KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BNC) by Steve Higginbotham — While flying home from Denver, Colo., last week, I sat next to a man who was reading his Bible. We struck up a conversation and I soon realized he believed he had the spiritual gift of healing.
After giving me a couple examples of how he used his powers, he asked me if I believed what he was saying. I told him that my beliefs aren’t based on experiences, which can sometimes be deceptive, but upon what the Bible teaches. I then proceeded to explain 1 Corinthians 13 and Ephesians 4 as he followed along in his Bible.
When I finished he said, “I see what you’re saying, and have never really studied this before, so I don’t have an answer, but what I do have are my experiences, and I know that God has given me the power to heal.”
So for the remainder of the flight (nearly three hours), this man recounted story after story of his alleged healings. I had already made my point that my beliefs aren’t based on experiences but upon what the Bible teaches, so as he shared these stories, I simply let him talk. There was no need to argue point by point with all the stories he told, but as I sat and listened, I wondered what I could say that would expose his error.
When we eventually touched down and regained phone signal, this man’s phone dinged. He had a text message from his son. It was a picture of his son’s finger that had been cut while he was using a weed-eater. When this man saw the picture of his son’s finger, he said, “Oh no, my son has cut his finger and from the looks of the picture, he will probably need a few stitches. I need to get off this plane and take him to the hospital.”
It was then that I broke my silence and simply asked, “Why?”
The man swung his head around and stared at me with a look that resembled that of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. For a moment, he just froze. It looked like he was searching for words, but they escaped him.
The force of that one word was convicting. This man had just spent nearly three hours trying to prove he had the power to heal people, but his first thought when he saw that his son was injured was to take him to the hospital.
The take-away from this story is that one word that has the backing of Scripture is more convicting than thousands of words lacking Scriptural backing.
Steve works with the Karns congregation. This article was first published on his site Preaching Help.
2016-09-20 at 2:23 pm
I Agree, but there was an obvious answer to the insufficient question of why. That answer is that Paul couldn’t heal Timothy nor even himself or Trophimus, because the gift of healing Paul had was to promote the gospel, not his or someone else’s wellbeing alone. The fact that the question why stopped him really shows his biblical ignorance.
2016-09-22 at 10:59 am
Paul did heal, but to substantiate that he was inspired. All the apostles were given this ability. Read the book of Acts. Paul did not heal himself or Timothy because it would not have served a purpose (God’s purpose), as you mentioned. The “healer” could not really heal. He stopped at the question likely because he realized this, that he could not his son.
The apostles confirmed the word by “signs following”. They didn’t heal everyone as Jesus did. They were sent to preach the gospel.
2016-09-22 at 3:25 am
Great answer! simple and it cut to the heart of the situation. God bless you my friend. bill
2016-09-24 at 1:10 pm
Nice one Randal. Now if that one word will be a seed that eventually grows and he remembers your other words.
2017-09-21 at 8:09 pm
John 14:12.
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.