The Holy Spirit And Physical Healing Series

The Holy Spirit and Physical Healing

The Holy Spirit Part 6

James 5:14-16

(From Steve Meenho Kang, Live by the Spirit (Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press, 2022)

Currently we are going through the message series, “The Holy Spirit.”

During this series, we are examining the work of the Holy Spirit.

First week, we talked about the person of the Holy Spirit.

Second week, we talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Third week, the filling of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth week, the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Fifth week, the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

And today we will talk about the Holy Spirit and healing.

We are living in an imperfect, temporary, fallen world.

This is why every one of us will experience illnesses from time to time.

We catch colds, flus and infections.

And some will develop more serious illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer.

When we get sick, sometimes we become desperate.

We want to become healthy fast.

And when we don’t, we get depressed, frustrated, or angry.

This is why some listen to the people who claim to have special healing powers.

Are these people real?

Some people testify that they were healed by God.

Can we believe them?

What about the use of medicine?

Should we trust God alone for healing?

Today, we will talk about issues like these.

When I was a young Christian, I went to a revival meeting.

That place was so crowded that I had to sit in the balcony.

While the pastor was preaching, he pointed toward me and said, “God is healing someone in the balcony of his injured leg. Place your hand over it and pray for healing!”

When I was in junior high, I practiced Judo.

Once I partially separated my hip bone and I was never properly healed.

Whenever, I ran or walked a lot, I felt pain in my hip area.

I was like that for about seven years.

Therefore, I was thinking to myself.

“Is he talking about me? What the heck! If it is not me, I still have nothing to lose.”

Therefore, I placed my hand over my hip and prayed for healing.

It was not exactly a prayer of faith.

However, to my surprise, God healed me immediately.

When it comes to the healing of the Holy Spirit, many people have many different opinions.

Some people think that God still can heal us through the Holy Spirit.

But others think that He does not heal anymore.

What do you think?

More importantly, what does God think?

We can find the answers to these questions in the passage that we read today.

The author of the book, James, was the younger brother of Jesus.

He was an elder in the Jerusalem church.

And he wrote these about the healing of the Holy Spirit.

He said that in order to experience the healing of the Holy Spirit, we must follow these things.

I. We must take initiative to let others be aware of our illness (v. 14a).

Verse 14a says this.

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church…

The Greek term for ‘sick’ used here means “without strength.”

It is the idea of being seriously sick.

Therefore, James is not talking about getting sick with the common cold.

He is talking about more serious illnesses.

However, James told us that being sick is normal… even for Christians.

We get sick sometimes… even seriously.

So, what does James recommend us to do when we get sick?

The one who is sick should take the initiative to let others, especially the leaders of the church, know about it.

There is no way anyone can know when we get sick unless we tell them.

And yet, many expect everyone to somehow know when they get sick.

And they feel bad when nobody visits them or calls them.

When we become seriously sick, our first step is to make others, especially the leaders of church, be aware of our illness.

However, so often the pastors or elders are the last to know when someone is sick.

Let me make it very clear.

Pastors or elders do not know everything about everyone.

Only way for leaders to know when someone is serious sick is for someone to communicate the need.

However, some people do not want to tell church leaders about their illnesses.

I know some people who have cancer, but they refuse to tell others, including their pastors and leaders.

Why?

There could be many reasons.

One reason is that some people have the wrong theology.

They think that being sick is a sign of God’s punishment.

Therefore, they are ashamed to admit that they are sick.

However, as James said, being sick from time to time is normal even for Christians.