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October 26, 2020

False Charismatic Teachings on Healing - Don't Pray!

By Anthony Wade

If any teaching starts with suggesting we should not pray...examine carefully...

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All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. - James 5:13-15 (ESV)

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At the heart of the false teachings the NAR holds dear, such as Word Faith, Dominionism, and Mandatory Healing on Demand is the held belief that we are in fact God. Charlatans like Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar and the late Myles Munroe have taught that we are in fact "little gods." Bill Johnson has arrogantly stated that God is actually not in control of earth because He "has left us in control." The word faith adherents such as Osteen and Joyce Meyer believe that we have the power to create or alter reality with our spoken words. This is obviously a power God alone has. The dominionist believes as Johnson does; that He need our help in order to accomplish His will even to the point of being unable to come back to earth until we conquer the seven cultural mountains. The mandatory healing folks, like Bill Johnson and most Charismatic preachers, usurp God's power of healing and insist that He actually has no choice but to heal us when we want. This abracadabra theology fits right in with the showy, "look at me" nature of Charismania. Above is a link to a new article by Bert Farias where he makes the case that Christians should not be praying for healing. I kid you not. Let us reason again together beloved.

'"Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick ... So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere" (Luke 9:1-2, 6). Jesus told us to heal the sick. He did not tell us to pray for the sick. Healing should not be an isolated, one-chance-in-a-100-or-1,000 type of occurrence. Healing should be everywhere. It is part of the gospel. It is what will open the masses to the gospel. It is God's dinner bell for sinners to come and be saved. Jesus commanded us to heal the sick.

Certainly praying for the sick is scriptural (James 5: 14-15), especially for those in the church, but isn't it interesting that in the gospels and Acts no one did so? What does this tell us? It reveals that the church has an authority she does not yet know she possesses.' - Bert Farias

Farias' opening gambit is to quote instructions Jesus gave to His disciples and then pretend Jesus said it to us. He did no such thing. This is a quite common mistake within the healing crowd of Charismania. They take historical narrative scriptures and superimpose themselves into the story. Jesus did not send out Bert Farias to heal the sick. Jesus most certainly did tell us to pray for healing of the sick. There are two key verse sets above. The first establishes that all scripture is authored by God Himself. Paul did not write the letters to Timothy and James did not write the book that bears his name. God did. This is what is known as divine inspiration. The second establishes a clear direction from God - are any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone sick? Let him call for the elders to pray over him that he might be healed. I say might because God is always sovereign. He decides when and if someone receives healing. At another point in scripture Paul advises Timothy to take some wine for his stomach problems and his "frequent infirmities." Why would he give such advice if all he had to do was demand him to be healed? Now, what does it reveal that during the Gospels no one prayed for healing? It tells us that God walked among them! As for Acts, it is incorrect to say that no one prayed for healing as we just pointed out the instructions laid out by James and that was during the Apostolic Age.

"These signs shall follow those who believe (Mark 16:15-20). We are authorized to cast out devils and heal sinners who are sick; those are two of the signs. Why don't more professing believers walk in this power? It must be because we do not believe. The only qualification Jesus put on healing the sick was to believe. Let's not complicate the matter. Let's take Jesus at His word. Notice Jesus' instructions to His 12. "As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7-8). Notice also Jesus' instructions to His 70. "Heal the sick who are there and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Luke 10:9). Once again, Jesus did not tell His disciples to pray for the sick. He authorized them to heal the sick.

The power is in the proclamation. Tell them what God will do. This takes boldness. Boldness produces more results." - Bert Farias

Sigh, we are not authorized to wield the power Jesus gave to His disciples. The portion of Mark quoted is often cited by Charismaniacs and they always seem to avoid the fact that this portion of Mark was not in the original manuscript and was probably added to the text. Now it is in the final canon of scripture so it counts but we cannot reliably form doctrine around it. This is the same set of scriptures that say we will handle serpents and drink poison. There are churches in America that actually handle poisonous snakes as part of their service! Pastors there have died from snakebites as a result. Notice here that Farias dabbles back into word faith. There is no power in our proclamation. We cannot speak anything into existence. How convenient for the false healer that if healing does not occur, they simply blame the sick person, often shipwrecking their faith. It does not take boldness to usurp God's power. It only takes arrogance and a poor understanding of the bible.

"As an example, when you see a sinner who is sick and diseased, inquire about their condition. How did it happen? How long have they been sick? Casual conversation also serves to establish a level of comfortability with them. Then say to them what Jesus told His disciples to say: "I've got good news for you today! The kingdom of God has come near you." They may look at you funny, but continue to offer them this challenge. "If you will give me your hand the power of God will go into you and heal you." Once they consent the rest is easy. Command them to be healed. Release the power of God into them. Believe that as soon as you touch them Jesus touches them. Now here's the most important part. Ask them to examine themselves. Tell them to do something they couldn't do before. Get them to act on the word. Bend over. Twist. Walk. Move the part of their body that was in pain or immobile. Keep getting them to act. Don't stop. Keep working with them. If you have to lay hands on them again, do so." - Bert Farias

This is very dangerous theology. Mind you, this is how they teach kids in their supernatural schools where they try to teach the gifts of the spirit. These instructions however are the same schemes fake psychics use. Casual conversation to gain trust. Gain their consent in the process so they are bought in. Let me tell you a quick story. Several years ago an itinerant healer visited the church I was attending. A good brother who needed hip replacement surgery went down for healing. It was commanded that he be healed and he was encouraged to test his new healing. He ran up and down the altar exclaiming Hallelujah! The following week I saw him limping and asked him what happened. He said that once the adrenaline wore down his pain came back. Please remember this is not an exercise in CAN God heal. Of course He can. The issue is whether or not He must. The question is whether He is God or if we believe that we are.

"A young student came to my house to explain to me why she hadn't been to Bible school for a couple of weeks. A log had fallen on her leg and fractured it. The leg was stiff and she couldn't bend it. She had no money or insurance to put a cast on it. I laid hands on her leg and commanded her to move it and bend it. At first she grimaced in pain, but I kept telling her to move it because the power of God was in her leg and was working. After about the third or fourth time she began to weep. The pain was gone and she was able to bend her leg perfectly.

She wept some more. As I bid farewell to her I saw her from out of the window of my house walking down the dusty road we lived on with her hands up in the air praising God. Lovely Jesus. What more could He do if we only believed? I could tell you many stories with these types of testimonies. I learned that the power is in the proclamation. Tell the person with the infirmity or afflicted condition what God will do. Don't pray for them. Heal them! The power is in the name of Jesus. Prayer can be encased in unbelief. Often it is a feeble attempt at hoping something will happen. Jesus told us to heal the sick. There is no trying to see if it will work.

You've been authorized by heaven. All you lack is boldness to act. Go do it now, and send me the good report. "Then they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen" (Mark 16:20)." - Bert Farias

I cannot respond intelligibly to anecdotal stories. Perhaps it happened exactly as Farias tells or perhaps he has embellished it for the sake of his false theology. It matters not. The bottom line is God is sovereign. Anytime someone has a teaching that says we should NOT pray, we should be suspect. I firmly believe God can heal and have seen Him do so miraculously. I also know however that I am not God and I do not want to usurp His powers and pretend I am. My words contain no power of creation or healing. My words can entreat God to act but they can demand that He do. We would be wise to always remember that we are the created and He alone is the Creator.

Reverend Anthony Wade - October 26, 2020



Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

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