There is something about believing God that will cause Him to pass over a million people to get to you.
- Smith Wigglesworth
No one need tell a sick child or adult, or their family, about the pain of illness. And while we should be extremely thankful for the blessings of modern healthcare, it hardly replaces the need for the miracle of healing.
In just the U.S. there are annually over half a million deaths from cancer alone. Yet Divine healing offers much more than health. By definition, miracles are powerful testaments to the presence, power and compassion of God. Through signs and wonders, the early Church demonstrated the validity of the message they preached. Yet today, many mistakenly believe miracles are obsolete. At least until they need one. Truth is, with so great a global population and with so many influences vying for our attention, the need for power evangelism and discipleship has never been greater.
Healing the sick is one of the most mentioned and meaningful miracles of the New Testament. Indispensable in both the ministry of Jesus, and that of His apostles in the Book of Acts, miraculous healing stands as the first and foremost Christian icon of the presence and power of God.
Opening the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf and mouths of the mute, New Testament Christians used show and tell to demonstrate the reality of the unseen Kingdom of God they preached. From cleansing lepers to raising the dead, Jesus and the early Church used power evangelism to geometrically increase the quantity and quality of believers. From causing the lame to walk to freeing the oppressed, the first century Christians used the inherit power of the miraculous to impact an unbelieving world.
For many reasons, over the millennia the emphasis on signs and wonders faded. Christianity's rise to prominence via Emperor Constantine and the Holy Roman Catholic Church ushered in a new era. Thankfully persecution diminished, yet as it did so, temptation towards worldliness often filled the void. As passion for the Kingdom wained, the Holy Spirit was grieved and the power of Pentecost become an honored but distant memory.
In place of the miraculous, doctrines were introduced teaching that the canonization of Scripture had for all practical intents and purposes made miracles obsolete. Such belief became both a cause and effect for the continued lack of Divine healing. Widespread acceptance of the erroneous belief that the Bibles appearance signaled a God ordained end of the gifts of the Spirit acts as one excuse of and reason for the powerlessness of modern Christianity.
Down through the ages serious expectations for the gifts of the Spirit all but vanished and unanswered prayer became an accepted norm. From ancient Christian cathedrals, to exciting modern ministries, the presence of the Glory of God was replaced with religious traditions old and new. Rather than "the demonstration of the Spirit's power," church tradition, along with convenient Biblical truths, became the foundations of modern Christianity.
In First World Nations, medical advances seem to have replaced Divine healing. Yet even within modern society, the spiritual, emotional and continuing physical need for miraculous healing is in many ways stronger than ever. Looking to technology to provide health and wellbeing has largely equated to Churchianity turning a blind eye to the lack of God's power and presence among us. The sense of being on our own ruins our faith in any number of ways. The silence and distance of God naturally breeds apathy and unbelief. Regular and lengthy seasons of passionate prayer decreases and disappears. Bible study declines and devolves to cherry picking verses here and there. Acting on our faith is lost amidst worldly concerns.
Like nature, humanity abhors a vacuum. Hundreds of millions seeking substitutes for the vitality of living faith fall to temptation and sin, allowing the Evil One to further widen the gulf between God and His people. And as Scripture forewarns, it's a downhill slide from there:
- "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Show AND Tell
Thankfully the Bible, particularly the New Testament, is filled with the promise of miraculous healing. The following are just a few such passages:
- "Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all." Matthew 4:23-24
- "They beached the boat at Gennesaret and tied up at the landing. As soon as they got out of the boat, word got around fast. People ran this way and that, bringing their sick on stretchers to where they heard he was. Wherever he went, village or town or country crossroads, they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged him to let them touch the edge of his coat—that's all. And whoever touched him became well." Mark 6:53-56 The Message
- "After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them. As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!" Luke 4:38-41
- "The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed." Acts 5:12-16
Scripture tells of another woman, a Canaanite, who's daughter was demonized. In faith she left her poor child and traveled in search of Christ. Pressing through the crowd she found her hopes dashed by the disciples. Even Jesus denied her request, explaining He was bound by His mission's parameters to concern Himself with Israel alone. Yet, as Mary before her, in perfect submission she found herself wrestling God for the healing and deliverance of her daughter:
- "From there Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon. They had hardly arrived when a Canaanite woman came down from the hills and pleaded, 'Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit.' Jesus ignored her. The disciples came and complained, 'Now she's bothering us. Would you please take care of her? She's driving us crazy.' Jesus refused, telling them, 'I've got my hands full dealing with the lost sheep of Israel.' Then the woman came back to Jesus, went to her knees, and begged. 'Master, help me.' He said, 'It's not right to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to dogs.' She was quick: 'You're right, Master, but beggar dogs do get scraps from the master's table.' Jesus gave in. 'Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get!' Right then her daughter became well." Matthew 15:21-28 The Message
1. Desperate times require desperate measures: Such motherly determinism suggests this woman had often prayed for her tormented daughter to no avail. Refusing to give up, she undertook a difficult journey to save her child.
