THE DIRECTORSHIP OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is not only active in the individual believer's life, He is active in the midst of directing His Church. We would do well to be impressed that He is here, and commissioned by Christ to lead the Church. The earliest Church after that famous day of Pentecost quickly recognised that the Holy Spirit was leading and governingthe Church. The fact that He is controlling the affairs of the Church means that we are not controlling Him. Therefore we can not make Him do what ever we want. Rather, it should be the other way around. If the Holy Spirit does the spectacular, He does it for good reasons. Interestingly, the first Church no where preached the spectacular, it just happened as the opened themselves up to the Holy Spirit. We will examine both possiblity of, and the doctrine for, the Holy Spirit doing the spectacular as a means of directing His Church.
Luke 9:11, "...and He healed those who had a need of healing."
But did this reflect the eternal attitude of God, or was it specifically for that time that Christ was on the earth? In order to answer this, we have to discover whether Jesus indicated what the will of the Father was.
1. Many people wonder whether it is really God's will to heal. What did Jesus say to the leperous man in Matthew 8:1-3?
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2. In the Disciples' Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus instructed us to pray for the will of God to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven. Is there sickness in Heaven?
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3. Is it the will of God to do good or to do evil? From this understanding, how does the passage in Matthew 12:10-14 indicate what the will of God is toward healing?
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In the Old Testament, we find that healing and health played a large role in the blessings of the covenant (Deut. 28:1-14).
4. How does God describe Himself in Exodus 15:26? _____________________________________________________________
This is where the title 'Yahweh Heals' comes from. The Hebrew is 'raw-faw', but in English it is usually written 'Rapha'.
5. What is God credited for in Psalms 103:3?
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6. Only once in Genesis do we find God healing. What was that healing and why did God do it?
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Although only once does it mention God healing in the Book of Genesis, this doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't happen more often. For example, in the Book of Job, which fits into Genesis about just over half-way, the account is given of a man allowed to be made sick, but then gloriously healed by God.
In the Book of Exodus, the Lord shows that He has the power to both make sick and make well.
| Furthermore, the Lord said to him [Moses], put your hand in your
bosom. "And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold,
his hand was leperous, like snow. And He said, "Put your hand in your
bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out
of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. Exodus 4:7-8 |
| "...how God anointed Jesus of Nazereth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed
by the devil, for God was with Him." Acts 10:38 |
7. Note the following references about what Jesus said happened and what physically occured-
(a) Luke 7:50 _________________________________________________
(b) Luke 18:42 __________________________________________________
8. Which part of Isaiah 53 suggests that Christ's suffering and death paid the price for our healing?
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In reference to healing being included in our salvation, you may hear people refer to it as in the atonement . The Cross of Christ defeated sin and the devil. This naturally includes their fruit, such as sickness. This truth should not be taken to any extremes, such as sickness is the direct result of personal sin. Many devout Christians have been afflicted with diseases and sicknesses that every other human is subject to.
8. Which examples from the Book of Acts would you use to prove people were being healed by God even after the time of Christ on earth? (Give references)
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We know that Christ healed the sick repeatedly throughout His earthly ministry (Acts 10:38). Today it is the same Jesus that can heal the sick under the graceful administation of the Holy Spirit.
9. How does Hebrews 13:8 confirm this?
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A casual glance through the Book of Acts reveals extraordinary examples of divine healing. Some were healed through the laying on of apostles hands, others via deacons hands, others from the shadow of Peter, and others from the handkerchiefs of Paul. The Holy Spirit can use various means. In First Corinthians 12, Paul states that Christ has given gifts of healings, and the ability to display miraculous powers to the church. He concludes his second letter to them by saying that the signs of an apostle were evident in his ministry during his stay there (2Cor. 12:12). These are presumably what the Bible refers to as signs and wonders. James says that those on their sick bed (implication being "death-bed") should call for the elders of their church to anoint them with oil and pray the prayer of faith.
10. What does James say the result will be? (James 5:15) Does this have any implicational changes if James is referring to those upon their death-bed?
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Amen.