‘Show and tell’ ministry – or should we call it ‘tell and show’

I had the privilege last week of meeting with a number of local believers who have all left Islam to follow Jesus. Because of the supernatural things we are learning and experiencing both personally and in our ministry to Muslims, each time I would meet with them I was asked to spend some time teaching them and sharing with them about the power of the Holy Spirit and the miraculous.

On one occasion, a Christian couple was brought to me – both of whom are discipling 8-10 other Muslim-background believers in Jesus. The man had brought his father with him, who was still a Muslim but needed healing in his right knee. He came in with a cane and his knee was abnormally large. After I told them stories about God healing people and bringing Muslims to Christ in different Arab countries, I began to pray for the father’s healing. At that time, I saw no indication that he had been healed – but not all healings are instantaneous. The next day we received a phone call that the man was “dancing around his house” completely healed.

In another city, a new believer was brought to me who wanted to move in healing. I told him I would pray for him that God would release the Gift of the Word of Knowledge. I shared with him how I received this gift and how the Lord speaks to me through it and subsequently brings physical healing to people. He was very interested – and hungry for God to use him in this way. As I am sitting there, the Lord gives me a word of knowledge for a right wrist problem – he then pulled up his sleeve to show me a massive ganglion cyst that was very painful. I prayed for him and although it took two times, all pain left his wrist. Next I got a word for his left shoulder – which was also a problem. Again it took two times of prayer, but we saw the healing miracle and all pain left his body.

In both instances, I was not only able to “tell” these believers about some of the ways God releases gifts of the Spirit and brings healing, but then I was privileged to “show” (or demonstrate) exactly what we had been talking about. May they truly go and do likewise. Also, two other principles were modeled/taught – in the case of the father, it was a delayed healing which manifested the following day. Secondly, I modeled to the other believer that we don’t always see the healing come after praying only once.

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