2006-08-02 - Summer Questions

2006 #11 ~ Confused Healer

Psalm 107:20, "He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."

Today's question: "Well here goes on a question that I have been having a problem with for a while. I have a very dear friend that goes to a healer. She claims he heals. One of my other friends went to him to see what it was all about and he had said that she had something wrong with her and the next day she had a colon problem (which she get every now and then) She will not go back to him. But the other one believes in his healings. Does God send these people down to do this work or is this something I need to stay clean of. He is Gnostic. He does do prayer and he does say that he has to get out of the way to let God come through. But I don't know if I can believe that stuff. Thanks for doing this kind of thing."

Before we start today, I would like to comment on the devotional that was sent out on Monday, 7-31-2006. It dealt with thoughts, including vile thoughts intruding in our worship and prayer times. The general question was asking if this is normal, and I stated that I did not think this was normal. I do feel that it is more common that we have wandering thoughts in worship and prayer, but vile, evil thoughts - I still don't think are normal. However, based on the responses I received to what I wrote, I have to admit that evil thoughts intruding in our lives, and specifically in our prayer times and worship times, are probably a lot more common than I realized. I do hope that if you struggle with this affliction, that what was written on Monday is helpful to you, and that you will be able to turn to Christ during these frustrating times.

Respecting today's question, I think with a little common sense, you know the answer here. But I will use a little basic logic to get us started. It makes little sense to say you are a Gnostic, claim to be a healer, pray to a god you don't believe in, and claim that in order for your healing powers to work, you have to "get out of the way." It simply is a complete contradiction. I have serious doubts that someone who claims that they doubt God exists, and yet prays to him admitting that their powers don't work unless this God, who they doubts exists, works - is worth going to see, even if he was paying you to see him.

Respecting the office of healing in general, I do believe that God does heal, and we pray to that end. However, I don't believe that there is a specific office of a healer in the church today. You may object, and say that there were many healings in the New Testament. I agree that there are many healings in the New Testament, but I would call these Apostolic gifts, and the office of Apostle ended when the last of the twelve died around 1900 years ago. The claim of some to have healing powers has recently crept into the church. However, this view that there are those gifted to heal is relatively new in the church. The church has historically held that the office of a healer was an Apostolic gift. I would put the recent occurrence in the churches of the healer office as something that 2 Timothy 4:3 warns us about, "they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires."

I want to maintain that The Lord is a healing God (Genesis 20:17, 18), and even go as far as to say that He can use people to heal. However, I don't believe that this is His normal mode of operation in our lives. The Lord is not bound by norms or rules as we are, but is above them. He may use someone to heal another, but it is the Lord who does the healing, and His activity in that would be a special act of mercy. We would also want to maintain that if the Lord is pleased to heal someone, He does not need the means of a healer, but rather could heal that person without the intervention of anyone. The fact that He might choose to use someone to heal another is just as understandable as if He choose to not use someone, and worked through other means.

I do want to thank you for your question. I would not recommend that you go see this confused healer, but rather rest in the Lord. I would encourage your friend to do so also. May it be said of us as the Psalmist says in Psalm 24:6, "This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Thy face."

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

godrulestb@aol.com
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