Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt (8 page)
Intercessors Bear the Sicknesses of Others.
We are living in a time when the subject of intercession has become a popular topic in many churches. Intercession is a kind of prayer where we pray for others. The idea of intercession is standing in the gap between God and others. Unfortunately, there has been some poor teaching about intercession that has been built on this bad foundation as well. This teaching suggests that intercessors must bear the sins and sicknesses of others. There are several verses in the Old Testament and a few in New Testament that are used to relate this idea. For those who feel called as intercessors, if this idea is accepted, it creates doubt in them that God wishes them to be whole and healthy. It creates an opening for the devil to afflict them as well.
It is important for any intercessor to know that Christ is the intercessor that the Old Testament predicts will take the sins and sicknesses upon
Himself
. Any Christian person intercedes for others on the basis of what Christ has already done. They never take Christ’s place in the plan of God to bear sin or sickness. He has already accomplished this. There is nothing for any Christian believer to add. It is finished! The work of the cross is complete. It is perfectly perfect! To think otherwise creates doubt, creates an opening for the devil to afflict and prohibits Christ from healing His intercessor.
Doubts Coming from Doctrine of Transfer of Spirits.
Occasionally someone has doubts about praying for people due to concerns about picking up an evil spirit from someone that they lay hands upon. This doubt comes from teaching about transfer of spirits. We believe that this teaching is wrong even though it is supported by many stories. We believe that these stories are misunderstandings and misinterpretations of what is actually happening.
Jesus and His disciples didn’t seem to be concerned about this matter. They laid hands on many demonized and sick people. The New Testament doesn’t really reveal this concern at all. The verse usually used to teach
transfer of spirits
are
found in 1 Timothy. The verse says:
Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. 1Timothy 5:17
You can see how someone might believe that this verse means don’t lay hands on sinful people because it might mean that you get their evil spirits and you will sin just like them. However, the context of the passage reveals that this verse means something quite different. A couple of verses above this verse in verse 19, Paul warns about receiving an accusation against an elder. The next verse, verse 20, he tells Timothy what to do if the accusation against the elder is true… to correct the leader in public so that the other leaders will be fearful of sinning and getting exposed as well. The next verse says for Timothy not to show any partiality in this matter of correcting elders. Timothy must keep the same standard for all leaders. This brings us to the verse in discussion. In verse 21, Paul tells Timothy not to lay hands on any man suddenly or be a partaker of other men’s sins. Paul is telling Timothy not to appoint men as elders too quickly. If Timothy appoints a man an elder and that man turns out to be a bad, sinful example, then Timothy becomes a partaker in that man’s sins. In other words, because Timothy put his approval on the man by laying hands on him in appointment to presbytery, then when this man now seriously sins as a leader, his sins do more damage to God’s reputation and Timothy would be partly to blame. This verse has nothing to do with praying for sick, injured or demonized people.
If a believer is that open to getting evil spirits, then they will get them without having to lay hands on demonized people. A spiritual vacuum will be filled. If a believer is walking with the Lord, being filled with His Spirit and washed in the blood of Christ, then there is absolutely no danger of transfer of spirits.
What we believe happens in this realm that makes people believe that this is possible, is that demons may try to attack believers who are involved in this kind of ministry to produce fear. For instance, I may get someone delivered and healed from arthritis and days later feel some pain that feels like arthritis in a part of my body. If I believe that transfer of spirits is possible then I become worried, fearful and doubting about ministry to people in the future. However, if I interpret this as a subtle attack rather than a transfer of spirits, I simply resist the devil, stand in faith for my own healing and the pain always goes away. This is rather common attack in supernatural ministry. For those who do this kind of ministry on an ongoing basis, hardly a season goes by without having to stand victoriously against some sort of assault of the enemy. No one should think of this as difficult.
Calvary
is enough. Victory is necessary each and every time or ministry cannot continue. No transfer of spirits has occurred and no opening is given to the devil by doubting God’s protection and the completeness of the work of the cross.
8
The
Unclear Conscience Doubt
There are those in the Church that are unable to receive healing until they resolve an issue of guilt or shame. It is not that God is withholding anything from them but it is that they are unable to receive. A shadow of doubt caused by shame or guilt covers their faith and they cannot receive. Guilt comes as a result of our un-Christ-like attitudes and actions. Shame, on the other hand, is a deeper issue than guilt. Shame has to do with who we are, not what we have done. The shadows on our faith that shame and guilt produce are both dealt with at the cross.
The Bible often connects the ministry of healing with the ministry of forgiveness for good reason. Many need to receive forgiveness before they can be
healed
[xii]
. This problem afflicts maturing Christians, even leaders, much more than anyone would expect. They understand and may even preach and teach the doctrine of forgiveness of sin and yet often are not living in this truth experientially. They may have painful issues of failure, unresolved and difficult relationships. They may have sins of omission and commission that produce a conscious or even a more subtle subconscious sense of doubt.
Sometimes, others have deeper issues of shame as well as guilt. Some have abused their bodies with alcohol, drugs and tobacco and have guilt over this. Some are reaping what they have sowed and know it. Sometimes this knowledge prevents them from coming to Christ as Healer.
