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-- © GodSpeak International 2001 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <copyright@godspeak.org> --
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Author: Bob Hazlett <bob@touchoffire.org> http://www.touchoffire.org
Editors: Teresa Seputis, Bob Hawley

Determining Your Healing Style

by Bob Hazlett

Lesson 5

More on Healing and Evangelistic Style

The Politician With A Problem

In the book of 2 Kings, we find the story of a wealthy and powerful man. This man was a politician in a nation who did not believe in the one true God, but worshipped many gods. His spiritual journey led him to a change in his believe system. However, he did not set out on his journey to receive the knowledge of the one true God, he commenced his search in order to find physical healing.

II Kings 5:1,9-10,14 says, "Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded... He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, 'Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.' So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy." (NIV)

Namaam was obviously a man of great import and resource. The King of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel on his behalf, this proves his influence. He came to Israel with a caravan and eventually offered the prophet money and possessions in exchange for his healing. This suggests that he had substantial wealth.

Despite his influence and wealth, it was his physical need that caused him to come to Elisha for help. It was the gift of healing, through the working of a miracle that convince him of the existence of the one true God. He is converted because of the healing power of God. This conversion is recorded in II kings 5:15, "Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, 'Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.'"

Perhaps you know of someone who is closed to the gospel. It could be they feel that they have no need for "religion", viewing it as a spiritual crutch. The gift of healing may just be the key to open the door to a relationship with Christ.

City and Regional Transformation Through Healing

There are currently many wonderful ministries worldwide that spread the gospel through the use of the healing and miraculous. My opinion is that we will see many more such ministries raised up like these in the near future. While every believer is called to evangelize and is equipped with the gift if healing, some will be called to impact regions and nations with the gospel. Philip was such an evangelist.

Acts 8:5-8 describes his ministry. "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city." (NIV)

I believe Philip is a example of what twenty-first century evangelism should look like. His is the primary biblical pattern for New Testament evangelism. He followed the instruction that Jesus gave when He sent out His disciples. Preach the kingdom, heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. As result, the entire city was transformed, and there was great joy!

Healing Ministry, A Non-Negotiable

Some would instruct us today the leave the healing ministry out of the gospel. I attended a major evangelism conference where healing ministry was held in contempt or considered to be a negotiable part of the gospel message. Evangelists were urged to "keep the main thing, the main thing." The "main thing" being the proclamation of the gospel. This has become the norm, especially in our western style of evangelism. Why is this the case when biblical evangelism clearly contained both the presentation and demonstration of the gospel?

My opinion is that the healing movement that swept America in the 1940s and 1950s paved the way for a healing generation of this millennium. At that time, God raised up evangelists who were powerfully equipped with spiritual gifts of healing. They saw many thousands saved and healed. However, in some of the ministries character issues arose and personal weakness were exposed. As a result, many of these ministries were cut short. Additionally, there was little teaching that empowered Christians who were not called to mass evangelism or proclamation ministry to operate in these gifts. Since that time, most major evangelistic ministries that were raised up avoided the healing gifts or held them in contempt. This has been a great loss to the church and the cause of evangelism.

The time for healing ministry in evangelism to rise again has come. Twenty first century evangelism will be a proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. God will raise up new evangelists equipped with the skill of preaching and power like Philip. Also Christians will be taught and equipped to share their faith and demonstrate the power of God through healing. The proclamation and demonstration of the gospel through healing ministry will transform nations, cities, schools, factories and offices.

Healing Ministry Takes Various Forms

I come from a long line of do-it-yourselfers. My grandfather used to lock himself in the garage for days disassembling and then re-assembling his Ford, without a diagram. As a kid, I watched my dad do everything from laying down concrete to nailing down roofing shingles. He never needed an instruction manual. Needless to say, I have inherited this uncanny ability to do things without assistance. I travel thousands of miles each year by car and I never need a map. Neither do I stop and ask for directions. I never get lost. Just ask my wife. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't mention it to her. I don't think she recognizes my gift. Sometimes she insists that I am lost. I assure her that I am just taking a short cut.

Before you begin to label me as overly independent or self-reliant, consider that I might just have a different style of learning than you. Some people learn best by observing. Others, like me, learn most readily by doing. This trait effects not just the way I learn, but also the way I teach. I learn best by experiencing. I teach best by demonstrating. This is why when writing or speaking I have a tendency to use personal stories to illustrate a point.

I do believe, in healing ministry, each of us will have a leaning toward one of the five styles that we are discussing in this series. That does not mean that we are limited to that particular style. One of the dangers of determining our healing style is that we label ourselves and limit ourselves to that style. For instance, I am primarily prophetic. There may still be instances where I will be called upon to teach about healing ministry. Also, I need to move in compassion in healing ministry. I must have a focus toward unbelievers. Therefore, I cannot ignore the others styles, I must nurture them in my life. The prophetic part of me may be the strongest, but I must also be apostolic in vision, evangelistic in focus, pastoral in heart and, to the best of my ability, pass on to others what I have learned.

This course is designed to help you understand who you are and how that relates to your healing ministry. As you discover your style, you will find your strengths, and you will find your weakness. Don't be limited by either. Realize that you will be most effective and fruitful in healing ministry when you operate in your God-given style. But also understand that you can be used more broadly when you nurture all the styles in your life.


-- © GodSpeak International 2001 --
-- Do not republish without written permission from <godspeak@godspeak.org> --

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