Fake Or Faith -- Healing, That Is,
Fake Or Faith -- Healing, That Is,
"Faith Healing" is the practice of curing diseases by nothing more
than faith. Medicines, Doctors, Therapy, and other medical practices
play no role in faith healing. A "Faith Healer" is an individual who
allegedly possesses a great gift of healing from God Almighty. Whether
the "healer" or the "healee" must possess faith differs on demand. If a
"healer" processes a sick person through the "healing line" and no cure
is effected, the "healee" lacked faith. If the individual is "cured"
then the "healer" had great faith. One of the most often parroted lines
in the "healers" speal is, "I believe, in Jesus Name, be healed!" Now
quite honestly, dear friends -- I believe all of it is fakery. Want to
know why -- please stay tuned. In just a few minutes we will show you
why.
Before we study this current topic, please consider coming to our
Bible classes today. In just under an hour our classes commence.
Capable teachers and interesting lessons are characteristic of this time
spent in the study of the world's greatest document -- the Bible. Your
children need instruction in those things that will help them to grow up
to be decent and honorable adults. The incubator for good adults is a
good home and a good Bible study. Our classes start at 9 a.m. Then at
10 this morning we meet for worship. At that time we sing praises to
the Lord, pray, give of our means, listen to a brief sermon, and observe
the sacred memorial to the death of Christ -- the Lord's Supper.
Tonight at 6 p.m. we meet again for worship. On Wednesday evenings we
meet for Bible classes at 7 p.m. You and your family are warmly
welcomed to come. Our meeting house is easy to find -- it is at the
corner of Old Morgantown Road and Parkside Drive -- just across from A&W
Root Beer Restaurant and across from Lampkin Park.
"Faith Healing" is a fascinating industry. With the trappings of a
carnival, the allurement of a magical demonstration, and the mystique of
the unknown, millions of otherwise sensible people are attracted to the
"Healing Revivals" every year. The trophies of "victory over sin and
sickness" are displayed as a menagerie of crutches, braces, and wheel
chairs outside the "big tent." Most of this type "healing revival" is
limited to the "Pentecostal" or "Holiness" groups around the world.
The "Pentecostals" have no monopoly on this imaginary healing gift
from God. The infamous Grottos of Catholicism offer the very same
healing to the very same sort of diseases. Even the disciples of the
late "Prophet" Joseph Smith, Jr. offer the lame, sick, and malformed the
panacea of "faith healing." Joseph Smith, Jr., as you may or may not
know, is the founder of the Mormon religion, better known as Latter Day
Saints. As late as 1830, Jesus, allegedly still using the Shakespearean
English of 1600 spoke to Smith and Sidney Rigdon, who was one of his
cohorts in the production of The Book of Mormon. This "revelation"
promised the following.
"Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have
looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and prepared
thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great
things. (One of which was to later deny Smith as a prophet) Behold thou
wast sent forth, even as John, to prepare the way before me, and before
Elijah which should come, and thou knewest it not. Thou didst baptize
by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost; But now
I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and
they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands even as
the apostles of old. And it shall come to pass that there shall be a
great work in the land, even among the Gentiles, for those who believe
on my name. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast
out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to
receive their sight, and the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak, and the
lame to walk." Doctrine and Covenants 35:3-9. Doctrine and Covenants is
a collection of the alleged "prophecies" of the alleged prophet, Joseph
Smith, Jr. They are accepted in Mormonism above any of the prophecies
in the Bible. Mormonism, Pentecostalism, and Catholicism (and others)
offer the ill and crippled healing through faith and the power of God.
American people should know better than to believe such offers
.
After all, what people in this world are bombarded with all sorts of
offers from all sorts of sources? One is made to wonder, if the
government can crack down on people who promise to remove wrinkles from
the skin by pills and grease, why not do the same with the iniquitous,
manipulative, and mercenary practices of "faith healing?" Claims are no
more believable than the claimant. Whose claim would you really believe
if you were sick? Would it be a Pentecostal "faith healer," a Catholic
Priest, a Mormon "healer," a Christian Science practitioner, or a good
Doctor? The best advice you will ever take is to believe a reputable
Doctor--if you are sick and want to recover.
The "faith healing" chicanery is fraudulent. The only verification
offered is human testimony, nothing more. The best test of the pudding
is the eating, and the best test to prove whether people can be healed
physically by faith is to demonstrate it. The offer has been repeated
over and again that if just one verifiable case of genuine cancer,
blindness, dumbness, leprosy, or death is altered without any medical
help, the claims would be more credible. But the advocates of this
unscrupulous practice cry, "We are not to give signs to unbelievers."
