The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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In Scripture there is also a case of “partial” or “progressive healing” (Mk. 8:22-26). The
blind man first saw men like trees walking about until Jesus touched him a second time. Then
his sight was totally clear.
Physical healings may sometimes be delayed because other matters need to be dealt with first.
As a person’s spiritual health improves, so it beneficially affects his physical state (III Jn. 2).
We also need to keep in mind that healing is not necessarily the work of God. It can be
performed by the power of Satan. Magicians of Moses’ day were able to duplicate virtually every
miracle performed by Moses (Ex. 7:10-12; 8:5-7). At the Judgment Day many who performed
miracles will be told by Jesus, “I never knew you. Get away from Me, you wicked people!” (Mt.
7:21-23). False Messiahs and false prophets will appear in the last days and “perform great
miracles and wonders in order to deceive even God’s chosen people, if possible” (Mt. 24:23-24).
Simon, the sorcerer, “astounded the Samaritans with his magic” (Acts 8:9-11). The antichrist or
the first beast will draw attention and confidence to himself through the working of the
miraculous (II Thess. 2:9-10; Rev. 13:12-14).
There are no neat formulas to healing. No cut-and-dried solutions. Oral Roberts who has
been used of God to heal thousands testifies:
“There are many things about healing we do not know. In my brief experience I have
prayed for some people with all the faith that I possessed and the person was not
healed. In other instances, my faith was not as strong as I thought it should be and
still the person was healed. I don’t know how to explain that except to say there is
only One who knows what is inside you and me and what it takes to really bring out
a miracle. A doctor works with all the skill and compassion and faith at his command:
some he helps, some he does not. It is the same way with prayer. Just as you have to
draw strength from those you help and refuse to be discouraged when you fail, so
must we continue our work in the face of both success and failure. There’s no way to
make praying for the sick easy. If the people who came only had minor afflictions—
headaches, hay fever, or a cold—there would be no great risk. But when you say, ‘I
believe God heals,’ and you’re willing to be an instrument of God for healings, then
you have to risk facing the worst possible cases—and failures. We’ve even had three
people die during our crusades.”
Michael Green gives the following analysis:
“God does not always choose to heal us physically, and perhaps it is as well that he
does not. How people would rush to Christianity (and for all the wrong motives) if it
carried with it automatic exemption from sickness! What a nonsense it would make of