I feel largely uninspired by the way many ministers report healings these days.
In one conference one famous international healing-evangelist would go up to people in the congregation, speak words of knowledge about them, and pray for their healing - then rebuke the rest of the congregation for not clapping and celebrating loudly.
But how were we to know a miracle had occurred? Just because of what he said and did? If the multitude saw a miracle with their own eyes, he probably wouldn't need to ask them to celebrate!
I didn't know most of the people he ministered to, but one of the people who I did know - I felt that his word of knowledge about her was correct. That felt uplifting to me - but only because I knew her.
The point is: there are times when people need to be able to observe or be satisfied that miracles are occurring. And on some such occasions it's a minister's place to provide those proofs.
A disproportionate number of healing-testimonies shared by ministers today seem to be about pain being healed. Pain - for what cause? And what second or third witnesses do we have that the cause of the pain has now been cured? It's often a bit too vague, I feel.
Another internationally-known minister who is devoting almost his entire ministry to healing and to teaching how to heal, posted a video online of an alleged healing which, after watching it, left me feeling still unconvinced that a miracle had indeed occurred. And that's the best example his ministry could come up with?
When people are really being healed - and when people are actually seeing others being healed - it's often the people themselves who will share the testimony! But nowadays it seems to be mainly the ministers who are doing most of the testifying.
Not that there aren't also times when ministers can testify - of course they can, or else the Gospels and the Book of Acts would never have been written!
But very often when you ask further questions about an alleged miracle, the feeling you get is that you're bad for asking.
Of course there are good exceptions to this - many of them in fact. But, it's not very inspiring. The Apostles were always ready to answer with a reason for the hope that was within them. They understood a person's need to know - and therefore they gladly presented and proved their eyewitness-testimonies, with many infallible proofs.
When people know a minister always takes due diligence to check something out before he tells it - then when he does tell something, the people will have all the more confidence in what he's telling. And that will inspire real faith!
1. In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every claim be established
2. By irrefutable proofs
3. Testify of healings which stand the test of proof, and of witnesses - and sometimes also of time
4. Leave it up to the people who were healed, or who witnessed the healing, to do the testifying - a bit more often
5. But testify boldly, when you know you can and should
6. Understand that it's legitimate sometimes for someone to need to know, to be given irrefutable proofs, to know the certainty of things
7. Always be ready to give it when asked
In one conference one famous international healing-evangelist would go up to people in the congregation, speak words of knowledge about them, and pray for their healing - then rebuke the rest of the congregation for not clapping and celebrating loudly.
But how were we to know a miracle had occurred? Just because of what he said and did? If the multitude saw a miracle with their own eyes, he probably wouldn't need to ask them to celebrate!
I didn't know most of the people he ministered to, but one of the people who I did know - I felt that his word of knowledge about her was correct. That felt uplifting to me - but only because I knew her.
The point is: there are times when people need to be able to observe or be satisfied that miracles are occurring. And on some such occasions it's a minister's place to provide those proofs.
A disproportionate number of healing-testimonies shared by ministers today seem to be about pain being healed. Pain - for what cause? And what second or third witnesses do we have that the cause of the pain has now been cured? It's often a bit too vague, I feel.
Another internationally-known minister who is devoting almost his entire ministry to healing and to teaching how to heal, posted a video online of an alleged healing which, after watching it, left me feeling still unconvinced that a miracle had indeed occurred. And that's the best example his ministry could come up with?
When people are really being healed - and when people are actually seeing others being healed - it's often the people themselves who will share the testimony! But nowadays it seems to be mainly the ministers who are doing most of the testifying.
Not that there aren't also times when ministers can testify - of course they can, or else the Gospels and the Book of Acts would never have been written!
But very often when you ask further questions about an alleged miracle, the feeling you get is that you're bad for asking.
Of course there are good exceptions to this - many of them in fact. But, it's not very inspiring. The Apostles were always ready to answer with a reason for the hope that was within them. They understood a person's need to know - and therefore they gladly presented and proved their eyewitness-testimonies, with many infallible proofs.
When people know a minister always takes due diligence to check something out before he tells it - then when he does tell something, the people will have all the more confidence in what he's telling. And that will inspire real faith!
1. In the mouth of two or three witnesses let every claim be established
2. By irrefutable proofs
3. Testify of healings which stand the test of proof, and of witnesses - and sometimes also of time
4. Leave it up to the people who were healed, or who witnessed the healing, to do the testifying - a bit more often
5. But testify boldly, when you know you can and should
6. Understand that it's legitimate sometimes for someone to need to know, to be given irrefutable proofs, to know the certainty of things
7. Always be ready to give it when asked
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