step 4-part 2
The Garment represents the covering Presence and Power of God.When the man went outside, it would protect him from the elements.
‘Tallit’ means ‘little tent’, so that when it is pulled over the head, it forms a private sanctuary in which one meets with God. Here one
shuts the door on everything else and focuses on God, as Jesus said in
Matthew 6:6: “When you pray, go into your (private) room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the Secret Place (in the Spirit); and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Coming under the Prayer Shawl is a picture of dwelling (spiritually) in
the Secret Place of the Most High, in His very Presence, under His the
covering of His Wings (Psalm 91:1-4).
It is a rectangular piece of cloth with Tassels
attached to the Corners (Wings). According to Numbers 15:38-40, these
Tassels represent the words of God and must be clearly seen, so as to be a constant
reminder to the man. Thus wherever he walks he sees the Tassels and is
reminded to walk according to God’s Word and not his own ways. When he
prays under the shawl, he is wrapped around in the Tassels, reminding
him to wrap himself about with God’s words (promises).
The threads of the Tassels are white (signifying purity), except for
one BLUE thread (signifying FAITHFULNESS). This shows forth the fact
that God’s faithfulness stands behind all His words, so that we can put
all our faith in them. Jesus criticised the Pharisees for: “to be seen by men...they enlarge the Borders (and Tassels) of their Garments” (Matthew 23:5). They wore massive Tassels to
show off how they were more obedient to the Word than other men. They
missed the point! The Tassels were meant to help produce humble
submission to the Word, not self-righteous pride.
The Tassels are like feathers projecting from the end of the wings (corners) of this Jewish Outer Garment. Therefore the Hem (Border) of His Garment included these Tassels. Jesus, as a law-abiding Jew, would have worn an Outer Garment with these Tassels. It is these Tassels, representing God’s Faithfulness and Word, that are the vital part of the Hem of this Garment, for God’s Power works through His Word. We lay hold of God’s Power by trusting (receiving) His Word. (His Power is in His Word, so when we receive His Word into us, we also receive His Power). When the people came to Jesus and bowed down to touch the Hem of His Garment, it was these Tassels that they were seeking to touch. The Tassels of the Messiah represented all of God’s faithful words (commands and promises) fulfilled in Him. These promises included Healing Power for all the sick.
Therefore in laying hold of these Tassels, they were taking hold by faith of the promises of God, now fulfilled in Christ. They were trusting in His faithfulness to the Word He preached, that He was their Messiah, Saviour and Healer. In taking hold of His Tassels, they were putting all their trust in His Word of Healing, and as a result they received (believed) His (Healing) Power into their bodies.
When Jesus came the first time He wore the Mantle of a Prophet, He now wears Priestly Garments. When He returns He will wear the Robe that shows forth His full authority and power as King: “He has on His Robe and on His thigh a Name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). In each case His outer Garments show forth the authority and power of the Office in which He stands.
Having seen that people were healed by touching Christ’s clothing, because it had absorbed the Anointing that was upon Him, we now come to the third way people can be healed through TOUCH:
3. Healing through anointed Prayer-Cloths. This is an extension of the Method of Touch, based on the fact that certain materials, such as cloth, can store and conduct the Healing Anointing (Power) of God. Therefore a cloth that has been in contact with the Healing-Anointing (perhaps through having hands laid upon it), can be taken to the sick and placed upon their bodies, and then the Healing-Power stored in these cloths will flow into their bodies to drive out the sickness and heal them (if this Power is received by faith). Thus the Healing Power flows to the sick (according to the Law of Contact and Transmission) in two stages. First of all it is transmitted from the minister to the cloth, and then from the cloth to the sick body.
This is what happened in Acts 19:11,12: “God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs (cloths) or aprons (clothing) were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” God’s Healing Power still works the same way today. Cloths can be used to get the Anointing to someone sick, when it is not possible for them to go to a Healing-Service and also not possible to go and lay hands on them. It is important that along with the cloth, they are given instruction on how the cloth contains God’s Healing Power, and how to believe they receive it, when the cloth is laid upon them.
Flesh, blood and bone can also store and conduct Healing-Power, for otherwise it could not be transmitted through the Laying on of Hands, or go into a body and abide there to drive out sickness and produce healing in every kind of body part. An incident from Elisha’s ministry demonstrates that bones in particular can store Healing-Power. Having received the double portion of Elijah’s spirit, the number of recorded miracles by Elisha was twice as many as Elijah, save one. However after his death he did one more miracle through his anointing and this made the doubling exact! “Elisha died, and they buried him... So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet” (2Kings 13:20,21)
Evidently Elisha’s bones had absorbed God’s anointing upon him during his lifetime and had continued to store it even after his death, so that when a dead man TOUCHED Elisha’s bones, the Anointing in the bones was transmitted into his body and it brought him back to life and healed him! Our bodies and clothes can be so saturated with Healing-Power, so that when people believe we are anointed and touch us (or our clothes) they will be healed.
THE LAYING ON OF HANDS. We have been looking at the various Methods by which God’s Healing Power is administered to the sick. It is interesting to classify all the Healings of Jesus and the Apostles according to these different Methods (I did this in my book: ‘The Laws of God’s Healing Power’). I believe that these examples of Healing were given to show the variety of ways by which God heals us (His ordained channels of Healing). I also believe that the proportion of times each Method is used in these recorded accounts, gives us the approximate proportion of times it was used in His Ministry.
Therefore if one Method dominates in these accounts, we can deduce that it was and is God’s normal Method of administering Healing Power. If we look at all the accounts of Healing that describe the Method used, then it is clear that most Healings happened through TOUCH, and that this contact was usually made through the Laying on of Hands. Thus the normal Method for ministering Healing Power is through the Laying on of Hands. Jesus believed in the Laying on of Hands, and often used it to administer Healing Power to the sick:
1. The Raising of the Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-17). “Then He came and TOUCHED the open coffin...And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.” He commanded his spirit back into his body, and healed him from whatever had caused his premature death through touch.
2. The Man born Blind (John 9:1-7). “When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.”
3. The Woman with a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:10-17).
“Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And HE LAID HIS HANDS ON HER, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” First of all, He took authority over the evil spirit by His words. Then through His hands He ministered Healing Power to her body to restore her Health.
4. The Afflicted Boy (Matt 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43). “Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus TOOK HIM BY THE HAND and lifted him up, and he arose.” First of all, Jesus cast out the demon with a word of command. Then through His Hands, He ministered Healing Power to the boy to strengthen him and raise him up.
5. A Man with Dropsy (Luke 14:1-6).
“He TOOK him (by the hand) and HEALED him, and let him go”
6. Malchus’ Ear (Luke 22:49-51). “One of them (Peter) struck
the servant of the High Priest and cut off his right ear...
And He (Jesus) TOUCHED his ear and HEALED him.”
7. Peter’s Mother-in-law (Matt 8:14,15; Mark 1:30,31; Luke 4:38,39)
“Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He TOUCHED her hand,
and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.”
8. A Leper (Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16).
“Then Jesus put out His HAND and TOUCHED him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
9. Raising Jairus Daughter (Matt 9:18-26, Mark5:22-43, Luke 8:41-56) “Behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and LAY YOUR HAND on her and she will live." ..... But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and TOOK HER BY THE HAND, and the girl arose.” This ruler had seen Jesus healing everyone through the Laying on of Hands, and therefore requested Jesus to come and lay hands on her. He had no confidence that Jesus could heal her any other way. Jesus was happy to minister Healing according to this Method that Jairus had set.
The story of the Healing of the Centurian’s Servant (Luke 7:1-10) started in a similar way, where Jesus was requested to come to the house to heal him (by touch). Again Jesus was content to follow this Method if that was where their faith was. But when He got close to the house, the Centurion expressed his faith that he believed Jesus could heal by the Spoken Word (of Command) alone and that therefore the Laying on of Hands was not necessary. Jesus was pleased with his faith and his choice of a Method of Healing requiring a higher level of faith, and again He was happy to minister Healing according to the Method set by those receiving Healing. Thus we see that typically Jesus was happy to give Healing Power through whatever Method the people chose. If they were ready to release their faith upon the Laying on of Hands or upon the Spoken word, then Jesus would do that, because He wanted them healed.
In the Healing of the Nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54) Jesus was again asked by the Nobleman to come to his boy and heal him (by touch), for as with most people, his faith was that he would be healed when Jesus laid His hands upon him (for indeed that was how the great majority of Healings were done in the Ministry of Jesus). However in this instance (perhaps because Jesus was not at liberty to make the journey and knowing his faith), Jesus called him to move onto a higher level of faith, and receive the Healing through another (higher) Method (the Spoken Word alone). The man believed the word and his boy was healed.
Therefore sometimes constraints of distance and time (there may be too many people needing prayer, for there to be time to lay hands on all of them) require us to move onto a higher level of faith and use the Spoken Word alone, commanding Healing Power into their bodies. This Method does not have the same limits, for it can communicate the Power over distance and to many people at the same time. Under normal circumstances however, it is clear that the standard Method Jesus used (which reflected His personal care for people) was the Laying on of Hands. Most people were ready to release their faith and receive their healing this way, whereas fewer were ready to operate on the higher level of believing the Word alone. I believe Jesus was happy for people to get healed either way!
