WE CAN EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD: THE RELATION BETWEEN FAITH AND HEALING

Abstract As signs of the eschatological breaking in of the kingdom of God, the healing of physical and psychological diseases was an essential part of Jesus Christ's mission. Through Jesus people came into contact with the healing power of God that healed them with regard to different dimensions of their lives. Jesus charged and empowered his disciples to preach the kingdom of God and to heal. Whereas the apostles and the early church continued to heal, Jesus command to heal was neglected over the centuries. Yet, in the 19th and 20th centuries, the churches rediscovered their specific task in the field of healing, and the connection between faith and healing was pointed out by epidemiological studies. During consultations in Ghana and in Chile, members of Pentecostal charismatic and historical churches affirmed their conviction that the Holy Spirit is acting in reconciling and healing today, and they agreed on an extended definition of health and healing. All healing comes from God, but there are different approaches to health and healing. Today, Christians often do not expect God to heal them and Christian communities face many obstacles on their way to becoming healing communities. Personal experiences in Ghana and in Chile are given as examples of healing communities. At the beginning of the third millennium, the traditional churches in Europe are losing members, whereas new religious movements outside the main churches are growing. There is some evidence that people are attracted by these movements because in them the healing power of faith is visible and can be experienced. Therefore, healing is essential for Christian mission today. ********* The following contribution will give some reflections on Christ's healings and his command to heal, and on the understanding of healing as it was outlined during the consultations in Accra/Ghana and Santiago de Chile (1). As an example of this understanding of healing, I will also describe what I experienced in two congregations we visited during these consultations. Finally, I shall point out some challenges for the churches' mission today. Healing as an essential part of Christ's ministry In the Western context many people, including church leaders, are at a loss in answering the question about the meaning of Jesus' healings for today. Also, these people are not of the opinion that these healings are as essential in Christ's ministry as the proclamation of the word. This problem arises if we do not see Jesus' healings in the context of his proclamation of the kingdom of God. Jesus' affirmations, such as, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15) and, "The kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:21), scandalized many of his contemporaries. With these words Jesus wanted to make it clear to everyone that he was the one who will and has already begun to fufil their hopes for the promised time of salvation. He wanted to say that now, with his words and deeds, everything the prophets had promised for "the last days", that is for the kingdom of God, had become a reality. People would not have believed in Jesus' words had they not seen that, with Jesus, salvation had, to some extent, become a reality in their world. Jesus preached the beginning of the time of salvation and he brought salvation by turning to people in need and helping them. This time of salvation is best described by the Hebrew word "shalom". "Shalom" means "peace" in a much wider sense than the political meaning of peace. It means to live in peace in a comprehensive sense: The nation as a whole and everybody is living in a state of general wellbeing and happiness. When Jesus healed the blind, cured the lame and cleansed lepers, then the time of salvation, of shalom, was at hand. The transformation of the world towards the fullness of life announced by Jesus (cf. John 10:10) had begun here and now. …