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To: RaceBannon
And that is my point, if these people had the genuine Holy Spirit gift of healing, they would not be holding meetings, they would be in Emergency rooms and hospices.

What about Jesus? As God, He had the ability to heal everyone. But He didn't. Reading through the gospels, you'll see that the faith of the healed was a critical factor. God invites each of us into a relationship with Him. He wants us to come of our own free will.

The healing gift is not a magic wand. We don't get to pick and choose who will be healed. Only God can heal. We are sometimes privileged to have Him work through us that we might partner in His divine plan -- and that plan is to see people come to Him. If God chooses to heal, it is because He is a merciful God, and because He most of all desires people to come into relationship with Him. The afflictions of this world are temporary, but separation from God is eternal.

Think of it this way: If I had a healing gift, and went to the emergency room, and everyone I prayed for was healed, what would be the outcome?

Would everyone come to Christ? No. Those who don't want to believe would explain it away.

The key to all of this is that people must come to Christ of their own free will.

17 posted on 02/23/2005 9:54:11 AM PST by Zechariah_8_13 ("Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.")
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To: Zechariah_8_13
And you bring up things that make it easy to prove this is not a genuine thing.

People never had anything to do with limiting the Power of God if God wants to exert power, did they?

Jesus healed all who came to Him, but did that mean He could NOT heal those who did NOT come to Him?

The centurion's daughter didn't come to Him, but her dad did, and she was healed. She didnt come to Him at all, nor did she "have faith" to believe, her Dad did.

Many in this Charismatic movement claim that those who do not have enough faith cannot be healed, I say, what about the beggar who was asking for alms at the city gate, Peter told him, Silver and Gold have I none, but what I do, I give to you! And the man was healed.

Also, did Jesus heal thousands? Obviously yes, but where were these people after being healed? How many of them believed on Him after His death?

The Bible is clear that many were healed, but also that many did NOT believe on Him! So, to claim that people do not get healed because they lack faith, that is false because Jesus healed the same people who later condemned Him!

As for picking and choosing who gets healed, that is exactly what those who have the gift of healing do, they choose to heal people. The gift is given to them, it is the healers will to heal, not God's will to heal (even though it is IN God's will, we both agree on that), but it is the direct and intentional will of the healer to heal when they heal.

What about Peter and the rest of the disciples who just handed out handkerchiefs that they blessed? These were handed out to people who did NOT come to anyone, nor is there any reason to believe they had faith which saved them after or before being healed, only that even articles of clothing that the disciples handed out had the power of healing, also.

Did the piece of cloth have an intent? Could the piece of cloth discern the faith of the person who was healed by it? Obviously not, but the person who sent it did have that intent, that those who were come in contact with it were to be healed.

How about the shadow of those Peter and the disciples walked by, their very shadow healed people! Did the people have faith? How can you tell? There is ZERO evidence that those people came to be healed, but God in His mighty work allowed that power to be given to the Apostles to did such things in His name.

So for you to say that it would be a waste of time for someone with the gift of healing to go to the emergency room because they wont get saved, remember Jesus: He healed thousands, and the Bible says the WHOLE CITY of Jerusalem came out to meet Him, he met daily in the Temple healing, preaching, and then, when He was crucified, what does the Bible say? THE WHOLE CITY was there to condemn Him!

The self same people who were healed were there to condemn Him, obviously not all, but enough for the term ALL to be true!

People coming to Christ of their own free will has nothing to do with whether a person has the gift of healing or not.
18 posted on 02/23/2005 12:27:47 PM PST by RaceBannon ((Prov 28:1 KJV) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.)
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