10. Two Blind Men at Capernaum (Matthew 9:27-34).
“Then He TOUCHED their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened.”
11. A Deaf Man with a speech impediment (Mark 7:32-37).
“They brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to PUT HIS HAND on him. He took him aside from the multitude, and put His FINGERS in his ears, and He spat and TOUCHED his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.”
12. The Blind Man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). “He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to TOUCH HIM. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and PUT HIS HANDS ON HIM, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He PUT HIS HANDS ON HIS EYES again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.”
13. Blind Bartimaeus and one other Blind man at Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43).
“Jesus had compassion and TOUCHED their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.”
In the Healing Services of Jesus, we also see His use of the Laying on of Hands. A Healing Service in Capernaum is described in Matthew 8:16 and Mark 1:32-34 where many people were healed from all kinds of diseases. However, we have to turn to the account in Luke to find out what Method was used: “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He LAID HIS HANDS ON EVERY ONE OF THEM and HEALED them (all)” (Luke 4:40).
Notice the phrase: ‘He HEALED them’ (which is often used, see Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 10:7,8, 14:14; Mark 6:12,13, Luke 6:19, 8:1,2, 9:2,6,11, 10:9, John 6:2). This indicates that Jesus did not ask God to heal the sick, but instead He healed them directly by giving them the Healing Power which God had given Him (at His Anointing). He usually gave this Healing Power to the sick through the Laying on of Hands, as in this case. Thus He healed the sick by Laying His Hands on them, imparting (administering) His Healing Power to their bodies.
In Mark 6:1-6, He ministered in His hometown Nazareth, but was unable to do any mighty work there, because of their unbelief:
“He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such MIGHTY WORKS (Healings) are PERFORMED by His HANDS! (clearly Jesus was teaching them about Healing through the Laying on of Hands, for He had been telling them about the Healings that had happened elsewhere through the Laying on of His Hands).... Now He could DO no mighty WORK there, except that He LAID HIS HANDS on a few sick people and (in this way He) HEALED them and He marvelled because of thir unbelief” (v5,6).
Matthew 13:58 says: “Now He did not DO many mighty WORKS (or literally: ‘Works of Power’) there, because of their unbelief.”
Notice again that He was the one ‘doing’ the Works of Healing, He was the one who healed the sick (by means of the Power of the Spirit or Anointing upon Him). He wanted to do many ‘Works of Power’ there, by ministering to them the Healing Power that was upon Him, but their inability to receive this Power limited what He could do. They did not believe He was Anointed, and so they could not receive His Anointing. However, even under these difficult conditions, He was able to heal a handful of sickly people through His Hands. Even in this atmosphere of unbelief a few people with minor ailments believed they could be healed through His Hands. This shows us that the Laying on of Hands works when nothing else will, because people find it the easiest Method to accept and use to release their faith. This is one reason Jesus used TOUCH and the Laying on of HANDS more than any other method to transmit Healing to the sick.
The Anointing with Oil with the Prayer of Faith is just a variation of the Laying on of Hands, which uses the extra symbolism of OIL. Laying on of Hands is necessarily involved in the Anointing with Oil, but now in addition, OIL is applied to the Person as a SYMBOL of the HEALING ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit. It provides a perfect picture of what is happening spiritually when hands are laid on the sick one. Thus the Oil is an outward sign of an inward grace, given as an aid to faith for the person receiving Healing, for it is a tangible reminder to them that when hands are laid upon them, the invisible Healing Anointing of God is flowing into them. When they have hands laid upon them and feel the Oil, they are to know that God’s Anointing is upon them, and they are to believe they receive it.
We read about this in James 5:14-16: “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 (this is the sick person believing that he receives the Healing-Power being ministered to him - Mark 11:24) will SAVE (HEAL) the sick, and the (POWER of the) LORD will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
(1) They are to instruct the sick man in repentance and faith, to prepare him to receive his Healing. He needs to be taught to receive forgiveness, through confessing any sins that might block his Healing. He also needs to be taught to pray the prayer of faith (to believe he receives his Healing) when he is anointed with the Oil.
(2) They are to pray, coming into the Presence of the Lord, thanking Him for His Healing Anointing freely given to the sick, and that when they lay hands upon him and anoint him with Oil, then His Anointing will flow into the sick man and heal him.
(3) They are to lay hands on him in the Name of Jesus, anointing him with Oil, believing that when they apply the Anointing Oil to him, then the Healing Anointing is also being applied to his body.
(4) When the sick man is anointed, he is to receive this Healing Anointing through the Prayer of Faith (believing he receives it).
(5) Then the Lord, by means of His Healing Power, will heal (save) the sick man of his sicknesses and raise him up into new life.
Notice there must be two ingredients present, for there to be success:
(1) The Power of the Lord and (2) The (Prayer of) Faith of the Man.
The Power of God working through the man’s faith does two things:
(1) It saves him from his sickness (it drives out all disease).
(2) It imparts new life and health to him, causing him to rise up.
But the Power of God, without the Prayer of Faith, will not work, for our faith is needed to receive and give action to the Power of God. This is emphasised by the phrase: ‘the Prayer of Faith will save the sick.’ Now we know that it is the Healing Anointing of the Lord, represented by the Oil, that actually heals the sick and raises him up. But since God’s Healing Power will always flow when a sick person is anointed according to James 5, whether or not he is healed depends on whether he prays the prayer of faith and believes he receives it. Therefore it is essential that the sick man receives the Power by faith.
It was Jesus Himself who instituted the Anointing with Oil, because we know the 12 disciples practiced it when they were sent out:
“They went through the towns PREACHING the Gospel and HEALING everywhere” (Luke 9:6). Mark gives us more detail: “They went out and PREACHED that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and ANOINTED WITH OIL many who were SICK and (they) HEALED them” (Mark 6:12,13).
Notice that they preached the Gospel first, then they healed the sick by the Laying on of Hands and Anointing them with Oil. Jesus must have practiced this Himself and instructed His disciples to do it as well, when He sent them out. The fact that it says ‘they healed them’ when they anointed them, confirms that the Anointing with Oil is done in connection with the Method of Ministering the Healing Anointing through the Laying on of Hands to the sick, who then receive it by faith. Thus although God is the Healer, they are the channel of the Healing, so it is true to say: ‘they healed them.’ But if it is true that James 5 is talking about receiving Healing through prayer (where
it is the elders who pray the prayer of faith for the sick man), as is commonly believed, then to say that ‘they healed them’ would be wrong, for it would be God, and God alone who healed them.
Jesus believed so much in the Method of Laying Hands on the sick in order to minister God’s Healing Power to them, that He used it as His primary Method of ministering Healing. Moreover, He told the Church to continue His Ministry of Healing (Mark 16:15-18), telling us all to continue to use the Laying on of Hands as the main Method of Healing. Jesus said: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do (including Healing through Hands), he will do also” (John 14:12).
Jesus commissioned the Church to use this Method to heal the sick, in confirmation of the Gospel we share:
"Go into all the world and PREACH the GOSPEL to every creature...and these SIGNS will follow those who believe....
IN MY NAME, THEY WILL LAY THEIR HANDS on the SICK and they will RECOVER...So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
Then after the ascended Lord poured out the Holy-Spirit upon the Church: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD (of the Gospel) through the SIGNS (HEALINGS) that followed (the WORD)” (Mark 16:15-20).
This shows that the Laying on of Hands is God’s ordained method for the transmission of His Healing Power to the sick to cause their recovery. This Commission is for all believers in the Church-Age. Therefore the Laying on of Hands is something that all believers are authorised to do, showing that it is God’s general Method to minister Healing, rather than some special Method for occasional use only.
This passage also gives instruction on how to put the Laying on of Hands into practice. It connects the Ministry of Healing (through Hands) with the Preaching of the Gospel (Good-News) of Christ.We often see this connection in the Ministry of Jesus Christ:
First of all, He preached the Gospel and then He Healed the sick. (See Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 11:5, Luke 6:17-19, 8:1,2, 9:11).
People came (1) to HEAR HIM (preach the Word of Healing) and then (2) to BE HEALED (Luke 6:17).
Jesus then sent His disciples to:
(1) Preach the Gospel and then,
(2) Heal the sick (Matthew 10:7,8, Mark 6:12,13, Luke 9:2,6, 10:9).
Then He told the Church to:
(1) Preach the Gospel and then,
(2) Lay hands on the sick and they will be healed (Mark 16:15-18).
The first believers then obeyed by:
(1) Preaching the Word first, and then (2) seeing Signs (Healings) following the Word (Mark 16:19-20).
In Mark 16:15-20, HEALINGS are described as SIGNS (visible proofs) that FOLLOW and CONFIRM the WORD that is preached.
So first of all the Gospel must be preached and then the Healings will follow. They must receive the Word, in order to be ready to receive the Healing. So we must share the Word, before we minister Healing. Then the result (their Healing) will confirm the word they have heard. This means that the GOSPEL that we share must include HEALING.
The GOSPEL is the GOOD-NEWS summarised in the BELIEFS 1-4:
(1) Jesus is the Saviour and Healer today. He wants to save and heal us
(2) Through Christ (His death and resurrection), God’s Power to save and heal is available now for all of us, and will be freely given to us upon request, when we come to Him and call upon Him (Rom 10:13)
(3) When we ask for Salvation, His Saving Power (through the Spirit) will come into our spirit to regenerate us, bringing us from spiritual death to life. When we ask for Healing, His HEALING POWER will come into our body to heal us, bringing us from sickness to health.