2. Faith born of love overcomes obstacles: A Canaanite woman traveling alone presented challenges. Once safely arriving she no doubt was forced to jostle her way through a large crowd. Then, rather than being welcomed and received by the people of God, she found herself ignored by Jesus and rebuffed by His disciples. Heartbroken, she remained compelled by motherly love, not take no for an answer. Even from the Messiah!
3. Preserving prayer can change things: Jesus denied this pitiful mother even as she begged Him to save her daughter on hands and knees! She could easily have given in to "God's will" and left empty handed. Instead, perhaps listening to the Spirit whispering in her ear, she used the Lord's own words to find a way for Him to grant her request!
4. Believing is receiving: What kind of faith overcomes? Had this mother simply believed in her heart and confessed with her mouth that Jesus was the Messiah her daughter would have remained in bondage. It was dedicated and relentless faith that overcame every obstacle to her daughter receiving the healing and deliverance she so desperately needed.
From even the few passages previously quoted, it's apparent that neither Jesus nor His disciples were in the habit of refusing to heal hurting people. On the contrary, this is the only story in the New Testament they do so. As such, it is likely meant to stand out. A couple questions beg asking. Are we paying attention? If so, how many are willing to pay the price to pray with this kind of faith when legitimate excuses for unanswered prayer are a dime a dozen?
Another interesting aspect of the story of the Canaanite mother is Jesus' use of the phrase "children's bread" as rendered in the King James, NIV, NAS and Amplified versions. Many believe that miracles are meant to be rare by definition. This is true, outside of Christianity. Yet "bread" far from being rare, is a staple of even poorer cultures. Regularly served at nearly every meal, Jesus' use of the term "children's bread" denotes the vital role of miraculous healing and deliverance to authentic Biblical Christian. When it comes to nutrition, bread will never be replaced. Children's bread, literally and spiritually, as much or more than any other food, is meant to be easily accessible. And remain so:
- “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7:7-11
Great Commission
A persuasive argument for the continuing need of the gifts of the Spirit is found in Christ's Great Commission as recorded in the Gospel of Mark:
- “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed. After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” Mark 16:15-19
Christ uses His final words to Earth to unite preaching the gospel with demonstrating its power. Clearly the need for evangelism hasn't ceased. Nor has the method established by Christ and His Apostles changed. Notice it's "those who believe" that Jesus predicts will perform miraculous signs including healing the sick. No mention here, or anywhere else in Scripture, that the gifts or fruit of the Spirit belongs to just the apostles or apostolic age. What we do have is Jesus promising the power of God would be available to validate the His Kingdom's message. Evangelism's failures today, both inside and outside of the Church, may well be the direct result of the Churchianity's refusal to contend for the all important Children's Bread.
As the forerunners of Christianity, the early Church recognized the vital role of the miraculous in completing their part of the Great Commission. Even after God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost they continued to cry out for greater anointing. God, pleased with their zeal for the Kingdom, answered so powerfully and often that the record of their testimony is called the Book of Acts instead of the Book of Words. Just one of many examples, the following prayer takes place after Peter and John's arrest and testimony, warning and release by the ruling religious leaders in Jerusalem:
- "Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all." Acts 4:30-33
In this passage the passion of believers was answered by the power of God's outstretched hand as miraculous signs and wonders were done promoting the cause of Christ. As a result, everyone was filled with Holy Spirit and the Church was united in heart and mind. Might the lack of similar zeal account for the absence of such miraculous outpourings in our day? Such a missing key ingredient might go along way towards explaining the lack of holiness in the modern Church, as well as our having divided the body of Christ into hundreds of denominations.
