Evangelism Part 16: Proclaiming with Power Part 1 – Healing
Matthew 10:8 September 24, 2023
Recap
Matthew 10:5-8 “5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among
the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received
without paying; give without pay.”
We’ve listened well, asked wise and insightful questions, discerned the lies, and
understand where the attacks of the enemy are taking place – now it is time to act in
the Authority we have been delegated by Jesus.
o Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You
received without paying; give without pay.”
Heal, Raise, Cleanse (Cast Out)
Jesus does all four of these things in Matt. 8-9 right before he commands his disciples to
do them.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons – All four commands
are in present imperative calling for continual reliance upon the Holy Spirit to obey and
for this to be the lifestyle of followers of Jesus
o Heal (Gk. therapeúō) pronounced ther-ap-yoo’-o; to serve or to restore (body,
mind, soul)
o Raise (Gk. egeírō) pronounced eg-i’-ro; to awaken or to rouse, cause to rise up
Peter and Paul both have specific accounts of this (see Acts 9:36-43, 20:7-
12)
o Cleanse (Gk. katharízō) pronounced kath-ar-id’-zo; to purify and make clean
Cessation vs. Continuation
Cessation = spiritual gifts, signs and wonders, ceased with apostolic age, usually believe
miracles still happen today (as distinct from signs and wonders)
Continuation = all sign, wonders, spiritual gifts still operate today
Often times a matter of semantics: sign, wonder, power, work are different
Greek/Hebrew words referring to miracles
o Miracle = supernatural event explained by divine intervention or power
manifesting in the world
4 Greek words
Semeion, a “sign”; an evidence of a divine commission or message; a
token of the presence and working of God; the seal of a higher power
o See Matt. 12:38-42; Matt. 16:1-4; Luke 23:8; John 2:11
Terata, “wonders;” wonder-causing events; producing astonishment
in the beholder
o See Acts 2:19
Dunameis, “mighty power” or “miracle” works of superhuman power
o See Acts 2:22; Rom. 15:19; 2 Thess. 2:9
Erga, “works;” the works of Him who is “wonderful in working”
o See John 5:20, John 5:36
o Sign/Wonder (all signs/wonders are miracles, but not all miracles are
signs/wonders) miracle meant to testify to the validity of the messenger and the
message given
Most would agree that God does miracles today – but cessationists do not
believe signs and wonders occur and there are no sign gifts anymore
(primarily because we now have the word of God as our witness to Truth).
John Piper (Signs and Wonders: Then and Now | Desiring God) sums up some biblical evidence for
the continuation of the gifts outside the apostles as follows:
o “Jesus sent out the seventy, not just the twelve apostles, “to heal the sick” (Luke
10:9). And when they returned, they said that the demons were subject to them
in Jesus’ name (Luke 10:17). These miracles in Jesus’ name show that apostolic
signs and wonders are not unique to the apostles.
o In the book of Acts, Stephen “did great signs and wonders among the people”
(Acts 6:8), even though he was in the “deacon” category not the apostle category
(Acts 6:5). Similarly, it says that “the multitudes gave heed to what was said by
Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did” (Acts 8:6). Philip was
not an apostle, but performed miraculous signs.
o Paul writes to all the churches of Galatia and says, “Does he who is supplying the
Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by
hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:5). The point is that God is now supplying his
Spirit to the Galatians and working miracles among them when he is not there.
Hans Dieter Betz notes that “the [present] participle ‘supplying’ (epichoregon)
suggests a continuous supply rather than an initial and momentary ‘outpouring'”
(Hermenia, Galatians, p. 135)…
o 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 says that among the spiritual gifts given to the members of
the church at Corinth were “gifts of healings” and “workings of miracles.” Thus (as
Burton suggested) such “signs and wonders” were not the “sign of the apostle” in
the sense that only apostles could do them. Various gifted members of the church
were also empowered in these ways as well. This is confirmed in verses 27-29,
where these gifts are distinguished from the gift of apostleship.”
Jesus tell us to pray for the Holy Spirit (See Luke 11:13) and the early church gave us the
example of praying for boldness and power Acts 4:29-30 “29 And now, Lord, look upon
their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all
boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are
performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.””
Finally, as we’ve previously discussed, Jesus’s own words in John 17:18-19 when He is
praying for the church in all the ages to come, says, “18 As you sent me into the world,
so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they
also may be sanctified in truth.”
This is just after Jesus tells the disciples that He is going to give them the Holy Spirit and
that, John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works
that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
Church history and contemporary experience clearly show that the Holy Spirit is
continuing to work to heal people today as a witness to the truth of the gospel.
o Craig Keener “Pew and other surveys show that hundreds of millions of people in
the world today claim to have witnessed miracles. Other sources indicate millions
of people converted at great social cost from different ancestral traditions
because they believed they witnessed or experienced extraordinary miracles,
beyond their indigenous healing traditions, in the name of Jesus.” From
Christianity Today, Miracles Are Outlasting the Arguments Against The… | Christianity Today
In my opinion, the best way to understand this is that the Spirit of God continues to do
signs and wonders through His church – as He’s always done. Through some folks He
more often will manifest a gift of healing or prophecy (or any of the “sign” gifts of 1 Cor.
12). These are both a gift to the person who is the instrument of the power of the Spirit
and a gift to the person who is receiving the benefit of the power of the Spirit in that
moment. In this way, the sign gifts are very much in operation today as the Spirit moves
through the body of Christ.
o Can someone walk around and manifest those gifts at their will and of their own
volition? No, of course not. And neither could the apostles. Like the apostles, we
are always subject to the will of God in any given moment. It is now and always
has been the Spirit of God working through His obedient people.
