"Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, ' Ephphatha!'  that is, ' Be opened!'  And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly." (Mk. 7:33-35, NASB)     On Sunday nights at our church I am preaching through the book of Mark, and I have been looking forward to this text. When I read this passage, I am struck by the unique manner in which Jesus healed this man. Throughout the gospels Jesus healed people by speaking to them or about them, touching them, or commanding them to go and do a certain task. Some were healed when they approached and touched Jesus. There was also one incident in which Jesus smeared a mixture of dirt and His own saliva on the eyes of a blind man. And yet, among all of the recorded acts of Jesus in the gospels, this ...

    But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.  (Is. 53:5, NASB)    I believe in supernatural healing. Period. The Bible tells us that God is the God who heals. (Ex. 15:26) He was healing people in the OT, Jesus and his followers healed in the NT, and countless testimonies of a Divine touch from God have been recorded through history. In addition, I have, with my own eyes, seen men and women supernaturally healed. However, there is a reality that we must face: Every person for whom we pray for healing will not be healed, at least in the manner we were expecting.    As a pastor I have been asked this question many times. The exact words are different, but the question is still the same. The answer is not a simple one and, quite frankly, there are some very poor reasons that well-meaning believers often cite that cau...