I am going to be honest with you. When considering whether to undertake a five month journey through Acts at Newlife, there were some things that almost convinced me such an exploration was not a good idea. This morning’s (June 6, 2010) subject matter – Power to Heal – was perhaps right at the top of that list. The ministry of Jesus was littered with miraculous examples of people being set free from physical ailments – the blind received sight, the lame walked, and those suffering with leprosy were instantly cured. These signs and wonders continued in the story of the early church as it ministered in the Holy Spirit’s power, as we will hear today.
My struggle is this. On the one hand, I passiontaely believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and flowing from this principle, the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the church 2000 years ago are gifts available to the church today. But then there are the times I and other faithful people pray for the sick to be healed, but it seems we do not receive what we ask for. God does heal, but not as often we would like. It would be much easier, and certainly less painful in some ways not to ask at all in order to avoid what can be crushing dissapointment. This is a temptation I and we must resist.
And so we will explore the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:1-10). We will discover that divine healing was and is a sign and wonder that always points to Jesus and his saving grace. We will investigate the place that faith plays in healing prayer. And finally, in the context of our communion celebration, we will pray for those who are seeking healing. We will do all this out of the strong conviction that God is sovereign and also loves to give good gifts to His children.
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