Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
…and to another the effecting of miracles – 1 Cor 12:4-10
Gift of Healing
Now we come to the gift of healing. This gift is pretty self explanatory. It is the supernatural ability to heal people of their afflictions; whatever they may be, and has even included death in a few rare occasions. The main purpose of this and all other gifts is to glorify God and demonstrate his power. It is not for the sole purpose of glorifying the individual.
Both Peter and Paul were granted this special gift. As Peter and John were entering the temple they came across a man begging for alms (or gifts) who had been lame since birth. Peter looked at the man and told him to walk:
But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene–walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God; - Acts 3:6-7
Now what was the reason for healing this man? Was it to cure him of his misery? No, it was so that those in the temple would see the power of God and allow Peter to preach Christ and Him crucified:
But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” – Acts 3:12-16
Note that this healing came from faith in Jesus Christ. There are some today who say that you must believe to be healed but I believe that the faith was that of Peter and John and not the man being healed. There is nothing in these verses to indicate that the lame man had any faith in Christ so we must attribute the healing faith to that of Peter and John (Matt 17:20; John 14:12), though he must have believed that they could heal him (Matt 9:28; Matt 13:58; Acts 14:9).
Paul also possessed this and many other gifts. Paul once gave a sermon that lasted so long that a man fell to his death from a third floor window after falling asleep:
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for his life is in him.” When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted. – Acts 20:7-12
Paul didn’t let this little incident interrupt his sermon however. Notice that after he went down and healed the man he went right back upstairs to eat and continue his preaching. This should make you think twice about falling asleep during a sermon!
There are many other examples of both Peter and Paul healing the multitudes. People were even healed by Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:12-16), and by Paul’s handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12). The Old Testament Prophet Elisha was so gifted with the power of healing that even after he died his bones were able to heal a man.
And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet. – 2 Ki 13:20-21
