“And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them” (Mark 2:1-2).
Jesus gave the people something to believe. He preached the Word to them. He didn’t tiptoe from town to town, healing a leper over here and a blind man over there and then teaching on the Beatitudes for a while. There was a method to what Jesus did.
In about 70 percent of His ministry, Jesus either stated or implied that the people’s faith had made them whole. But if most people were healed through their faith, where did they get their faith? Did God lean over the balcony of heaven and zap them with a faith gun? No, they obtained faith the same way we do today: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).
Matthew 4:23 says, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” The healing came after the teaching and preaching.
Jesus had to teach the people the Word so they’d have faith to be healed. When they heard, the Word built their faith; then Jesus would tell them to act. When they acted on their faith, they were healed.
So often today, people are not healed because they aren’t taking time to hear God’s Word. They want a miracle, but they don’t want to hear. But as we feed on God’s Word, miracles will begin to occur more and more in our lives.
Hearing and miracles go hand in hand.
Faith comes when I hear God’s Word. I read and meditate upon the Word, and my faith grows to receive the miracle I need.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.