THE GIFTS OF HEALINGS

HIS GLORY REIGNS
B. Childress
May 25 2007 08:00AM


Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, And there are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all. 1Corinthians 12:1-6

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts
of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles: 1Corinthians 12:7-10

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then
gifts of healings...1 Corinthians 12:28

The gifts of the Holy Spirit (or manifestations as identified by Paul) are manifested through individual believers as the
Spirit of God wills.  Spiritual gifts are not given to the individual for personal benefit, but to 'profit' a whole assembly or
body of believers.  When the gifts of the Spirit are in manifestation, they will always exalt the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
TRY THE SPIRITS:   Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: And Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that should come... 1 John 4:2-3

First Corinthians 12:3 states, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (when the Spirit is in
manifestation).


The Gifts of Healings

  • The gifts of healings are manifested for the supernatural healing of sickness and disease without any natural
    source or means: it is a gift of the Spirit to minister healing to another.
  • Through the ministry of gifts of healings, the Lord endows His servants with special gifts to pray for specific
    diseases and ailments. (LS p. 104)
  • Gifts of healings is the only gift out of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that is in plural form (except tongues), but it
    is also the only gift that is actually limited because of the "anointing."  Jesus, "..healed all manner of sickness
    and all manner of disease." Mathew 4:23, in his earthly ministry. He also healed people with unclean spirits.
    Why? Because Jesus had the fullness of the Holy Spirit without measure (his physical body was immortal and
    could accommodate the fullness of God's power) so that all gifts of healings were manifest in his earthly ministry.
    The Body of Christ has the same measure of the (Holy) Spirit collectively as Jesus had individually (John 3:34).  
    Therefore, no one person has the Spirit without measure and cannot succeed in healing all manner of
    sickness and all manner of disease.
  • Lester Sumrall says, "...it has been suggested that there are possibly as many categories of disease in the world
    as there were stripes placed on Jesus' back.  He received 39 stripes and, according to Isaiah 53:5, with his
    stripes we are healed." (LS p. 98)
  • Gifts of healings are manifested through another person to you: Healing power, the anointing not the gift, is
    transferable/ transmitable: It will flow from one person to another, mainly by touch such as the laying on of
    hands. All healing is done by God, the difference is in the channel through which healing is manifested.
  • Most healing is by degree based on two conditions:  1)  The degree of healing virtue (power) administered;
    2)  The degree of faith that gives action to the power administered. Even if the anointing is strong, faith must
    be there to give action to that power or there will be little or no healing.  Also, some healings are instant and
    some are progressive.  It would appear that healings generated from the manifestation of gifts of healings are
    more likely to occur instantaneously, even though people like Kenneth Hagin, have received instant healing by
    faith.
  • For those who have gifts of healings in their lives and ministries, when it comes to healings, they have more
    success in some areas than in others.  Kenneth Hagin says, "...in my own ministry, ruptures, growths, hernias, or
    lumps of any kind are almost always healed when I pray for people...ninety-nine cases out of a hundred.  Some
    of the growths completely disappear within a month."  (KH1 p. 117)  Someone else would have greater success
    in getting cancer victims healed (the anointing upon your gift of healing is more specific, and therefore limited).  
    Kenneth Hagin speaks about a gentleman he knew who was greatly used of God in praying for people who were
    deaf, but admitted that he seldom got any other type of malady healed except deaf people.
  • God will anoint you for whatever He has called you to do, but He anoints some people to minister in special
    ways; Kenneth Hagin calls them "peculiar" anointings.  Starting with Jesus - he ministered healing to people in
    various ways: He spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle, rubbed it on a blind man's eyes, and told him to
    go wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:7); he healed a deaf and dumb man by sticking his fingers in his ear, spat,
    and touched his tongue, "...And straightway his ears were opened...the string of his tongue loosed...he spake
    plain."  Mark 7:35  Kenneth Hagin recalls a minister who would rub spit on every single person he ministered to
    and they were healed.  Kenneth Hagin, himself, ministered healing to people in unusual ways.  A woman came to
    him with a stomach tumor so large, she looked as though she was pregnant.  He proceeded to lay hands on her,
    but the Lord came to him saying, "Hit her in the stomach with your fist."  Kenneth Hagin was reluctant to do so,
    but when he did, her stomach "...went down like you'd stuck a pin in a balloon."  The bottom line is - yield to the
    Holy Spirit.
  • A full manifestation of the gifts of healings can also drive out demons  causing other physical problems without
    the discerning of spirits or word of knowledge in operation.  For example, where someone might seek healing for
    arthritis, they might also be "delivered" from the demonic spirit of alcoholism without your realization.
  • Gifts of healings are not given to a believer to "bless" him personally, but it is a ministry of healing to bless
    others.  The one to whom this gift has been assigned cannot use this gift to heal himself but must resort to
    having hands laid on him or being healed by general faith in God's Word (and the other ways listed below).
  • Healing the sick is included in the Great Commission:  the purpose of these gifts is to deliver the sick and
    destroy the works of the devil.
  • Yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Gifts of Healings are not...

  • A gift automatically received by someone who has been supernaturally healed by the gifts of healings in
    operation.
  • A gift which operates through medical science.  Gifts of healings are manifested through the supernatural
    power of God.
  • A gift you can operate without the unction of the Spirit of God.