(4) One Way (ordained by God) that He gives (imparts) this
Healing-Power to our bodies is through the Laying on of Hands, so that when Hands are laid upon you, you will start to make a recovery.
Therefore we are to tell them: “Jesus Christ died for your sicknesses and sins, so He wants to heal you. On the basis of His death and resurrection, He is ready to give Healing to you, so that when Hands are laid upon you, God’s Healing Power will be imparted
to you. It will flow into your body, and you will start to recover.”
So their recovery will be a confirmation of each part of our Message.
We must share this vital knowledge from God’s Word with them, for:
(1) The Gospel makes the Power of God present to heal (Romans1:16) For them to receive Healing Power it must first be made present, and this is done by speaking the Word of Healing: “They went out and preached (the Word) everywhere, the Lord (in Healing Power) working with (the Word) and confirming the Word through the Signs (Healings) that followed (the Word)” (Mark 16:19,20).
The Healing Power of the Lord works (hand in hand) with the Word, it accompanies the Word, it’s made present through the Word. Unless we give the Word, the Power will not be Present for them to receive.
(2) The Gospel (Word) imparts the faith they need to receive Healing Power (Romans10:17). If we don’t share the Word they will not have the faith to receive God’s Healing Power. In order for them to be in position to believe they receive their Healing upon the Laying on of our Hands, they need to have taken the four Steps, by attaining the four key Beliefs from God’s Word that we have been talking about.
Healing Power must first be made present by the Holy-Spirit and then it must be administered to the body (by Hands or the Spoken Word). The Power can either be made present by the initiative of the Spirit (by a Gift of Healing as the Spirit wills), or by the initiative of the Minister (by him sharing the Word of the Gospel). Therefore, unless the Spirit Himself is initiating the Healing, before we use the
Laying on of Hands, we must first share the Gospel, so that firstly, God’s Power to Heal is made Present to them, and so that secondly, they have the faith to receive it when hands are laid on them.The Word is God’s Channel through which His Power flows to us. When the Word of Christ is preached, the Power is made Present. When the Word of Christ is believed, the Power will be received.
What is the Word that we must share to make the Power Present?
It is the Gospel of Christ (the Anointed One and His Anointing).
It is the Good-News that:
(1) Christ died for our diseases, to purchase (provide) Healing for all of us (therefore Healing is God’s will for us)
(2) Christ died, rose again, ascended on High and received from the Father the Holy Spirit, whom He has now poured out upon us, so that:
The Spirit of the Lord (the Anointing to Heal) is now upon me for you. The Healing Power of Christ is Present now, for you to receive as a free-gift from God. As I speak to you in the Name of Jesus my Lord, the Kingdom of God (His Healing Power) is now at hand, it is here for you, to reach out and receive. I am holding your Healing in my hands. It is up to you now to take it. If you believe the Word that the God’s Healing Power is Present here now, for you, then receive it!
Notice that the Power is made Present by the Proclamation that: “the Power is Present now” (along with the explanation of how this is so). This is because the Power of God is in His Word, is in agreement with His Word, works with His Word, and confirms His Word.
So when you proclaim that, on the basis of His death and resurrection of Christ, “the Power of Christ is Present now to Heal them”, you are making that Power present to them through your very proclamation, for: “the GOSPEL of Christ IS the POWER of God unto Salvation (HEALING), for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
This Proclamation is exactly the Message of JUBILEE: that on the basis of the Atonement, God’s grace (power) to forgive and restore is here now for you to receive. It was the very proclamation of Jubilee (the blowing of the Trumpet) that made the Power Present to the people, so they could receive it. Until they heard the Trumpet Blast, they could not claim their freedom, because although it had been purchased by the Atonement, it had not been made present to them (neither of course could they have the faith to receive it). This is the same Gospel (Good-News) that Jesus preached. Though He preached before the Cross, He still made the proclamation that the Spirit of the Lord (the Anointing) was Present upon Him to Heal them (upon the basis of His Baptism, which was a Type of His coming Death and Resurrection), and that now it was the Acceptable (Jubilee) Year of the Lord, the time when they can come and receive (claim) God’s Grace (Power) that has been freely given to them (Luke 4:18-21).
Jesus preached this Message everywhere He went (Acts 10:36-38), preaching the Good-News that the Kingdom of God (His Grace and Healing Power) was at Hand (within reach) for them to take hold of and receive. It is the very Proclamation that ‘the Power is at Hand’, that causes the Power of God to be at Hand (to be Present) to receive.
John the Baptist was the first to make this proclamation, saying: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!" (Matthew 3:2).
Then, “Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent (transfer your trust to God) for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand" (Matthew 4:17). “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at Hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:14).
Then, Jesus sent His disciples withthe same message saying:
“As you go, preach saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand” (Matthew 10:7). The Kingdom of God includes every spiritual blessing, such as Joy, Righteousness, Peace and Healing in the Holy Spirit: “the Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy-Spirit” (Romans 14:17). So, when they proclaimed the Kingdom of God was at hand, they were declaring that God’s Healing Power was at hand (for them to reach out and receive).
In Matthew 11:12, Jesus explained what was happening: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven forces itself on men’s attention, and forceful men lay hold of it.” This confident Gospel Proclamation created a confident response, so that people laid hold of (claimed) their Salvation and Healing.
We are considering what is the Word that we should share, in order to prepare people to receive Healing through the Laying on of Hands. If we look from the viewpoint of what they need to believe in order to receive their Healing, we have already seen the four key Beliefs (or Steps) they need to have to be in position to receive their Healing. We have seen that the truth contained in the first two Steps (Beliefs) require us preaching the Gospel (Jubilee) Message, and this is exactly what we need to share in order to make the Power Present to them! The final two Steps are specific instructions related to the special area of Healing, so that they can believe they receive Healing from God.
Thus before we lay Hands upon them, we should teach these Beliefs:
1. God’s WILL is to HEAL them (this is proved by the Atonement).
2. God will FREELY GIVE His Healing to all who come to Him.
3. What God will freely give them is His HEALING POWER.
4. God will give Healing Power to them when our HANDS are LAID on them, for this is a Divinely ordained method of imparting Healing.
In Summary, we should tell people that God loves them and wants to heal them so much that Christ died to purchase Healing for them. This Healing is available and present now for them to receive. So the moment we lay our hands upon them, God will impart His Healing Power to their bodies and the recovery process will begin at once. We instruct them that when believing hands are laid upon them, they are to believe they receive their Healing and to then expect to recover.
We have seen that during His Ministry, Jesus and His disciples used the Laying on of Hands as the main Method of ministering Healing to the sick. Moreover we have seen that Jesus commissioned the Church to continue the Ministry of Healing using the same Method. We shall now see from the Book of Acts that the early Church were obedient to do this and in so doing had great success. If we too are believing and obedient we will also see success in Healing Ministry!
In Acts 4:29,30 the Church prayed: “Now, Lord...grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may SPEAK YOUR WORD, while You STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND for HEALING and SIGNS and WONDERS to be DONE (come to pass, happen, made manifest) through the NAME of Your holy Servant Jesus."
This prayer for success in ministering God’s Healing Power reveals alot about how it should be accomplished. The desired result is that Healing is done by the Power (Spirit) of God through the disciples as they speak and act in the Name of Jesus. In the Bible, God’s Hand represents His Spirit of Power, and when stretched forth, it represents the Spirit of God active (moving) in Creation, Judgement or Salvation.
“He (Christ) had rays (of Power) flashing from His HAND, for there His Power was hidden” (Habakkuk 3:4). “In Your HAND is POWER and MIGHT; it is in Your HAND to make great and to GIVE STRENGTH (and HEALTH) to all” (1Chronicles 29:12).
Creation is the work of His Hands and Fingers (Psalm 8:3,6, 102:25). Jesus identified the Finger (Hand) of God with the Spirit of God (compare Luke 11:20 and Matthew 12:28), saying that He cast out demons by the Finger (or Spirit) of God. When He spoke a Word of Command against a demon or a sickness, the Spirit of God went forth with the Word to remove (evict) it (compelling it to leave). The Spirit of God (the Father) flowed through His Son (Jesus) to heal the sick. Now He tells us to go in the Place and Name of Jesus, and the Spirit of God will flow through us in exactly the same way.
This prayer reveals that they knew that before HEALING the sick and seeing MIRACLES, they must SPEAK God’s Word to them, for it is through God’s Word that His Power is made Present. The Greek construction shows there are not two requests here (for BOLDNESS to speak, and for HEALINGS). Instead their prayer was simply for God to enable them to fully speak His Word (v29), for they knew that whenever God’s Word of Healing is spoken, His Hand of Power (the Holy-Spirit) will be stretched out to Heal (v30):
“Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may SPEAK Your Word, WHILE YOU STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND for HEALING and SIGNS and WONDERS...” (Acts 4:29,30).
