Distinctive Characteristics of Christ's Healing Miracles

1. Christ healed completely: Christ had no half cures. The paralytic didn't hobble away; the leper didn't go back to the priest with only a few skin nodules here and there; and the blind man didn't need glasses or a seeing-eye camel to find his way around.
2. Christ healed immediately: Except for three instances where the healing took place in a matter of minutes, all miracles happened instantaneously--not days or weeks later.
3. Christ healed in public: His healing ministry was not limited to certain prearranged sites. He didn't need an emotionally supercharged atmosphere or an "annointing" in a crusade or church to heal the sick. He went up and down the countryside and streets healing people in a seemingly random manner (of course, He foreknew exactly whom He would heal).
4. Christ healed mostly visible or organic disease: He was not intimidated by withered body parts, the blind, or people in the grave. His miracles were so convincing that even His critics of the day could not refute them.
5. Christ healed even those without faith: Christ healed without partiality, healing even those who apparently had little or no faith. You'll remember that the man Christ healed of blindness didn't even really know who Christ was. "He replied, Whether Christ is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25; see also vv. 35-36)
6. Christ healed with a purpose: His purpose was to authenticate His messianic claim. (John 5:36), to show the people that He had the authority to forgive sins. (Matt. 9:6), to prove that His message came from God (Acts 2:22), and through it all to launch the beginning of His church and bring more glory to God (Eph. 2:19-22; John 11:4). Christ didn't heal everyone (John 5:3-5); nor did He heal on demand (Matt. 12:38-40).

Christ healed without bias - any type of person, anywhere, instanteously, totally, any disease, in plain sight of everyone. The disciples' healings followed suit. Peter and Paul completely healed the lame and both apostles raised the dead. The apostles' healings were so numerous and so convincing that not even their enemies could deny them.

After Pentecost (the birth of the church), no miracle ever occurred in the entire New Testament record, except in the presence of an apostle or one directly commissioned by an apostle. Like Christ, the apostles didn't perform miracles simply for the physical benefit of the recipients. Miracles were never intended to make all believers healthy or to be a last-ditch effort by God to bring a person to saving faith. A miracle by itself will never bring someone to genuine faith in God (John 6:65). Neither is there evidence in Scripture that the miracles performed by the apostles were to continue after they died. Miracles of healing had a very specific purpose; to authenticate the apostles and their message from God (II Cor. 12:11-12), and therein build the foundation for the church (Eph. 2:19-22) -- the spiritual framework supporting the very life of the body of genuine believers.

So why did Christ wait until He was about thirty to miraculously heal people and display to the world His miracle-working powers? Because Christ healed with a purpose.

Miracles had a specific purpose for the church; but as adults today we don't need signs and wonders to authenticate the words of God's ambassadors; we already have God's Word written down for us in black and white. Nor do we need spectacular healings to prove to the unsaved that God exists. If the unsaved will not believe what the written Word of God says and apply it in their lives, no miracle will ever convince them. The unbeliever may stick around in the church to see more spectacular "healings", but a genuine miracle by itself will never bring anyone to completely surrender his or her life to God.

Even in the New Testament, miracles were never intended to bring masses of people to a saving faith. Though numerous miracles authenticated the ministry of Christ and His apostles, the mind-boggling miracles did not produce widespread faith (Luke 10:13-15). The masses still crucified Christ and murdered His apostles.

From "Does God Still Do Miracles" by Dr. Brad Burke.

What About Miracles?

Miracles wrought at the hands of God's messengers, were primarily clustered in three brief ages of Bible history, during the lives of 1. Moses and Joshua, 2. the prophets of Elijah and Elisha and 3. Christ and the Apostles (after Christ was thirty years of age). We have no record of healing miracles occurring in large numbers, anywhere, any time, at the hands of just any saint. C.S. Lewis states it plainly: "God does not shake miracles into Nature at random as if from a pepper-caster." Only certain messengers of God were used to perform divine miracles, referred to as "signs and wonders" throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Why were these "signs and wonders" performed? (past tense) God used these supernatural feats as signs to the people, identifying and authenticating the credentials of His earthly spokesmen. Christ did numerous wonders and signs to demonstrate the truth of His message. (John 10: 24, 25; 20: 30-31; Acts 2: 22). When Elijah raised from the dead a widow's son, the widow proclaimed "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth." (1 Kings 17: 24). With the canon of Scripture incomplete and with so many false prophets buzzing around, citizens had difficulty separating God's truth from human imagination. But by orchestrating an inexplicable miraculous event through His prophet, or apostle, or His own Son, God effectively channeled His truth to the people.

