five different attitudes toward healing…

now there are approximately five different attitudes toward healing.  there are a lot of different divisions about healing. 

1.  the sensationalist.  these are the guys you see on tv.  they come into town and hold giant meetings in large auditoriums, advertising miracles.  there’s bright lights, tv cameras rolling. often the healer is flamboyant.  he shouts at the people, slaps them on the head.  it is often a highly charged emotional atmosphere. 

i don’t see JESUS doing this.  HE did the exact opposite in his healing.  in all of JESUS’ healing HE took them aside from the crowd, where they are out of the glare of the public, talked with them on a one on one basis, healed them there and then it was reported to the crowd.  JESUS never manipulated people and never used them for show.  HE always cared about their needs more than HE did about making an impression on the crowds.  HE healed people quietly.

by the way, just because something is a miracle doesn’t mean it’s from GOD.  JESUS said in matthew 7, many will come in that day and say, “LORD, LORD didn’t we do many miracles in your name?”  JESUS will say, “i didn't even know you.”

2.  the confessionalists.   the confessionalists say that it is always GOD’s will for everybody to be healed.  this is the name it and claim it group.  sickness is a result of sin and all you need to do is claim your healing and GOD will heal.  if you’re not healed you lack faith.  the result of that is if there’s no healing there's an awful lot of guilt.  “maybe i just didn't believe enough.”  false doctrine always creates false guilt.  always. 

these confessionalists say it’s just the way you talk, you’ll get it.  i claim i have a cadillac and i get a cadillac.  the problem with this is, it makes GOD a genie.  all of a sudden GOD is serving me, my needs, my whims rather than me serving HIM.

what about the verse in i peter 5.19 (niv), those who suffer according to the will of GOD.  sometimes suffering is the will of GOD.

3.  dispensationalists.  the dispensationalists are those who say the gifts of healing were only for new testament times and they’re no longer around anymore.  don’t bother looking for those gifts.  it was great back in those days but they're not here. 

i have a problem with that view because hebrews 13.8 (niv) says, JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday, today and forever.   i believe that HE is.

4.  rationalists.  these are the people who say it’s just all in your mind.  if you’re ill it’s because you think you’re ill.  just deny it and you’ll be ok.  this is the CHRISTian science cult among others.  just deny it’s happening and it will go away.

5.  i think james would be a realist.  this recognizes two facts.  one, the fact that GOD still does heal.  HE does heal but not everybody gets healed.  that is also a fact of life.  GOD does heal people today, but two, HE doesn't heal everybody.  i think life is an example of that.

just a thought from the front porch…