The clause beginning with ‘while’ is a temporal clause, telling us what will happen at the same time that the Word is spoken. Whenever God’s Word goes forth, then the Power of His Spirit is released (as in Genesis 1:1-3). “By the WORD of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the BREATH (SPIRIT) of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). When God spoke His Word, then His Spirit (Breath) also went forth to perform the Word. His Spirit worked with the Word to bring it to pass. Likewise, because God has authorised us to speak His Word in His Name, whenever we speak the Word of Healing, the Lord (by His Spirit) will be working with the Word we speak (Mark 16:20), making the Power to Heal Present (Luke 5:17).
We see the Hand of God working with His Word in Acts 11:20,21:
“...PREACHING the Lord Jesus and the HAND of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
Luke 5:17: “As He was teaching (the Word of Healing),...the Power of the Lord was Present to Heal them (all).”
Mark 16:20: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD through the signs that followed.”
As we share the Word, God stretches out His Hand to the sick person to heal him. God is holding abundant Healing Power in His Hand. He is reaching out with an open Hand to the sick, offering His Healing Power as a Free-Gift. By the preaching of the Word, His Power is brought close to them, so that it is ‘at hand’ (within reach) for them, so that they can reach out and take it with their hand of faith. It is now up to them to believe the Word and come to God and believe they receive His Healing. What is the Word of Healing that must be preached with boldness? We must proclaim that Healing is at hand (to be received as a Free-Gift), that God’s Hand is stretched out to heal them. As we declare it, then so it is (Romans 1:16), for “no word of God is without the power to bring itself to pass” (Luke 1:37, a literal translation). Thus we are co-workers with God. We see what He wants to do (to stretch forth His Hand for Healing), and speak it forth in His Name, as present reality, and as we do, He fulfils the spoken Word and does it (He stretches forth His Hand to heal).
Once this Healing Power has been made present by the Word, then it still needs to be received by faith. Once God’s Hand is stretched out to heal, man’s hand of faith must still reach out and take hold of the Healing in God’s Hand. This can be done by the person coming directly to God and believing he receives his Healing. More often, however, people find it easier to receive God’s Healing Power through the Ministry of another believer. Therefore, once God’s Healing Power has been made present, it must be ministered (in the Name of Jesus) to the body of the sick person (usually through the Laying on of Hands), who needs to receive it by faith. The disciples who prayed this prayer in Acts 4:29,30 understood this, for they said that when they preach the Word, God’s Hand will be outstretched: “for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by believers) through the Name of Jesus." It is clear that unless God’s Healing Hand is outstretched, there can be no Healing. But notice that even when God’s Hand is outstretched for Healing, something else needs to take place before Healings happen. Even when Healing Power is Present, Healing must still be ‘done through the Name of Jesus.’ This reference to the Name of Jesus proves that Healing is to be done by believers using His Name (for it is believers, not God, who do things in the Name of Jesus, as His representatives). The Power to Heal is Present, but believers must take this Power and deliver it to the sick. They are to take God’s Hand of Power and apply it to the sick. The Healing in God’s Hand must be given (ministered) to them (and received by them). This is normally to be done through the Laying on of Hands in the Name of Jesus (Mark 16:18).
Thus they needed boldness to both (1) speak the Word of Healing to make God’s Healing Power Present, and (2) do (perform) the Healings by administering Healing Power to the sick in the Name of Jesus. However, it seems that they mainly prayed for Divine boldness (confidence) to speak the Word of Healing, for they knew that everything would follow from that. You see, they would have the confidence to lay their hands on the sick and heal them, if they knew that God’s Healing Power was Present. But they knew that it would be Present, if they were enabled to speak the Word of God with boldness. Therefore they simply needed to ask God to empower
and embolden them to speak the Word of Healing as they should, knowing that then His Power to Heal would be Present, which in turn, would give them the confidence to minister it to the sick.
Thus Acts 4:29,30 reveals a 2-Stage Process for Ministering Healing: “Lord...grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may (1) SPEAK Your WORD, while You STRETCH OUT Your HAND (to heal), (2) for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by us) through the NAME of Your holy Servant Jesus."
(1) When we SPEAK the WORD, God STRETCHES out His HAND to HEAL (His Power is then made Present), (2) Then this HEALING POWER must be given (administered) to the sick in the NAME of Jesus (which they must receive). The result is that the Hand of the Lord (the Spirit) will manifest (accomplish) His Healing in them.
When the Power (Hand) of God is involved in Creation or Judgement then only the first stage applies, for God speaks His Word and it is done (performed). But when we are talking about the Power of God unto Salvation and Healing, then both stages are required because of free-will. Not only must God’s Word be spoken, bringing His Power to people (making it present and active), but it must also be received:
“(1) The Gospel of Christ (the Word) is the Power of God unto Salvation (Healing), (2) for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Here we see that the Gospel when preached, brings God’s Saving (and Healing) Power to people. His Spirit of Power goes forth with His Word, but it is only effectual for those who believe (receive).
Isaiah 65:1,2 predicts the salvation of the Gentiles through the Gospel: "I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, "Here I am,
I am here' (this is the preaching of the Gospel: ‘The Power of God
is here to save you’) to a nation that was not called by My Name. I have stretched out My Hands all day long to a rebellious people (Israel).” This is quoted in Romans 10:20,21 in the context of the preaching of the Gospel, to show how the differing responses of the Gentiles and the Jews to the Gospel was prophesied. Notice how God is reaching out to all people through the Gospel, saying: “I am here” and as this Message is spoken, He is stretching out His Hands to us (to save us, heal us and receive us). However, not all receive His offer. Some remain rebellious and reject Him, and so they do not receive the benefit of the outstretched Hand (the Spirit) bringing salvation. Isaiah 53:1 tells us that the one to whom the Arm (Power) of the Lord is revealed is the one who believes the Report (Isaiah 53).
The Prayer of Acts 4:29,30 for boldness to preach the Word and to do Healing in Jesus Name, is based upon Mark 16:15-18, where Jesus told us to: (1) Preach the Word, and then (2) Lay our Hands on the sick, in His Name, with the promise that God’s Power would then surely flow into the sick and cause them to recover. (We saw that this proved that the Laying on of Hands is a God-ordained Method of Healing, for He promises to always work with it, by releasing His Healing-Power to the sick causing them to recover). Therefore, the working of God’s Healing Power depended entirely
on their obedience to preach the Word (and then to lay their hands on the sick), for God was ready to do His part and work with them to confirm His Word. Therefore they prayed for all boldness (courage) to do this, for they knew that they needed God’s help to speak the Word with freedom and conviction, without compromise or dilution, especially as they faced opposition. Knowing that the more confident and accurate we are in speaking the Word, then the greater degree of Power is made Present to the hearers and the greater degree of faith to receive is produced in the hearers (leading to doubly greater results) we also need to pray for His ability to speak it fearlessly and fully.
Mark 16:20 then describes the results of obedience: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD through the SIGNS (HEALINGS) that followed (the WORD).”
(1) When they preached the Word, the Power of God was present and working with the Word. By speaking the Word, they activated the Power of God that was upon them. Then (2) when they laid their hands on the sick in His Name, the Power of God visibly confirmed the Word, by going into their bodies and working a complete Healing. In computer language, when we preach the Gospel we bring the Power of God ‘online’ for people, for them to download (receive). In the case of Healing, the normal way for them to receive (having heard the Word) is through the Laying on of Hands in Jesus Name.
The imagery of the prayer in Acts 4:29,30 confirms this use of Hands to minister Healing to the sick: “Lord, grant that with all boldness they may speak Your Word, while You stretch out Your Hand (to Heal), for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by us) through the NAME of JESUS."
(1) They see the Lord stretching out His Hand toward the sick in Healing Power as they preach His Word. This is surely based on seeing Christ do this literally on thousands of occasions, for this was His normal way of giving Healing to the sick.
(2) They know that it is not enough for God’s outstretched Hand of Power to be Present, but that they must also apply it to the sick in the Name of Jesus: They are not just to speak in His Name, but also act (perform Healing) in His Name (John 14:12): “many wonders and signs were done (performed) by the apostles (as they ministered in His Name)” (Acts 2:43, see 3:6,16, 4:10). They knew they were to heal the sick in His Name. But how were they to do this?
To speak and act in His Name is to take His place and represent Him on earth with His authority, and say and do on earth what He is saying and doing in Heaven, just as Jesus ministered in His Father’s Name, saying what He heard the Father saying, and doing what He saw the Father doing. When we truly do this, He works with us and His Power flows through us, accomplishing great things (confirming the Word), just as Jesus said that the Father in Him did the works.
So, in taking the place of Jesus, we are to preach what He preached (the Gospel of Healing) and do what He did (lay hands on the sick to give them His Healing Power). Moreover, we are to say what He is saying now, and do what He is doing now in Heaven. He is speaking His Word of Grace, so that when we speak this same Word on earth, His Power goes forth (His Hand is stretched out to heal the sick). Then, as we do on earth what He is doing in Heaven, and stretch out our hand in His Name to heal the sick, His Power will surely flow through our Hands into their bodies! As we speak His words in His Name, He speaks through our lips. As we lay our hands upon the sick, He lays His Hand (Spirit) of (Healing) Power upon them. As we speak and act in His Name, He speaks and acts through us. As we preach His Word and stretch out our hands in His Name, it is just as if Jesus Himself was personally laying His Hands on the sick, so we can be sure that His Power will flow through us to heal them! As He once healed through His Hands, so He now heals through our Hands.