What's clear is that Biblical belief is in decline. Without the kind of anointing enjoyed by Scripture's authors and the early Church, there's a disconnect between the power of the New Testament and our experience today. Without the power of the Spirit and glory of God, even the magnificent Bible, the best selling book of all time, can't compete with the thousands of modern temptations enticing and assailing our generation. This may be the reason why throughout the New Testament the preaching of God's word is inseparable to the performing of God's works. Even the Apostle Paul, Scripture's greatest evangelist and most prolific author, testifies of his reliance on the power of God to persuade men:
- "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
- "But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?" 1 Corinthians 4:19-21
Anyone Sick?
Healing is vital to both the physical and spiritual health and wellbeing of the body of Christ. Miracles provide great incentive to faith. Case in point. At the death of His friend Lazarus, Jesus explains to His disciples: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing." Like power evangelism, power discipleship stimulates interest in the things of God, while further demonstrating His goodness and compassion. A passage in James, written by the Lord's half brother, also clearly collaborates the promise of God to heal the sick within the Church:
- "Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops." James 5:14-18
Thank God for verses like these. Simple, direct and easy to understand. Without them we'd be left wondering about the will of God. As it is, we need only wonder why genuine miraculous healings are so rare. Yet even this question seems to be addressed by James. It would seem "the prayer of faith" is in short supply. Yet rather than the "elders of the church" inquiring why, excuses are made to account for our apparent disobedience and/or unbelief.
One favored excuse for the lack of Divine healing is the issue of pain. Many correctly note that pain can be an excellent motivator. As the late great C.S. Lewis noted:
- "Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
Consider Christ's comments and actions in the wonderful case of the man born blind:
- "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." John 9:1-4 NIV
Time and time again, Scripture reinforces an obvious truth. The work and glory of God are best displayed by miraculous signs and wonders, rather than even well-meant sympathy and words. In fact, nothing can take the place of genuine displays of the compassion of Kingdom power. As in the case of the people and widow of Nain. Without being asked, Jesus has the power and audacity to halt a funeral procession and raise a grief stricken widow's child from the dead:
- "When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother. They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country." Luke 11:13-17 MSG
While there may or may not be exceptions to the rule, Biblical emphasis clearly reveals God's covenant of miraculous healing extends to His people throughout time. Paul says as much is his beautiful prayer in Ephesians often quoted as a doxology. "Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or think, may there be glory in the church, through Jesus Christ, throughout all ages, world without end."
This is not to say that God can't be glorified by those who patiently endure sickness and disease. On the contrary, countless millions have demonstrated amazing commitment doing just that. Visit a cancer ward and you may find children, adults and the elderly bravely facing disease and perhaps even death. Some of these may well express belief in Christ and the goodness of God as they put their hope in Heaven. Such men, women and children serve as potent reminders to "number our days." Yet is this God's best? If so, why aren't there clear examples of Christ or His Apostles refusing to heal on the grounds that God prefers to be glorified through illness? If patient endurance, rather than miraculous healing, is the result of genuine faith then James and the other New Testament authors seem to have overlooked the lesson.
Just imagine for a moment, Jesus walking into the same cancer ward. Think of the glory radiating off the faces of children and teens, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas as He "healed them all." Think of the repercussion from such an event. Faith and hope, gratitude and love, would ripple through family and friends. Parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors would resonate with belief in the Kingdom of God with revitalized faith for years to come. Interest in prayer and Bible study would displace spiritual apathy and disappointment. Generational cycles of temptation and sin would be broken as sanctification increased. No wonder signs and wonders played such a vital role in New Testament evangelism and discipleship. Little wonder their lack has and will continue to leave modern Christianity wanting.
If "a picture's worth a thousand words" a genuine miracle's worth a million. To be powerfully touched by God is an experience we all long for. To the degree the veil between Heaven and Earth parts, we feel embraced by the Lord's goodness and compassion. This holds doubly true in the case of miraculous healing, particularly when dealing with acute disease. Serious bodily pain can flood our universe. Even when managed by treatment, long term affliction can rob us physically and emotionally, mentally and socially. Facing debilitating or terminal illness takes an even bigger toll. Unanswered fear, like pain, changes everything. Scripture's answer resides in the fruit and particularly the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
All this and more could be ours, if only a remnant of the remnant would admit and confess our worldliness and sin, entering into the Prayer of Anguish required by James 4 with missionary zeal. For the primary purpose of fully recovering the genuine fruit, and gifts of the Holy Spirit! Particularly that of repentantly and routinely healing the sick.
