What's the big secret? There's no one that doesn't want to be healed, but there's many that don't believe in miracles.
Is cessation an observation or theology?
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Did He really heal anyone at any time? The Bible says that …57 And they (those who were from His hometown) took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief."
God's works can sometimes be blocked by how people receive Him.
This verse does not say Jesus refused to heal anyone in His hometown. It says He did not many mighty works there. He did do some.
You are correct that people must receive Christ respectfully and have faith if they want miracles. I already said that Jesus often declared “your faith has made you whole” or “according to your faith be it unto you.”
But note that He never said “it is not God’s will to heal you, your sickness is a trial you must undergo to become more humble” or anything remotely like that.
And Jesus and His disciples never said “if it be God’s will, be healed.” It is always God’s will for healing to occur.
I have a mental illness which has been shown not to be due to Satan or from life experiences. Instead, the course and development seems come primarily from genetics. We have all been affected by the Fall.
You need to start preaching salvation to the local school kids and college students who are being taught atheism then…And you may need to LEARN what Matthew 28:19,20 really means.
Okay, but the text implies He would have done much more had the people not questioned and doubted Him. The Bible says that we humans are able QUENCH, GRIEVE and HARDEN our hearts against the Holy Spirit which hinders and, at times, halts what God is trying to do. This was the reason Israel could not enter their inheritance even though it had been promised to them. It was not that God changed His mind or that HIS power had failed. In that case, it was due to a failure of faith on their part.
I do not use the phrase IF IT IS GOD'S WILL unless I am needing guidance about something and do not know what He wants. I also do not know what "God is trying to teach me" when I have some infirmity unless I pray for and receive wisdom from Him about it. Paul said why he experienced that "thorn in the flesh" (whatever that was) He said it happened to keep him from being proud for having received so many revelations.
Hello Anchorite, I would agree. In Matthew 24:4 Jesus talks of the signs of the End Times and the first thing he says is 'Take care that no man deceives you'. Sadly in our day open frauds and fakes seem to be tolerated by many churches, we're living in an age to be cautious IMHO. God Bless You
Exactly. People not only want to be whole but are often desperate to be free of their afflictions. Instead of listening to them and assuming the burden of an Intercessor, teachers of the word often dismiss their suffering as secondary to winning theological arguments. It seems they are so concerned about not giving people FALSE HOPES that they often end up extinguishing ALL hope of God performing a miracle in the here and now. While they usually will admit that HYPOTHETICALLY God could do miracles, in practice, they have constructed a theology which, effectively excludes that possibility of that happening in the here and now.
However, throughout the Bible, God has shown us that He is willing to intervene in nature and act on behalf of His creatures. We call visible interventions of this kind "miracles" or "supernatural" However, it is precisely because it comes from God and is supernatural that it has the power to transform us.
The gospel writers tell us that the first thing we all need is spiritual LIFE which is not merely theoretical and mental but experiential .
…17For the LAW was given through MOSES; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever SEEN God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, HAS MADE HIM KNOWN
(John 1:17-18).
…7If you had known Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?…
John defines LIFE as knowing Him by experience. It is experiential because the Ruach Ha Kodesh is the One who introduces us to Him. It is mysterious because He is transcendent but He still requires something practical of us - TRUST and DEPENDANCE on Him. For this reason I believe that faith is inseparable from an obedient RESPONSE to Him. The willingness of men like Abraham to take the risk of leaving everything they know to pursue what God has told him is what makes Him the father of faith.
Let me turn this proposition back to you. Do you think that when Jesus came he wanted to heal every last diseased, disordered and disabled person in Israel? If He had wanted to do that don't you think He could have done so? Also, if he had wanted to lead his followers on such a universal ministry of healing don't you think He Himself would set the example for us by healing everyone?
Although He granted us a degree of His power to do that when He said:
12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.…
(John 14:12)
Although the Bible says that:
When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at PRESENT we do not see everything subject to him.
(Hebrews 2:8)
Acts 1:8
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Luke 15:10
10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:7
7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
T
TruthDefender
Guest
I gave the verse as a quote, there is nothing twisted. The whole Bible is from God!
If there is any twisting, it’s you doing it, otherwise it’s pretty clear.
T
TruthDefender
Guest
He was directing His comments to the 12 apostles here. Context is everything. This was already done by them.
You restrict the comments in a way not supported by scripture. And the 12 apostles did not go to the remotest parts of the earth, they just began the job.
Don't you think the Commission was also meant to be carried out by the subsequent generations of believers who came after the Apostles? I mean the Apostles never completed this worldwide mission in their lifetimes.
Actually, the gospel did make its way to most of the known world in the 1st century.
But not to the remotest part of the earth. That still has not been totally fulfilled yet.
Acts 1:8
“…but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
It is estimated that of the 8.08 billion people alive in the world today, 3.42 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
According to Joshua Project, there are approximately 17,269 unique people groups in the world with 7,188 of them considered unreached (over 42% of the world’s population)! The vast majority (85%) of these least reached groups exist in the 10/40 window and less than 3% of missionary work is done among these people.
Perhaps you should find out why miracles are rare these days. Not impossible. I've prayed for people to be healed myself. I was miraculously healed twice in one day of chronic health conditions. Lord Jesus healed and delivered all who came to Him. (Matthew 15:29) And there is the heart of the issue. People refuse to come to Jesus to be made well.
Lord Jesus did few miracles in Nazareth because of their doubt an unbelief. (Matthew 13:58). Again, that is why miracles are so rare. We live in the age of mockery and scepticism.
One man who was used mightily by God to heal and deliver was Derek Prince. Smith Wigglesworth also had the gift of miracles. There are too many who are phonies. The Bible warns us about them. But that does not mean that every miracle is fake.
At what other time in history has the gospel gone out first from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and then the rest of the world?
We do not know how frequent miracles are today. We cannot state positively that they are rare.
Many miracles occur today without any fanfare or media publicity. I have experienced quite a few myself, but I do not toot a horn to bring attention to myself.
Jesus even told some people not to tell anyone about their miracle healing. Jesus did not want to be constantly overwhelmed by huge crowds seeking miracles, though He did heal everyone who came to Him.
Christianity is supernatural, not just ethical. Our God is love and all powerful.
Let’s not limit Him through cynical negation of faith!
Many miracles occur today without any fanfare or media publicity. I have experienced quite a few myself, but I do not toot a horn to bring attention to myself.
Jesus even told some people not to tell anyone about their miracle healing. Jesus did not want to be constantly overwhelmed by huge crowds seeking miracles, though He did heal everyone who came to Him.
Christianity is supernatural, not just ethical. Our God is love and all powerful.
Let’s not limit Him through cynical negation of faith!
T
TruthDefender
Guest
Nope, then you misunderstand what you’re reading. It’s very plain and easy to understand.