Determining Your Healing Style

Every Kind Of Sickness

Matthew 9:35 in the NAS says, "And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness."

The word for sickness nosos (nos'-os), can also be translated, "to dote about, have a diseased craving for." When we open up our hearts to God's compassion, He will open up our eyes to see and our hands to heal EVERY KIND IF SICKNESS. There is not one sickness that is too small or great for Him to heal.

Consider the power of compassion in Jesus' healing ministry. Below we find a list and miracles and healing that Jesus performed motivated by compassion:

• Compassion provides for physical needs. (The miracle of the bread and fish)

  Matt 15:32
  Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way." (NIV)

• Compassion heals blind eyes

  Matthew 20:34
  Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (NIV)

• Compassion heals Leprosy

  Mark 1:41-42
  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was clean. (NIV)

• Compassion heals the deaf and dumb

  Mark 9:22,25
  "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" (NKJ)

• Compassion raises the dead

  Luke 7:12-15
  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.

  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. (NKJ)

Compassion Builds A Team

In Matthew 9:36, Jesus was moved with compassion because the people were harassed and helpless. In Matthew 9:37, Jesus does something about it. He calls his disciples together and transmits what He is feeling to them. He says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." What He is saying is that He could not do all the work himself.

Compassion doesn't fly solo. Even Jesus understood that His job was not to DO all the work. He could never minister to each one personally, He knew He needed a team. Throughout scripture we see example of teams of healers. The disciples being sent out two-by-two ( Luke 10:1). Peter and James at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-11). Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-4).

In most cases there will be a lead person. In the case of Peter and James it was Peter, who also had the proclamation gift. With Paul and Barnabas, it was Paul, was had the Apostolic calling. Regardless of the role an individual plays, whether they are the "lead healer" or part of the "team of healers." When we are motivated with compassion we will be content to play our role and realize that God has called us all to be healers of mankind.

Compassion Shares The Power

In addition to telling the disciples about the need, Jesus empowered the disciples to meet the need. Matthew tells us that just after Jesus saw the crowds, and felt compassion; He called His disciples together and "gave them authority." There is a direct correlation here between the transmittal of compassion, "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few," and the transmittal of authority.

Jesus had just demonstrated what compassion could do. He had healed "every disease and sickness" (Matthew 9:35). Now He is giving them authority to heal "every disease and sickness" (Matthew 10:1). The only thing that happens between His demonstration of authority and His imparting of authority is the demonstration and imparting of compassion. Compassion precedes authority. If authority can be imparted, so can compassion.

I believe we are marching forward to a time when we will walk in authority i over every disease and sickness. But preceding that authority we will walk in the compassion that Jesus walked in. We will have the mind of Christ and the power of Christ, but we must first possess the heart of Christ.

Let us ask for His heart. Let us ask that we may see people through His eyes. Let us chase after His heart. Let compassion be our motivation to be healers of mankind. If compassion is not our motivation then what is? Is it flattery, fame or fortune? These may come, but they must not motivate us. The driving force for healing ministry must be compassion as demonstrated through the ministry and heart of Christ.

Perhaps, your primary style of healing ministry is not the pastoral style. You must still learn the compassion of God. Make this your prayer:

Father. Thank you for giving me your heart of compassion. I receive it now. Help me to see with your eyes, feel with your heart and touch with your hands. I believe you want to use me to feed the hungry, open blind eyes, cleanse the leper, free the oppressed and raise the dead. I believe you have given me authority over every sickness and disease: spiritual, emotional and physical. I don't want to be motivated by any thing other than your love and compassion. Please expose and cleanse any other motivation in my heart. I thank you for your forgiveness and grace. Thank you for choosing to use me to demonstrate your power and your passion. In Jesus' name. Amen.