A Bible Devotion

ACTS 14:7-10 KJV 7 And there they preached the gospel. 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

Whatever message Paul preached at Lystra, it produced enough faith in a man who was born a cripple, and had never walked his whole life, to receive instant healing.

Notice that it was the crippled man who Scripture says had faith to be healed. Surely it was not because he was born with faith, or else he would have received his healing sooner. No, faith only came into him when he heard what Paul preached. Think of that! The Gospel preached by Paul caused this hearer to believe he could be healed right then, and he was!

Scripture does not say the man was healed because of Paul, or Paul's faith. It clearly says this crippled man heard what Paul spoke. After he heard Paul preach the Gospel, not before, he had faith to be healed, and he was!

It does not say Paul healed the man. Paul did only three things: he preached the Gospel, perceived the man had faith to be healed, and then told the man to act on his faith and stand up.

The Gospel Paul preached in Lystra caused this man who was crippled since birth to have faith to be healed.

The question we must ask ourselves is if crippled people are not getting faith to be healed when they hear the "Gospel" today, why not? Is it because we are not preaching the same Gospel Paul preached, but only part of it?

Yes!

We have been misled by centuries of unbelief in the church, resulting in weak translations of the Bible and weak preaching.

For example, when we read Romans 1:16 in our English translations, we immediately think of forgiveness of sins -- what we consider salvation. But when Paul wrote this in Greek, the readers understood it meant deliverance and safety from all harm. So for them it included their entire being, spirit, soul, and body.

ROMANS 1:16 NKJ 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

When Paul wrote to the Romans, he told them that the Gospel is the power of God to produce deliverance (which is what salvation means). Paul was saying that the Gospel he preached was powerful enough to deliver people. If the Gospel you are preaching is not delivering people from sin, sickness, and satan, then it is not being proclaimed fully and accurately.

The true Gospel is the dynamic power of God for total deliverance for everyone who believes. But the Gospel power only works to bring deliverance for those who believe. Doubters and skeptics are not included. Therein lies our big problem today: we have been taught not to believe.

(For more Scriptures on healing, see www.healing-book.com).

SAY THIS: The Good News about Jesus includes healing!