The main point of this article is to make a point that is so simple, it almost sounds silly.\u00a0 The point is this:\u00a0 if Jesus tells you to do something, then you should assume that it is His will for you to do it.\u00a0 For example, if He tells you to love your neighbor as yourself, then you should never have to wonder if it is God’s will for you to love your neighbor.<\/p>\n
Now that you already know where we are going in this article, please join me as we examine some facts that will show us God’s will concerning healing the sick.<\/p>\n
In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we get to see Jesus walking the earth and ministering to people.\u00a0 And although we see Him doing a variety of things, most of His ministry can be grouped into three main activities.<\/p>\n
1 – Preaching and\/or teaching about the Gospel of the Kingdom<\/p>\n
2 – Healing people<\/p>\n
3 – Casting demons out of people<\/p>\n
There are several verses that provide a nice summary for us.\u00a0 Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n
Matthew 4:23<\/strong> – And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching<\/span> in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom<\/span>, and healing<\/span> all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.<\/p>\n
Matthew 8:16<\/strong> – When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon\u2013possessed. And He cast out the spirits<\/span> with a word, and healed<\/span> all who were sick,<\/p>\n
Matthew 9:35<\/strong> – Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching<\/span> in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom<\/span>, and healing<\/span> every sickness and every disease among the people.<\/p>\n
Mark 1:39<\/strong> – And He was preaching<\/span> in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons<\/span>.<\/p>\n
Acts 10:38<\/strong> – God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good<\/span> and healing all who were oppressed of the devil<\/span>, for God was with him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, healed sick people, and cast out demons.\u00a0 Those activities were a regular part of His ministry.\u00a0 If you lived around 30 A.D., and you wanted to see Jesus, this is what you would see….preaching, healing, and casting out demons.\u00a0 This is what it looked like when He was ministering.\u00a0 This is how He spent His time.<\/p>\n
Then, at a certain point in His ministry, He began sending out groups of people to act as His representatives.\u00a0 The Bible shows us three times where He did this:<\/p>\n
1 – Sending out “the twelve”<\/p>\n
2 – Sending out “the seventy”<\/p>\n
3 – Sending out all believers (aka the Great Commission)<\/p>\n
We will now look at these three events, read about what Jesus said and did, and we will find that His will concerning healing will become very clear, plain, and obvious to us.<\/p>\n
Sending out “the twelve”<\/h2>\n
Luke 9:1-2<\/strong> – Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons<\/span>, and to cure diseases<\/span>.\u00a0 He sent them to preach the kingdom<\/span> of God and to heal the sick<\/span>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Jesus is selected a group of 12 men to acts as His representatives.\u00a0 He gave them specific instructions on how He wanted to be represented.\u00a0 He wanted His representatives to do exactly what He had been doing.\u00a0 And He gave them power and authority to complete their mission successfully, and then He sent them out.<\/p>\n
Their mission included three main activities:<\/p>\n
1 – Preach about the Gospel of the Kingdom<\/p>\n
2 – Heal people<\/p>\n
3 – Cast demons out of people<\/p>\n
Notice that Jesus sent them to “heal the sick.”\u00a0 If you were going to represent Jesus, then healing was going to be a big part of what you were doing.<\/p>\n
So, take a moment right now and put yourself in the position of one of these disciples.\u00a0 Jesus gives you power and authority, and He tells you go to the neighboring towns and tell them about the Kingdom of God, and He tells you to heal any sick people you come across.\u00a0 Your job is to believe what He said, and trust that the Holy Spirit is going bring His power and enable you to do what He told you to do.<\/p>\n
Now suppose that you come across a sick person the next day on your journey.\u00a0 Do you think you would have to wonder if it was God’s will to heal the person?\u00a0 Of course not.\u00a0 If Jesus told you to “heal the sick,” then you shouldn’t have to wonder about whether or not He wanted you do to it.<\/p>\n
The instructions were very simple and plain.\u00a0 “Heal the sick.”\u00a0 If they are sick, then heal them.\u00a0\u00a0 There would be no need to wonder about God’s will or God’s timing.\u00a0 Jesus said to heal the sick.\u00a0 Is the person sick?\u00a0 Yes?\u00a0 Then heal them.\u00a0 If you minister healing, then you are demonstrating His will.\u00a0 If not, then you aren’t.\u00a0 Simple.<\/p>\n
