A. A. Allen’s “God Guarantees Your Healing” School
During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed “every disease and every sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
The miraculous healing ministry that Jesus began was continued by His disciples, followers, and believers.
Jesus called His twelve disciples and “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness” (Matthew 10:1). Then He “sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2).
“After this the Lord also appointed seventy others and sent them… into every city and place…” (Luke 10:1). He commanded these seventy to preach the Gospel. But that was not all. He said to them: “Heal the sick who are there and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9).
When they returned from this journey, the seventy disciples came to Jesus with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!” (verse 17).
Before returning to Heaven, He left His followers this promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to My Father” (John 14:12).
Many modern preachers who reject the miracle-working power of Jesus believe that Christ truly healed the sick once, but that the age of miracles ended long ago. These servants of God say that the sick cannot receive healing through the power of God because Jesus left the earth. But He explicitly declares that His departure did not mean the end of miracles. Rather, His departure marked the beginning of new miracles, whose number would increase.
Fulfilling the Great Commission
His final commission to those to whom He entrusted His work was this: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:15–18). Matthew adds: “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Mark testifies that, having fulfilled His commission, Jesus “was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they [the disciples to whom He had given this commission] went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs” (Mark 16:19–20). And this meant the fulfillment of His promise mentioned by Matthew (Matthew 28:20).
Although we all believe that He is now in Heaven, it is also biblical truth that He is still with those who believe and preach His Gospel. For He said that He would be with them to the end of the age! And He truly is with them. This is confirmed by the very same signs Mark speaks of (Mark 16:17,18).
After Christ ascended into Heaven, the Church was established on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). From that time, the history of the Temple of God began—a temple filled with the authority of the Holy Spirit and clothed with the gifts of the Spirit. Filled with the Spirit, the followers of Jesus Christ continued His glorious ministry of healing people after His return to Heaven.
“And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried and laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful…” (Acts 3:2). Seeing this man, Peter and John, who were passing by, said: “…Look at us!” And Peter continued: “…Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:4,6). Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God” (Acts 3:8).
The Bible says that the people who witnessed such miracles at that time were filled with awe and amazement. But they assumed that after He left the earth, they would no longer see new miracles of healing from above. Some modern believers hold the same opinion. Many of them began attributing miraculous power to those through whose hands the miracles were performed.
Understanding this, Peter, a man of rare yet admirable humility, responded to them: “Men of Israel! Why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” “And by faith in His [Christ’s] name, His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:12,16).
No person in the world can boast of possessing this power. Yet it can be bestowed upon any true believer. All the power that Christ Himself possessed is available to His followers even today. The works He performed during His earthly ministry became a model for those whom He left behind to complete what He had begun (see 1 Peter 2:21–24).
The gifts of the Spirit listed in the First Epistle to the Corinthians (chapter 12), together with Christ’s commandments to His followers, present a picture of all the miracles Christ ever performed. Yet He possessed no other power that He did not make available to His followers—both His contemporaries and those who will live until the end of the world.
Stephen became one of the first ministers of this kind. “…Being full of faith and power, he did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8).
Another of the early church ministers, Philip, went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ there. “The people all paid close attention to what Philip said, hearing and seeing the miracles he performed; for unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed by them, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed” (Acts 8:6–7).
Twenty-nine years after Christ’s ascension, Paul was still healing the sick (see Acts 28:8–9). Although Paul was not among those who heard Jesus’ commission and promises on the Mount of Olives before His ascension, “God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11–12).
Miracles Performed Through Handkerchiefs and Aprons
Thousands upon thousands of people are being healed today through blessed (anointed) items: handkerchiefs and aprons. God has provided this means for those who cannot leave home to receive help. Although we cannot lay hands on such sick people, we can send them a piece of cloth that our hands have touched.
This is the biblical method of ministering to those burdened with serious illnesses or confined to bed. In such cases, unable to come into direct contact with the Lord’s chosen servants of strong faith, appointed by Him to the ministry of healing, the seriously ill can make contact through cloth. The practice of ministering through blessed cloth items brought healing to thousands of sick people even in Paul’s time, and it exists today as well.
