“Healing Service Cancelled By God”

Ben Bailey

In a recent article in the Daily Ardmoreite, the Full Gospel Evangelistic Center advertised a healing service. After studying on this subject and witnessing these supposed healings, I realized this was not a biblical healing service. There are three voices that arise out of this emotional frenzy to teach that God has canceled miraculous healings by men.

The Voice of the Healing. The nature of the “healing event” itself was foreign to anything found in the Bible. The healing was nothing more than a play on people’s emotions. When I entered the building the music was blaring with tear jerking religious songs. The minister gave a short (but loud) pep rally speech. Directly before the healing, a short testimony that pulled on the heartstrings was also given. The actual healing event was like nothing I had read of in the Bible. For example, at the recent “healing service” about 10-15 people crowded around the sick and grunted and moaned and called down the Spirit sometimes in excess of ten minutes. Notice how this was different from a Bible miracle. A true biblical miracle was never for show. There was no music (especially instrumental music) present during New Testament healings. Teaching was done after the miracles as a sign of God’s approval of the speaker (John 6, 11). When Jesus and his Apostles healed people, it took only once and was instantaneous (Mk. 1:42, 2:12, 5:29). Truly, the healing service at the Full Gospel Evangelistic Center was not a biblical healing service.

The Voice of the Healed. After watching several of the “healed” limp back to their seats and hold their arm in pain after being healed I asked one of the “healed” how it felt. The reply given is most shocking. When asked how the event felt the sick person replied, “it felt pretty good.” I then inquired further. “Do you think you have been healed?” To this the sick one responded “I don’t know yet”… “My arm still hurts.” I then asked, “It was not an instantaneous healing then?” She replied, “No, I guess not.” This testimony cries out to us that this service was a hoax. Every Bible miracle was instant in healing (John 5:9). Also, all Bible miracles were confirmed beyond a doubt, even by the critics (Acts 4:16). After the Lord did a miracle people felt so good that they jumped and shouted for joy (Acts 3:6-8, 14:10). Truly, the healing service at the Full Gospel Evangelistic Center was not a biblical healing service.

The Voice of Scripture. The Bible teaches that miracles had a very specific purpose and unique time boundary. The purpose of miracles was not for show or physical gratification. They were done to confirm the word of God (See Mk. 16:20, Heb. 2:3-4). Their time boundary was limited to the first century. Paul stated that when the perfect had come the partial (tongue speaking, miraculous knowledge, and prophecy) would come to an end (1 Cor. 13:8-10). Toward the close of the first century James recorded that the perfect law of liberty had come (James 1:25). Today we can confirm religious teaching by seeing if it matches up with the Word of God. Truly, these passages declare that the healing service at the Full Gospel Evangelistic Center was not a biblical healing service.

This service made religion into nothing more than a joke. Yet even worse, it was a cruel hoax on a hurting society. We challenge those of the miraculous persuasion to do a notable miracle. Prove yourselves to be a real miracle worker. Go to the cemetery and raise the dead. Set up shop on the street corner and start healing those with missing limbs. Or, start handling poisonous snakes as the Apostles did (Mk. 16:19ff). Dear reader, please do not be deceived. Miracles performed by men are not happening today. May we all test the spirits to see whether they are of God (1 John 4:1).

(Ben Bailey/ McLish Avenue Church of Christ)