"And All Were Healed..."

Last night I was reading in Acts 5:12-16 NIV:

[12] "The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. [13] No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. [14] Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. [15] As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. [16] Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed."

I love these verses because they show a couple of things. First, they show the increase of ministerial effectiveness and increasing faith. There was never a time where it was recorded that people were healed by Jesus' shadow, yet that is the clear implication of verse 15, so we see the Church expanding beyond what Jesus did, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This would be a fulfillment of John 14:12, where Jesus promises those that believe will do even greater things.

In addition to this verse, the were an abundance of signs and wonders and miracles, and because of them the Church was held in high regard. Its funny, now days if a Church was experiencing a abundance of signs and wonders, they would likely be under suspicion and attack. Regardless, it shows the power of God working to increase the Body of Christ, as I believe He continues to want to do in our day.

Finally, my main focus was on the final phrase of verse 16 - "and all of them were healed.". This phrase has not been associated with any of the great healing ministries that I am aware of from the past 100 years. All of them saw effectiveness to a degree, but none could say that everyone who was brought to them was healed. This phrase gives me great hope that we will see this level of effectiveness again, for the Church will shine brightly with the Glory of God in dark days (Is 60:1-3), and we will see even greater things (Jn 14:12) than what Jesus demonstrated. I look forward to the day when miracles, signs and wonders and healing break forth in abundance in the whole Church.

Amen, come Holy Spirit!