Originally posted by Link:
**1. Show us a faith healer who can heal all that come to him. Take him to a hospital and let him heal all that are there.**
Even Jesus didnt' always heal everybody (e.g. the pool of Bethsesda. In Nazareth He could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief.) The Bible does teach that all the Corinthians who had the gift of healing did miracles always healed everybody.
Are you suggesting that Jesus did not have the power to heal all that came to him. That is blasphemy, and belief in a powerless god, who is nothing more than an idol. Christ had the
power to heal all that came to him, and many times in his ministry did heal all that came to him.
No One today has that power.
Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and
healed all that were sick:
Luke 4:40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and
he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
--Jesus could heal. Today's "faith-healers" cannot. (not even through the power of Christ).
I wouldn't expect healers to heal everyone in a hospital in the US. I don't see Paul doing that among Gentile nations. Jesus ministered to Israel, which had healing in their covenant, and still the healing was related to the faith of the people.
Healing was rarely connected with the faith of the people. Read the above verses. Jesus healed all that came to him, irrespective of race, creed, religion, sex, height, etc. It specifically says that he healed
all, every one.
Paul once saw that one crippled man had faith to be healed and declared that the Lord Jesus healed him. These things often happened, in scripture, in areas where the gospel was first introducted. I don't see in scripture that gifts always worked the way you describe here.
Both Christ and the Apostles had the power to heal all that were in a crowd, or all that would come to them. Their healings were not just confined to a person here or there. Look at some examples:
Acts 5:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and
they were healed every one.
There was a great multitude here--from the cities all around Jerusalem were the sick brought. And Peter healed them all. No one can do that today. The parallel of doing the same thing today would be to at least go into a hospital and heal all that are there. They didn't have hospitals in those days. So Peter was doing a greater work than a hospital could do.
Acts 8:5-8 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing
the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame,
were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
--There multitudes that were healed under Philip's ministry, and here they were all Samaritans. They weren't even Jews. They were the people that the Jews despised and hated. A Samaritan was cursed more than a Greek Gentile. But salvation had come to them, along with great miracles, and miracles of healing. No one cannot duplicate such things today.
Luke 10:17-19 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
--Christ gave power, not to just the 12, but to 70 disciples to work miracles among whatever city and house they would enter--not just the Jews, but to the Greeks as well. They came back with astounding reports. Even the demons were subject to them. Christ's response also indicates the enormity of the work that they had accomplished. These 70 indeed had accomplished miracles that people today do not accomplish.
If one person gets healed through the gift of healing, that is evidence.
This statement is utter nonsense. We all believe in healing, and no one has denied it. If one person gets healed today it is because of an answer to prayer. The gift of healing ceased long ago, as is evidenced by the above Scriptures. God still heals; but no has the gift of healing. God answers prayer in response to the prayers of His children. But the supernatural gift of healing is not operative today. If it were we would have evidence that it were, such as the apostles did. They could, at times in their ministry, heal all that came to them. If the gift of healing were operative today, that same power would be available, and readily demonstrable to people today. But it isn't. People claim it is, but when challenged for evidence they can't produce it. Thus the only conclusion one can make is that they are fraudulent in their claims. How unfortunate for all the broken hearts that have so often been deceived by these shysters.
**2. Show us the gift of miracles. That is where one person is able to perform supernatural miracles, whether it be healing or provision of financial need, or repairing vehicles without repairman, etc. Show us the miracles, that can be verified.**
There are plenty of testimonies from people all over the world who have seen and experienced miracles. It's kind of surprising to me that someone would ask a question like this because I've heard so many testimonies from regular, sincere Christians about miracles they have experienced- including miracles in the Biblical sense. Maybe you are sheltered from these kinds of testimonies because of the circles you limit yoruself, too. but it's still hard to believe you've never read testimonies of miracles from the mission field.
Miracles of the Biblical type:
Like when Jesus walked on water, and compelled Peter to do the same,
Like Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after he had been four days in the grave already.
Like Jesus feeding 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and two fish.
Like Jesus who calmed the sea,
Like Jesus who turned the water into wine.
You are right. I have never seen these type of miracles. The gift of miracles has ceased. They don't happen any longer. God does answer prayer, sometimes in a rather miraculous manner, we might say. But there is no gift of miracles--no one who has a gift to do miracles on a regular basis. I know of no such person alive today.
A Biblical method to verify something is the testimony of two or three reliable witnesses. If you want to verify a miracle by Biblical means, it should not be that difficult. You can poke around on the Internet, track the people down, and interview them.
If you want a couple of pointers, one would be to look up some of the healing homes on the Internet. I had a telephone conversation with soemone who had been inthis ministry who had seen a lot of healings. You can track down people who claim to have been healed in an instantaneous miraculous way and interview people who know them. There are plenty of them out there for you to track down. There was a book written about some miracles on the island of Timor in the 60's. I know a man from there who talked with people who witnessed them and wrote about it. I haven't gotten a copy of what he wrote, though. It's in Indonesian.
I don't need to verify the occaisional answer to prayer. I already know that God does that. I need verification that the
GIFT OF HEALING is still operative today. Demonstrate that there is an individual that can perform miracles on a regular basis.
DHK