God is the one who does the sign, wonder, work, miracle – whatever you
want to call it. We are the obedient and bold instrument that humbly acts
in the mighty power of the Holy Spirit empowering and leading us to see
that gift manifest.
The sign gifts have not ceased, God still moves today the way He always has
– praise God. But there are several practical considerations we have to be
mindful of as we go out into the world and obediently respond to the Spirit
when we have the opportunity to be the instrument of healing in
someone’s life.
7 Practical Considerations
The miracles must be the means, not the end…all glory to God in the name/authority of
Jesus.
o At least 17 times, miracles help lead to conversions in the book of Acts. See Acts
9:34-35 and 9:40,42 where Peter heals Aeneas, “And all the residents of Lydda
and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” And where Peter raises
Tabitha from the dead, “It became known to all Joppa, and many believed in the
Lord.”
o Many in this room themselves have stories or there are stories in their family of
God doing a miracle that brought them or a family member to faith
o Very easy to get caught up in the excitement of miracles
John Piper “Power without truth will almost certainly damage the cause of
Christ in the end, even if miracles are happening.”
2 Thess. 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan
with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked
deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the
truth and so be saved.”
o If someone is more interested in a miracle than they are in Jesus, that’s a major
problem
o The problem with sign, wonders, and spiritual gifts is the unfortunate emphasis
that many people in the church place on them as evidence of spiritual maturity or
depth of faith
What John MacArthur calls “charismatic chaos” is a real problem in the
church. We cannot sensationalize spiritual gifts or even expect them to be
the normative experience of a follower of Jesus (Everyone has a different
role to play, though the Spirit can use anyone at any time to perform a
miracle as they obediently and humbly follow His lead). All gifts must be
exercised in the proper order that our God has designed for the building up
of the church and the glorifying of God.
If we are going to talk about our call to obediently go into the world
and see the Lord do signs and wonders of healing through us, then
we have to recognize that signs and wonders are always a means to
an end, they are never the end themselves.
The end is the sharing of gospel Truth and pointing people to Jesus.
Signs and wonders have no power to save, the exercise of sign gifts
has no power to save – only Jesus can save and only the truth of the
Gospel can transform lives, give people purpose, and fully restore
what is broken.
Experiencing a miracle doesn’t mean you’re a child of God.
o The 12 Jesus sent out included Judas – and they all did miracles in Jesus’s name.
o Matthew 7:21-23 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your
name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.’”
o As we read above, the enemy has power to do miracles as well and will
counterfeit the power of God the closer we get to the return of Jesus.
o John MacArthur said “Satan will try to counterfeit the Spirit’s gifts, and he will try
to induce believers to ignore, neglect, misunderstand, abuse, and pervert them.”
(see 1 Cor. 11:14-15 for satan and his servants masquerading as angels of light)
Discernment is critical – discerning what the end of the miracles is and who
is glorified thereby.
We must remember that God doesn’t always heal.
o Remember the difference between God’s perfect will and permissible will that we
talked about last week.
o Sometimes, God’s plan involves learning to trust and persevere through difficulty
and trial that our faith may be refined and strengthened.
o John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.””
It is critical to a mature and grounded theological understanding that we
recognize that we will all have trouble on this faith pilgrimage and the
answer is not always going to be a miraculous deliverance (though, praise
God, it can be).
o So if you encounter a “word-faith” teacher who tells you that you just need to
have enough faith to manifest the power of God, I would respectfully encourage
you to move on to a more biblical understanding of the exercise of spiritual gifts.
o We must have faith and trust in Jesus to move and act through us as we
obediently follow His leading and guidance and trust that the result of our faith-
filled, bold, obedience is completely and fully up to Him.
And often times, the Lord is building our faith through the tribulation we
are experiencing (which is often harder than having faith that the Lord will
heal us) even as He is preparing to heal us in His perfect timing.
If healing doesn’t occur immediately or over time, this doesn’t mean we lack faith or are
doing something wrong. It just means that we should keep praying and trusting.
o Luke 11:5-13 “And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him
at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine
has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will
answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are
with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will
not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his
impudence [or persistence] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I
tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will
be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks
finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if
his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for
an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask him!”” see also Luke 18:1-8
o Pray persistently, with expectation, trusting God regardless of the outcome that
He is being maximally glorified in this situation as you continue to give Him praise.
Have you asked your elder(s) for prayer for healing?
o James 5:14-16 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the
church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will
raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore,
confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
o Our prayers can be hindered due to unrepentant and self-justified sin (see e.g. 1
Peter 3:7, Psalm 66:18, James 4:2-3). Having an honest conversation with an
elder is a crucial biblical step in our pursuit of seeing God glorify Himself through
healing.
As we go forth, ask the Lord for boldness and that He will move through us as we
humbly and obediently respond to His call.
o See Acts 4:29-30
o Luke 11:13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!”
Don’t get puffed up if the Lord does move through you in a miraculous way
o We’ve always got to be mindful of our selfish and prideful desire to keep glory for
ourselves and recognize that the exercise of gifts can be a means to doing that.
We can become puffed up and think we’re something special because of this gift
we’ve been given…and that neither glorifies God nor builds up the body.
o 1 Corinthians 14:12 “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of
the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” (see also 1 Cor. 14:26)
We are instruments in God’s hand, conduits of His power (see 1 Cor. 12:11),
to bring glory to God and build up His church.