Job interview question
The anointed disciples heals the sick
Look at the gospels and you see Jesus healing, but the power and the authority came from the Father, through the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ ministry only began with his baptism and the dove resting upon him.
Dr Luke, in his gospel and in the book of the acts of the apostles, very interested in healing. It is pretty clear it is the Holy Spirit that healed, first through Jesus and then through the disciples. If it was the Holy Spirit that healed, then the disciples would heal in the same way that Jesus did
The disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit Jesus’ followers told to wait until Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, he told them they would do all he did and more! With Jesus at the Father’s side, the power and authority was with Jesus.
On the day of Pentecost it happened, they were filled and the healing of a man crippled soon followed. The acts of the apostles is actually the acts of the Holy Spirit.
The disciples heal the sick in the name of Jesus Peter explains what is happening, Jesus has been given power and authority so he can send/pour/baptise the Spirit, this is a fulfilment of the prophecy of John the Baptist and Jesus. Peter then goes on to heal, in John 14 Jesus predicted Peter would heal the sick, in Jesus name when the Holy Spirit came upon him.
The healed man was not yet a believer
The Spirit does signs, wonders and miracles through the believers
Tongues, prophecies visions, dreams, speak the word of God boldly, reveals liars, see heaven while facing death with courage, visibly shows with the laying on of hands, guides, transports, gives knowledge, predict a famine, blindness.
Throughout acts it is clear the Holy Spirit is God, Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, you lied to God, Spirit is called the spirit of Jesus, Acts is a description of what happened, the trinity is clearly there at work. The Holy Spirit is doing the healing.
The acts of the apostle see healings as signs, wonders and miracles As Jesus’ healings were signs, so were Peter’s when he was filled with the Spirit, they were miracles, wonders! Philip, Paul, Barnabas. Interestingly healing is found in other places, symptoms alleviated, but soon the person who submitted to this sort of healing begins to appear like a person under oppression, who belongs to another, reminds us that if we enter into the new covenant, the Father only has good gifts for us.
Authority and power Jesus had the authority given to him, but he passed it on to the disciples, Matt 28, and the power too Luke 24, Acts 1, Jesus has the authority now, he sends the Spirit, Jesus on earth received the Spirit because he was righteous, we receive the spirit because his death makes us righteous, to practice healing, we need the authority and the power Jesus has, which comes when we have the Holy Spirit within us, without it we are frauds! Interestingly, the healings do not all follow the same path, it is not a formula Aeneas, Tabitha, but we need the authority and power, this only comes through the Holy Spirit, best example is the recovery of Paul’s after his conversion, Power and authority
The cross and the new covenant in Acts The cross is vital in all of this, because it gives the forgiveness of sins, which lets the Holy Spirit in. So our aim in seeking the healing of God is to repent of our sins, believe in Jesus, and ask him to fill us with the Holy Spirit, again and again and again, and the Holy Spirit is the one who heals, but may not bring the healing you expect
Application So what does all this mean for us? It means we have to believe in the God of miracles!, most of us for most of the time, do not have an expectancy about what God can do and what he is willing to do, hope yes, but expectancy?
Key difference between the false Gods and the true God is that God acts and speaks. Elijah lived in a time of unfaithfulness, but he expected! He didn’t preach, or pray for people, he took them to see the power of the living God
This is what so many of us long for, what many on the fringes of church long for, for those out there on the streets long for “THE LORD HE IS GOD!”
Does the fire still come down? Is he still showing his power? He was in this place last Sunday night, if we get serious about the healing God gives, churches all across the land will explode! We will have to bar the doors.
We need the model of Jesus, he taught, he preached, he healed, Matt 10 heal the sick, he never took that back, it still applies today.
We need to be truly expectant today, mustard seed size, but when we expect amazing things happen, when we move in expectancy heaven explodes, all those who call upon the Lord will be saved and we will know that we have planted seeds and help reap the harvest.
Mark 16v 15-18- expectancy comes with acceptance that the Son of God has given us authority and he is the one who sends us!
