When Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth, the attendant handed him the book of Isaiah, and Jesus began to read.
He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those whose are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Then Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” When Jesus made this statement, He made it very clear why He was anointed. We know He was anointed to preach the good news to the poor, but He also said that He was anointed to give recovery of sight to the blind. What did He mean by this?
Jesus said that through His anointing, there can be freedom from the bondage of sickness and disease. Through His anointing we do not have to live under the stress that illness brings. How do we know this? We know this because all through the New Testament that’s what Jesus did.
Jesus didn’t just say He was anointed to heal the sick, He actually healed the sick. When He would enter into a town and preach the gospel, the good news, He would also demonstrate His power and authority over sicknesses. Jesus walked daily in His anointing. His anointing came from God and Jesus did only the will of the Father.
Several times Jesus said that He did not do anything unless the Father instructed Him to. And if Jesus only did what the Father told Him to do, then healing and freedom must be from God. Why? Because once again, Jesus preached the gospel and healed the sick in every village he entered.
Greater Works Shall We Do
Now, here’s the point. We as Christians are to walk in the same anointing that Jesus walked in. In fact, Jesus said in John 14:12 that, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to be with My Father.”
Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel, to heal the sick and to set the captives free. As Christians we have that same calling. We can’t play church any longer. The time is at hand for the church to fulfill our destiny.
Years ago a minister approached me and informed me that Jesus was the only one in the Bible that actually healed anybody. He said that healing was not for today and that anyone that thought so was a fanatic. Well, obviously this minister hadn’t really studied God’s Word and for months I wondered how this man could even be in the ministry, knowing as little as he did.
Then, one day I watched a computer salesman trying to sell a computer. Actually, he was the store manager and he didn’t know the difference between a hard drive and a floppy drive. Because he didn’t know his product, he avoided all the technical questions and only talked about the superficial things of computing.
At that moment God spoke to my heart and said, “That’s the way My salesmen are. They know enough to get the job, but not enough to do the job.”
So when it comes to healing, sometimes we need to get past the salespeople and go straight to the owner’s manual. God’s Word clearly states Jesus was anointed to heal the sick. His anointing came from God.
Jesus gave authority over sickness and disease to all who believe. Jesus said in Luke 10:19, “I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” In Mark 16:18 He said that Christians would lay hands on the sick and that the sick would recover.
If you are a Christian, that’s you.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.