Month: April 2014

Divine Healing Is an Integral Part of the Gospel

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The ministry of both Jesus and the apostles gives evidence that divine healing was integral to the proclamation of the gospel message. It was an important witness to Jesus as the revelation of the Father, the promised Messiah, and the Savior from sin (see John 10:37,38). The Bible shows a close connection between the healing ministry of Jesus and His saving, forgiving ministry. His power to heal was actually a witness to His authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5–12). Frequently the gospel writers testify that His healing miracles parallel His preaching of the gospel, both being the purpose of His ministry (Matthew 4:23; 9:35,36). People came from all directions both to hear Him and to be healed (Luke 5:15; 6:17,18). He never turned any away but healed all varieties of sicknesses, diseases, deformities, defects, and injuries (Matthew 15:30,31; 21:14). He also delivered people from demons and the problems they caused (Matthew 4:24). Jesus recognized that sickness is ultimately the result of the fall of humans into sin, and in some instances may be linked to specific sin (John 5:14) or to the activity of Satan (Luke 13:16). …

Divine Healing Is a Gift of God’s Grace for All

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Just as salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), so all God’s blessings and gifts are ours by His grace, or unmerited favor. They cannot be earned or deserved. It should be noted that instead of demanding healing from Jesus, the New Testament records that people came asking for His compassionate ministry. They did not look on healing as their right, but as a gracious privilege extended to them. That we cannot earn God’s blessings, including divine healing, should make us realize the importance of cultivating our life in the Spirit, for the Spirit will “give life to your mortal bodies,” and that is our real hope (Romans 8:11). In fact, even though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). It is this inner renewal that makes us best able to have the faith to receive the gift of divine healing. To the woman healed of her twelve-year-long bleeding, Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). Paul at Lystra, when he saw that …

Divine Healing Will Be Fully Realized When Jesus Returns

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We are living at present between the first and second appearances of Jesus Christ. At His first coming He provided, through His life, death, and resurrection, atonement for sin and its consequences. In this era divine healing, a gift of God’s grace, is seen as a proleptic expression of the complete redemption of the human body. At His second coming what was begun will be brought to completion—salvation from sin and all its effects will be realized. In this period of the “already and not yet” some are healed instantly, some gradually, and others are not healed. The Bible indicates that until Jesus comes we groan because we have not yet received the full redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). Only when the dead in Christ rise and we are changed do we receive the new bodies which are like His glorious body (1 Corinthians 15:42–44,51–54). Even followers of Christ groan and travail in pain like the rest of creation, waiting patiently for the fulfillment of our hope (Romans 8:21–25). In that the human body …

Divine Healing Is Provided in the Atonement

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The ministry of the priests under the Law foreshadowed the ministry of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is able “to sympathize with our weaknesses (astheneia, weakness, sickness, disease, timidity, infirmity)” (Hebrews 4:14,15). The Old Testament priests, through the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifices, made atonement for the sins of the people. An examination of the concept of atonement in the Bible shows that in most cases it refers to a ransom price paid for redemption and restoration, which points to the redemption through Christ accomplished by the shedding of His blood in our behalf. The apostle Paul described it this way: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25). The phrase, “sacrifice of atonement,” translates the Greek hilastērion, which can be also translated expiation, propitiation, atonement, or mercy seat. Leviticus 16 records God’s expectations for Israel’s Day of Atonement and the ministry of the high priest sprinkling the blood of a sin offering on the atonement cover (the solid gold lid on top of …

If our hope in Jesus is only for this life, we are the most pitiful and miserable of all men

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“If our hope in Jesus is only for this life we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:19 Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the most important element of our faith. Everything rises and everything falls with or without it. Dismantle it, and Christianity as we know it comes crumbling down. That indeed is not an easy task, however. Christianity has survived all sorts of scrutiny and has stood the test of time. Unfortunately, some Christians are too heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good. But tragically, some are too attached to their earthly goods that they have lost sight of this crucial truth – The Resurrection! At this time of the year, it will do us some good to shine some light on this life changing event. Hopefully, we can refresh our minds and translate the experience into a lifestyle that goes on throughout the year. So, join me today and lets look at His resurrection and what it mean. “If there is no resurrection from the dead” how does that affect our faith …

I AM: 7 Incredible Claims of Jesus

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When we look at the life of Jesus, it is hard not to notice his claims. The Pharisee mocked him when he called himself  “light of the world.” His followers left him when he called himself “bread of life.” Crowds denounced him when he talked about himself as the “Good Shepherd.” And when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life” – it cost him his life. When Jews heard those two verbs I am – I am (as translated from the Hebrew), they knew exactly what Jesus meant. It was something more than a metaphor – He was claiming deity. We understand from Exodus 3:14 that this is the same title God the father gave himself. These claims are so powerful and bold that they arrest your attention and cause you to think. I am the Bread of Life John 6:35: Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never hunger, whoever believes in me shall never thirst. Manna, the bread that comes from above – fill with the necessary nutrients to sustain life …

10 unforgettable Promises from God’s Word

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Bruised Head & Bruised Heel “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 This promise is fulfilled in the incarnation and through the crucifixion of Jesus. In God’s infinite mercy our redemption is purchased. Father of Nations, Father of faith “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for …

The Right Way to Overcome Temptation

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Temptation is common to all men The Bible tell us that temptation is common to all men. We should never thing it strange when tempted. We should never think that  our struggle to resist temptation is unique to us alone. Jesus urged his disciples when He walked the face of the earth to develop a life of watching and praying so that they wouldn’t fall into temptation. In other places in the Bible, it says, that sin is constantly knocking at our door, and Satan is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We must do everything to resist temptation and sin by drawing near to God. How does one overcome temptation? James give us a strategy in his book chapter 1. Let’s take a look at what he teaches. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be …

This One Thing

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Men may be divided into two classes—those who have a ‘one thing’ and those who have no ‘one thing’ to do; those with aim, and those without aim in their lives… The aim in life is what the backbone is to the body: without it we are invertebrate.” How frightening it would be to be “invertebrate”—to be spineless, weak, and weak-willed—especially in the Christian life! But thanks be to God for these cherished-yet-instructive verses about the process whereby you and I may know and accomplish our “one thing”—attaining the great prize of the Christian race. (Elizabeth George, experiencing God’s peace. p. 95). Source. Jesus had a one thing “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. (John 12:27 ESV) Paul had a one thing “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize …

There is still hope for the Averaged

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My aim in this post is not to encourage you to settle for average. I believe we should all be a little curious and adventurous. We should have a very healthy dose of ambition, a competitive spirit and the desire to perfect the gifts and talents we’ve all been given. However, we ought to “not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” In other words Not many of us our going to run like Usain Bolt – the fastest person ever. Not many of us will agree to downsize our fighting men like Gideon did and still defeat mighty armies with a small military force. Not many of us will be the next King Solomon, the wisest man. Not many of us are going to become billionaires like the likes of Buffet, Gates and Zuckerberg. The fact is, not many of us will be as successful and discerning as others are. So, if you fall …