Still, for a multitude of reasons, we delay. Furthermore, fearing failure, we build bulwarks of justifications to excuse our powerlessness. Even Charismatics settle for crumbs when it comes to the miraculous. When comparing our record against that of the Gospels and/or Book of Acts, we content ourselves with a healing here or there. Almost as if the exception proves the rule.
Cessationism has no need for such spiritual contortions. The lack of the miraculous across the board strongly supports the viewpoint miracles have largely ceased since the apostolic age and canonization of Scripture. An assertion, some suggest, the New Testament itself would seem to support:
- "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 NIV
Clearly, this passage reinforces the promised and blessed hope of complete transformation when in eternity the faithful behold Christ, "But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure."
Simple and straightforward interpretation of this and all such Scriptures, moves with rather than against the flow of the entire New Testament. Taken together, they provide compelling testimony that all the fruit and gifts of the Spirit remain available. For those Scripturally and spiritual honest enough to admit the truth. And train themselves and others, becoming effectually fervent and righteous enough to "take it by force."
As much or more than any other New Testament sign and wonder, healing the sick elicited praise and joy from those touched by "the finger of God." While only a few of the countless miracles Jesus and His disciples did are recorded in detail, it's easy to see from these just how deeply healing moves people:
- "As Jesus left the house, he was followed by two blind men crying out, 'Mercy, Son of David! Mercy on us!' When Jesus got home, the blind men went in with him. Jesus said to them, 'Do you really believe I can do this?' They said, 'Why, yes, Master!' He touched their eyes and said, 'Become what you believe.' It happened. They saw. Then Jesus became very stern. 'Don't let a soul know how this happened.' But they were hardly out the door before they started blabbing it to everyone they met." Matthew 9:27-31 The Message
- "A leper came to him, begging on his knees, 'If you want to, you can cleanse me.' Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, 'I want to. Be clean.' Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: 'Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.' But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over." Mark 1:40-45 The Message
- "One day at three o'clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look here." He looked up, expecting to get something from them. Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked. The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple's Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing. The man threw his arms around Peter and John, ecstatic. All the people ran up to where they were at Solomon's Porch to see it for themselves." Acts 3:1-11 The Message
These few passages alone wonderfully illustrate how the power of Divine healing can flood both body and soul! Even when Jesus sternly warns the two blind men to keep quiet they can't help but shout their joy from the rooftops. Compare this exuberant praise and evangelistic zeal to hundreds of millions of modern Christians sitting in services like the frozen chosen. How often do these share their faith even when commanded by Christ to "go into all the world and preach the good news." Are we willing to seriously seek God for the power to heal the sick? Perhaps it's time to repent our apathy and unbelief. To triple fast and seriously pray, in brokenness and pre-revival repentance, to the point of calling sacred assemblies and Church Councils until we see the Children's Bread restored. One can only imagine what might be accomplish in a single day, inside and outside of the Church, if the fire of a New Pentecost were fall anew.
COVID-19
The following except is taken from GB's COVID-19 article originally written in April and May of 2020 in conjunction with GB's Prayer of Anguish. Please click the links provided for a more in-depth handling of both these crucial issues, vital to understanding the primary and pressing need to fully recover the New Testament understanding and ability to miraculously heal the sick…
The repentance formula found in James 4 clearly emphasizes both the necessity for and correct form of the Prayer of Anguish (POA). Having done so for millennia it does so still. In fact, given the chapter's opening verses describing and condemning the worldliness of 1st century Christians, whom were pre-school sinners compared to we their 21st century counterparts, the passage's relevance is growing exponentially.
Case in point. I've frequently referenced and linked to David Wilkerson's abridged version of a Call To Anguish. Even going so far as providing a partial transcript from above long ago in the GB article Habakkuk's Complaint. I've also referenced the James 4 (J4) step by step analysis in GB's companion article Worldliness.
