I Hope You're Not Allowing This Important Reality To Remain In The Background
Posted Yesterday by J.D. King
Whenever the New Testament is being read, the wondrous accounts of Jesus and Apostles are vividly on display.
As the Messiah and His anointed followers exploded on the scene, they demonstrated the glorious reality of the "good news." Whenever they laid hands on the sick, it publicly affirmed that the awaited age of the Kingdom had finally arrived.
Most readily comprehend that the Kingdom of God was breaking in during the First Century, but it seems a bit out of reach for us today. Are modern believers being excluded from this powerful reality?
The obvious answer is, "no."
In one of His final statements, Jesus said:
"These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name ...They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed" (Mark 16:17a,18b).
This amazing promise wasn't just made to the "twelve," or even the "seventy." It was a promise made to all of "those who believe."
Sadly, many times this passage is referenced from older translations like the King James Version that convey something like the following: "These signs shall follow them that believe."
Based on that rendering, some believe that healing and other signs must remain in the background. Many well-meaning Christians insist that the are out organizing, agonizing, and doing the "real gospel work." They're convinced healing is simply an occasional "byproduct" of their other efforts.
It needs to be noted that the original Greek doesn't say that healing "follows" the proclamation of the gospel. It says that it "accompanies it."
Contrary to popular religious sentiment, healing isn't peripheral. It isn't a foolish excursion or even distraction. It's a tangible expression of the Kingdom of God here on earth.
We simply cannot allow it to remain in the background.
http://worldrevivalnetwork.blogspot....wing-this.html