A man came by and sat down on my left and I thought nothing of it. A minute later, I saw a man on the opposite platform walking to and fro, mumbling to himself and occasionally calling out to no-one in particular.

Viewing this as a ministry opportunity, I leaned over to the man on my left and asked, “Do you know what his problem is?” He answered right back, “What’s his problem?” I smiled and responded, “He’s probably demonically oppressed,” and then continued, “do you know there’s a world beyond this physical one?”

This is when things got interesting. He gave me a wan smile and said to me, “I guess you’re a Christian. Listen to this…” He then launched into a short burst of speaking in tongues. I was surprised but managed to recover. “I guess you’ve probably heard the gospel before”, I said with a grin.

“You listen to me,” he demanded. “I was in the ministry for years and was in ministry school.” “But,” he continued, “we prayed and prayed and God didn’t heal the seven sick people we prayed for. They all died. That’s when I left the ministry.”

I didn’t know too much about the Word but I replied that our faith in God did not depend on who got healed or not. I told him I didn’t understand why those people didn’t get healed as I wasn’t there. But I said, God was still faithful and He was and is still our Healer.

He wasn’t moved, as our train pulled in. “All I want”, he said, “is one minute when I die, to say my piece and tell God how I feel about it. So much power over there when we need it here!” I patiently responded that it wouldn’t play out that way, that no one gets to vent in heaven.

The funny thing was that as he kept telling me how he didn’t want anything to do with Christianity, he kept talking about God and what he wanted to say to him. I tried to talk with him before my stop, about 15 minutes later and he kept asking me to refute what he was saying, but he was way too angry. I just told Him over and over that God loved him and was faithful. My stop came along first and I got off the train.

This man was in a place that I’ve seen others get to over the years since that day in 1987. I refer to people who have seen failures over and over, particularly ministers- folks who have had to comfort the bereaved again and again. It can be heartbreaking and I can even understand mentally, how he arrived at that place. I have been tempted too. Tempted to just walk away and not even bother to pray any more – just send people to the doctors and leave it to others who are willing to test their faith and face the risk of failure.

I’ll be honest though and share the determination I made years ago that no matter how many tragedies I see, God is still a Healer and His Word is still true. What’s the worst that could happen? We go to be with the Lord, which is better by far. Why would I want to arrive in heaven, with the thought in my heart: “you didn’t believe in God’s healing promises!” No, I won’t be condemned for it, but why not fight, why not believe, why not engage?

Paul said, “Fight the good fight of faith..” (1 Timothy 6:12). He said “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”(Ephesians 6:12) . He continues, “Run in such a way as to win the prize…” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Do we have this thought that it will always be easy, especially in the West? Do we think that healings are not a prize to be fought bitterly for, in prayer?

Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.….” (Mark 9:29). Do we still pray and fast, or are we caught up with activities that just engage the flesh? Is there too much “seeker-friendliness”, with mime and dance and too little all-night prayer and intercession? God help us! Philip didn’t need street mime and dance to cause Holy Spirit-led havoc in Samaria, did he?

As we struggle with church programs and ‘church growth’ activities, we’re wearing ourselves out with “stuff”. If one blind person received sight in your church each week, even with 4 services on Sunday, you would have lines that stretched for blocks. You would need the police to keep order.

Our leaders are so afraid to preach, teach and demonstrate healing though, that for many, this is beyond their reach. It’s at a point where so many just don’t believe anymore. Like my friend on the train, they may have started with zeal, but disappointments got the better of them. They not only refuse to believe now, but are deeply bitter at unrealized hope.

Like my friend the real cause of the bitterness is that they know healing is there and is real, but somehow or the other, they could never attain it. That’s where the broken heart and deep bitterness comes from, “..so much power over there when we need it here!”

There is a path to healing in our churches. It is not easy, but it is not obscure either. Preach it, teach it, pray for it, minister it, and repeat over and over until breakthrough comes. What if it tarries? Read John Wimber’s story if you find the time (Power Healing). You simply continue as a church until breakthrough comes.

Well, what if it still doesn’t come, you ask? Better to enter heaven declaring the truths of God’s Word and kingdom than to give up. I will never give in or give up. For me though, healing has already come, over and over again.  May such steadfastness undergird your own soul, may the Holy Spirit encourage you and reward as you persist in seeing the manifest promises of God fulfilled in your life and the lives of those around you. Amen.

What’s this got to do with a church becoming a healing church? Well, healing churches have to be gregarious about healing. Churches need others who know more than they do to really round them out in the various areas of healing. It is really important to find fivefold ministers to visit who move in the power of the Spirit and can also teach. Doctrine is important though, so it is wise to study the doctrine of your visitors before they visit, not after. Avoid ministers who move in power but have really erroneous doctrine.

A while back, in a home meeting, I innocently asked the question “what gifts does everyone here operate in?” All I received were blank stares and perhaps one or two hostile ones. I continued to quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6,

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

It says here that God works all of them in all men. I don’t believe there is a believer without spiritual gifts. Your gifts may be different from mine, but I believe God operates certain gifts in the life of each born-again believer. If there is one tragedy in the Body of Christ today, it is that this is not taught and many believers will go on to glory without operating in their gifts to benefit others. I’m sad when I think of the thousands who never walked in gifts of healing, faith or miraculous powers because they were not taught and thus never knew.

Healing churches should teach their congregations about, and encourage them to seek after spiritual gifts. This is one area where it is OK to be a glutton, that is having more and more of the Holy Spirit!! Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. I daydream sometimes about a healing room team of three members, one operating in the word of wisdom, another in gifts of healings, and yet another, in miraculous powers. I think they would be seriously effective.

When it comes to healing, we need to be as organized as the military, for two reasons. First, it is war, and second, the enemy is organized. “Jesus won already!” I hear someone say. I quite agree, but did you read Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3,

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

And again, in 1 Timothy 1:18,

Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,

What war? This war that Paul refers to in these scriptures. So yes, we already have a victory through Jesus, but we are involved in an enforcement action that is war. My prayer is that more pastors teach, develop and equip their people to be used mightily in the healing ministry. Amen.