Some Christians would be better off giving a person a dog than praying for them to be healed. A dog will sit there with its tender eyes looking at you while wagging its tale. Its tongue hanging out, panting and you almost think it is smiling at you. You try to pat it on the head and it tries to lick you and you think again a tender kiss. You sit down on your chair and it jumps on your lap and you feel wanted and loved. It tips over the rubbish and you scold it and it runs away only to come back wagging its tale, letting you think it appreciates your discipline showing you, you haven’t lost it’s trust or love.

A dog is almost the safest gift you can give for healing as most people are sick because they want physical contact. Don’t pray give a dog.

A dog won’t ask any questions. It won’t challenge you about your thinking or attitude it will just show you love. Please don’t be mistaken if you don’t feed it, it will run away!

You could give a cat but you are never sure about a cat and its affection. One minute it is purring and the next it scratches you, but it will come and sit on your knee.

I wouldn’t give a horse or an elephant unless you want them dead, because if they sit on you they will kill you.  So give them a dog!

Some people are so sick that they go to the doctor so someone will hold their arm and take their pulse. They will go into a nursing home so someone will touch care for them.

Evangelism the answer

The advertisements say come and see So “n” So who has a healing ministry and this may be true, but where does it say in scripture the gifts are automatic? The sign should read come and see So “n” So to get a dog or donkey.

Come and get a donkey and now you think I’m crazy, but before you judge me any further please read on and see what happened with Jesus.

When we are doing comprehensive study of scripture we must follow three rules of Hermeneutics stressing and maintaining an order such as:

    1/ Interpret scripture in its grammatical historical sense

    2/ Interpret scripture knowing it can’t contradict itself

    3/ Seek guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpretation of scripture

The main point I would like to make which I believe is a powerful point. If you had only read the Bible with no traditional denominational implications, you would only conclude that healing is for now.

Exodus 15:26 saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer." (ESV)

Does this say, “I am the LORD, your healer” or not?

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him. (MKJV)

Does this say, “He went about doing good, and healing all” or not?

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with different and strange doctrines, for it is good for the heart to be established with grace, not with foods, in which those who have walked in them were not helped. (MKJV)

Does this say, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever” or not?

Does this say, “Do not be carried about with different and strange doctrines” or not?

Psalm 89:34 I will not break My covenant, nor change the thing that has gone out of My lips. (MKJV)

Let the scripture speak for themselves as they state

He is the LORD, our healer, He went about doing good, healing all those who were oppressed, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. He will not promise to do something and then change His mind or His procedure.

A message to all the Christians who believe healing is not for today! If you don’t believe the 57% of the New Testament scriptures relating to gifts and just the few mentioned above, “Go and buy some dogs” to give away because you have nothing else to give away except a lack of Theological understanding and experiences.

John 12:15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" (ESV)

My next statement is a cynical use of scripture to make a point, because there is no evidence that anyone held the tale of the donkey. I have used the above scripture as a symbolic picture.

Fear can grip you and paralyze you from being a powerful witness for Jesus. You may have seen excesses or abuse of the gifts but that doesn’t support a weak Biblical perspective. It is true that in the operation of Gifts some have held the tale of the donkey and produced a handful of manure, but that does not account for all those who have pressed through to the rider, to the one true Son of the living God the Healer on the back of the donkey.

Just because some have negated the purpose or role of God along with the Holy Spirit and neglected the recognition of Jesus in the process of healing because of ego, we shouldn’t develop doctrine to suit a disagreement.

Ego or the compassionate eyes of Jesus

What is the motivation that we may have for praying for the sick? Is it to our ego or is it because we have seen the sick through the compassionate eyes of Jesus? We can only answer that for ourselves and we shouldn’t judge others who move in these gifts.

I have failed

I have failed to support the heading of this lesson, “Give them a dog!” based on the theological facts, I can’t find the scriptures which say either, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have stopped healing and we should buy a dog to give to the sick. Some non-charismatic Christians have developed unsupported theology believing that the gifts stopped with Jesus and the death of the Apostles. The main reasons for their views are twofold and this could be argued as which comes first the chicken or the egg. Both are weak position, one they have not experienced these manifestation and two poor understanding of scripture failing to deliver one scripture to support their position.  We should call the Cessationist of the gifts of the Spirit, “We don’t pray for the sick we give them a dog group” or ‘Would you like a dog group”. Another name is, “Fear” because if someone gets healed they would have to change their position.