One recently reminded this writer of the Lord's statement, "an
adulterous and sinful generation seeketh a sign and no sign shall be
given" (Matthew 12:39, 40). Sure enough, that is what Jesus Christ
said, but it is not all He said. Right after those words fell from
His wonderful lips, He added, "but the sign of Jonah." The sign of
Jonah was His own resurrection from the dead. So Jesus did give a sign
to the people to verify His claims to being God's only begotten Son.
Besides, modern day "faith healers" are not being asked to perform
tricks for amusement, but are asked simply to show that what they claim
God has given them is real. But, they cannot, therefore they will not.
This is one reason for claiming it is all a fake. Most of the
difficulties on this question would be removed if the purpose of healing
is understood
.
In the time of Christ and His apostles, healing physical diseases
was not primarily designed to help the poor victim. Take a look at
Matthew 9:6. It reads, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has
power on earth to forgive sins,' -- then He said to the paralytic,
'Arise, take up your bed, and go to your own house'." And the man was
cured. Question: where was the faith here? There is no evidence anyone
had faith. The purpose of the healing was to create faith in the one
healed and the witnesses present. Will any of those who offer healing
today on the same basis do the same thing? My guess is they won't --
therefore again -- it all a fake.
The purpose of all miracles, including healing, is summed up at the
conclusion of John's Gospel record of Christ. "Many other signs truly
Jesus did in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this
book, but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of the Living God and that believing ye might have life
through His name" (John 20:30- 31). You see, dear friend, if people
claim God has given them a divine grant to perform signs, the purpose
can only be to verify their claims--else they are lying, misleading, and
deceiving -- and are engaged in religious fakery.
The obvious purpose of "faith healing" today is not to offer
credentials for faith, but as a lucrative and rewarding financial
enterprise. Have any of you who are listening to all this ever known of
a single modern day "faith healing revival" where money was not
collected (repeatedly)? If so, it needs to be publicized and entered
into Guiness Book of World Records, for it is one of a kind, unique,
phenomenal, and unparalleled.
The Word says miracles served the intended purposed and ceased.
During the formative days of Gospel preaching, the message was in the
men Jesus personally selected and called "disciples," and "apostles."
The unknown author of Hebrews wrote of the "great salvation" and said,
"which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to
us by those that heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and
wonders, and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according
to His will" (Hebrews 2:3-4).
Now very carefully observe, dear listening friend: The great
salvation began -- It began to be spoken. It did not begin in written
form. It was later reduced to that. The great salvation was heard by
the Hebrew author and his companions. The great salvation was confirmed
to the hearers. Confirmed means that it was authenticated, tested,
tried, proved, verified and demonstrated. The great salvation was
confirmed by the witness of God. The great salvation was witnessed by
God with signs, wonders, miracles, and other gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The great salvation was confirmed. Not twice, three times, nor
millions of times, but once was it fully and finally confirmed. When
the purpose something serves has been fully served there is no more need
for it.
Miracles served not as a means to raise money, or benefit the sick
and diseased. They served to confirm a message of truth. If people
really believe that message (the fully revealed Gospel of Christ) they
have no need for further confirmation. But what "faith healers" do
today confirms something opposite from Bible miracles. Today, when some
well dressed, fancy talking, "healer" grasps a poor victim and shouts,
"In the name of JEEEEEEESUS -- be HEEEEEEALED!" you will find ample
confirmation of fake healing, not much different from their prototype,
the man with the traveling medicine show. These things are presented
today on this broadcast solely in the interest of truth. I am firmly
convinced that I have shown, and can show that modern day so-called
"faith healing" is pure religious fakery.
No man or group of men today have any God given powers to cast out
demons, heal the sick, or raise the dead. If they did, they would not
be so reluctant to demonstrate it to people who know they are false to
the core. I seriously doubt that there is any representative of any
religious group within the sound of this radio station who is willing,
much less able, to take up what I have said today and show it to be
wrong. Do you want to know the sure fire proof? You know that the Lord
not only healed physical ailments -- He raised the dead -- so did some
of His apostles. If these so-called "healers" have the same gift Jesus
and the apostles had, surely they could raise the dead. Here's a
sensible proposition. Let any one of them name the time and the
cemetery and we will meet there and after they actually raise just one
dead person -- I personally will empty the cemetery by raising all the
rest who are buried there. Fair enough? If it is not a fake practice
it would seem that those who believe it is genuine would be lining up
saying, "I'll take that fellow's offer up right now and show the world
how wrong he is." I am waiting.
Thank you for listening. Write to West End Church of Christ, 1609
Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, KY. 42101. Till next Sunday we pray
you will have all the good things God has in store for you, that you
will study your Bible and come to a full understanding of the truth
-- it will free you from all that is wrong in your life. Good bye
for now and God bless everyone of you.
Radio Sermon No. 18
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Lyrics, Chords Tabs Rated
Children's NT Studies