Acts 4:29,30 paints a dynamic picture of how God and man work together in Healing Ministry. It reveals that when we speak the Word that God has told us to speak (that He is stretching out His Hand to heal the sick), then God fulfils this Word by stretching out His Hand for Healing (causing His Healing Power to be Present). Then when we also do what He is doing and stretch out our hands to heal them in His Name (obeying what He has told us to do with this Power), then Healing will be accomplished (come to pass) in them. The moment we lay our hands on the sick, He lays His Hand upon them (His Power flows into them). It is as if our hands become one with His Hands!
This is all the more appropriate when we consider that we are now the Body of Christ, we have (are) His feet, mouth and hands on earth, to go to the sick, speak His
The Tassels are like feathers projecting from the end of the wings (corners) of this Jewish Outer Garment. Therefore the Hem (Border) of His Garment included these Tassels. Jesus, as a law-abiding Jew, would have worn an Outer Garment with these Tassels. It is these Tassels, representing God’s Faithfulness and Word, that are the vital part of the Hem of this Garment, for God’s Power works through His Word. We lay hold of God’s Power by trusting (receiving) His Word. (His Power is in His Word, so when we receive His Word into us, we also receive His Power). When the people came to Jesus and bowed down to touch the Hem of His Garment, it was these Tassels that they were seeking to touch. The Tassels of the Messiah represented all of God’s faithful words (commands and promises) fulfilled in Him. These promises included Healing Power for all the sick.
Therefore in laying hold of these Tassels, they were taking hold by faith of the promises of God, now fulfilled in Christ. They were trusting in His faithfulness to the Word He preached, that He was their Messiah, Saviour and Healer. In taking hold of His Tassels, they were putting all their trust in His Word of Healing, and as a result they received (believed) His (Healing) Power into their bodies.
When Jesus came the first time He wore the Mantle of a Prophet, He now wears Priestly Garments. When He returns He will wear the Robe that shows forth His full authority and power as King: “He has on His Robe and on His thigh a Name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16). In each case His outer Garments show forth the authority and power of the Office in which He stands.
Having seen that people were healed by touching Christ’s clothing, because it had absorbed the Anointing that was upon Him, we now come to the third way people can be healed through TOUCH:
3. Healing through anointed Prayer-Cloths. This is an extension of the Method of Touch, based on the fact that certain materials, such as cloth, can store and conduct the Healing Anointing (Power) of God. Therefore a cloth that has been in contact with the Healing-Anointing (perhaps through having hands laid upon it), can be taken to the sick and placed upon their bodies, and then the Healing-Power stored in these cloths will flow into their bodies to drive out the sickness and heal them (if this Power is received by faith). Thus the Healing Power flows to the sick (according to the Law of Contact and Transmission) in two stages. First of all it is transmitted from the minister to the cloth, and then from the cloth to the sick body.
This is what happened in Acts 19:11,12: “God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs (cloths) or aprons (clothing) were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” God’s Healing Power still works the same way today. Cloths can be used to get the Anointing to someone sick, when it is not possible for them to go to a Healing-Service and also not possible to go and lay hands on them. It is important that along with the cloth, they are given instruction on how the cloth contains God’s Healing Power, and how to believe they receive it, when the cloth is laid upon them.
Flesh, blood and bone can also store and conduct Healing-Power, for otherwise it could not be transmitted through the Laying on of Hands, or go into a body and abide there to drive out sickness and produce healing in every kind of body part. An incident from Elisha’s ministry demonstrates that bones in particular can store Healing-Power. Having received the double portion of Elijah’s spirit, the number of recorded miracles by Elisha was twice as many as Elijah, save one. However after his death he did one more miracle through his anointing and this made the doubling exact! “Elisha died, and they buried him... So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet” (2Kings 13:20,21)
Evidently Elisha’s bones had absorbed God’s anointing upon him during his lifetime and had continued to store it even after his death, so that when a dead man TOUCHED Elisha’s bones, the Anointing in the bones was transmitted into his body and it brought him back to life and healed him! Our bodies and clothes can be so saturated with Healing-Power, so that when people believe we are anointed and touch us (or our clothes) they will be healed.
THE LAYING ON OF HANDS. We have been looking at the various Methods by which God’s Healing Power is administered to the sick. It is interesting to classify all the Healings of Jesus and the Apostles according to these different Methods (I did this in my book: ‘The Laws of God’s Healing Power’). I believe that these examples of Healing were given to show the variety of ways by which God heals us (His ordained channels of Healing). I also believe that the proportion of times each Method is used in these recorded accounts, gives us the approximate proportion of times it was used in His Ministry.
Therefore if one Method dominates in these accounts, we can deduce that it was and is God’s normal Method of administering Healing Power. If we look at all the accounts of Healing that describe the Method used, then it is clear that most Healings happened through TOUCH, and that this contact was usually made through the Laying on of Hands. Thus the normal Method for ministering Healing Power is through the Laying on of Hands. Jesus believed in the Laying on of Hands, and often used it to administer Healing Power to the sick:
1. The Raising of the Widow’s Son (Luke 7:11-17). “Then He came and TOUCHED the open coffin...And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.” He commanded his spirit back into his body, and healed him from whatever had caused his premature death through touch.
2. The Man born Blind (John 9:1-7). “When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.”
3. The Woman with a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:10-17).
“Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And HE LAID HIS HANDS ON HER, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” First of all, He took authority over the evil spirit by His words. Then through His hands He ministered Healing Power to her body to restore her Health.
4. The Afflicted Boy (Matt 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43). “Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus TOOK HIM BY THE HAND and lifted him up, and he arose.” First of all, Jesus cast out the demon with a word of command. Then through His Hands, He ministered Healing Power to the boy to strengthen him and raise him up.
5. A Man with Dropsy (Luke 14:1-6).
“He TOOK him (by the hand) and HEALED him, and let him go”
6. Malchus’ Ear (Luke 22:49-51). “One of them (Peter) struck
the servant of the High Priest and cut off his right ear...
And He (Jesus) TOUCHED his ear and HEALED him.”
7. Peter’s Mother-in-law (Matt 8:14,15; Mark 1:30,31; Luke 4:38,39)
“Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever. So He TOUCHED her hand,
and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.”
8. A Leper (Matthew 8:2-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16).
“Then Jesus put out His HAND and TOUCHED him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
9. Raising Jairus Daughter (Matt 9:18-26, Mark5:22-43, Luke 8:41-56) “Behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and LAY YOUR HAND on her and she will live." ..... But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and TOOK HER BY THE HAND, and the girl arose.” This ruler had seen Jesus healing everyone through the Laying on of Hands, and therefore requested Jesus to come and lay hands on her. He had no confidence that Jesus could heal her any other way. Jesus was happy to minister Healing according to this Method that Jairus had set.
The story of the Healing of the Centurian’s Servant (Luke 7:1-10) started in a similar way, where Jesus was requested to come to the house to heal him (by touch). Again Jesus was content to follow this Method if that was where their faith was. But when He got close to the house, the Centurion expressed his faith that he believed Jesus could heal by the Spoken Word (of Command) alone and that therefore the Laying on of Hands was not necessary. Jesus was pleased with his faith and his choice of a Method of Healing requiring a higher level of faith, and again He was happy to minister Healing according to the Method set by those receiving Healing. Thus we see that typically Jesus was happy to give Healing Power through whatever Method the people chose. If they were ready to release their faith upon the Laying on of Hands or upon the Spoken word, then Jesus would do that, because He wanted them healed.
In the Healing of the Nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54) Jesus was again asked by the Nobleman to come to his boy and heal him (by touch), for as with most people, his faith was that he would be healed when Jesus laid His hands upon him (for indeed that was how the great majority of Healings were done in the Ministry of Jesus). However in this instance (perhaps because Jesus was not at liberty to make the journey and knowing his faith), Jesus called him to move onto a higher level of faith, and receive the Healing through another (higher) Method (the Spoken Word alone). The man believed the word and his boy was healed.
Therefore sometimes constraints of distance and time (there may be too many people needing prayer, for there to be time to lay hands on all of them) require us to move onto a higher level of faith and use the Spoken Word alone, commanding Healing Power into their bodies. This Method does not have the same limits, for it can communicate the Power over distance and to many people at the same time. Under normal circumstances however, it is clear that the standard Method Jesus used (which reflected His personal care for people) was the Laying on of Hands. Most people were ready to release their faith and receive their healing this way, whereas fewer were ready to operate on the higher level of believing the Word alone. I believe Jesus was happy for people to get healed either way!
10. Two Blind Men at Capernaum (Matthew 9:27-34).
“Then He TOUCHED their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened.”
11. A Deaf Man with a speech impediment (Mark 7:32-37).
“They brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to PUT HIS HAND on him. He took him aside from the multitude, and put His FINGERS in his ears, and He spat and TOUCHED his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.”
12. The Blind Man of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). “He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to TOUCH HIM. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and PUT HIS HANDS ON HIM, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He PUT HIS HANDS ON HIS EYES again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.”
13. Blind Bartimaeus and one other Blind man at Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43).
“Jesus had compassion and TOUCHED their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.”
In the Healing Services of Jesus, we also see His use of the Laying on of Hands. A Healing Service in Capernaum is described in Matthew 8:16 and Mark 1:32-34 where many people were healed from all kinds of diseases. However, we have to turn to the account in Luke to find out what Method was used: “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He LAID HIS HANDS ON EVERY ONE OF THEM and HEALED them (all)” (Luke 4:40).
