by returning to their sin
Jesus healed an impotent man but, "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).
G. Some will mock us when a miracle occurs.
"And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day" (Luke 13:14).
H. Some will idolize the messenger when there is a miracle.
After a lame man was healed ..."And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people" (Acts 14:12-13).

VIII. Freely you have received, freely give.

A. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
B. Again Peter said, "Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them" (Acts 5:15).

C. "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).