222 / 298
The Gifts of Healing
216
We read about a healing in Acts 3, when Peter and John went up to the temple in the hour of
prayer. A man was sitting there asking, begging, for alms. (Acts 3:2) It didn’t say they stopped
and preached to him. It didn’t say his faith made him whole. You say, “It said, ‘Faith in the name
of Jesus.’” Yes, but it didn’t say
his
faith.
Acts 3:16 says, “And his name,” Jesus’ Name, “through faith in his name hath made this man
strong.” That’s how he got healed, by the Name of Jesus and faith in the Name. But then he
qualifies, “…the faith which is by him,” in him? No, by him, “hath given him this perfect
soundness in the presence of you all.”
Nothing is said about the man’s faith making him whole. Yes, it says it was faith, but understand,
he has already said faith in the Name has made him strong. Well, why do you have to go ahead
and make another sentence and qualify it? It is the faith which is
by
Him. It refers to 1
Corinthians 12, faith, a manifestation of the Spirit.
They laid this man daily at this gate. Peter and John went up there every day at the hour of
prayer. They had passed this man hundreds of times. Other people had passed this man. It’s
entirely possible that Jesus passed this man when He was walking the earth. Well, why didn’t
they do this the day before? Why didn’t they do this the week before? Why didn’t they do this
the month before?
Remember Jesus in John 5, at the pool of Bethesda? He went and found one man, and He spoke
to him, and he was healed. (John 5:5-9) Then He walked off and left five porches full of folks
there. Why? Some people say, “It’s not always His will.” No, no, no. We see other places where
He preached the Word to them, they heard and believed, and everyone got healed.
What is a gift of healing? It’s a gift. It’s a free gift, a special thing, to an individual, or a few, or a
special situation. It’s a sign of what is available to all by faith in the Word. Now, whether you
understand that or not, don’t throw it away. He does miracles.
What happened? Peter and John walked by there that day. They might have walked by this man
hundreds of times, but they walked by that man that day, and when they looked over him,
something happened in them. God gave them faith beyond their regular faith, a manifestation of
faith that is referred to in 1 Corinthians 12. They looked at that man and they said, “Look! Look
on us. Silver and gold we don’t have.” I guess their wives had their pocketbooks right then. “But
such as I have,” what do you mean such as you have? They had something. God had dropped
something in their spirit. He dropped something in their spirit, and they were not asking him if he
believed anything. They’re not asking him about his confession. They grabbed the man’s hand,
jerked him up, and told him to get up from there, and instantaneously he was healed. Can you see
this?
Now, let’s contrast this. In Acts 14:3, you’ll see a different thing. They sound similar, but they
are very different. We just read that they preached, they spoke boldly in the Lord, and He gave
testimony to the Word of His grace and granted signs and wonders to be done.