July 15, 2002

"But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." 1 Corinthians 12:31

The Apostle Paul had just written about the gifts God gives—Gifts of the Spirit, Gifts within the body of Christ, and the Ministry Gifts.  And then he says to covet earnestly the best gifts yet he says he will show a more excellent way.

The more excellent way he’s talking about is described in Chapter 13 and it’s the way of love.  God moves mightily at times through the Gifts of the Spirit and we love it when He moves in miraculous ways.  But there is another way God moves and sometimes we don’t seek that way as much.  It’s the way of love.  And all believers have that love shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.  This love is with you all the time.  The Gifts may not always be in operation, but the love of God can be.

At times this love may well up within us and we have such a strong desire to see someone set free from a problem and we want God to move in a spectacular way by a Gift of the Spirit.  But It’s important not to mistake the compassion in your heart that rises up and desires to see people healed (Which is a God-given compassion), and think it’s the Spirit of God moving as in one of the Gifts as described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10.  The reason this is important to be sure and distinguish between the two is because if you treat one as the other the person may not be healed (or set free or whatever the need is), and in fact it may further their suspicion that God still does what He wants no matter how we pray.

When the love of God rises up within you desiring for a person to be healed it’s important to use that love as a motivator to not just pray for them but teach them the Word so they can be healed.  In fact it’s better not to lay hands on them and pray for them (without a Gift of the Spirit in operation), until they are taught and grounded enough in the Word so their faith is built up and they understand they can receive healing by faith.  It’s still the Spirit of God moving on you, but it’s moving in the way of love.

When the Spirit of God moves as in a Gift of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, the anointing is there in a more spectacular and instant way.  A person still needs to receive it by faith but along with the Gift of Healing comes the faith to receive it initially.  This might be a more ‘fun’ and exciting way to minister healing but we do not have control over when and how God moves this way.

Why is the way of love the more excellent way?  Because a person is learning how to receive healing and how to keep it by faith.  It’s like the saying, ‘if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’  It’s better to receive healing this way, even though it’s not as spectacular or quick, but they know they will be able to keep it forever because they have built up faith in their heart.

If you lay hands on someone and pray as if it is a Gift of Healing in operation when really it’s the love of God rising up within you, they may not have the faith to receive that and in the end it may do more harm than good because they may think what you say about healing is not true or that God will just do what He wants anyway.

Jesus spent a whole lot of time teaching people.  He didn’t just heal them.  He taught—a lot.  And just as He did we can always move in the way of love and minister the Word of God to people.  And when they know the truth (that comes from the Word), it will make them free!