Others, less knowledgeable, may come in response to the Good News that Christ heals with many sins yet repented of, unhealthy habits, broken relationships and great ignorance of God’s will. These people often get healed with little effort. They didn’t know enough for their heart to condemn them. However, the person who is clear on the will of God often cannot be healed until they have a clear conscience. Consider what John writes to us:
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His
commandment, that
we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 1 John 3:21-23
If our heart condemns us, we have no confidence before God. If we have no confidence before God, we do not receive what we ask of God. The issue is not God’s willingness. He is willing. We simply cannot receive because our heart does not allow faith without doubt before Him. Therefore, it is extremely important, even essential, for the person who wishes to be used of God consistently in healing and those who would like to receive healing to keep a good conscience. They will keep a good conscience by believing that forgiveness is real despite how they may feel and what they have done. John’s same letter revealed this truth in the first chapter:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
We must embrace this completely if we are to have confidence before God. A confessed sin is truly forgiven even if our feelings the moments after confession do not reveal this. The one ministering healing and the one receiving healing must learn to live by faith in this divine fact. Forgiveness of sin is just as real and substantial five minutes after confession as it is five years after confession. The only difference is how we might feel. Our feelings must yield to this reality. Our heart must yield to this truth. If our heart still tells us that we cannot receive because of some situation or sin of the past, then our heart lies to us and must be compelled to yield to the truth of forgiveness. The cross is enough to us all! When we have some skill and strength in forcing our heart to yield to the truth of forgiveness, then confidence before God will be the result and we can receive for ourselves and for others.
Shame will yield to the truth of complete acceptance in Jesus Christ as we are. Sometimes the truth of sanctification, that God is changing us and making us like Christ, makes some of us feel as if we are not acceptable like we are. However, sanctification is a subordinate truth to a much more important truth. That truth is justification. Justification means that we are completely forgiven and accepted in Christ. Justification means completely righteous before God. Justification means God no longer has any issues with us. Jesus was rejected at the cross so that we could be totally accepted by God. Living in this truth despite our conflicting feelings is essential for productive ministry to the hurting. You are acceptable and forgiven through Jesus Christ. These divine facts exist regardless of how you may feel and what you have done. You must continually embrace them by faith and then shame and guilt will be destroyed in this reality.
Keeping a Good Conscience.
For good reasons the apostle Paul and other writers of the New Testament placed a great emphasis on keeping a clear conscience. They knew that God’s benevolent will would be thwarted when the consciences of Christians would not allow them to receive from Him. Consider what Paul wrote about the goal of his instruction:
…the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1Timothy 1:5
The importance of a good conscience should be evident. Paul lists a good conscience between love and faith. In Paul’s instruction to Timothy about deacons, he writes:
…but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 1Timothy 3:9
A requirement for deacons is that they must keep a clear conscience. It really is a requirement for all Christians if they want to be useful to God and to be able to receive from Him. Paul warned Timothy about this necessity several times. For instance, Paul warned that in order to fight the good fight Timothy must do this:
…keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. 1Timothy 1:19
If a believer doesn’t keep a good conscience, they will shipwreck their faith. Why? They will suffer shipwreck because they will not be able to receive what God wishes. After a while, their faith will weaken because growing doubts overshadow it. This is because the person with the unclear conscience is receiving no help from God and will eventually wear down over time. Faith that works to receive answers from God works through a clear conscience. Each answer builds faith for the next answer. We prosper spiritually from faith to faith or we experience growing poverty of spirit from doubt to doubt.
The apostle Paul repeatedly tells us in his letters that he maintained a good
conscience
[xiii]
. He tells us this so many times that it is clear that he felt it was extremely important. The Book of Acts also tells us that God used Paul in extraordinary miracles and healings and Paul himself tells us of that fact.
[xiv]
This is no accident. Paul understood that the capacity to minister in a Christ-like fashion to others was highly dependent on his faith not being overshadowed by doubt coming from an unclear conscience. For that reason, Paul also has many verses devoted to the subject of how our actions affect other believers’ consciences and how we should conduct ourselves in light of
this
[xv]
. Even these subjects do not exhaust the references to the importance of conscience. There are many other important references from the apostle Paul and from the apostle Peter about how behavior and attitudes toward authorities affect
conscience
[xvi]
.
The Blood of Christ Will Cleanse Your Conscience.
The writer of Hebrews gives us some good news about removing the shadows from our consciences. He begins his discussion with telling us that the Old Testament sacrifices could not cleanse the conscience and make it perfect before God.
…gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience… Hebrews 9:9b
You can see that the writer of Hebrews understood the necessity and importance of having a perfect conscience before God. He understood that these Old Testament sacrifices were simply pointing to another sacrifice that would accomplish the inner work of creating a perfect conscience before God. Just a few verses later, the writer of Hebrews reveals this truth:
…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14
Christ’s perfect sacrifice can cleanse our consciences and make them perfect so that we can serve the living God. Christ’s shed blood is enough for God and should be enough for us. We must receive this by faith and live in full assurance of this divine fact. The writer of Hebrews encourages us to do that very thing in the next chapter. He writes:
…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful… Hebrews 10:22-23
We are cleansed by the sprinkled blood of Christ and by the water of baptism. Baptism is identification with Christ’s death and resurrection and an appeal to God for a good conscience on the basis of Christ’s work. The apostle Peter writes:
…baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ…1 Peter 3:21b
If one is going to have consistent results in receiving healing and healing the sick and injured themselves, then the necessity of having a good conscience is evident. Faith in the divine facts of Christ’s sacrifice, God’s forgiveness and the total acceptance of the believer will produce a clear conscience. Keeping a clear conscience requires living a disciple’s life in such a fashion that does not violate your conscience or the consciences of others. It is such a small price to pay for the wonderful dividends of being able to consistently receive grace and mercy for yourself and others.