To accomplish this, God performed miraculous healings that blew away the magic, trickery, and psychosomatic healings of His competition -- mainly Satan and the false prophets. Christ instantaneously healed a paralytic and the people praised God saying "We have never seen anything like this." (Mark 2: 12) Spinal-cord paralysis is a healing without medical explanation - it's supernatural. Christ also restored the sight of a man born blind which is another healing without medical explanation. (John 9: 1-34) Christ immediately healed a man of leprosy. (Matthew 8: 1-4) Again, this healing defied all medical explanation. Perhaps Christ's greatest miracle was seen in raising Lazarus from the grave. (John 11: 11-44) Lazarus was dead for three days, to be raised to complete health, was truly beyond medical rationalization. And Christ raised not one but at least two other individuals to life - one right out of a coffin on his way to his funeral (Luke 7: 14-15; 8:49-56)! From "Does God Still Do Miracles?" by Dr. Brad Burke. The miracles being performed today in no way compare to the miracles which Christ performed. His miracles had distinctive characteristics which will be discussed on the next posting.

Not Just Any Church Will Do!

Now that you know the truth, the big question is, "Where do you find it being taught?" Because you don't want to spend your time, especially if you are a new Christian, in a church where they teach anything other than the truth.

In my sixty years of life, I have spent fifty-one of them as a born-again Christian and have been exposed to True Christian teaching for longer than that. To put it bluntly, "I know the truth when I hear it and I also know when I am hearing lies." I was very fortunate to be brought up in a church from the age of five where True Christianity was taught week in and week out. Fifty-one years is a lot of sermons and a lot of exposure to truth.

The majority of churches do not teach True Christianity so finding a good church to attend is a difficult task. Not just any church will do! It matters what you believe and it therefore matters what you listen to -- week in and week out. It makes a difference which church you attend. Before you decide to attend any particular church on a regular basis, you need to do some research on its history and background. Following are some questions that you need to answer for yourself:

1. Is this a newly created denomination or movement that has just emerged on the scene? If so, what are its teachings and are they true to Scripture?


2. Are there any books written by reputable authors about this new movement? If books are available, read them.


3. Ask your Christian family and friends about this church. Have they heard any rumours about its teachings?


4. Pray for discernment to know whether this organization could possibly be a cult because there are more false teachers out there today than there are people teaching the truth.


5. Make sure that any church you commit to attend on a regular basis has as its central theme and purpose for existence as Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected. (See the two previous postings).


6. Modern day cults are very clever because they mix truth with falsehoods so that the unsuspecting will accept their false teachings. You need to be aware of these.

There are a number of churches in the City of Barrie that teach True Christianity. Some of these denominations may be available in your area. Listed alphabetically, they are: Barrie Alliance, Barrie Free Methodist, Bethel Community Church, Christian Reformed Church, Church of the Nazarene, Emmanuel Baptist, First Baptist, Heritage Baptist, Inniswood Baptist, Willow Creek Baptist.

These are not the only churches who teach True Christianity but these are the ones that I am familiar with in Barrie. In these churches, you will not find speaking in tongues, the health and wealth gospel, divine revelation, the doctrine of subsequence, faith as a force, signs and wonders, modern day prophets, healing and miracles, or positive confession. All of these teachings are false and based on misinterpretation of Scripture or there is no Scriptural basis at all.

Do not attend any church which emphasizes or teaches any of the above themes over and above Christ and Him Crucified. The Cross is the one and only central theme of the church. Your primary concern when choosing a church should be "Is it teaching the Truth?"

Ye Must Be Born Again (John 3: 7)

The question that God is asking you now is, "Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life?" Because this is such an important matter, let's clarify just what it involves. It means that you need to:

1. Transfer your trust from what you have been doing to what Christ has done for you on His cross,
2. Accept Christ as Saviour by opening the "door" to your heart and invite Him in. He says: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him ... " (Rev. 3:20)
3. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord. Give Him the "drivers seat" and "controls" of your life, not the "back seat".
4. Repent and be willing to turn from anything that is not pleasing to Him. He will reveal His will to you as you grow in your relationship with Him.