The true origin and nature, impact and aftermath of C-19 is unknown. Its current and future ramifications on healthcare and economies, families and societies has yet to be seen. What should be clear to Prophetic Christians is the full extent of the crises/opportunity such a previously unprecedented circumstance affords. This includes:
1. Reflection: Global non essential business shutdowns, shelter in place ordinances and social distancing mandates all but force moments of pause. Such a global, real time pandemic, provides ample opportunity to ponder a variety of often overlooked issues. First and foremost, that while in the developed nations we posses a quality of lifestyle rivaling that of mythological gods, we are yet fearfully and wonderfully made. And for all our pomp will die as do dogs. Thus everyone clearly has a critical need to both know and please our Creator and Savior.
2. Discernment: Christians are commanded to correctly discern everything. Jesus warned, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.." Truth itself must be spiritually discerned. This includes the primary and secondary religious lessons C-19 offers:
- Temptation and deception, entitlement and sin have ripened modern society for rack and ruin. Such judgments hardly need to be Divine, given global specters of violence and war, abuse and slavery, immorality and abortion, poverty and economic inequality, climate change and nuclear holocaust. Not to mention viral pandemic and artificial intelligence, cyber tech and bioterrorism issues. All reseting the 2020 Doomsday Clock of Atomic Scientists to 100 seconds to midnight. Closer than ever before.
- Far from immune, modern Christianity is compliant with, if not guilty of, much if not all the above. And more, given our Scriptural mandate to be society's salt, and the light of the world. Carrying out such a Great Commission requires more than words, particularly the wrong ones. According to the Gospels, Book of Acts and Epistles, power evangelism and discipleship are essential. Sadly, the genuine gifts of the Spirit are clearly in short supply. Up to and including miraculously healing the sick in demonstrable ways. Yet Scripture identifies miraculous healing and deliverance as "the children's bread," a trademark of Biblical Christianity.
1. Dishonest Doctrine: Cessationist (half the Protestant church) are clearly accurate in regards to Churchianity's lack of genuine spiritual gifts. Yet they are equally adamant in their incorrect doctrines regarding miraculous signs and wonders having timed out with the apostles and/or the canonization of Scripture. A crucial error, to be developed more fully when discussing James 5. Tragically, an exemplary example of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater."
Charismatics (half the Protestant church) are by and large more accurate in their understanding of the Bible's constant reinforcement regarding the centrality of spiritual gifts. Yet current doctrine and practice grossly over-exaggerates our capabilities, glossing over a glaring lack of spiritual giftedness. A tendency also addressed in greater detail by coming comments on James 5. Regrettably, a classic case of "cooking the books."
2. Powerlessness: For obvious and opposite reasons, the dishonest doctrine on both sides of the aisle not only justifies each side's errors, but results in pandemic powerlessness. A anemic condition all the more acute given such entrenched positioning all but guarantees the vast majority of both cessationists and charismatics failure to even recognizing and admit, much less with brokenness and confession repent, of our nearly universal and continual grieving of the Holy Spirit. In this and a myriad of other vital matters.
3. Prophetic Christians: An honest appraisal of the shameful stalemate described above leaves little hope. Interestingly, David Wilkerson is attributed by Dr. Mike Evans with an 1986 prophecy reminiscent of the current C-19 crises:
- “I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars, churches and government will shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world."
- “If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.”
Consider again the beloved verse oft quoted by Christian leadership regarding the goal of their own ministries:
- "And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. " 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NIV
- " I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 NIV
So how well do our sheltering in place and shuttered churches, social distancing and masks compare to Paul's, "demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." Our current circumstance begs a simple question. Will we rise to the challenge of Biblical truth? And will we do so together? Scriptural truth is not a consensus. Yet, like an immense boulder, it may well take all of our collective resources and skills to fully uncover it.
Doing so today, as always, requires deep and abiding brokenness and repentance. As Jesus warned the leadership of His day, "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." On this point it would seem Jesus, and James agree with David Wilkerson:
- "There’s going to be no renewal, no revival, no awakening until we’re willing to let Him once again break us. Folk’s it’s getting late and it’s getting serious."
We wait… unaware as Satan's angelic rebellion, having marred the very history of eternity, overflows onto Earth forever reshaping our own.
We wait… while our sins, of unprecedented quantity and quality, reach Heaven. Filling Creation's Supreme Court with damning testimony against fallen mankind and Churchianity alike. Providing Satan unprecedented witness for accusation against us.
We wait… unconcerned as the 1960's sexual revolution continues to create a planetary deluge of immorality and gender confusion, with modern Christianity either joining in or largely looking the other way.