Cessationist - Charismatic Assumption

Is that the gifts were automatic and took place every time!

You don’t want to buy a dog! “Cheapskate” So you are better off if you try to understand theology which is not based on an assumption.

A good example of doctrine based on assumption by some Charismatic Christians and that is all should be healed. That everyone should be able to move in the same power of gifts. I did say by some Charismatic Christians but I would also apply this to those in the traditional church too.

Where does it say you can pray for the sick and all of them will be healed and the gifts are automatic? One side will say it will happen this way and the other will say it will not happen that way plus it doesn’t happen anymore or anyway.

Destroying assumption by scriptural evidence

Jesus didn’t operate in the gift of healing automatically stating that Jesus said, “I can only do what I see the Father doing, John 5:19 and that Jesus asked the paralytic, do you want to be healed”, John 5:4 finally the example of Jesus when He returned to His hometown where He couldn’t do many miracles. He laid hands on a few sick and heals them Mark 6:4-6. These three scriptural references prove un-doubtably that to presume Jesus healed all the time and on every occasion is not valid.

Conditions for healing

Remember the rules of Hermeneutics mentioned earlier in this lesson

1/ See if God is doing it / Rule 3

    3/ Seek guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpretation of scripture

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does likewise. (MKJV)

2/ According to scripture / Rule 1

    1/ Interpret scripture in its grammatical historical sense

Jesus could only do what was according to the Jewish tradition; therefore the others couldn’t be healed at that time and place.

John 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and troubled the water. Then whoever first stepped in after the troubling of the water was made whole of whatever disease he had.5 And a certain man was there, who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.6 When Jesus saw him lying, and knowing that he had spent much time, He said to him, Do you desire to be made whole? 7 The infirm man answered Him, Sir, when the water is troubled, I have no one to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another steps down before me. 8 Jesus says to him, Rise, take up your bed and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked. And it was a sabbath on that day. (MKJV)

3/ Belief / Faith / Rule 2

    2/ Interpret scripture knowing it can’t contradict itself

Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his native-place, and among his own kin, and in his own house.5 And He could do no work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick ones, He healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went around the villages, in a circuit, teaching. (MKJV)

Jesus healed one hundred percent of the time when all conditions were activated. If this is true of Jesus and it is. Than why would people assume that the Apostles could heal all the time, then to draw a conclusion that the gifts have stopped? It is simple they haven’t seen the Father or Jesus healing.  

Acts 14:9 This one heard Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him, and seeing that he had faith to be healed, (MKJV)

Another answer is that all the ones who didn’t get healed in the period of time we know as the Apostolic period didn’t get mentioned because it wasn’t newsworthy and it is still not newsworthy. The truth is some don’t get healed and that is because it is up to the sovereignty of God who gets healed and all factors meeting God’s dynamics.

Sovereignty of God is a liberator for us because it allows us to pray for the sick knowing that it is all up to God to do the healing. Subsequently it also proves to us, it’s not about our righteousness, holiness, talents, position in the body, our understanding of theology and even our compassion. However we should not neglect any of these areas as it would not be beneficial to allow any of our imperfectness to get in between God and the person He wants to heal.

Compassion is a powerful dynamic in healing from the one praying for the sick but the other element are beneficial along with the evidence of faith. God doesn’t frustrate us. We need to develop our understanding that God has given us a deep desire that go past our intellectual understanding and that the Word of God is there to meet our needs.

Do you desire to be made whole?

I do hope you want to pray for the sick and see them healed but you need to ask a question just as Jesus did, “Do you desire to be made whole?” (John 5:6) It is important we can only pray as a servant on behalf of the person to meet their need and not our ego.

If a person is healed their whole life will change and they may not want to live with miracle. To live with a miracle means God is going to bring about other changes. So if they say no, give them a poor second a dog. If they say yes then pray for them and make sure you follow them up after their miracle to teach them how to live with the miracle.

Final comment

I know by scriptural evidence that people get healed and I know by experience that the scripture are followed my healing and miracles. If after this entire lesson you still don’t believe that God heals, I would challenge you to talk to those who have been healed and prove to them they weren’t healed.

We have authority because we believe.

We will have power because we spend time in fellowship with God.

It’s not only about serving God, but it’s about waiting on Him listening to every word He speaks to know His will.

If you have read the Word of God then you have seen the Father and Jesus healing, so you are in a good place to start praying. I hope you want pray for the sick because you have seen the sick through the compassionate eyes of Jesus.