By Bishop Elijah H.
Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD
LESSON NOTES:[1]
I.
DIVINE HEALING
A.
JESUS AND THE
APOSTLES AND BISHOP MASON. The Church believes in and does practice Divine
Healing. It was taught by our Founder of the Church Of God In Christ, Bishop C.
H. Mason, who was known widely for his practices of Faith Healing. Divine
Healing, as it is called by modern Theology Today, or Faith Healing has Scriptural
foundation. It is a commandment of Jesus to the Apostles.
Mark 16:17-18 17And these signs will accompany
those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in
new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when
they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their
hands on sick people, and they will get well."
1.
JESUS AFFIRMS
HIS TEACHINGS ON HEALING BY EXPLAINING TO HIS DISCIPLES, who were to be
Apostles, that healing the afflicted is by faith
Luke 9:40-41 40I begged your disciples to drive
it out, but they could not." 41"You unbelieving and
perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you
and put up with you? Bring your son here."
2.
HE REBUKES THEM
WHEN THEY COULD NOT HEAL THE DEMON POSSESSED lad and tells them to fast and
pray until they have power to do so. The Apostles practiced healings in the
early church.
Acts 3:4-9 4Peter looked straight at him, as
did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave
them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6Then
Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by
the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles
became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he
went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When
all the people saw him walking and praising God,
Acts 14:9-10 9He listened to Paul as he was
speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and
called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and
began to walk.
Acts 9:34 34"Aeneas," Peter said to
him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat."
Immediately Aeneas got up.
Acts 9:40-41 40Peter
sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed.
Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened
her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41He took her by the hand and
helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the
widows, and presented her to them alive.
3.
Most of the
Scriptures in the Acts of the Apostles portray the ministry of Peter and Paul
ministering Divine Healing, healing the sick, the blind the deaf, the lame and
even the raising of the dead
John 11:1-46
11 Now
a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and
her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother
Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped
his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word
to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will
not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be
glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and
her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that
Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and
then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews
there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?
Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s
light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that
they stumble, for they have no light.”
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell
them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going
there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get
better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death,
but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is
dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest
of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been
in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was
less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and
many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their
brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. 22 But I know that
even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and
the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they
die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me
will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her
sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for
you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly
and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered
the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When
the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how
quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to
the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him,
she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would
not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come
along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and
troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he
asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes
of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It
was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take
away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by
this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you
believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked
up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I
knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus,
come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and
feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and
let him go.”
Luke 7:12-16 12As he approached the town gate, a
dead person was being carried out-the only son of his mother, and she was a
widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13When the LORD
saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." 14Then
he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers
stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The
dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16They
were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared
among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."
Matthew 9:18-19 18While he was saying this, a
synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just
died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19Jesus
got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
Mark 8:22-26 22They came to Bethsaida, and some
people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23He took
the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on
the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see
anything?" 24He looked up and said, "I see people; they
look like trees walking around." 25Once more Jesus put his
hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and
he saw everything clearly. 26Jesus sent him home, saying,
"Don't even go into the village."
B.
ALL FOUR GOSPELS
SPEAK OF JESUS HEALING MULTITUDES
Luke 4:40-42 40At sunset, the people brought to
Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one,
he healed them. 41Moreover, demons came out of many people,
shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not
allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah. 42At
daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him
and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.
C.
JESUS COMMANDED
THE SEVENTY APOSTLES DURING HIS EARLY MINISTRY "TO HEAL THE SICK"
Luke 10:9 9Heal the sick who are there and
tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
D.
The Old
Testament bears record of many healings and a witness was spoken of by David in
the Psalms "who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalms 103:31).
E.
THEREFORE, WE
BELIEVE THAT HEALING BY FAITH IN GOD HAS SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT AND ORDAINED
AUTHORITY. St
James' writings in his epistle encourage every Elder to pray for the sick, lay
hands upon them and to anoint them with oil and that prayers with faith shall
heal the sick and the Lord shall raise them up. The early church had the
healing ministry as a vital function.