Divine Healing (Healing by general faith - prayer of faith)

  • Available to all believers(born again - even if you have yet to be baptized with the Holy Spirit ), "And these signs
    shall follow them that believe, In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They
    shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick,
    and they shall recover."  Mark 16:17,18
  • Have your minister or elder pray for you, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; Let
    them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and
    the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:14,15
  • Have family members pray for you and agree with you for your healing..."That if two of you shall agree on earth
    as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."  Matthew 18:
    19
  • Remove any outstanding issues between you and the Lord. Retrieve healing scriptures from the Word, meditate
    on them day and night, believe you have received your healing,  and praise the Lord for your healing until it
    manifests itself.  


Examples of the Gifts of Healings from the New Testament:

Gifts of healings are more prominent in the New Testament than in the Old Testament.

The healing ministry of Jesus

As I mentioned above, Jesus healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease in his earthly ministry - Jesus
never failed to heal. But Jesus  was careful to differentiate between the various kinds of sicknesses and diseases:  In
Matthew 17:15-21, he dealt with a little boy who would throw himself into the fire and into the water - his disciples could
not cure him.  Of this, He said, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting". Jesus was showing that
special attention had to be given to someone who is being relieved of satanic oppression - a special preparation- a
cleansing of the one who was to deliver the healing.  Even the Apostle Paul could not heal everyone as we see in 2
Timothy 4:20.  He had to leave Trophimus  at Miletum sick. And Simon Peter called upon Jesus to heal his mother-in-
law in Matthew 8:14.  (LS p.98)

The healing ministry of the Apostles.

Paul, Peter, John, Simon Peter, and the others supernaturally healed many people and wrought signs and wonders.


Examples of the gifts of healings in twentieth century ministries:

Kenneth Hagin (divine healing)

Kenneth Hagin became an invalid at the age of 15 with a deformed heart, paralysis, and an incurable blood disease -
he was told that he would surely die. He had been born again, but not yet baptized with the Holy Spirit. He would read
the Bible and he states that the Holy Spirit opened the Word to him...he (Hagin) had only to listen and follow the
leading of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit pointed to Mark 11:24.  Kenneth Hagin states, "Like a flash, I saw it,  What I'd
been trying to do was get healed first-have it first- and then I was going to believe it.  He (the Holy Spirit) said, 'Believe
it first, and then you'll have it.'  So I began to say, right out loud in my room, ''I believe.  I believe I receive healing for
the deformed heart.  I believe I receive healing for the paralysis.  I believe I receive healing for the incurable blood
disease.'  And while I was saying that and praising God for it, that anointing (Holy Spirit) in me...said 'Arise.  People
who are well ought to be up at 10:30 in the morning.' I thought for a moment, how was I going to get up? I'm paralyzed.  
But when I made the effort and acted upon the Word, the power of God came down on me and went through me like a
bolt of electricity!  I stood upright on my feet and was healed..." (KH2 p. 25) Kenneth Hagin went on to heal many
others as a young "boy minister" just by faith.  He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues some time after
his miracle. He claims to have had more success in healing, by faith and the Word of God alone, than others in his
time who had healing ministries.

Alexander Dowie

Probably no ministry in modern times had more amazing miracles of healing than that of Dr. John Alexander Dowie.   
With Chicago as his home base, Dowie developed a ministry in the power of God that brought him world-wide fame.  
(LS p. 99)

Stephen Jeffreys

Through Jeffreys' ministry, hundreds of people were healed of various ailments; but there was a particular anointing in
his life for the healing of rheumatoid arthritis. (LS p. 101)

Fred Squire

Fred Squire was especially blessed in ministering to the blind.  There were over 400 people whose eyes were opened
in his meetings.  Whenever a blind person was in one of his meeting, Fred Squire was joyous, knowing beyond doubt
that he would be healed.  (LS p. 101)

William Branham

Branham was another minister of almost unbelievable miracles .  Wherever he conducted meetings in the world,
phenomenal miracles took place.  Not only did he possess the gifts of power, but the gifts of revelation functioned
through him in a most remarkable way.  (LS p. 102)

Smith Wigglesworth

Smith Wigglesworth was especially blessed with a ministry to people who suffered from seizures of various kinds.  
When people with epilepsy were brought to his meetings, Wigglesworth knew there would be a revival because they
were nearly always healed.

And there are many more present day healing ministries that are dynamic as well.


NOTE:  Lester Sumrall suggests that "...if all nine gifts of the Spirit functioned through one channel, that person would
then be like God.  If he healed all people that were sick whenever he wanted to, he would be accepted by the world as
God." (LS p. 98,99): public acclaim and adornation, gifts, and money caused some of these ministries to crumble:
Alexander Dowie began to see himself as Eijah the prophet and the first apostle of the church - he died a broken man;
Stephen Jeffreys stood on a platform in Africa and told the crowd that the world was at his feet - he, himself died of
rheumatoid arthritis; Jack Coe began to exalt himself during his ministry, was later diagnosed with polio and told
Gordon Lindsay that "God was removing him from the ministry." (LS p. 101.102)  Remain humble, keep your eyes on
Jesus, and stay on the path of God's will for your life and ministry giving Him the glory and honor at all times.


The Great Commission, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they
shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.  

Mark 16:15-18


Sources:

The Holy Spirit and His Gifts, Kenneth E. Hagin, Copyright 1991, RHEMA Bible Church.

Understanding the Anointing, Kenneth E. Hagin, Copyright 1983, RHEMA Bible Church.

The Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit, Lester Sumrall, Copyright 1982, Lester Sumrall Evangelical Association
(LeSEA).
2010 - HIS GLORY REIGNS
LIFE IN JESUS-MINISTRIES