Chapter 2: The Mandate to Heal

The Twin Mercy

Healing is not a side ministry. It's not a bonus feature for Pentecostals. It's a core component of the gospel.

The Connection Between Forgiveness and Healing

When Jesus encountered the paralytic lowered through the roof, He said, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2). The scribes said, "This man is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus responded: "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — He then said to the paralytic — "Rise, pick up your bed and go home" (Matthew 9:5–6).

Jesus connected spiritual healing (forgiveness) with physical healing (restoration of the body). They are twin mercies flowing from the same source — the finished work of Christ. You cannot proclaim the gospel fully without addressing both. Forgiveness without healing is incomplete. Healing without forgiveness is temporary.

Faith Evidence vs. Sense Evidence

This is where most Christians fail in healing ministry. They pray for healing, the person still feels pain, and they conclude, "I guess it's not God's will." Wrong. They're trusting sense evidence (what they see and feel) over faith evidence (what God says in His Word).

The Word says, "By His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). That's past tense. The legal transaction is complete. Healing has already been purchased. But healing manifests in the physical realm through faith, not through sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). You don't wait to see healing before you believe. You believe, and then you see.

This doesn't mean ignoring medical treatment. God often heals through medicine, doctors, and rest. But when those avenues are exhausted, when the illness resists natural remedies, when you sense the oppression of the enemy — you stand on the Word and declare healing in Jesus' name.

Practical application — when you pray for someone's healing:

1. Stand on Scripture. Speak the Word aloud: "By His wounds you are healed. He bore your sickness. Jesus paid for this healing."
2. Command the sickness to leave. Don't beg God to heal — He already provided healing. You're enforcing what's already been purchased. "In the name of Jesus, I command this cancer to die. Spirit of infirmity, release this person."
3. Thank God for the healing. Even if symptoms remain, thank Him that healing is manifesting. Faith thanks God before it sees.
4. Persist. If healing doesn't manifest immediately, keep praying. Keep standing. Don't give up. Some battles require sustained assault (Mark 5:25–34 — the woman with the issue of blood persisted for years).

Anointing with Oil: The Religious Ceremony of Contact

Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up — and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

— James 5:14–15 (NET)

Anointing with oil is not magic. The oil itself has no power. But it's a religious ceremony of contact — a physical act that symbolizes the Holy Spirit's presence and power being applied to the sick person.

Tactical instructions for anointing with oil:

1. Use pure olive oil. It doesn't need to be "blessed" by a priest. Any clean olive oil will do.
2. Apply it to the forehead or the affected area. Make the sign of the cross if your tradition does so, or simply touch the oil to the person while praying.
3. Pray the prayer of faith. Not "if it be Your will" — God's will is already declared in His Word; He desires healing. Pray with authority: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I anoint you with oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit's healing power. I declare that by His wounds you are healed. Sickness, leave this body. Health, manifest now."
4. Involve the elders. James says to call the elders. Don't make healing a solo performance. Bring mature believers into the process for accountability, wisdom, and corporate faith.

Laying on of Hands: Transmission of Blessing

They will place their hands on the sick and they will be well.

— Mark 16:18 (NET)

Laying on of hands is an act of impartation — a physical point of contact where blessing, authority, and the presence of God are transmitted from the one praying to the one receiving. Jesus laid hands on the sick (Mark 6:5; Luke 4:40). The apostles laid hands on the sick (Acts 9:17; Acts 28:8). You are commanded to do the same.

Tactical instructions for laying on hands:

1. Ask permission first. Don't touch people without consent, especially in our current cultural climate.
2. Place your hands on their head or shoulder. If the illness is in a specific area, lay hands on that area — but use wisdom. Don't touch inappropriate areas.
3. Pray with authority: "In the name of Jesus, I release healing into your body. Spirit of infirmity, I command you to leave. Body, be restored to full function."
4. Don't be theatrical. This isn't about you. You're not the star of the show. You're a conduit. The power flows from Christ, through you, to the person in need. Keep your ego out of it.
5. Don't push people over. If God genuinely causes someone to fall in His presence, fine — but don't manufacture it. Don't push. The goal is healing, not spectacle.

When Healing Doesn't Manifest

Sometimes you pray, you anoint, you lay hands — and the person doesn't get healed. Why? Several possible reasons:

1. Unbelief (Matthew 13:58 — Jesus couldn't do many miracles in His hometown because of unbelief)
2. Hidden sin (1 Corinthians 11:30 — some were sick because they took Communion unworthily)
3. Demonic oppression that requires deliverance first (some sicknesses are caused by spirits — Luke 13:11–13)
4. God's timing (sometimes healing comes later, after more prayer and fasting — Mark 9:29)
5. God's sovereign purpose (Paul's thorn in the flesh remained — 2 Corinthians 12:7–9)

What you do when healing doesn't come: don't lose faith, and don't blame the sick person — "you didn't have enough faith" is cruel and often wrong. Keep praying. Seek discernment: is there a spiritual component (deliverance needed)? Is there hidden sin? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal obstacles. And trust God's sovereignty — sometimes His answer is "not yet" or "My grace is sufficient."

Action steps:

• Identify one person in your sphere who is sick.
• Ask if you can pray for them.
• Anoint them with oil or lay hands on them (with permission).
• Pray with authority, standing on Scripture.
• Follow up. Encourage them to keep believing even if symptoms remain.