Notice the phrase: ‘He HEALED them’ (which is often used, see Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 10:7,8, 14:14; Mark 6:12,13, Luke 6:19, 8:1,2, 9:2,6,11, 10:9, John 6:2). This indicates that Jesus did not ask God to heal the sick, but instead He healed them directly by giving them the Healing Power which God had given Him (at His Anointing). He usually gave this Healing Power to the sick through the Laying on of Hands, as in this case. Thus He healed the sick by Laying His Hands on them, imparting (administering) His Healing Power to their bodies.
In Mark 6:1-6, He ministered in His hometown Nazareth, but was unable to do any mighty work there, because of their unbelief:
“He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such MIGHTY WORKS (Healings) are PERFORMED by His HANDS! (clearly Jesus was teaching them about Healing through the Laying on of Hands, for He had been telling them about the Healings that had happened elsewhere through the Laying on of His Hands).... Now He could DO no mighty WORK there, except that He LAID HIS HANDS on a few sick people and (in this way He) HEALED them and He marvelled because of thir unbelief” (v5,6).
Matthew 13:58 says: “Now He did not DO many mighty WORKS (or literally: ‘Works of Power’) there, because of their unbelief.”
Notice again that He was the one ‘doing’ the Works of Healing, He was the one who healed the sick (by means of the Power of the Spirit or Anointing upon Him). He wanted to do many ‘Works of Power’ there, by ministering to them the Healing Power that was upon Him, but their inability to receive this Power limited what He could do. They did not believe He was Anointed, and so they could not receive His Anointing. However, even under these difficult conditions, He was able to heal a handful of sickly people through His Hands. Even in this atmosphere of unbelief a few people with minor ailments believed they could be healed through His Hands. This shows us that the Laying on of Hands works when nothing else will, because people find it the easiest Method to accept and use to release their faith. This is one reason Jesus used TOUCH and the Laying on of HANDS more than any other method to transmit Healing to the sick.
The Anointing with Oil with the Prayer of Faith is just a variation of the Laying on of Hands, which uses the extra symbolism of OIL. Laying on of Hands is necessarily involved in the Anointing with Oil, but now in addition, OIL is applied to the Person as a SYMBOL of the HEALING ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit. It provides a perfect picture of what is happening spiritually when hands are laid on the sick one. Thus the Oil is an outward sign of an inward grace, given as an aid to faith for the person receiving Healing, for it is a tangible reminder to them that when hands are laid upon them, the invisible Healing Anointing of God is flowing into them. When they have hands laid upon them and feel the Oil, they are to know that God’s Anointing is upon them, and they are to believe they receive it.
We read about this in James 5:14-16: “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 (this is the sick person believing that he receives the Healing-Power being ministered to him - Mark 11:24) will SAVE (HEAL) the sick, and the (POWER of the) LORD will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
(1) They are to instruct the sick man in repentance and faith, to prepare him to receive his Healing. He needs to be taught to receive forgiveness, through confessing any sins that might block his Healing. He also needs to be taught to pray the prayer of faith (to believe he receives his Healing) when he is anointed with the Oil.
(2) They are to pray, coming into the Presence of the Lord, thanking Him for His Healing Anointing freely given to the sick, and that when they lay hands upon him and anoint him with Oil, then His Anointing will flow into the sick man and heal him.
(3) They are to lay hands on him in the Name of Jesus, anointing him with Oil, believing that when they apply the Anointing Oil to him, then the Healing Anointing is also being applied to his body.
(4) When the sick man is anointed, he is to receive this Healing Anointing through the Prayer of Faith (believing he receives it).
(5) Then the Lord, by means of His Healing Power, will heal (save) the sick man of his sicknesses and raise him up into new life.
Notice there must be two ingredients present, for there to be success:
(1) The Power of the Lord and (2) The (Prayer of) Faith of the Man.
The Power of God working through the man’s faith does two things:
(1) It saves him from his sickness (it drives out all disease).
(2) It imparts new life and health to him, causing him to rise up.
But the Power of God, without the Prayer of Faith, will not work, for our faith is needed to receive and give action to the Power of God. This is emphasised by the phrase: ‘the Prayer of Faith will save the sick.’ Now we know that it is the Healing Anointing of the Lord, represented by the Oil, that actually heals the sick and raises him up. But since God’s Healing Power will always flow when a sick person is anointed according to James 5, whether or not he is healed depends on whether he prays the prayer of faith and believes he receives it. Therefore it is essential that the sick man receives the Power by faith.
It was Jesus Himself who instituted the Anointing with Oil, because we know the 12 disciples practiced it when they were sent out:
“They went through the towns PREACHING the Gospel and HEALING everywhere” (Luke 9:6). Mark gives us more detail: “They went out and PREACHED that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and ANOINTED WITH OIL many who were SICK and (they) HEALED them” (Mark 6:12,13).
Notice that they preached the Gospel first, then they healed the sick by the Laying on of Hands and Anointing them with Oil. Jesus must have practiced this Himself and instructed His disciples to do it as well, when He sent them out. The fact that it says ‘they healed them’ when they anointed them, confirms that the Anointing with Oil is done in connection with the Method of Ministering the Healing Anointing through the Laying on of Hands to the sick, who then receive it by faith. Thus although God is the Healer, they are the channel of the Healing, so it is true to say: ‘they healed them.’ But if it is true that James 5 is talking about receiving Healing through prayer (where
it is the elders who pray the prayer of faith for the sick man), as is commonly believed, then to say that ‘they healed them’ would be wrong, for it would be God, and God alone who healed them.
Jesus believed so much in the Method of Laying Hands on the sick in order to minister God’s Healing Power to them, that He used it as His primary Method of ministering Healing. Moreover, He told the Church to continue His Ministry of Healing (Mark 16:15-18), telling us all to continue to use the Laying on of Hands as the main Method of Healing. Jesus said: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do (including Healing through Hands), he will do also” (John 14:12).
Jesus commissioned the Church to use this Method to heal the sick, in confirmation of the Gospel we share:
"Go into all the world and PREACH the GOSPEL to every creature...and these SIGNS will follow those who believe....
IN MY NAME, THEY WILL LAY THEIR HANDS on the SICK and they will RECOVER...So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
Then after the ascended Lord poured out the Holy-Spirit upon the Church: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD (of the Gospel) through the SIGNS (HEALINGS) that followed (the WORD)” (Mark 16:15-20).
This shows that the Laying on of Hands is God’s ordained method for the transmission of His Healing Power to the sick to cause their recovery. This Commission is for all believers in the Church-Age. Therefore the Laying on of Hands is something that all believers are authorised to do, showing that it is God’s general Method to minister Healing, rather than some special Method for occasional use only.
This passage also gives instruction on how to put the Laying on of Hands into practice. It connects the Ministry of Healing (through Hands) with the Preaching of the Gospel (Good-News) of Christ.We often see this connection in the Ministry of Jesus Christ:
First of all, He preached the Gospel and then He Healed the sick. (See Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 11:5, Luke 6:17-19, 8:1,2, 9:11).
People came (1) to HEAR HIM (preach the Word of Healing) and then (2) to BE HEALED (Luke 6:17).
Jesus then sent His disciples to:
(1) Preach the Gospel and then,
(2) Heal the sick (Matthew 10:7,8, Mark 6:12,13, Luke 9:2,6, 10:9).
Then He told the Church to:
(1) Preach the Gospel and then,
(2) Lay hands on the sick and they will be healed (Mark 16:15-18).
The first believers then obeyed by:
(1) Preaching the Word first, and then (2) seeing Signs (Healings) following the Word (Mark 16:19-20).
In Mark 16:15-20, HEALINGS are described as SIGNS (visible proofs) that FOLLOW and CONFIRM the WORD that is preached.
So first of all the Gospel must be preached and then the Healings will follow. They must receive the Word, in order to be ready to receive the Healing. So we must share the Word, before we minister Healing. Then the result (their Healing) will confirm the word they have heard. This means that the GOSPEL that we share must include HEALING.
The GOSPEL is the GOOD-NEWS summarised in the BELIEFS 1-4:
(1) Jesus is the Saviour and Healer today. He wants to save and heal us
(2) Through Christ (His death and resurrection), God’s Power to save and heal is available now for all of us, and will be freely given to us upon request, when we come to Him and call upon Him (Rom 10:13)
(3) When we ask for Salvation, His Saving Power (through the Spirit) will come into our spirit to regenerate us, bringing us from spiritual death to life. When we ask for Healing, His HEALING POWER will come into our body to heal us, bringing us from sickness to health.
(4) One Way (ordained by God) that He gives (imparts) this
Healing-Power to our bodies is through the Laying on of Hands, so that when Hands are laid upon you, you will start to make a recovery.
Therefore we are to tell them: “Jesus Christ died for your sicknesses and sins, so He wants to heal you. On the basis of His death and resurrection, He is ready to give Healing to you, so that when Hands are laid upon you, God’s Healing Power will be imparted
to you. It will flow into your body, and you will start to recover.”
So their recovery will be a confirmation of each part of our Message.
