The Question of Healings and Miracles:
Are They to Function Differently in Evangelism
Than They Do Among Believers?

In those churches which believe gifts of healings and miracles still operate in the modern Church at all, the tendency is to limit them mostly to church services, where they are administered mostly by recognized "ministers." Whether those in need are Christians or unbelievers, the message is the same come to church and get the miracle you need there.

But is this the scriptural pattern? As the discussion in the last section demonstrated, the great majority of the healings and miracles recorded in the New Testament occurred on the street, not in church meetings. Their purpose was to get the attention of unbelievers, and also to destroy the works of the devil (see Acts 10:38), not to increase attendance at church worship services. In doing these miracles, the church went out to the people, the people did not come into the church.

However, this does not answer the situation of a sick believer. But God has given us clear instructions for this situation:

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.
James 5:14-16a

Thus, even for a sick believer, the scriptural instructions do not read "come to a church meeting and get healed." Rather, a sick believer's steps of obedience are to call for the "elders" (which should be read literally as "elders," plural, not "pastor") and to confess his faults to them when they come to him. The elders are then to anoint him and pray over him. This procedure will lead to healing and, more importantly, to forgiveness and restoration.

The traditional messages "come to church and get healed" and "come to church and get the miracle you need" really do not fit the scriptural model for either believers or unbelievers. Healings and miracles are supposed to go out to those who need them, not to wait for those who need them to come to church. By getting this backward, we seriously limit the intended effectiveness of these gifts.

Ian Johnson
Please do email me!
ian4christ41@yahoo.com

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