This little writing could prove challenging and perhaps quite controversial. It is not intended to be divisive, but rather to stir us up to re-think our approach to modern medicine and our faith in God as our healer. My concern is that we have put our belief in medicine and doctors ahead of our belief in Jesus as our healer.
When something is wrong with our physical beings do we rush to the doctors, accept their diagnosis and submit to their treatment; without ever considering what the Bible has to say? If our condition worsens do we then seek prayer for our healing as a second resort? Be honest, now, where is our faith?

James 5:14-16 KJV
 Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

John G. Lake stated it was amazing how we can believe for our eternal salvation through Christ but to believe for our physical healing gives us so much trouble. Why do you suppose that would be? I don’t believe the church as a whole has much faith to believe for healing or our testimony would be a lot different.
 I personally think it is almost criminal to dismiss the lack of healing as something that has passed away with the early church. This is a pathetic excuse which let’s us avoid asking some really tough questions of our leadership in this matter. For example, if the ‘elders’ do not see any healing as a result of their laying on of hands and praying for the sick; would it be fair to ask if they truly are elders? If healing is not for ‘today’ yet the Bible says it is for them who believe, then why do we believe that salvation is for today?
The word ‘hypocrite’ as used in the NT means to be play-acting. Could we be guilty of play-acting when it comes to our prayers for the sick? That is presuming you are in an assembly where they actually do pray for the sick.
 For a great many centuries we have been making excuses for the lack of true power in the church. It is little wonder that the Church has been all but written off as a legitimate force in the world. Basically all we have to offer the world is an intellectual gospel which is void of any real power. On the level of intellectualism we offer the world our answer which has to compete with all of the other religions and the fact is, the things of the Kingdom are not in word only, but in power! Unfortunately what we have to offer is in word only and is completely lacking a demonstration of power. It is little wonder that the world (and the church) have to look to medical science to relieve the symptoms which plaque our mortal bodies.

How and why did the church lose its power?   

There has been a deliberate, systematic effort to keep any real demonstration of power from manifesting in the church for quite some time. This has not just come about in this present generation. It has been perfected in the organized church for generations. It gets much of its strength from basic human failings such as fear, greed and jealousy. Let’s consider some of the reasons why the world and even the church is more likely to go to the doctor for healing than they are likely to go to a Christian.
Let me say at the outset that I do not have anything against people working in the medical profession, nor do I doubt their sincere motive of wanting to alleviate human suffering in its many forms. I do think however, that if the church were walking in any level of maturity, there would be little need for the medical profession. I know that is a pretty bold statement, but I have a bold faith in my Jesus and the Holy Ghost.
Let’s begin with Jesus and His ministry methods. In the gospel of Mark there is an interesting order in which our Lord went about ministering. Firstly He went about teaching, casting out devils and healing people of all manner of distress. Since He is to be our example and we are to do ‘greater than He’ why do our church ministries seem to lack the last two elements and are a little shaky on the first element?
For the answer to this little question let’s consider just what seems to be wrong with our ‘church structure’ and the way things are done. There is absolutely no place in the NT which supports the idea of everyone coming into church and sitting quietly while one paid clergyman tells us what we need to do to be right with God.
Rather, the Bible is quite clear that we all are members of the body of Christ and as such are to participate for the benefit of all. I have read that in the early days of the church this was the case.

1 Cor. 14:26 KJV
How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.                                  
1 Corinthians 12:7-12 KJV
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Nothing in the above scriptures would support the notion that we are all to sit in rapt attention as our Pastor preaches and preaches and preaches. In fact the conclusion you would draw from the above scriptures is that each member of the assembly is expected to participate in a very tangible way. Not necessarily each of us each time we get together, but certainly we are not supposed to sit silently week after week as the Pastor goes on and on and on.

1 Corinthians 12:13-14 KJV
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

You might be forgiven if you felt the Pastor was the only member of the body who seems to be participating. However, that is a root of the problem, which is robbing the church of demonstrated power in this day and age. The church was never meant to be a one-man show nor were the gifts ever to flow only through those in ‘leadership’. However, this is where our human failings have come into play much to everyone’s detriment. The paid clergy is not comfortable with the idea of the layman actually operating in the gifts of the Spirit especially if those gifts would seem to outshine the gifts operating through the Pastor. This is where our failing of jealousy and fears start to rear their ugly heads. Since a mere member of the congregation can not outdo the Pastor, a good solution to the problem would be to stop all gifts from operating in the church. This is exactly what has been going on for years and years and years.
There are many casualties of this attitude, not the least of which is the gift and yes the heritage of healing in the church. I am no theologian but it seems to me that the defining hallmark of our Lords ministry was that He went about healing all those oppressed of the devil. The early church went about healing as well. Healing and health is a birthright of the Church of Jesus Christ and it is about time we recognized it for what it is and quit making excuses for the lack of healing we see in the church. I thank my God for the healing ministries the Lord has been able to raise up. I really believe they are not to be the exception but rather an encouragement and reminder to us all that the church is supposed to walk in healing as simply part of the Christian witness. After all, our witness is not supposed to be in word only, but rather in a demonstration of power in the Holy Ghost. As always do not take my opinion on this matter but let us refer to scripture as our authority. For it is the only authority on the issue.


1 Corinthians 2:4-5 KJV
 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

What more powerful witness can there possibly be than to heal people who are oppressed of the devil? To see them healed of all manner of sickness and disease as a demonstration of God’s love and our Saviours provision is the greatest ministry we can strive to attain. Yet what we have to offer is talk, talk, and still more talk.