My Sunday school class studied Matthew 10:1 last week. We focused on one simple question. Does the commissioning of the apostles apply to believers today? Are we given “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness”? Does the command in verse eight to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons” apply to us?
In this and past discussions two common answers have emerged. Those from a Pentecostal background have essentially said, “Yes, God heals today and we have authority to cast out evil spirits. Hallelujah!” Usually this person goes on to recite a couple times they saw someone get healed—or even tell when they prayed for someone who got better. These folks aren’t troubled by Matthew 10:1 and 8 because we have this authority and are using it. All is good.
The second response is from the wounded who have grown skeptical. These people have encountered the Pentecostal believers who prophesied stuff that didn’t happen and prayed for people who didn’t get healed. Sometimes these believers were told that their unbelief was the reason their loved ones weren’t healed. These people aren’t too troubled with Matthew 10:1 because based on sour experiences, they have concluded we don’t need this stuff. But there is another way—one which I think is biblical.
First, exalt God’s Word above our bad experiences, lack of experiences, and personal history. Almost all the arguments I have heard against these verses applying to us are based not on Scripture but on negative experiences. But the answer to abuse, must not be no use, but instead right use.
Second, admit that even in Pentecostal and charismatic circles we only do this stuff at a very low level and have been guilty of theatrics and emotional manipulation to hype our anointing. Admit that the blind, deaf, and lame are coming to meetings and leaving meetings unhealed. I’ve spent years in both charismatic and non-charismatic evangelical churches and seen about the same number of people healed in each group. Both are barren when compared to the ministry of Jesus and the early church.
Third, honestly admit how barren the church is and with humility and brokenness devote ourselves to intercessory prayer until God restores New Testament power, holiness, and authority. In many churches, including the charismatic, there is no alarm over our failure to do what Jesus commissioned his disciples to do. We are content to muddle along with powerless ministry and an exhausting array of programs.
Fourth, in humility and thanksgiving move faithfully in all the power and authority God has now given to us without exaggeration or sensationalism. We must recognize that those who are faithful in little will be entrusted with more. But if we don’t admit that what we have is little, we won’t seek God for more. And if we are not honest about how little we have, we lose credibility and destroy people’s hunger for the full power and authority God promises the Church.
So why do so few congregations and leaders take this third way? Some answers are obvious. Proclamation of one’s barrenness and failure to manifest the ministry of Jesus does not attract people. Most Americans want to join a winning team. Triumphalism that inflates low level prophecy and ministry whips up the people for a while. The key to these kinds of ministries is to keep new people coming in at higher rate than the disillusioned and wounded are leaving. Honesty about the barrenness of the Church usually results in something unpopular—the call to passionate and persevering prayer.
I believe, however, in this media saturated culture people are hungry for reality. Talk is cheap and everything is hyped. People want shepherds who are honest and humble; who don’t pass off dried grass for green pastures. At the same time we recognize that we need our proclamation of the gospel attested to by the powerful ministry of Jesus. We need to be healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, and casting out evil spirits. We need to be doing what Jesus did.