The ministry of these items is producing thousands of miracles today. God’s method of healing from above has not changed. It consists of anointed servants of God sending the sick cloth items that have touched their bodies. This method is effective today as well.
God shows no partiality. The sick who receive blessed items in faith must follow the same instructions as those standing in line for healing. And when these items are placed on the sick, they must have the same faith as those standing in line for miraculous healing. Those confined to bed must feel hands being laid on them. And if they believe this and do as instructed, they will receive the expected results.
Handkerchiefs and aprons received in faith possess the authority of their owners—those who preach the Word of God to people. These items are effective as well. God provided this biblical method for the countless thousands of sick people who cannot attend the healing services conducted throughout the country today.
If you have managed to receive a blessed item, do not hurry to place it on your body. First, make sure that all the instructions given in this book have been followed. After that, and only after that, you may place the anointed item on your body in faith. You must have faith in the miraculous power of healing.
If you are sending this item to a loved one or friend who needs it, you must take responsibility for properly instructing them in exercising faith. We recommend that you send this book along with the item, so that the person may gain sufficient faith to receive healing.
Before asking for a prayer-consecrated item for someone, make sure that this person has the faith that God gives. For receiving healing, it does not matter what is placed on the sick person—hands or blessed items. In any case, faith is the necessary condition through which the sick person can receive healing. Not only the person being healed but also the one ministering healing must have faith. Only with true faith can one receive anything from God. His guarantee of healing applies only to those who have faith.
The miraculous works performed by Paul became so widely known that even those who had not acquired true faith began to believe that healings from above could be received in the name of Jesus (see Acts 19:13–19). Such people had not themselves come into contact with Jesus, and knew Him only as “the Jesus whom Paul preached.”
But when they themselves tried to cast out evil spirits in this name, the spirits did not recognize their authority. These people believed in the miracles they had seen Paul perform. But they did not have faith in God. They did not believe that God, by His own command, performs all these miracles through people. Their lack of faith is demonstrated by the fact that they did not believe His commands and promises, nor did they live godly lives devoted to serving God.
Many righteous people today experience disappointment and difficulty because they have already tried to believe in and take hold of God’s promises without taking the trouble to fulfill His instructions. The name of Jesus is not an incantation; it possesses no magic. It has authority, and this authority is in the hands of those to whom He has given “power of attorney”—the right to act for Him and in His name. This authority belongs to true believers who act in complete accordance with the Word of God.
The Early Church was strong because of people who sincerely believed in God. They believed in godly living because God commanded them to be godly. They feared sin because they saw that sin was always exposed through the gift of revelation, and the lying sinners fell dead (see Acts 5). Believers in those days believed that they could perform miracles in the name of Jesus because He said: “The works that I do, you will do also.”
And because they believed in God, God worked with them, confirming what was said by signs and wonders. And God has not changed. Any church today can receive this authority if the members of its church community meet the same requirements.
How the Church Performs Miracles Today
Twenty-six years after Christ’s ascension, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Church in Corinth, which included the following: “And God has appointed these in the Church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; after that, those who perform miracles, then gifts of healings…” (1 Cor. 12:28).
The same Church still performs miracles today, and it will continue to do so until the trumpet of God sounds, the dead are raised, and what was promised in First Thessalonians is fulfilled (1 Thess. 4:13–18). After that, the Church’s work on earth will be complete, and it will rise to meet the Lord in the air. As long as the Church believes the Word of God, it will continue the work of healing the sick and performing miracles in the mighty name of Jesus. Jesus declared: “And these signs will follow those who believe… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17–18).
Such gifts of the Spirit as the gift of performing miracles and healing the sick were not intended for a limited number of chosen people, such as ministers of the Early Church or the few preachers who carry out their ministry today. As long as there is at least one believer on earth, there is room for miracles performed in the name of Jesus.
