Then I would ask why don't they heal everyone who comes to them? The Apostles and Jesus certainly did.
Tell me why Paul said he asked God three times to take his affliction from him and it was not removed. He said:
2 Corinthians 12:6-10
6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
DEAR DEAR HEART BOATBUMS,
I want to emphasize . . .
my forceful words about the issues are not at all directed at you personally, your personhood, your heart, your spirituality etc, per se.
My forcefulness is directed at SOME of the ideas which you assert, which I’ve contended with, most of my adult life.
I continue to hold you in extremely high regard and great fondness in my heart, mind and spirit.
As you know, I’m . . . how to put it . . . not often given to super gentle graciousness about ideas I believe to be UNBIBLICAL about important-to-me issues of our walk in The Lord, in His Spirit etc.
That should not be interpreted to EQUAL a lack of respect or caring toward those who hold what I consider erroneous, UNBIBLICAL perspectives.
Goodness, I even respect and care for virtually all the RC’s who attack me personally and assaultively. And you are far better in dialogue than that pattern. I care about all of them but I don’t respect all of them.
I deeply respect you, care for you and admire you.
I just disagree somewhat forcefully about some aspects of your perspective on this issue.
No. Jesus did not--NOT IN EVERY situation. He did not in Nazareth--because of their unbelief. That's plain Scripture.
You listed some possible reasons in an earlier post. Are you flushing those now?
I think that's a straw dog. Even in the New Testament, it was not at all 100% the case that all the sick in a given situation were healed at one time. In some cases, they were. It may have been in a majority of cases, that they were but I wouldn't even swear to that without reviewing all the cases.
HOWEVER, I believe that many FREEPERS reading these words will live to see the day WHEN every sick person in a given locale will be healed through the ministry of a Believer--in some cases--via children walking in faith and the anointing and power of Holy Spirit. I don't know why it's not time for that yet. It just isn't, evidently.
Tell me why Paul said he asked God three times to take his affliction from him and it was not removed. He said:
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh are you trying to make that normative for all Christians in all situations? That would be a dubious thing to do, I'd think.
I believe that to some degree, God deals with all of us somewhat uniquely. Certainly, Paul was a unique person in a unique role, trained in unique ways and anointed in unique ways. Not that God hasn't and won't continue to do SIMILAR things with others . . . nevertheless, Paul was one of a kind in some key respects. He alone wrote what . . . 2/3 of the NT.
On the other side of the coin, I could allow that the idea of a 'thorn in the flesh' being used of God to keep Believers humble is not at all far fetched and probably has occurred with more than just Paul. I've got a thing or two that I've wondered about remaining in my life toward such ends regardless of hours beseeching The Lord to remove such.
However, I think it's a great flying leap across the Atlantic to construe that as justification to explain why God doesn't heal more people more routinely in more Pentecostal/Charismatic services.
I think a more fitting question is why don't more congregations in more denominations apply Mark 16:17-18 literally as Scripture makes clear it's meant to be applied?
And, no, I'm NOT talking about the idiocy of tempting God by deliberately handling snakes and drinking poison. Folks need some God-given horse sense about such Scriptures. It's clearly talking about accidental, unknown serpents and poison such as when Paul was picking up firewood on that island. And, YES I believe that promise is to all believers of all centuries in the CHURCH ERA/AGE/DISPENSATION--which we are still clearly in.
6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I don't believe that God per se wants a weak church or weak believers. I do believe that God is happy to use our weaknesses to keep us humble and seeking Him and to manifest Himself more powerfully through us somehow in relationship to our weaknesses.