James 5:14-16 14Is
anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them
and anoint them with oil in the name of the LORD. 15And the prayer
offered in faith will make the sick person well; the LORD will raise them up.
If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your
sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
F.
ON ONE OCCASION,
EVEN THE SHADOW OF THE APOSTLE PETER HEALED MANY THAT FOLLOWED HIM.
Acts 5:14-15 14Nevertheless, more and more men
and women believed in the LORD and were added to their number. 15As
a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and
mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
G.
PAUL'S LETTER TO
THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH TELLS THEM THAT "SOME HAVE THE GIFT OF
HEALING."
Healing is still practiced widely and frequently in the Church and testimonies
to healings in our church testify to this fact.
1 Corinthians 12:7-9 7But
the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8For
to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; 9To another faith by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
II.
MIRACLES. The Church
believes that Miracles occur to convince people that the Bible is God's Word.
A.
MIRACLES ARE
NOTICEABLE IN THE BIBLE IN FOUR GREAT PERIODS:
1.
At the beginning of Israel as a Nation: Moses
Joshua: 1400 BC.
2.
At a crisis period with idolatry: Elijah &
Elisha: 850 BC.
3.
At captivity when Idolatry was Victorious: Daniel:
600 BC.
4.
At the Beginning of Christianity: Jesus & the
Apostles.
B.
WHAT IS A
MIRACLE?
A Miracle may be defined as an extraordinary visible act of divine power
wrought by the efficient agency of the will of God, through secondary means,
and was accompanied during the "Four Great Periods," by valid,
covenantal revelation, but now has as its final cause the vindication of the
righteousness of God's Word.
C.
WE BELIEVE THAT
THE MIRACULOUS WORKS OF GOD WHICH WERE PERFORMED DURING THE BEGINNINGS OF
CHRISTIANITY DO AND WILL OCCUR EVEN TODAY where God is preached, faith in
Christ is exercised, the Holy Ghost is active, and the Gospel Promulgated in
the truth.
Acts 5:12 12And by the hands of the apostles
were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with
one accord in Solomon's porch.
Acts 6:8 8Now Stephen, a man full of God's
grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 9:40 40Peter sent them all out of the
room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman,
he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she
sat up.
Luke 4:36 36All the people were amazed and
said to each other, "What words these are! With authority and power he
gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!"
Luke 7:14-15 14Then he went up and touched the
bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said,
"Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up
and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his
mother.
Luke 5:5-6 5Simon answered, "Master,
we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say
so, I will let down the nets." 6When they had done so, they
caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
Mark 14:15 15He will show you a large room
upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
D.
"THE
CORNING OF THE LAWLESS ONE BY THE ACTIVITY OF SATAN WILL BE WITH ALL POWER AND
WITH PRETENDED SIGNS
and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish because they refuse
to love the truth and so be saved"
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 9The
coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will
use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the
lie, 10and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are
perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
E.
THE PRACTICAL
WORTH OF MIRACLES ARE TWOFOLD:
1.
THEY ARE TO
SHAKE US OUT OF OUR STUPIDITY AND NEGLIGENCE in order to lead us to a more
indubitable knowledge of Himself.
2.
THEY ARE TO
FORCE PEOPLE TO MAKE AN IMMEDIATE JUDGMENT ABOUT THE HIGHEST, LOGICAL, ULTIMATE
GOD.
Therefore, we say with the words of Isaiah 43:9, “let them bring forth their
witnesses, that may be justified; or let them hear, and say, it is Truth.”
3.
MIRACLES THEN
ARE PLEDGES AND SAMPLES OF POWER AND IN EACH OF THEM “The word of
Salvation is incorporated in an act of Salvation."
III.
PRAYER
FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you
have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:
"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please
forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe
that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I
believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.
"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal
life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."
[1] Range, C. F. Church
Of God In Christ Official Manual. COGIC: Memphis, 1973.
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