Now, if this is what you really want, you can go to God in prayer right where you are. You can receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ right now. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:10, 13) If you want to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, then call on Him asking Him for this gift right now.

Here's a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in Heaven for me. Lord Jesus, come into my life; take control of my life; forgive my sins and save me. I repent of my sins and now place my trust in You for my salvation. I accept the free gift of eternal life."

If this prayer is the sincere desire of your heart, look at what Jesus promises to those who believe in Him: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life." (John 6: 47)

Welcome to God's Family!

1. If you have truly repented (forsaken, turned away) from your sins
2. Placed your trust in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death
3. And received the gift of eternal life
4. You are born again, a child of God! Forever!

Welcome to the family of God!

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1: 12)

Today is your Spiritual Birthday!

A day you will always want to remember!

The Bible speaks of those who receive eternal life in these words: "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1: 13)

From this time forward, as He gives me strength, I will seek to trust Him and obey Him in all areas of my life.

What's Next?

Just as a newborn baby grows physically, in a similar way, you can grow spiritually by taking the following steps:

1. Read the Bible -- starting with the Gospel of John, read a chapter each day. (1 Peter 2: 2)
2. Prayer -- spend time each day talking with God. (Philippians 4: 6)
3. Worship -- regularly attend a church that honours Jesus Christ and teaches you the truth of Scripture. (Psalm 122: 1) (John 4: 24)
4. Fellowship with True Christians who will help you grow in faith. (1 John 1: 3)
5. Witness -- tell others what Jesus Christ means to you! (Acts 1: 8)

If you have trusted Christ as your personal Saviour as a result of reading this, and you want further help in the decision you have made or if you have more questions about the Christian faith, please contact us by e-mail or visit http://www.emmanuelbarrie.org.

THE TRUTH

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes unto the Father but by Me."

Do you want to know for sure that you are going to be with God in Heaven?
If God were to ask you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" what would you say?
Following is the best news you could ever hear.
Did you know that the Bible tells you how you can know for sure that you have eternal life and will go to be with God in Heaven?

"These things I have written unto you ... that ye may know that ye have eternal life ... (1 John 5:13)

The Bible says there are 5 things you need to know about eternal life.

1. Heaven - - Eternal Life is a Free GIFT. The Bible says, "... the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23). And because Heaven is a GIFT, like any other genuine GIFT, it is not earned or deserved. No amount of personal effort, good works, or religious deeds can earn a place in Heaven for you. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8, 9) Why is it that no-one can earn his way to Heaven?
2. Because Man is a Sinner. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Sin is transgressing God's Law and includes such things as lying, lust, cheating, deceit, anger, evil thoughts, immoral behaviour, and more. And because of this, man cannot save himself. If you wanted to save yourself by good deeds, do you know how good you would have to be? "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) With such a high standard, no-one can save himself.
3. However in spite of our sin ... God is merciful and therefore doesn't want to punish us. This is because "... God is love." (1 John 4:8) And He says, "...I have loved thee with an everlasting love..." (Jeremiah 31:3) But the same Bible that tells us that God loves us also tells us that God is just and therefore must punish sin. He says..."...I will by no means clear the guilty..." (Exodus 34:7) "...the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4). Therein lies the problem. God loves us and doesn't want to punish us but He is just and must punish sin.
4. God solved this problem for us in the person of JESUS CHRIST. Who is He? The Bible tells us clearly that He is the infinite GOD-MAN. "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus)... and the Word (Jesus) was God. And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1, 14) Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a sinless life, but while on earth what did He do? He died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins and rose from the grave to purchase a place for us in Heaven. "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity (sin) of us all." (Isaiah 53:6) Jesus Christ bore our sin in His body on the Cross and now offers you eternal life (Heaven) as a free gift.
5. This gift is received by faith. Faith is the key that opens the door to Heaven. Many people mistake two things for saving faith. Saving faith is not mere intellectual assent, like believing certain historical facts. The Bible says that the devil believes there is one God, so believing there is one God is not saving faith. Saving faith is not mere temporal faith, that is, trusting God for temporary crises such as financial, family, or physical needs. Now these are good and you should trust Christ for these, but they are not saving faith! Saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. It means resting upon Christ alone and what He has done rather than in what you or I have done to get us into Heaven. "... Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved ..." (Acts 16: 31) You have just read the greatest story ever told, about the greatest offer ever made, by the greatest person who ever lived, Jesus Christ!