There is no mention in Scripture that the ministry of healing the sick is limited to a particular period of time or to the work of certain prominent individuals. Even in the Old Testament, we can read about God’s plan for the shepherds of His people. They were commanded to heal the sick. “…Woe to the shepherds of Israel:… you have not strengthened the sick nor bound up the injured…” (Ezek. 34:2,4).
The Fourth Book of Kings tells of the bones of Elisha, who had died long before, possessing greater power than that possessed by some preachers living today (see 2 Kings 13:21). The point of the episode described in the Book is that one man who touched Elisha’s bones was healed. But for those who choose the glorious ministry of shepherding God’s flock as their life’s work today, this fact has much greater significance as well.
It is known that God was displeased with the shepherds of Israel who did not heal the sick. One can imagine how He will regard pastors of the New Testament Church who have His commission to perform miracles wrought by Him Himself, yet not only refuse to heal the sick, but also presume to criticize and persecute those who do so!
The conclusion suggests itself that Peter’s shadow may possess greater power than the bodies of many who now claim to be devoted to serving the Church of Jesus Christ.
Has God changed? No! Therefore, the Church for which Jesus paid with His Blood still performs miracles and heals the sick. Those who are not afraid to believe in God’s promises and rely on His Word can still heal the sick today in the name of Jesus. To those who believed, God gave “...authority over all demons and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1).
There is an opinion that only God has authority over demons and the power to deliver from diseases. In one sense, this is true. But it is also true that God gave this authority to His Son. Receiving this authority from His Father, Jesus, during His earthly ministry, ruled over demons, unclean spirits, and diseases. The forces of darkness acknowledged His authority and obeyed Him.
Before returning to Heaven, Jesus gave this authority to those who believed in His name. This gives a true believer the right to use the name of Jesus when approaching God with requests and when restraining demons and diseases (see John 14:10–14). Thus, there can be no doubt that the works performed during Jesus’ earthly ministry can continue even in His absence.
By receiving this authority and treating the use of Jesus’ name with reverence, the believer receives the same result as Jesus, because God gives His attention to the prayers and commands directed at demons by these people. The believer has no power of his own; he cannot do anything in his own name. Everything he does is subject solely to the name of Jesus.
Those who try to use His name but lack the necessary faith and obedience to God’s instructions will not achieve the expected results. They may even suffer punishment for “forgery,” as happened in the case of the seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva (see Acts 19:14–16).
Command
Prayers for the sick are mentioned rather rarely in Holy Scripture. In most of the healing episodes recorded in the Bible, it turns out to be enough to speak just a few words of command. They are spoken by one vested with the corresponding authority. Jesus did not pray for the sick. He healed the sick and commanded demons to leave. Peter and Paul did not pray for the lame man at the temple gate called Beautiful. They commanded him, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to rise and walk (see Acts 3:6).
Paul first prayed and then, laying his hands on Publius’s father, healed him (see Acts 28:8). Demons and diseases still obey believers who command in the name of Jesus Christ. Having recognized and received this truth of the Word of God, I was able, by my command, to deliver many people from demons and all kinds of diseases. These diseases included cancer, malignant tumors, enlargement of the thyroid gland, tuberculosis, asthma, heart disease, and many others.
I would not want you to get the impression that I have some special gift or enjoy some special favor from above. It is quite simple: I do this in the name of Jesus and by the authority God promised to those who believe.
Although in most cases a command is all that is needed to receive healing, the Bible nevertheless contains passages that testify to the use of prayer for healing the sick. If you have gone through a healing line where hands were laid on you and you heard a command for your illness to leave your body, yet still have not received healing, do not look for a way out of this situation—follow James’s advice (see James 5:14–16).
Your failure may be related to unrecognized sin. If this is indeed the case, confess your wrongs and ask more experienced and trustworthy Christians to pray that you may be freed from both sickness and sin.
When Miriam became leprous because she had sinned against Moses, she and her brother Aaron asked Moses to pray for her. And he cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, heal her!” (Num. 12:13).
