Acts 28:8-9 “And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. (9) So, when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.”
The above quoted passage of scripture is a classic example of how this gift operates. We quoted this passage earlier to show how the apostle Paul administered healing to Publius’ father using the prayer of faith. Nevertheless as we can see, the account doesn’t end there, for this passage teaches us that when word got out about Paul’s ability to heal the sick, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came to be healed. Paul knew that he was anointed with the gifts of healings and was therefore not at all pressured when the multitudes came to him to be healed, for he knew that the Holy Spirit would use him in that manner. The only hindrance that prevents the unsaved from receiving their healing through this method is unbelief. Clearly there was no unbelief present on this occasion, because this passage implies that all who came to Paul were healed.
Acts 8:5-8 “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. (6) And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7) For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. (8) And there was great joy in that city.”
The second example of the operation of this gift which we will discuss is recorded in the above quoted passage of scripture. In this account we see Philip the evangelist going down to the city of Samaria to preach the gospel. If you read the full account in scripture you will see that Philip conducted numerous meetings over a period of time in that city. As with Paul, Philip knew that he was anointed with this gift specifically to heal those who were lame and paralysed. Nevertheless in order for the gift to be able to operate, Philip would have needed to administer healing one on one using the prayer of faith first. And only after successfully healing one or two individuals using that method would word have gone out that Philip could heal the sick. As word got out, more and more people then came to his meetings to be healed by him. Unlike in Paul’s case however, this passage declares that many (not all) were healed under Philip’s ministry. And so it is evident that even though many were healed that there must still have been a degree of sceptism present, which therefore prevented everyone from being healed.
Matthew 4:23-24 “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (24) Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.”
The gift of healings is highly sought after, and so when someone is identified as having this gift their reputation quickly spreads as more and more people come to be healed. In the above quoted passage of scripture we see that truth confirmed to us, for this passage declares that because Jesus’ reputation for healing the sick went throughout Syria, multitudes came to Him to be healed. There is another aspect to this particular phenomenon, which is that as the person’s reputation for healing spreads, the expectation for healing increases. In other words the faith of those coming for their healing is strengthened, as they hear of more and more incidents of healing taking place through the individual who has this gift. We see that particular truth also confirmed in this passage, for it is implied that because of His reputation to heal the sick, all who came to Jesus were healed.
Michael E.B. Maher
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