Book review of Anointed to Heal

Chosen Books sent me Anointed to Heal by Randy Clark and Bill Johnson to review.

This book was different than I imagined it would be. The entire thing was an interview. Bill Johnson interviewing Randy Clark and vice versa.

I was excited to read it because I felt that although there are huge healings going on in third world countries, you don't often hear about them in America today. Yet these two guys have healed thousands.

I felt it a little strange though the way they tried "this technique" or "that way of saying something". I would never have guessed that miraculous healings needed to be learned! In fact they teach their methods.

It was interesting to learn the background of their ministry, but I felt it needed something more.

Review of The Healing Breakthrough

I just finished reading The Healing Breakthrough by Randy Clark and  I had a hard time getting through this book. Maybe it was just over my head, but I also had a problem with the idea there is a formula for getting God to heal someone.

I don't think God would do that. I think He wants us to come to Him as children to their Father and pour out their hearts. Not jump through the hoops Mr. Clark lays out.

I received this book from Chosen Books for my honest review.

Mark 5:21-24; 35-43

Pastor Kurt continued his sermon serics on The Gospel of Mark Sunday.

Mark 5:21-24; 35-43 21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

We’ve heard Bible stories like this one so many times in our lives that we don’t really “get” it anymore. We say how awesome God is, that we are amazed at His power, but we don’t live like we think that way. When we read stories like this one, we should get down on our knees and worship the One who can bring us back from death!

Jairus was a synagogue official. He was successful, wealthy and a big deal in Capernaum. But this didn’t keep him from having a terrible problem. For him to come to Jesus, the problem had to be bad. He had to be desperate. The Jewish leaders hated Jesus; Jairus risked his position in going to Christ. But he loved his little girl and he had no where else to go.

In Luke 7 there is a story about a centurion who had a valued servant that was sick and about to die. He sent some Jewish elders to Jesus, who came and healed the servant. Jairus may very well have been one of the elders. He would at least have heard about that healing. So he knew Jesus could heal his daughter, if He would.

The interesting thing is, seeing the healing of the servant didn’t bring him to Christ. It wasn’t until he had a need of his own that he threw himself at Christ’s feet. He had to be desperate.

When he asked Jesus to come heal his daughter, Jesus turned toward the house. But he was delayed to help someone else (we’ll look at that story next time). During the delay, the daughter died and word was sent to Jairus that there was no need to bother Jesus anymore. It was over.

At least that’s what they thought! But Jesus went to the house and said “She’s not dead.” That they should not fear, but believe.

Fear won’t do anything for you. Believe and trust only in Christ. Then watch what happens!

Jesus was calling upon them to become believers. Fear is the failure to trust in God. They were being told the Gospel in a couple words: repent and believe! Fear not and believe!

Jesus has conquered death. Isaiah 25:8 says it has been swallowed up. Hosea 13:14 asks death “where is your sting?”

Jesus brings her back and then He tells her to get something to eat. He knows everything we need and cares about every part of us.

When He told the people not to go and tell what happened, He was telling them to not make too much of the physical miracle. This was really about the spiritual miracle. Physical is always sensational, but spiritual is way more important!

A Tenacious Faith

I’ve adapted the following from www.christianity.com/devotionals

Mark 6:56 Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment and as many as touched Him were made well.
Tenacity means to cling to a belief without doubting. It is a set kind of faith, a determination that doesn't waver. Our Father made divine healing a commodity through Jesus. In the marketplaces — the center of business—divine healings were common and useful for building people's faith and winning souls, for setting people free from the bondage of disease, for restoring them to productivity and for the purpose of spreading the good news. Miraculous wonders of healing were evidence that Jesus was who He said He was.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us that when we seek Him with all of our heart, we will find Him. And in His presence, His hem is available to us.

Surely, God has called us to tenacious faith.

That we humbly present or "lay" family members, friends and loved ones and/or people from our assigned workplaces before Jesus. That we beseech Him for a healing touch. That we have a heart for others to be healed, a heart for doing the work of Jesus.

Actions speak louder than words: So often, the Lord has shown us that when we step out in faith and pray for the restoration of others, He rewards us by caring for our needs. Tenacity is about selflessness. It is about choosing to believe the truth of God's divine precepts over natural circumstances. And it's about taking courage to journey forth with Jesus no matter what. Tenacity means we must stand up for what is right even if it means making someone angry or upset with us. Sometimes this is a hard thing to do, but it is pleasing to God.

Mark 2:1-13

Pastor Kurt Gebhards continued his study of the book of Mark this week and once again I'd like to share some of the highlights.

Mark 2:1-13 1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.

Jesus had come “home” to Capernaum. This was probably to Peter’s house. And the word immediately got out that He was back and the people flocked to see more demons cast out and more people healed. But the Bible states that Jesus stayed focused. He “preached the word to them.” He was intent on spiritual healing.

But the crowd was frenzied. 31 times in the book of Mark it talks about people mobbing Jesus. But He was always calm, gracious and compassionate.

This time the house was so crowded that a paralytic and his 4 friends couldn’t get in the door. And they were desperate for Jesus to heal the man. He was their only hope. So they went up the stairs to the flat roof and began to dig through the clay layer, the tile layer and the sticks and thatch layer until they had a big enough hole to lower down the man who was on a stretcher.

This would have taken awhile and caused a huge mess! The people in the house must have certainly wondered what was going on! But Jesus didn’t seem irritated. In fact He honored their desperate action, by calling the man “My Son.” And He forgave the man’s sins, showing His priority for spiritual healing over physical healing.

The scribes were thinking “Only God can forgive sins.” And they were right. Only God can! But, they missed the fact that Jesus IS God! Instead they called Him a blasphemer.

Jesus answered their thoughts. And then He also physically healed the man to show His authority over everything. Christ has authority over our lives: our jobs, our homes, our thoughts, our finances, our future! Every time we reject His authority we call Him a blasphemer, saying He doesn’t have the right to do this. But He does!