You too can receive this gift!

If you have trusted Christ as your personal Saviour as a result of reading this, and you want further help in the decision you have made or if you have more questions about the Christian faith, please contact us by e-mail or visit http://www.emmanuelbarrie.org/.

How Do You Explain Charismatic Healings?

Charismatics often respond to biblical and theological reasoning by appealing to experience. They plead, "But incredible things are happening; how do you explain it?"

In reply I say: "Since no charismatic healer can come up with genuinely verifiable cases of instant healing involving organic disease; since no charismatic healer heals everyone who comes for healing and hundreds go away from their services as sick or as crippled as when they came; since no charismatic healer raises the dead; since the Word of God needs no confirmation outside itself and is sufficient to show the way of salvation; since charismatic healings are based on a questionable theology of the atonement and salvation; since charismatic writers and teachers appear to disallow God His own purposes in allowing people to be sick; since charismatic healers seem to need their own special environment; since the evidence they bring forth to prove healings is often weak, unsupported, and over-exaggerated; since charismatics are not known for going into hospitals to heal though there are plenty of faithful people in hospitals; since most instances of healings by charismatics can be explained in ways other than God's unquestioned supernatural intervention; since charismatics get sick and die like everyone else; since so much confusion and contradiction surrounds what is happening -- the return question is: How do you explain it? It is certainly not the biblical gift of healing!"


Healings are occurring today. But the biblical gift of healing is not present. God heals whom He wills, when He wills and there are many times when committed Christians are involved in the most tragic unexplainable and seemingly needless cases of suffering. Loved ones have been earnestly prayed for only to see the answer come back no. Charismatic pastors -- if they are honest -- will admit they have had the same types of experiences.


But what is the typical explanation charismatic teachers, healers, and leaders give for the multitudes of those who are not healed. "THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH." That kind of reasoning is neither kind nor accurate. And furthermore, faith cannot be measured!

(from "Charismatic Chaos" by John MacArthur, Jr.)

Abusive Disciplers

Leaders in most discipleship groups will admit that their rules are different than those in most churches. In truth, they feel they are closer to what and authentic Christian experience should be.

When did you agree to the rules? When did you find out what the rules were? The rules of abusive discipleship are not evident in the beginning. What is initially obvious is a great display of personal attention, love, and caring. This is what people usually (and understandably) find so attractive about such groups. They will also tell you that you can grow much faster spiritually by having a discipler who is wiser than you in the Lord. You will be assigned a "buddy" to stand along side who will be your constant friend. The problem is that it won't be long before growth changes to restrictions by controlling techniques.

As your relationship with the abusive discipler develops, you find out that there are rules -- actually more rules than you might have expected.

Abusive Disciplers Expect You to:

• Make considerable time in your schedule for them.
• Call them frequently to get advice.
• Meet with them often.
• Share with or confess your sins to them, and to be "transparent" to them in every area of your life.
• Trust them with all your most intimate secrets -- even though they may have nothing to do with sin.
• Discuss even your non-moral decisions with them.
• Trust the advice your discipler gives you and obey this discipler in every area of your life.

You may be led to believe that any violation of the discipler's rules can be a sin. This is part of the deceptive and hidden agenda built into the program. It's also considered sinful to break your committment and end the relationship.

In a controlling discipleship, there are other ideas that are hidden from you. Aberrant discipleship teaches new meanings for such words as obey, submit, die to self, and brokenness. Abusive disciplers expand the meanings far beyond what the Bible teaches, to imply that anytime that you don't want to accept the advice of a leader, you are likely not sufficiently obedient, submissive, broken, or dying to self. These non-Biblical definitions are usually concealed until the abusive disciplers feel you are trustworthy enough to be given their teachings in full. (From "Twisted Scriptures" by Mary Alice Chrnalogar)