We must share this vital knowledge from God’s Word with them, for:
(1) The Gospel makes the Power of God present to heal (Romans1:16) For them to receive Healing Power it must first be made present, and this is done by speaking the Word of Healing: “They went out and preached (the Word) everywhere, the Lord (in Healing Power) working with (the Word) and confirming the Word through the Signs (Healings) that followed (the Word)” (Mark 16:19,20).
The Healing Power of the Lord works (hand in hand) with the Word, it accompanies the Word, it’s made present through the Word. Unless we give the Word, the Power will not be Present for them to receive.
(2) The Gospel (Word) imparts the faith they need to receive Healing Power (Romans10:17). If we don’t share the Word they will not have the faith to receive God’s Healing Power. In order for them to be in position to believe they receive their Healing upon the Laying on of our Hands, they need to have taken the four Steps, by attaining the four key Beliefs from God’s Word that we have been talking about.
Healing Power must first be made present by the Holy-Spirit and then it must be administered to the body (by Hands or the Spoken Word). The Power can either be made present by the initiative of the Spirit (by a Gift of Healing as the Spirit wills), or by the initiative of the Minister (by him sharing the Word of the Gospel). Therefore, unless the Spirit Himself is initiating the Healing, before we use the
Laying on of Hands, we must first share the Gospel, so that firstly, God’s Power to Heal is made Present to them, and so that secondly, they have the faith to receive it when hands are laid on them.The Word is God’s Channel through which His Power flows to us. When the Word of Christ is preached, the Power is made Present. When the Word of Christ is believed, the Power will be received.
What is the Word that we must share to make the Power Present?
It is the Gospel of Christ (the Anointed One and His Anointing).
It is the Good-News that:
(1) Christ died for our diseases, to purchase (provide) Healing for all of us (therefore Healing is God’s will for us)
(2) Christ died, rose again, ascended on High and received from the Father the Holy Spirit, whom He has now poured out upon us, so that:
The Spirit of the Lord (the Anointing to Heal) is now upon me for you. The Healing Power of Christ is Present now, for you to receive as a free-gift from God. As I speak to you in the Name of Jesus my Lord, the Kingdom of God (His Healing Power) is now at hand, it is here for you, to reach out and receive. I am holding your Healing in my hands. It is up to you now to take it. If you believe the Word that the God’s Healing Power is Present here now, for you, then receive it!
Notice that the Power is made Present by the Proclamation that: “the Power is Present now” (along with the explanation of how this is so). This is because the Power of God is in His Word, is in agreement with His Word, works with His Word, and confirms His Word.
So when you proclaim that, on the basis of His death and resurrection of Christ, “the Power of Christ is Present now to Heal them”, you are making that Power present to them through your very proclamation, for: “the GOSPEL of Christ IS the POWER of God unto Salvation (HEALING), for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
This Proclamation is exactly the Message of JUBILEE: that on the basis of the Atonement, God’s grace (power) to forgive and restore is here now for you to receive. It was the very proclamation of Jubilee (the blowing of the Trumpet) that made the Power Present to the people, so they could receive it. Until they heard the Trumpet Blast, they could not claim their freedom, because although it had been purchased by the Atonement, it had not been made present to them (neither of course could they have the faith to receive it). This is the same Gospel (Good-News) that Jesus preached. Though He preached before the Cross, He still made the proclamation that the Spirit of the Lord (the Anointing) was Present upon Him to Heal them (upon the basis of His Baptism, which was a Type of His coming Death and Resurrection), and that now it was the Acceptable (Jubilee) Year of the Lord, the time when they can come and receive (claim) God’s Grace (Power) that has been freely given to them (Luke 4:18-21).
Jesus preached this Message everywhere He went (Acts 10:36-38), preaching the Good-News that the Kingdom of God (His Grace and Healing Power) was at Hand (within reach) for them to take hold of and receive. It is the very Proclamation that ‘the Power is at Hand’, that causes the Power of God to be at Hand (to be Present) to receive.
John the Baptist was the first to make this proclamation, saying: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!" (Matthew 3:2).
Then, “Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent (transfer your trust to God) for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand" (Matthew 4:17). “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at Hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:14).
Then, Jesus sent His disciples withthe same message saying:
“As you go, preach saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand” (Matthew 10:7). The Kingdom of God includes every spiritual blessing, such as Joy, Righteousness, Peace and Healing in the Holy Spirit: “the Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy-Spirit” (Romans 14:17). So, when they proclaimed the Kingdom of God was at hand, they were declaring that God’s Healing Power was at hand (for them to reach out and receive).
In Matthew 11:12, Jesus explained what was happening: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven forces itself on men’s attention, and forceful men lay hold of it.” This confident Gospel Proclamation created a confident response, so that people laid hold of (claimed) their Salvation and Healing.
We are considering what is the Word that we should share, in order to prepare people to receive Healing through the Laying on of Hands. If we look from the viewpoint of what they need to believe in order to receive their Healing, we have already seen the four key Beliefs (or Steps) they need to have to be in position to receive their Healing. We have seen that the truth contained in the first two Steps (Beliefs) require us preaching the Gospel (Jubilee) Message, and this is exactly what we need to share in order to make the Power Present to them! The final two Steps are specific instructions related to the special area of Healing, so that they can believe they receive Healing from God.
Thus before we lay Hands upon them, we should teach these Beliefs:
1. God’s WILL is to HEAL them (this is proved by the Atonement).
2. God will FREELY GIVE His Healing to all who come to Him.
3. What God will freely give them is His HEALING POWER.
4. God will give Healing Power to them when our HANDS are LAID on them, for this is a Divinely ordained method of imparting Healing.
In Summary, we should tell people that God loves them and wants to heal them so much that Christ died to purchase Healing for them. This Healing is available and present now for them to receive. So the moment we lay our hands upon them, God will impart His Healing Power to their bodies and the recovery process will begin at once. We instruct them that when believing hands are laid upon them, they are to believe they receive their Healing and to then expect to recover.
We have seen that during His Ministry, Jesus and His disciples used the Laying on of Hands as the main Method of ministering Healing to the sick. Moreover we have seen that Jesus commissioned the Church to continue the Ministry of Healing using the same Method. We shall now see from the Book of Acts that the early Church were obedient to do this and in so doing had great success. If we too are believing and obedient we will also see success in Healing Ministry!
In Acts 4:29,30 the Church prayed: “Now, Lord...grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may SPEAK YOUR WORD, while You STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND for HEALING and SIGNS and WONDERS to be DONE (come to pass, happen, made manifest) through the NAME of Your holy Servant Jesus."
This prayer for success in ministering God’s Healing Power reveals alot about how it should be accomplished. The desired result is that Healing is done by the Power (Spirit) of God through the disciples as they speak and act in the Name of Jesus. In the Bible, God’s Hand represents His Spirit of Power, and when stretched forth, it represents the Spirit of God active (moving) in Creation, Judgement or Salvation.
“He (Christ) had rays (of Power) flashing from His HAND, for there His Power was hidden” (Habakkuk 3:4). “In Your HAND is POWER and MIGHT; it is in Your HAND to make great and to GIVE STRENGTH (and HEALTH) to all” (1Chronicles 29:12).
Creation is the work of His Hands and Fingers (Psalm 8:3,6, 102:25). Jesus identified the Finger (Hand) of God with the Spirit of God (compare Luke 11:20 and Matthew 12:28), saying that He cast out demons by the Finger (or Spirit) of God. When He spoke a Word of Command against a demon or a sickness, the Spirit of God went forth with the Word to remove (evict) it (compelling it to leave). The Spirit of God (the Father) flowed through His Son (Jesus) to heal the sick. Now He tells us to go in the Place and Name of Jesus, and the Spirit of God will flow through us in exactly the same way.
This prayer reveals that they knew that before HEALING the sick and seeing MIRACLES, they must SPEAK God’s Word to them, for it is through God’s Word that His Power is made Present. The Greek construction shows there are not two requests here (for BOLDNESS to speak, and for HEALINGS). Instead their prayer was simply for God to enable them to fully speak His Word (v29), for they knew that whenever God’s Word of Healing is spoken, His Hand of Power (the Holy-Spirit) will be stretched out to Heal (v30):
“Grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may SPEAK Your Word, WHILE YOU STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND for HEALING and SIGNS and WONDERS...” (Acts 4:29,30).
The clause beginning with ‘while’ is a temporal clause, telling us what will happen at the same time that the Word is spoken. Whenever God’s Word goes forth, then the Power of His Spirit is released (as in Genesis 1:1-3). “By the WORD of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the BREATH (SPIRIT) of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). When God spoke His Word, then His Spirit (Breath) also went forth to perform the Word. His Spirit worked with the Word to bring it to pass. Likewise, because God has authorised us to speak His Word in His Name, whenever we speak the Word of Healing, the Lord (by His Spirit) will be working with the Word we speak (Mark 16:20), making the Power to Heal Present (Luke 5:17).
We see the Hand of God working with His Word in Acts 11:20,21:
“...PREACHING the Lord Jesus and the HAND of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
Luke 5:17: “As He was teaching (the Word of Healing),...the Power of the Lord was Present to Heal them (all).”
Mark 16:20: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD through the signs that followed.”
