“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:15,17-18).
How many sick people is Jesus talking about in verse 18? He’s talking about all sick people. God wants all healed, and we know this from what Jesus said: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. And when you find any who are sick, lay your hands on them in Jesus’ name so they can recover.” If God didn’t want every sick person healed, Jesus wouldn’t have told us to lay hands on sick people so He could heal them!
And by virtue of the fact that this is the last thing Jesus shared with His disciples while on earth, we know how important it is. It’s like this. Suppose you were going to leave for a long period of time, and you wanted your close friends to remember something important. Wouldn’t you make sure the last thing you said to them before you left was the message you really wanted them to remember?
That’s just what Jesus did in this passage of Scripture. It is called the Great Commission, and it still hasn’t been totally fulfilled. Therefore, every part of it is still for today.
In the Great Commission, Jesus tells us God wants every person to be saved, healed, set free and delivered. God doesn’t leave anyone out. But He doesn’t force His blessings on anyone either. God won’t force us to be saved, He won’t force us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and He won’t force us to be healed. God is a gentleman, and He only leads if we yield to Him.
God offers to mankind all that salvation encompasses and says, “Whosoever will, let him come.” He wants every creature to hear the Gospel, and He wants every creature healed!
My Father wants me healed. I believe God’s Word
and receive healing for myself in Jesus’ name.
And when I lay hands on the sick, they recover!
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.