We wait… as the world is soaked in the innocent blood of over 2 billion, through clinical and contraceptive abortion. Eight to ten times Earth's entire population in Christ's day! A global slaughter of Jesus' "least brothers" of such magnitude that we may well be aborting our prayers and worship, if not very salvation.
We wait… while the specter of marital strife and divorce wreaks havoc with tens, if not hundreds of millions of marriages and families. With little or no appropriate prayer on their behalf.
We wait… as the ravenous beasts of poverty and famine, violence and war relentlessly consume the lives of billions.
We wait… unmoved as unparalleled levels of worldliness and addiction enslave family and friends, neighbors and billions across our planet.
We wait… unconcerned as the stage is set for Revelation's prophetic warnings of catastrophic events. Up to and including the quickly approaching reign of the Antichrist and global installment of the Mark of the Beast.
We wait… while God's judgment against all the above and more looms large on the horizon. Gathering in ferocity and momentum.
A question is posed by our continued and corporate response, or lack thereof. Does unwillingness to face and engage difficult Spiritual truth reduce or increase our risk? Many Biblical passages address this concern. Not the lease of which, when Jesus was asked to comment on some troubling headlines during His day:
- "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13:1-5 NIV
- "Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’! Do you suppose they are embarrassed over this outrage? No, they have no shame. They don’t even know how to blush. There’s no hope for them. They’ve hit bottom and there’s no getting up. As far as I’m concerned, they’re finished.” God has spoken." Jeremiah 6:13-15 MSG
- "The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."
Against the backdrop of such stark reality, rather than assembling by the millions to confess our apathy and doubt, issues with God and sin, we pursue amusement and pleasure, worldliness and wealth. We twist doctrine and theology, build bigger sanctuaries and campuses, filled with better programs and technology.
We substitute accurate Bible study and strategic daily prayer with inappropriate worship and superficial fellowship, yet refuse God's command to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways. Thus, for all our good intentions, Scripture warns we are ostensibly building our lives and churches on sifting sand, rather than facing our glaring need of genuine brokenness and lasting repentance:
- “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” Matthew 7:24-27 MSG
Simply put, we are woefully unprepared to adequately face the many current and future challenges at our doorstep. What little hope remains might be summarized in two remote possibilities. The first is that at least some faction of modern Christianity will come to their senses, face the truth of our critical situation, and take the difficult steps prescribed in James 4. The second is far more likely, yet still a long-shot. That at least some fraction of Prophetic Christians might come to our senses, face the truth of our critical situation, and take the difficult steps prescribed in James 4.
Prophetic Christians are exceptionally honest and studious Bible students and intercessors, grasping much of both the context and content of Scripture. Such men and women seek God in faith, reasoning that He's said what He means and means what He's said. They're persuaded "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Both in His mercy and love, as well as harsh words and judgment of His church.
Possessed of deep and abiding repentance, they labor for revival in the hope and fear of God. Understanding both the love and "terror of the Lord" they endeavor to persuade others to choose eternal life rather than death. Knowing they too are sinners, they treat others as they would be treated: firm, fair, factual and friendly.
They compel the lost, including apathetic and disobedient Christians, to come into the Kingdom by first speaking the truth in love. Should compassion fail, they spend themselves and their lives trying to pull lost humanity from the fire.
Yet even with such recommendations, few if any are ready and willing to "pray through" the Prayer of Anguish commanded in James 4. Rather, like iron mixed with clay, while in many ways nearer the Lord than others in understanding and service, when it comes to true power evangelism and discipleship, we find ourselves all but off-line.
We also often find ourselves lacking in one or more areas of radical discipleship. Thus short circuiting our attempts of being capable of praying the kind of effective, fervent and righteous prayers that avail much.
Regardless of decisions by civic authorities, it's simply unimaginable that 1st century believers would have halted meeting together during such a time as this. Particularly given the constant peril of persecution and martyrdom many faced on a daily basis. In fact, one suspects they would have prayed together all the more, crying out to God to forgive their sins and reverse their powerlessness over illness and disease, devils and death, until “the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
While the world may rightly search for masks and respirators, cures and vaccines, what may be most needed today is a new generation of "building" Quakers.
