Classic Christian author A. J. Gordon expresses curiosity about whether the healing miracles from the Middle Ages up to his day can be verified as a continuation of Christ’s Spirit in the church. Through deep study and inquiry of the established history, Gordon concludes that the power to heal followers remains with the church–there was no special era of miracle working. God and His powers … remain the same in the modern era as they have right through human history. For Gordon, God’s intervention in the suffering and sickness of His followers is frequent; the will of the Lord however is variable–but He will not prolong the pain of someone whose illness is too great. Throughout this text, A. J. Gordon makes his argument from a biblical perspective, citing passages in both the Old and New Testament that support the continuation of spiritual gifts. Quoting testimonies of believers across the ages, he offers a convincing argument that the church ministry is, to this day, one of healing.
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My Thoughts on The Ministry of Healing:
This is a very interesting book. As a nurse, I always love to read about healing and medical advances. It’s not very often though that in modern times we get taken back to the Bible to discuss healing.
I think one of the things that appealed to me the most about this book is that it was written by a man who died long ago before the 1900’s even. He didn’t live to see how the world would make wonderful medical advances, but he knew that it wasn’t medicine alone that would save a man but rather God.
As part of my faith I believe that God can heal anyone He wishes to. I don’t believe though that we will be granted healing just by asking or believing. Some of the strongest people in their faith live with things that God could have healed for years. Sometimes it’s simply His will that we endure to teach us something.
This book was written while the author was alive which means that it is well over 100 years old. That means that some of the wording and phrasing is going to be different than we’re used to and it’s going to be a bit more difficult to read than what you’re used to.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
I was very much challenged by this book. It was hard to follow at times and other times I had to re read a paragraph several times to understand it. Having been written a century ago I could see the profound knowledge being delivered in the book. It was interesting to glance into a writing from a long time ago and see how a man was passionate about the working of Jesus.
The book includes many scriptures that I took the time to look up. I started to use the book as a study tool and delved into what the book was wanting to point out . The book does detail some miracles that were seen over the years and quotes people I am not familiar with. I did like the part about the elders using oil as they prayed over people. The book explains that the oil was not used for medicinal uses because doctors were not using it. The elders used it in addition to praying over someone. I loved the symbolic reference the book uses in applying the oil.
In the church I attend when it is time for prayer, the prayer team goes up front and they pass the bottle of oil to each other before they welcome people up for prayer. I have always felt that the oil was a representation of healing through God. Now I started to really get into the book more and appreciated the insight into healing. I did enjoy the book and realized it would be something I want to study more. There is a lot of information in the book and Biblical figures that I want to learn more about. It amazes me how long ago this book was written and how a man could decipher things with wisdom. This is definitely a book that should be read slowly and I will say it would be worthwhile to take notes as you read.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.