As we share the Word, God stretches out His Hand to the sick person to heal him. God is holding abundant Healing Power in His Hand. He is reaching out with an open Hand to the sick, offering His Healing Power as a Free-Gift. By the preaching of the Word, His Power is brought close to them, so that it is ‘at hand’ (within reach) for them, so that they can reach out and take it with their hand of faith. It is now up to them to believe the Word and come to God and believe they receive His Healing. What is the Word of Healing that must be preached with boldness? We must proclaim that Healing is at hand (to be received as a Free-Gift), that God’s Hand is stretched out to heal them. As we declare it, then so it is (Romans 1:16), for “no word of God is without the power to bring itself to pass” (Luke 1:37, a literal translation). Thus we are co-workers with God. We see what He wants to do (to stretch forth His Hand for Healing), and speak it forth in His Name, as present reality, and as we do, He fulfils the spoken Word and does it (He stretches forth His Hand to heal).
Once this Healing Power has been made present by the Word, then it still needs to be received by faith. Once God’s Hand is stretched out to heal, man’s hand of faith must still reach out and take hold of the Healing in God’s Hand. This can be done by the person coming directly to God and believing he receives his Healing. More often, however, people find it easier to receive God’s Healing Power through the Ministry of another believer. Therefore, once God’s Healing Power has been made present, it must be ministered (in the Name of Jesus) to the body of the sick person (usually through the Laying on of Hands), who needs to receive it by faith. The disciples who prayed this prayer in Acts 4:29,30 understood this, for they said that when they preach the Word, God’s Hand will be outstretched: “for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by believers) through the Name of Jesus." It is clear that unless God’s Healing Hand is outstretched, there can be no Healing. But notice that even when God’s Hand is outstretched for Healing, something else needs to take place before Healings happen. Even when Healing Power is Present, Healing must still be ‘done through the Name of Jesus.’ This reference to the Name of Jesus proves that Healing is to be done by believers using His Name (for it is believers, not God, who do things in the Name of Jesus, as His representatives). The Power to Heal is Present, but believers must take this Power and deliver it to the sick. They are to take God’s Hand of Power and apply it to the sick. The Healing in God’s Hand must be given (ministered) to them (and received by them). This is normally to be done through the Laying on of Hands in the Name of Jesus (Mark 16:18).
Thus they needed boldness to both (1) speak the Word of Healing to make God’s Healing Power Present, and (2) do (perform) the Healings by administering Healing Power to the sick in the Name of Jesus. However, it seems that they mainly prayed for Divine boldness (confidence) to speak the Word of Healing, for they knew that everything would follow from that. You see, they would have the confidence to lay their hands on the sick and heal them, if they knew that God’s Healing Power was Present. But they knew that it would be Present, if they were enabled to speak the Word of God with boldness. Therefore they simply needed to ask God to empower
and embolden them to speak the Word of Healing as they should, knowing that then His Power to Heal would be Present, which in turn, would give them the confidence to minister it to the sick.
Thus Acts 4:29,30 reveals a 2-Stage Process for Ministering Healing: “Lord...grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may (1) SPEAK Your WORD, while You STRETCH OUT Your HAND (to heal), (2) for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by us) through the NAME of Your holy Servant Jesus."
(1) When we SPEAK the WORD, God STRETCHES out His HAND to HEAL (His Power is then made Present), (2) Then this HEALING POWER must be given (administered) to the sick in the NAME of Jesus (which they must receive). The result is that the Hand of the Lord (the Spirit) will manifest (accomplish) His Healing in them.
When the Power (Hand) of God is involved in Creation or Judgement then only the first stage applies, for God speaks His Word and it is done (performed). But when we are talking about the Power of God unto Salvation and Healing, then both stages are required because of free-will. Not only must God’s Word be spoken, bringing His Power to people (making it present and active), but it must also be received:
“(1) The Gospel of Christ (the Word) is the Power of God unto Salvation (Healing), (2) for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Here we see that the Gospel when preached, brings God’s Saving (and Healing) Power to people. His Spirit of Power goes forth with His Word, but it is only effectual for those who believe (receive).
Isaiah 65:1,2 predicts the salvation of the Gentiles through the Gospel: "I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, "Here I am,
I am here' (this is the preaching of the Gospel: ‘The Power of God
is here to save you’) to a nation that was not called by My Name. I have stretched out My Hands all day long to a rebellious people (Israel).” This is quoted in Romans 10:20,21 in the context of the preaching of the Gospel, to show how the differing responses of the Gentiles and the Jews to the Gospel was prophesied. Notice how God is reaching out to all people through the Gospel, saying: “I am here” and as this Message is spoken, He is stretching out His Hands to us (to save us, heal us and receive us). However, not all receive His offer. Some remain rebellious and reject Him, and so they do not receive the benefit of the outstretched Hand (the Spirit) bringing salvation. Isaiah 53:1 tells us that the one to whom the Arm (Power) of the Lord is revealed is the one who believes the Report (Isaiah 53).
The Prayer of Acts 4:29,30 for boldness to preach the Word and to do Healing in Jesus Name, is based upon Mark 16:15-18, where Jesus told us to: (1) Preach the Word, and then (2) Lay our Hands on the sick, in His Name, with the promise that God’s Power would then surely flow into the sick and cause them to recover. (We saw that this proved that the Laying on of Hands is a God-ordained Method of Healing, for He promises to always work with it, by releasing His Healing-Power to the sick causing them to recover). Therefore, the working of God’s Healing Power depended entirely
on their obedience to preach the Word (and then to lay their hands on the sick), for God was ready to do His part and work with them to confirm His Word. Therefore they prayed for all boldness (courage) to do this, for they knew that they needed God’s help to speak the Word with freedom and conviction, without compromise or dilution, especially as they faced opposition. Knowing that the more confident and accurate we are in speaking the Word, then the greater degree of Power is made Present to the hearers and the greater degree of faith to receive is produced in the hearers (leading to doubly greater results) we also need to pray for His ability to speak it fearlessly and fully.
Mark 16:20 then describes the results of obedience: “They went out and preached (the WORD) everywhere, the Lord (by His Spirit) working with (the WORD) and confirming the WORD through the SIGNS (HEALINGS) that followed (the WORD).”
(1) When they preached the Word, the Power of God was present and working with the Word. By speaking the Word, they activated the Power of God that was upon them. Then (2) when they laid their hands on the sick in His Name, the Power of God visibly confirmed the Word, by going into their bodies and working a complete Healing. In computer language, when we preach the Gospel we bring the Power of God ‘online’ for people, for them to download (receive). In the case of Healing, the normal way for them to receive (having heard the Word) is through the Laying on of Hands in Jesus Name.
The imagery of the prayer in Acts 4:29,30 confirms this use of Hands to minister Healing to the sick: “Lord, grant that with all boldness they may speak Your Word, while You stretch out Your Hand (to Heal), for HEALING and signs and wonders to be DONE (by us) through the NAME of JESUS."
(1) They see the Lord stretching out His Hand toward the sick in Healing Power as they preach His Word. This is surely based on seeing Christ do this literally on thousands of occasions, for this was His normal way of giving Healing to the sick.
(2) They know that it is not enough for God’s outstretched Hand of Power to be Present, but that they must also apply it to the sick in the Name of Jesus: They are not just to speak in His Name, but also act (perform Healing) in His Name (John 14:12): “many wonders and signs were done (performed) by the apostles (as they ministered in His Name)” (Acts 2:43, see 3:6,16, 4:10). They knew they were to heal the sick in His Name. But how were they to do this?
To speak and act in His Name is to take His place and represent Him on earth with His authority, and say and do on earth what He is saying and doing in Heaven, just as Jesus ministered in His Father’s Name, saying what He heard the Father saying, and doing what He saw the Father doing. When we truly do this, He works with us and His Power flows through us, accomplishing great things (confirming the Word), just as Jesus said that the Father in Him did the works.
So, in taking the place of Jesus, we are to preach what He preached (the Gospel of Healing) and do what He did (lay hands on the sick to give them His Healing Power). Moreover, we are to say what He is saying now, and do what He is doing now in Heaven. He is speaking His Word of Grace, so that when we speak this same Word on earth, His Power goes forth (His Hand is stretched out to heal the sick). Then, as we do on earth what He is doing in Heaven, and stretch out our hand in His Name to heal the sick, His Power will surely flow through our Hands into their bodies! As we speak His words in His Name, He speaks through our lips. As we lay our hands upon the sick, He lays His Hand (Spirit) of (Healing) Power upon them. As we speak and act in His Name, He speaks and acts through us. As we preach His Word and stretch out our hands in His Name, it is just as if Jesus Himself was personally laying His Hands on the sick, so we can be sure that His Power will flow through us to heal them! As He once healed through His Hands, so He now heals through our Hands.
Acts 4:29,30 paints a dynamic picture of how God and man work together in Healing Ministry. It reveals that when we speak the Word that God has told us to speak (that He is stretching out His Hand to heal the sick), then God fulfils this Word by stretching out His Hand for Healing (causing His Healing Power to be Present). Then when we also do what He is doing and stretch out our hands to heal them in His Name (obeying what He has told us to do with this Power), then Healing will be accomplished (come to pass) in them. The moment we lay our hands on the sick, He lays His Hand upon them (His Power flows into them). It is as if our hands become one with His Hands!
This is all the more appropriate when we consider that we are now the Body of Christ, we have (are) His feet, mouth and hands on earth, to go to the sick, speak His