Scientific studies by PhD and MD types done on specific mission fields has provided evidence of healings. Here is one study that was published in the Southern Medical Journal.
....The article includes discussion on why some other studies, typically in Western countries and not involving hands-on ministry by Pentecostal-type Christians, showed lesser benefits to healing prayer. My add: There does seem to be a huge disconnect between stories of miracles overseas and the lack of confirmed miracles in the West. In Tim Stafford’s Christianity Today
article about the Bakers’ ministry, he noted that the same researchers (led by Candice Brown of Indiana University) had confirmed miraculous healings in Brazil, but were unable to do so at charismatic Christian gatherings in North America.
The problem here is that Jesus has said that those who profess Him will claim prophesying in His name and casting out of devils in His name and doing wonderful works in His name in Matthew 7:21-23 by which because of the iniquity that denies Him as already being in them when they seek to receive Him again after a sign, they are denied by Him.
Matthew 7:[SUP]21 [/SUP]Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.[SUP]22 [/SUP]Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?[SUP]23 [/SUP]And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:[SUP]25 [/SUP]And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.[SUP]26 [/SUP]And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:[SUP]27 [/SUP]And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jesus says "therefore" in connecting that iniquity with another result brought on by not listening to Him that the Son is the only way to approach God the Father in anything ( John 14:6 & John 5:22-23 ); prayer ( John 14:13-14 & 1 Timothy 2:5 ), fellowship ( 1 Corinthians 1:9 & 1 John 1:3-7 ), and worship ( John 13:31-32 & Philippians 2:5-13 & Philippians 1:6-11 ). That other result for not listening to Him is this falling down result.
May the Lord cause the increase.....this falling down backwards for not listening to His words that He is the only way ( John 14:6 and there is no other way ( John 10:1 & Matthew 7:13-14 & John 10:7 ) is why being "drunk" in "His Presence" is why it is not of Him either, regardless of the so called miracles that come about.
Luke 13:[SUP]24 [/SUP]Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.[SUP]25 [/SUP]When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
[SUP]26[/SUP]Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.[SUP]27 [/SUP]But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.[SUP]28 [/SUP]There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.[SUP]29 [/SUP]And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.[SUP]30 [/SUP]And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Isaiah 28:[SUP]6 [/SUP]And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and
for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.[SUP]7 [/SUP]But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.[SUP]8 [/SUP]For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.[SUP]9 [/SUP]Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.[SUP]10 [/SUP]For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:[SUP]1
1 [/SUP]
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.[SUP]12 [/SUP]To whom he said, This is the restwherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and
this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.[SUP]13 [/SUP]But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; t
hat they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
So this baptism with the Holy Spirit that they claim is separate from salvation cannot be, because we are to rest in Jesus Christ when we came to and believed in Him thus we no longer hunger nor thirst to be filled. They that err, do not hear which is why they fall backwards in these movements of the spirit which they think is of the Holy Spirit, but it is not.
They either narrow the way to the straight gate and lean on Jesus Christ, trusting Him as their Good Shepherd to keep them from falling as well as cease chasing after seducing spirits to receive after a sign when the real Holy Spirit dwells within them by faith in Jesus Christ as promised when they were saved after believing in the hearing of the gospel so they could rest in Him for all things that they are filled as promised, & thus saved, and He will help them to follow Him because He is their Good Shepherd.
So believe me when I tell you that when people claim salvation by the preaching of an apostasy or claim miracles by that apostasy, it will not matter to me because Jesus has warned and spoken against such apostasy when it denies Him.
Titus 1:[SUP]15 [/SUP]Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.[SUP]16 [/SUP]They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate.
This is why many saved believers will be left behind as any work of iniquity that denies Him, they will be denied attendance to the Marriage Supper as Luke 13:24-30 testifies, even though `they are still His sheep for following the stranger's voice ( John 10:1-5;7;14-16 ) as they are of they that be Christ's at His coming after the great tribulation as they will be received as vessels unto dishonor as they will testify to the power of God in salvation even for those that believe in His name.
As it is, since there are vessels unto dishonor in His House that will not listen because they cannot hear, as they refuse to hear, then may we lean on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Good Shepherd to withdraw from fellowship & discussion of those that are not of us for assuredly, we do not speak the same thing nor have the same judgment.
2 Thessalonians 3:1Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:[SUP]2 [/SUP]And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.[SUP]3 [/SUP]But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.[SUP]4 [/SUP]And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.[SUP]5 [/SUP]And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.[SUP]6 [/SUP]Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.[SUP]7 [/SUP]For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;.......[SUP]14 [/SUP]And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.[SUP]15 [/SUP]Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
This below can be read as applying to those that deny Jesus Christ within them by seeking to receive Him again.
1 John 1:[SUP]18 [/SUP]Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.[SUP]19 [/SUP]They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.[SUP]20 [/SUP]But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.[SUP]21 [/SUP]I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.[SUP]22 [/SUP]Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.[SUP]23 [/SUP]Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.[SUP]24 [/SUP]Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.[SUP]25 [/SUP]And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.[SUP]26 [/SUP]These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.[SUP]27 [/SUP]But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.[SUP]28 [/SUP]And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.[SUP]29 [/SUP]If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
They are not of the firstfruits; they are not of the elect if they do not hear Him to repent before the Bridegroom comes. These be the vessels unto dishonor; the five foolish virgins that are out to the market seeking to be filled continuously which is why they have not entered into that rest in Jesus Christ as those 5 wise virgins waiting for the Bridegroom as filled when they had first come to and believed in Jesus Christ so that they can rest in Him to wait for the Bridegroom.
Those astray that hear as God peradventures, can still repent with His help by shunning vain profane babblings and pray normally to give genuine thanks to the Father in Jesus's name for answered prayers and rest in Him as always filled as a testimony that they are always saved so that they can tell the world that Jesus Christ is the Savior BECAUSE He has saved them by faith in Jesus Christ. Once the door to the Marriage Supper is shut, they can still repent but too late to be received by the Bridegroom, but they will be received later on as vessels unto dishonor in His House for they are His in spite of falling away from the faith in Jesus Christ for chasing after seducing spirits to receive after a sign in the flesh.