James 5: A Promise Of Hope
Consider for a moment a handful of verses from James chapter 5 through which hope in the power of effective, fervent and righteous prayer is derived. For in them we have not only an overlooked litmus test for Biblical church leadership, but a guaranteed cure for what ails us:
- "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:13-16 NIV
Here we see no hint of cessationism. Nor the failure of charismatics. What we do see are simple and straightforward instructions clearly indicating that elders are required to be able to offer the kind of prayer in faith that equates to miraculous healing and subsequent forgiveness of sins.
Yet how many can on do so on a routinely daily basis? Almost, if not absolutely, zero. Hence the need and wisdom of sheltering in place and shuttered churches, social distancing and masks.
How many are ready to admit the truth of the passage and our inability to fulfill the requirement? About the same.
Herein lies the horns of our dilemma. Here is the true crises/opportunity afforded by the mass global suffering of COVID-19, not to mention every other intractable disease and disability. Yet who will respond appropriately?
"Many are called, but few are chosen." Why? Because few choose to answer His call.
To do so and gain the power of Elijah to which James referred would change everything. People would pack churches and tear the roofs off houses to gain access to the true Christ of Biblical Christianity who's miracles and forgiveness was once again fully accessible.
Modern Christians would love and fear the Lord. Spiritual gifts would be plentiful and multitudes would fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” The virtue of Godly fear would be restored. Sin and profanity would be judged and corrected, as in the tragic yet telling case of Ananias and Sapphira:
- "Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed." Acts 5:11-16 NIV
If not, what will be the result of this and any future crises? Most likely more of the same. Only worse, having once again hardened our hearts, resisted the Spirit and drawn nearer the day of reckoning. A point Prophetic Christians do well to ponder. All the more as modern Christianity's churches are locked down and empty for the first time in history during Easter week.
Sheltering in place, I finished watching the Passion of the Christ on “Good Friday” night. Having previously watched and been deeply moved by Mel Gibson epic movie, this was the first time on a 4K UHD 65” Big Screen TV. The resolution and violence was so incredibly graphic I had to split the movie over two nights. Much to be said. Starting with it must indeed be true that “by His stripes we are healed.” Shame on us if we fail to restore the power of such a costly gift... 🤕🤒😷
It's been noted if you want to judge how popular a church is, count the number attending a Sunday morning service. To judge how popular a pastor is, count those attending a mid week service. To judge how popular God is, count those attending a regularly scheduled serious and lengthy prayer meeting. If you can find one.
Prayer meetings, while rare, come in assorted varieties. This raises the question, what kind of prayer meeting might break through to God is this late and troubling hour?
First, we must honestly deal with the enormous elephant in the room. The simple fact that for the most part, prayer is broken. A leading cause and result of prayer's modern unpopularity. This is not to say that prayer always goes unanswered. Rather, that like a stoped clocked, prayer seems dependable about twice a day. Furthermore, such an obvious and Scriptural admission does not cast dispersions on God, but rather on us:
- "Look! Listen! God’s arm is not amputated—he can still save. God’s ears are not stopped up—he can still hear. There’s nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you. Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God. Your sins got between you so that he doesn’t hear." Isaiah 59:1-2 MSG
But whole denominations happily teach God's love and mercy are unconditional. So why such silence and distance between God and today's believers? The plain truth is that in a bid for relevance and appeal, Churchianity has lowered, if not jettisoned, Biblical standards. Yet, as evident in the passage just cited from Isaiah and literally hundreds like it, while God's salvation and power are indeed freely given, they are always conditional. So much so, confusion regarding the free-conditional gifts of God has become the greatest doctrinal stumbling block of modern Christianity. And a predominate obstacle to effective prayer.
So what conditions might need to be met in regards to successfully praying the Prayer of Anguish (POA)? While James 4 (J4) offers step by step instruction, carefully contemplation of a handful of other considerations seem in order. I offer the following recommendations as both a synthesis of Scripture and of having attended and/or led well over 1,000 corporate prayer meetings during the last 40 years. Some were pretty good by today's standards, but none produced a fraction of the desired results. For that we must dig deeper through the shifting sand of our poor doctrine and lifestyles, and beyond the hardpan of prayerlessness and Biblical illiteracy, building our POA meeting on the Rock of Ages.
