Prosperity Gospel and Healing
The earthly ministry of Jesus was a preaching, teaching, and
healing ministry (Matthew 4:23). These three characteristics are vividly
recorded in the four gospels of the New Testament as demonstrations of the
dawning of God’s kingdom. The same ministry was entrusted by Christ to the
disciples and thereafter to the church. It is my humble belief that God
continues to call the church to carry out the ministry of healing today, and I
personally testify to the same.
The prosperity gospel or "health and wealth
gospel" preachers bring a huge distortion to the Christian understanding
of healing. They teach that everyone can be healed if they use their faith. I
could see prosperity preachers intensely trying to manipulate both God and the
person in need of healing. Who is the God in whom we believe? "God is in
heaven; he does whatever pleases him." (Psa 115.3). "[God] works out
everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." (Eph 1.11).
"God will not allow himself to be manipulated, not even by the formula
"in the name of Jesus," which is being totally misused by them."
The practice of proclaiming the name of Jesus is like magic and divination,
which control people and things by their names. The name of Jesus isn’t a magic
formula. Using it only makes sense in a relationship where you live with and
depend on him. It was to his disciples that Jesus said, "I will do
whatever you ask in my name" (John 14.13). Jesus makes this promise in the
context of a relationship with his disciples.
The reality is that everyone who attends a healing service
does not get physically healed. Why are they not healed when one or two have
been? "Lack of faith" is the easiest answer the prosperity preacher
gives. This is how they get away from the responsibility of not delivering the
promised healing. When prosperity preachers give undue publicity to the few
healings and miracles that have taken place, the skeptics keep on challenging
them to go and heal all the cancer patients in hospitals. Do they accept the
challenge? No. Why not? They know very well that it is not possible, which is a
reality they stubbornly refuse to accept.
Psalm 103:3 is a very famous verse that reveals to us God as
the one "who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases."
Yes, God has the power to heal anyone at any time. However, this has to be
understood in the light of the total message of salvation and healing taught in
the Bible.
The healing from God is not confined to the miraculous
physical healing only. The woman with an issue of blood experienced a miracle
healing by touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. She got what she wanted. But
Jesus did not allow her to go home with the physical miracle alone. After the
conversation she and Jesus had, he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has
made you well." "Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."
Isn’t that wholeness? The woman did not know what she really needed. It is
wholeness that God is seeking to bring into our lives.
The healing ministry has a dimension of God’s enabling
grace, which is also neglected by prosperity preachers and many churches.
Apostle Paul exercised the gift of healing on a number of occasions. But in his
own life, the answer he had from God to his prayer for the removal of the
"thorn in the flesh" was "My grace is sufficient for you"
(2 Cor 12:7-9). This caused the apostle to be strong in his weakness. Besides,
Paul left Trophimus, a seven-year companion in Miletus, when he was sick, and
there is no evidence of Paul healing him (II Tim 4:20).
Was Paul insensitive to Trophimus? Timothy seems to have had stomach problems
and frequent ailments. The healing grace is not only about removing ailments.
Living with ailments through God’s grace brings us to the experience that
"in our weakness, God’s strength can be made known to everyone." It
is a powerful testimony!
The divine healing also has an eschatological feature. Those
who experience miraculous healings must see them as a foretaste of what is to
come at the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom. One cannot keep expecting miracles
each time they fall ill. What is the healing ministry the church has for those
who are terminally ill? A very essential part of the healing ministry is
preparing people to die peacefully, which is not an easy task to perform but a
must. The family also has to be prepared to accept the reality of death. I have
personally seen how prosperity preachers dump people who accept the reality of
death. Prosperity preachers have ignored the preparation of people for the
future hope of wholeness. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes."
"There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4.
The healing ministry of the church has to be understood in
the context of our salvation in Jesus Christ. The Greek word for salvation is
sodzo. The different shades of its meaning are found in the New Testament to
show what an enriching experience of wholeness we have inherited in Christ—to
bring safely, cure, ensure salvation, make well, preserve, recover, restore,
save, and make whole. We are saved and healed, and our lives are hidden with
Christ in God. However, we still live in a fallen world and bear the
consequences of the Fall. Our bodies are not yet glorified. “But now we groan
silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means
that our bodies will also be set free.” (Romans 8:23 Contemporary English Version)
Rev Asiri P. Perera
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