05/03/2018
As a Christian, are you meant to be sick? What does the Bible tell us about what we should do if we are ill? Well it isn’t a mystery, and is spelled out very clearly. We are meant to be healed. Yet, so many of us think that although Jesus and the disciples healed, that this is a dead practice today... well it isn’t. The gift of healing is just as alive today as it was in the time of Jesus, and it continues to happen in the Church today.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:14-16 ESV
Anointing with oil, gathering elders together, confessing our sins, praying, this all sounds so mystical to a great many Christians. How is it that Jesus healing, Angels appearing, and God speaking while performing miracles can be universally believed, but the thought of present day healing and miracles seems so out of the question?
Let’s take a quick look at healing today. The first thing that the Bible tells us to do in James 5 is to call the elders. Who are these people? In today’s society elders are considered to be old people, but in the context of these verses, that might not necessarily have been the case. Age in years of life is not the preeminent judge, but rather, a person’s age and maturity in faith is the measure. There are some very specific qualifications that an elder must possess, and physical age is really not one of them; let’s read them, and as we read, remember that the term overseer and elder are synonymous:
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV
So we are told that this is a position within the church, to choose our elders very carefully, and how interesting that it isn’t just based on the way the church perceives these men, but how outsiders see them as well. When you look about your church at those in leadership roles are they aspiring to these guiding principles? If so, have you ever gone to them and asked for healing prayer? If not then why not? The Bible isn’t wishy washy on this point, but very clear... we are to do this! Some churches have a group of elders specifically for this purpose. I happen to serve on a three person team that does this routinely, and we even pray for those who don’t have this offered at their own church.
Then there is the anointing of oil. Many churches today talk about anointing, but then seldom do it. They might anoint the altar, or a new Pastor, but we are encouraged to go further than that? Scripture, as we have read, tells us unequivocally to anoint the sick, so when you are ill, and seeking out healing prayer... ask to be anointed if it isn’t done as a matter of course.
I was on a flight home from Washington D.C. and had a God moment. By chance, I was seated next to the Pastor of a large church, comprised of Ethiopian immigrants, who was returning from a mission trip to the Middle East. From the moment we met the air was charged with the Holy Spirit, and we talked all the way to Nashville of our faith. We had the excitement of two young boys talking of Santa on Christmas Eve. As we were approaching the end of our flight, I was moved to ask him how his health was... now this isn’t something I have ever asked someone on an airplane before, but the Spirit moved me. He told me of a couple of ailments he had, and after listening to him I asked him if it would be alright to anoint him with oil and pray for him... he said emphatically yes. So I reached in my pocket, pulled out a small vial of oil that I carry, and anointed him in the name of Jesus Christ, and began to pray for his healing. It was a holy moment. I was being allowed to minister to an incredible man of God, and the blessings were flowing powerfully between us as the Holy Spirit swirled around us.
God heals through us today! He heals in hospital rooms, prayer closets, in our churches, and even on airplanes high above the earth. To not participate in this blessing is to miss out on one of God’s greatest gifts to us. But it doesn’t end there, the scripture pertaining to healing goes a step further... it promises something beyond our physical healing... forgiveness.
Elders can anoint, and they can heal in the name of Jesus, but along with the healing comes something more... forgiveness of sin. This takes the healing of the body, and extends it to the spirit, and soul. Jesus would say “go and sin no more” after healing someone... are you ready to receive that same gift as well? Are you ready to be healed in body and soul?
Don’t discount the life of healing prayer today! We live in a time of continued healing and miracles that is very strong! The Holy Spirit is just as alive today as it was in the day of the apostles, so seek out the elders, and partake of the blessing! Sickness is not something you are meant to be confined to... illness and righteous suffering are not the same thing.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the miracle of healing that remains with your children and church today. Thank you for your grace that leads to that ministering, and the forgiveness which accompanies it. Teach us to have faith in your Word Father, and lead us to believe in the healing oil and prayer of your saints. Let none hurt or experience the pain of illness needlessly Holy Lord, but open their eyes, their hearts, and their faith to your love and mending attention. Care for us in our time of sickness in mercy and goodness as you minister to our infirmities. Encourage us to lean on one another in our times of greatest need Holy God, because this is your promise and blessing. Praised be your name, and greatly are you to be worshipped!
Rich Forbes