A true believer in our Lord Jesus Christ knows that God will not send healing to an unrepentant sinner or an enemy of the Cross. He will not use his knowledge and authority to do something that Jesus Himself, if He were in his place, would never do. Those who have still not been freed from sin must first find prayer partners who will cast off the chains of sin from them. And when they do this, God’s promise will take on meaning: “And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:15).
Casting Out Demons
The fact that many people are now afflicted by illnesses is a direct result of demonic oppression (see Acts 10:38). Jesus never said, “Pray for the devil who oppresses and inhabits you.” Instead, He said, “Cast out demons.” Prayer by itself will not drive out an unclean spirit. To prepare the hearts of those receiving healing, as well as those who provide this healing in Jesus’ name, some cases require a combination of factors: fasting, prayer, attending the Church of Christ, and repentance from all known sins.
Only then will people be ready to engage in battle with the devil and overcome him. Until demons hear a command spoken in faith by someone with the authority to use this name, they will not move. Nothing else can make them leave, and they know this firmly.
Once, Jesus’ disciples tried to cast the devil out of a boy. At that time, Jesus was on the mountain, fasting and praying. The disciples knew the authority in Jesus’ name. They had cast out the devil before, and they were confident they would cast this one out as well. But the demon inhabiting the boy put up stubborn resistance and flatly refused to leave.
The failure made a very depressing impression on the disciples, for they were confident that they had authority to cast out the devil. Despite their disappointment, they did not say, “The time of miracles has passed.” When Jesus nevertheless succeeded in casting out the devil, they asked why they themselves had failed. Jesus answered, “Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you.”
“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:20–21). Thus, effective authority over the devil can be granted only to those who have genuine faith. By allowing faith to remain inactive because of a lack of contact with God, people lose this authority. Faith must receive constant strengthening through one-on-one fellowship with God.
Such fellowship requires setting aside all the fleshly needs of a person. Regular prayer and fasting enable us to maintain faith at the proper level, giving us the ability to overcome the forces of Satan and heal those suffering from the oppression of the devil inhabiting them.
Victory over the devil was won at Calvary. However, he does not want to admit his defeat and yields only when forced to do so. Therefore, in the struggle against the devil, we must reclaim our territory step by step. For a Spirit-filled servant of God to gain victory over the devil, he must sincerely believe in the victory over the devil won at Calvary.
He must live a righteous life and not seek personal gain in what he does for others. He must stand up for God's positions. There must be no place in his life for unrestrained carnal desires. A minister of healing who meets these requirements will be able to force the devil to acknowledge his defeat.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
It is surprising that today many people who try to exercise the authority to heal reject the very source of this authority—the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself began performing miracles and casting out evil spirits only after God had anointed Him with power (see Acts 10:38; John 2:11).
His promise to the disciples was: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” (Acts 1:8).
Even Jesus Himself did not try to do this work for the disciples, calling them to wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them and clothed them with power from on high. Only after being filled with the Spirit did the disciples receive authority and begin the work of healing. Likewise today, people who claim to have authority over evil spirits must first be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Early Church was very strong, being a temple of God filled with the Holy Spirit and godly fear. The remarkable growth of that Church is reflected in the Bible. The number of believers grew from 120 (Acts 1:16) to 3,000 (Acts 2:41), then to 5,000 (Acts 2:41), and finally reached a “multitude” of men and women (Acts 5:14). This growth in the number of believers can be explained by only one reason—the work of God's miraculous power and the gifts of the Spirit. The believers loved God and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Only if God can find a group of people today who meet the requirements described above can we expect the renewal of our sin-ridden world, where self-satisfied people rule, rejecting Christ and gratifying their flesh with such entertainments and pleasures as movies, smoking, gluttony, drug addiction, and more.
And only if the voice of the Church today joins the chorus of the repentant will God send us renewal, and the earth will be cleansed and become as it was in those glorious days. And we must cry out together with the Church of those days: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant Your servants boldness to speak Your word, while You stretch out Your hand to heal and to perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29–30). Then new “multitudes” of people will be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and healed by the power of God.
For God does not take back the authority over the devil and diseases that He once bestowed upon those who believe in His command and promise and act in faith.
