And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." - Matthew 8: 14-17 (ESV)
He healed all who were sick. How these six little words have been abused and twisted by snake oil salesmen posing as ministers. The history of the term snake oil salesmen is quite interesting and applicable. During the building of the first transcontinental railroad, Chinese workers were the first to sell snake oil to their European counterparts. The claim was that when rubbed on sore areas, the snake oil would bring relief. The claim however was false and the relief was an illusion. Throughout history after this, a "snake oil salesman" was someone who offered remedies that were false in nature, fooling their customers into thinking they had bought something useful. Oh how applicable this is for false preachers and teachers. Selling unwitting goats a gospel of greed and prosperity. Selling false miracles and signs and wonders straight from the devil. Selling them a gospel that makes them god. That never touches their sin. That never asks for their repentance. Nothing but snake oil prettily packaged with the name of Jesus and devoid of His true power.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. - Romans 1: 16 (ESV)
The true power of the Gospel is not to make us rich beloved. It is not to make us personally powerful. It is not to show off with gold dust, glory clouds and other fake spiritual manifestations. The power of God is for the salvation of men. But when your snake oil never discusses sin and repentance there can be no salvation and thus, no power. Another popular vial of snake oil making the rounds in churches today involves the subject of healing. It's false promise is that God always wants to heal us. Every time. No exceptions. In fact, it is so brazenly arrogant that if pressed, the snake oil salesman will have to admit that God actually has no choice in the matter. He must heal.
How can God choose not to heal someone when He already purchased their healing? Was His blood enough for all sin, or just certain sins? Were the stripes He bore only for certain illnesses, or certain seasons of time? When He bore stripes in His body He made a payment for our miracle. He already decided to heal. You can't decide not to buy something after you've already bought it. - Bill Johnson
The wildly heretical Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in California is the chief proponent of this heresy. All you need to know about Bill Johnson when it comes to this subject is that he wears prescription eyeglasses. As does his wife. God always makes things clear to us if we are willing to look. If God always wants to heal us Bill, cast aside your glasses and let us see. The truth is that God certainly can choose to heal anyone He wants to. Why? Because He is God. At the root of the beliefs of the Bill Johnson's of the world is the false teaching known as word faith. This heresy believes that our words have the same power as Gods Words. Many word faith preachers like Creflo Dollar actually teach that we are in fact little gods. It is not surprising why these teachings are so rabidly popular. At the heart of every rebellious human heart is the desire to be our own god. It is this same sin that cast Lucifer out of heaven. It is the same sin that enraptured Eve in the garden. Here comes a whole wave of false teachers that allow you to think you are saved and stay your own god at the same time. Sign me up! Here is another heretic in action:
The demonstration of the Spirit follows the declaration of a believer.
Each believer must be taught to receive healing. - Mike Bickle, IHOP
Bickle runs the insanely heretical and apostate outfit known as the International House of Prayer where he sells his snake oil to unsuspecting youth. He sells them on dominion theology, which says we must take over the earth to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ. He sells them on the Bridal Paradigm that turns loving God into a pornographic adventure. He sells them on new age mysticism and contemplative prayer. These heresies are all carefully woven together and wrapped up in the word faith nonsense you see in the above quote. That the Holy Spirit is somehow incapable of anything until we declare it. Let me ask you beloved - who is God in that teaching? If the Spirit of God dwelling inside of me is bound until I loose Him with my declarations then it is me who is God, not Him.
Back to the key verses today and the six little words that mandatory healing salesmen love to abuse. They will point to Matthew 8 and say - "look, Jesus healed all who were sick!" Yes He did. In this story. In this particular instance. That does not mean He always healed everyone. First we must remember that the Gospel accounts represent the highlights of the three year ministry. If Jesus walked through a town and nothing eventful happened, let's say like healing people, it is unlikely if it would be recorded by the Gospel writers because it would have no bearing on the points they were trying to make. Let us also not forget all that has not been told:
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. - John 21: 25 (ESV)
If that is not good enough let us go to the pool called Bethesda. This is where Jesus healed a paralytic who could not move for 38 years. In this story did Jesus heal everyone? No He did not:
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed.- John 5: 2-3 (ESV)
There were a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed yet Jesus healed only the one man we are taught about. Surely if He had healed the multitude of sick there one of the Gospel accounts would have mentioned it. We do not know why they were not healed, nor should we speculate. This is what is known as the sovereignty of God. He chooses when we come home. Someone can chain smoke until their 90 and another dies in their 20s. God decides. What about after the cross? Many of these snake oil salesmen would point to the healing in the atonement and say that after the cross is when healing was promised for all. If that were the case explain to me the stories of Epaphroditus and Trophimus.
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. - Philippians 2: 25-30 (ESV)
Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. - 2Timothy 4: 20 (ESV)
Paul is the writer of both of these letters. He does not throw around names haphazardly, so we know these two men were important to him. Are we to believe that Bill Johnson and Mike Bickle have more faith than the Apostle Paul? No beloved. All we can safely conclude is they are snake oil salesmen selling you relief they are not authorized to sell. Do not buy it. God is sovereign and He decides who gets healed and who comes home. Glory be to God Almighty, the Great Physician.
Rev. Anthony.