Addendum
What is needed is quantum balance and equilibrium. In this case, as a decades old prayer partner once noted in regards to resolving the tension between accurately discerning Scripture and the centrality of the Holy Spirit, “Evangelism without prayer is Fruitless, Prayer without Evangelism is Faithless. Scripture without the Spirit is Lifeless, the Spirit without Scripture is Baseless.” With this mind, let us more prayerfully study the Bible, recognizing Scripture itself must be "spiritually discerned."
The author is well aware that the premise of this article will largely be rejected. As exposed by the Kierkegaard quote, "Christian scholarship" has much to fear from a simple straightforward handling of Scripture. More demanding New Testament principles are not only challenging, but abrasive. To this end, Kierkegaard further warns that authentic Biblical Christianity is not for the timid, "It is the deepest wound that can be dealt to a person designed to collide with everything on the most appalling scale.” Such a sentiment reinforces the need for Quantum hope and costly honesty. Both prerequisites of "accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth."
If Christianity’s a cruise ship sailing merrily from here to Heaven, then Søren’s sentiment is way out of line. If, from an eternal perspective, Heaven and Earth are at war with fallen angels and devils, Christianity is indeed a battleship and Kierkegaard’s spot on. What recruit facing the rigors of boot camp, much less the horrors of war, would possibly take offense?
Even if Christianity could be likened to a pleasure cruise, given Churchianity’s collision course with so many modern temptations and deceptions, up to an including the blood red mountainous iceberg of abortion, in certain respects might even many well intended ministries be reduced to simply arranging deck chairs on the Titanic?
So is Christianity a cruise or gunship? We must decide. And do so quickly and carefully. Military directives and drills, cramped quarters and sea rations, would be absurd on a pleasure cruise. So too, civilian itineraries and activities, opulent suites and sumptuous banquets, would be anathema during a time of war.
It can’t be overstated that according to the context of Scripture, the battlefield is not a mythical analogy, but rather eternity’s reality. This partially explains the Bible’s harsh or even horrible accounts of earthly conflict. An explanation pampered modern Christians refuse to accept. Thus our failure to acknowledge the New Testament's call to arms.
Another small problem with the primary tenants of this article is that they are impossible. Tasking, much less requiring, elders of the church to regularly and miraculously heal the sick is patently absurd. Yet, Christianity is synonymous with impossibility. From the incarnation by virgin birth to the atonement and resurrection. From Kingdom signs and wonders to the entire Book of Revelation.
Faith producing miracles is by definition rare. Should mountain removing levels of mustard seed faith be common, the world would be quite a different place. Even so, The New Testament is not only replete with the miraculous, but depended on it. Both as a foundation for 1st century Christianity, as well as a litmus test for Biblical authority and power evangelism/discipleship. Nothing is more troubling and telling than modern Christianity’s lack of miracle producing levels of faith. Nor is anything more needed and necessary than its restoration. As the primary and demonstrable aspect of both the Kingdom and glory of God, its importance and influence is infinite and eternal. As are the ramifications of its continued loss.
Improbable or not, failure to face difficult, or in this case impossible truth, undermines the offer of power implicit in the New Testament. As previously referenced, Christianity was designed to be heralded by "a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power." As with a split vessel, half the Gospel holds little or no promise of living water.
Even so, what modern church would open such a spiritual pandora's box? How many in positions of leadership are willing to risk all they have on an impossibility with little or no chance of success? Even if persuaded to do so, what explanation would suffice for having delayed so long? What would parishioners and colleagues think? What other unpleasantries might require addressing?
This is exactly Kierkegaard's point when sardonically stating, "Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?" A reasonable question. Thankfully one asked and answered by a great cloud of witnesses, the likes of which we are told "The world was not worthy." Up to and including Martin Luther and Blaise Pascal, Charles Wesley and Hudson Taylor, Charles Finney and Smith Wigglesworth, George Müller and Evan Roberts, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jackie Pullinger, Brother Yun and Nik Ripken. To name just a few.
Countless Christian men and women have proven the old adage, "The difficult is done at once, the impossible takes a little longer." Or as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II is credited as praying, "God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless." Or as Winston Churchill famously noted, "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."
With such examples and so much to gain, validating and complying with the directives of James 4 hardly seems too much for God to ask. While such a demanding assignment may be problematic for entire denominations or even large congregations, a qualified insertion group of spiritual commandos might prove worthy of the task. For those hardy souls willing to venture in, we highly recommend a thorough reading of GB's Prayer of Anguish, where step by step exegesis and helpful suggestions are provided.
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