Sending out “the seventy”<\/h2>\n
Not long after He sent out the first group of 12, we see Him sending out another group of people in the next chapter of Luke:<\/p>\n
Luke 10:1<\/strong> – After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them<\/span> two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go….<\/p>\n
Luke 10:9<\/strong> – “…and heal the sick there<\/span>, and say to them, \u2018The kingdom of God has come near to you.\u2019”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is Jesus sending out a much larger group of people to represent Him.\u00a0 Notice that the instructions are the same as they were for the 12.\u00a0 “Heal the sick” is included in the instructions.<\/p>\n
So again, imagine that you are in this larger group, and Jesus tells you to go out and represent Him.\u00a0\u00a0 You hear Him tell you to “heal the sick” as part of the instructions.\u00a0 You leave and go into a town and you find a person that is sick with some kind of disease.\u00a0 Do you think you would have to wonder about His will regarding the disease?\u00a0 No, of course not.\u00a0 If Jesus told you to heal the sick, then you should not even have to think about it.\u00a0 It should be obvious.<\/p>\n
Sending out all of the rest of us…aka the Great Commission<\/h2>\n
Let us now skip ahead to the next time Jesus sends out some people to represent Him.\u00a0 This event is known as “the Great Commission.”\u00a0 It is given to all of us who call Jesus Lord.\u00a0 It applies to every Christian from all periods of time.\u00a0 You can find portions of it at the end of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and also in the first chapter of Acts.\u00a0 I am going to focus on just two of the passages, because that will be enough for us to see what we are looking for.<\/p>\n
Matthew 28:18-20<\/strong> – And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.\u00a0 Go therefore and make disciples<\/span> of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you<\/span>; and lo, I am with you always, even<\/i> to the end of the age.” Amen.<\/p>\n
Mark 16:15-18<\/strong> – And He said to them, \u201cGo into all the world and preach the gospel<\/span> to every creature.<\/span> \u00a0<\/span>He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>And these signs will follow those who believe<\/span>: In My name they will cast out demons<\/span>; they will speak with new tongues;<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>they<\/span> will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
To help us understand what is being said here, imagine that you were present when Jesus said these things.\u00a0 You have been following Him around, and you have seen Him preaching the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out demons on a daily basis.\u00a0 He has trained you to represent Him by doing the same things He was doing…preaching, healing, and casting out demons.<\/p>\n
Now He says for you to make disciples yourself.\u00a0 He says that you are to teach them to do the same things that He taught you to do:\u00a0 heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the Kingdom.\u00a0 Your commission is to train people to do what Jesus trained you to do.\u00a0\u00a0 And He says you should expect to see results in your life, and in the lives of the disciples you are training.<\/p>\n
Can you see the pattern here?\u00a0 Jesus healed all the people that came to Him.\u00a0 Then He sent out 12 representatives and told them to heal people.\u00a0 Then He sent out a larger group of representatives and told them to heal people.\u00a0 Then He gives specific instructions to continue this practice indefinitely.\u00a0 If you are going to act as His representative, then divine healing should be a regular part of what happens when you minister.<\/p>\n
Jesus never sent out someone to represent Him without providing instructions, authority, and power to heal sick people.<\/p>\n
If Jesus tells everyone He sends out as representatives the same thing (heal the sick), then it should be pretty easy for us to know what His will is when it comes to healing.\u00a0 He told us to do it, so we know it is something He wants to happen.\u00a0 Healing is God’s will.\u00a0 God’s will is to heal the sick.<\/p>\n
And now back to what I said at the beginning.\u00a0 The main point of this article is to make a point that sounds so simple, it is almost silly.\u00a0 The point is this:\u00a0 if Jesus tells you to do something, then you should assume that it is His will for you to do it.<\/p>\n
You have been told by Jesus to heal the sick, so you no longer have to wonder if it is His will or not.\u00a0 We don’t have to be in the dark about His will.\u00a0 He made it plain and easy to see.\u00a0 Now we only need to choose to believe it and start acting on it.<\/p>\n