We
know from the Gospels that when the Lord Jesus was on earth, supernaturally
healing people formed a big part of His ministry. The apostles and non-apostles also joined Him
in healing work (e.g., Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-12).
Then, later, after the Lord had ascended to heaven, apostles and
non-apostles continued with this work (e.g., Acts 3:1-10; James 5:14-15).
Nor
should we expect anything different today.
The idea, accepted by some Christians, that God ceased working healing
miracles sometime in the first century is a big mistake and fits very poorly
with the Bible.
For
a defence of the position that healing ministry should take place throughout
the Christian era, see my article: God
Wants to Use Christians in Miracle Work Today.
Jesus
and the early Christians
Something
that we need to understand clearly about the healing ministries of Jesus and
the early church is that there is no evidence that they ever charged people for
this. Healing ministry was free for
those in need.
In
fact, we are told in Matt 10:8 that when the Lord sent out the twelve to heal,
He said to them:
“Heal those who are ill, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you received. Freely give.”
Nothing
in the New Testament leads us to think that any early Christian ever acted
outside this principle of giving freely to people who needed healing.
It
is true that some who were helped then chose to give financial or practical
support to those who had helped them (e.g., Luke 10:8). But there is no evidence that Jesus or early
Christians ever charged people for ministry or that they put any pressure on
people to give them money or anything else.
Instead, they gave freely out of love, without asking for anything in
return.
Those
today who charge for healing ministry
Something
that really gets under my skin is Christian healing ministries today that
charge people for healing sessions.
There
are several things wrong with this:
(1)
Those who do this are failing to follow biblical practice.
As I
have noted, in Matt 10:8 Jesus commands the twelve to give healing ministry
freely, and there is no good reason for thinking that Christians today
shouldn’t also follow this command.
Importantly
too, the Bible teaches us how to act not only by giving us commands but also by
giving us the example of the early church to follow. And nowhere in Scripture is there any
suggestion that any early Christian ever charged anyone for healing ministry.
(2)
Love is right at the heart of the Christian faith, and love involves giving
freely to people without expecting anything in return.
I
suspect that many of those who charge for healing ministry have a poor
understanding of the love of God or the love that is required of believers.
(3) No
healing ministry today is going to result in everyone who is ministered to being
healed. And when people are not healed
but charged a fee anyway, it often greatly damages the reputation of Christians
and the Christian faith in the eyes of non-believers.
(4)
Many of those who seek healing ministry are unable to work due to illness or
disability. This means that those who
receive this ministry are often among the poorest in society.
There
is something especially nasty about people claiming to be Christian healers who
charge money from suffering people who are poorer than themselves.
(5) Healing
ministry requires faith (e.g., Matt 17:19-20; James 5:14-15), and it is ironic
that those who ask people for money to do this ministry seem to have such
little faith that God will meet their financial needs.
Those
today who put pressure on people to give money
There
are many in Christian healing ministry today who don’t go as far as charging
for healing sessions, but who nevertheless put pressure on people to give
money.
All
too often, the websites of healing ministries try to persuade readers who are
seeking healing to donate money. Sometimes
this is even done on the home page. And frequently
suggestions are made about how much people should give if they are able.
This
sort of practice is not as bad as actually charging people for healing
ministry, but it still leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. It also goes wrong in all five of the ways
that I listed above.
Workers
deserve wages
It
is true that workers deserve wages (e.g., Luke 10:7; 1 Tim 5:18), and this is a
principle that applies to healing ministers as much as to any other Christians.
I
don’t intend in this article to discuss how healing ministries are funded. However, I will say that if people who have
received healing ministry really do want to give to those who have helped them
without being charged or pressured, there is nothing wrong with that. This is what we find in Luke 10:8 and by
implication in Matt 10:10.
What
healing ministers should never do, however, is charge people who are seeking
healing or pressure them to give money, whether before or after they have
received ministry.
Some
suggestions
Here
are a few suggestions for how healing ministries operate
in the area of finance:
(1)
As I have said, a healing ministry should never charge or pressure people for
money.
If
this means that the ministry can no longer function, then stop the ministry. Take it as a sign from God either that He
doesn’t want this ministry to exist, or that He wants to pause it until it can
operate without charging or pressuring people for money.
(2)
If possible, on the website of the healing ministry don’t even have a link that
people can click on to donate.
I
understand that this will not always be possible, and I don’t want to condemn those
who do have a link for donation. But if
the ministry can get by without asking for donations, that is a great thing to
do.
(3)
Where a website does have a link for donation, make it as discreet as possible.
(4)
When people click on a link for donation, have a few paragraphs that say
something along the following lines:
·
Explain that you would love not to ask for
donations, but you really do feel that you need to do this.
·
Stress very strongly that healing ministry is
free and that no one is under any pressure whatsoever to give money, whether
before or after receiving ministry.
·
Give no suggested figure for a donation.
·
Say that you would rather a person doesn’t
give than gives reluctantly.
·
Suggest that people who receive ministry and
who would like to donate wait a few months until after the ministry, to make
sure that they still feel the same way.
(5)
Take a decision that everyone in your healing ministry who is paid for this
work will have a personal income that is lower than the average income for
people living in that country. Say on
your website that this is your policy.
Drawing
people to Christ
As
God’s people, one of our big purposes is to draw people to Jesus Christ and the
salvation that is in Him.
When
Christians give freely out of love to people in need, including to those who
are ill or disabled, this is bound to draw some to Him.
By
contrast, charging people for healing sessions or pressuring them to give money
is bound to put some off coming to Him. Everyone
involved in healing ministry needs to make sure that they don’t fall into this
trap.
See
also my articles:
