The Big Stick Called Faith

By Jim Lynn, © 2015

A Great Mystery 

I want to tell you about a great mystery that has perplexed  Christians of this generation. This mystery stirs fear and  creates unrest within the Church. What mystery do I speak  of? It is the mystery of the power of faith to heal the sick. 

The mystery of the power of faith to heal the sick is not  ours alone. For despite the power and authority given to the twelve disciples to drive out demons and heal the sick, they, too, struggled to administer that power and authority. In other words, twelve handpicked men of Christ struggled with the issue of faith to heal the sick just as we do today! 

Let's review some known facts: 

We know Jesus sent His disciples out, two by two, to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. But before doing so, He gave them each a huge stick to carry. That huge stick is God's authority and power (Matthew 10:1).  

Armed with this big stick, the disciples were able to drive out demons and heal the sick of every known disease. Without the stick, these ordinary men were powerless. 

But as we shall soon learn, just because these twelve were given God's power and authority to heal didn't mean they would always be successful. That's because Jesus required the twelve to possess one thing more, which only they themselves could supply. 

That one thing was their faith! 

In spite of having God's power and authority to heal the sick, the disciples were powerless without their personal belief and faith that God would do as they asked of Him. 

Mark 6:13 tells us when the disciples went out, they drove out many demons and healed the sick (Mark 6:13). Praise God! Imagine their joy and the great enthusiasm which must have followed. They must have had many great stories to tell as a result. 

But wait: 

On at least on one occasion, things didn't go so well. Not everyone was healed. The disciples had tried unsuccessfully to drive a lunatic demon from a boy (Matthew 17:16). 

When the boy's father related this information to Jesus, he replied, "O faithless and perverse generation...How long shall I put up with you?" (Matthew 17:17) Obviously, Jesus’ statement was not directly pointed toward the disciples, although it most certainly included them. 

When the disciples later came to Jesus in private to ask Him why they couldn't heal the boy, He answered them by saying, "because you have so little faith" (Matthew 17:19-20). 

That's the mystery, the great mystery called faith, which the world fears yet today and has created division and strife within the Church. 

Faith is the keystone that empowers God's authority and power to heal the sick. How much faith? Jesus said with just a little faith nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20-21). 

Many years later, the Apostle James would admonish Church elders to pray over their sick in faith, and to anoint the sick with oil for healing (James 5:14-16). James had obviously learned the lesson of faith well from his own failure while in training with Jesus years before. For he was with Jesus the day the father of the lunatic boy approached Jesus. 

Faith in God's promise to heal is what separates men of faith in God, from carnal men who cower in fear or disbelief. This kind of faith is not intellectual or born of doctrine. It is a soul searching conviction (born of God's Word) which touches the very heart of God. 

Church elders today, who dismiss James 5:14ff, of course do not practice James' admonition. To make themselves feel comfortable about their dismissal (and to be accepted by the world) they have Church doctrines which effectively puts God out of the healing business, and healing out of the Body of Christ (The Church). 

The real question we should be asking ourselves is not whether God heals. The real question should be are we willing to believe and put our faith in God's promise to exercise His power and authority on our behalf? 

That's a big question because faith to heal places God squarely into our midst, not far off in some unseen world. It puts Him right into our lives and world, much like our mother, father and children are part of our lives. 

I have to tell you, many Christians are not comfortable with that thought. They fear God. They are more comfortable with a God that is somewhere over there, not here. 

You see, faith for many Christians consists of believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior. That's good, but think about it. Faith to save one's soul is a far cry from faith that falls Upon Jesus Christ for healing.  

The former is benign and requires little beyond intellectual acceptance, kinda like acceptance that the earth spins one revolution every 24 hours on its axis. People accept the earth spins and go on with their lives. No biggy. We regulate our lives by this spinning, and that's about it. 

Likewise, many people willingly conform their lives as Christians to live a moral existence with a hope for the resurrection. They count themselves faithful if they attend Church regularly. That's the extent of faith for most Christians. Unless they are forced to renounce their faith or be killed, there is little to challenge their faith. 

The latter, however, goes much farther. It actively calls Upon God's power and authority with unwavering certainty to restore the human body to wholeness free of disease. That's not something the world likes or accepts. 

The implications of this kind of faith goes far beyond intellectual faith and being faithful to attend Church. This kind of faith stands squarely against the world and medical tests that says a person has cancer and has two months to live. It defies Church doctrine which does not believe in divine healing. It falls with conviction and certainty upon an unseen all powerful God that He will fulfill His Word to us. That, friends, is the kind of faith Jesus had in mind when he lamented, "O faithless and perverse generation." 

One of America's Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, had a saying about America's role in the world. He said America should walk softly and carry a big stick. Of course, that big stick was America's military might. 

As Christians, we are to walk softly and also carry a big stick, The big stick of faith that believes God's Word. That many Christians have entrusted the world to the care of their bodies at the expense of forsaking God's power and authority to heal speaks volumes about the size of the stick they carry. 

May the God of Peace fill your heart and soul with faith. 

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