Expert: Australian International Evangelist Matthew Starrs - 2/16/2006

Question
I know that Pentecostals believe in faith healing, but what exactly does that entail? Does that mean that you don't use doctors? If you do go to doctors, then isn't that saying that you don't really have faith that God will heal you? I don't understand.  

Answer
Hi Winston,
I am not sure exactly where you are coming from. I don't think it is completely accurate to say that "Pentecostals believe in faith healing" for 3 reasons.

#1: Faith healing is a belief that your faith can heal you. This is practiced by several religious and non-religious groups around the world. You may have seen television of Philipino faith healers who "miraculously" pull damaged organs (chicken entrails) out of peoples bodies without breaking the skin. There are a variety of weird goings on that you might call "faith healing", but that is not what we do. We believe that God can heal you.

#2: The scripture is clear that all of the promises of God are activated by faith. This is everything from salvation, to deliverence from sin, to healing, to God's provision of our needs, whatever. No faith - no relationship with God whatsoever. So why get hung up that healing from God requires faith? Are you offended to realise that salvation requires the same faith? Why don't you ask about "faith salvation"?

#3: It's not just Pentecostals that believe that God heals people. It's all kinds of Christians. Catholics, Baptists, evangelicals, fundamentalists, charismatics, conservatives, radicals, etc.

So to answer your questions:

1: "what exactly does that entail?"
Read the Gospels. See Jesus healing people. Read Acts. See the disciples healing people in Jesus name. Read the Epistles. Believe that the Word of God is true and go out and pray for sick people in Jesus Name. Before too long you will see some get healed. Thank God for it. Don't forget to tell the healed people about salvation. They will find it really easy to believe once thay have been healed.

2:"Does that mean that you don't use doctors? "
If I am healed I don't go to a doctor. If I am sick I go to a doctor. Not everyone I pray for gets healed. I don't get healed everytime I pray either. I don't fully understand this, but I do know there can be a lot of different reasons why. For example, unforgiveness, unconfessed sin, I don't really believe that I will be healed at that time, etc. Perhaps there are reasons that God wants me to be tested or something. I don't always know. But there are plenty of times where i have been healed. Some of this have been undeniable miracles. I have also seen God do amazing miracles when I have prayed for people. Like blind eyes opened, deaf ears opened, cripples getting up and walking, cancerous tumours vanishing, etc. To read more go to my site: welcome.to/worldshakers
But if I ask God to heal me and I am still sick afterwards I go to a doctor. I don't have a problem with that. Do you?

3: "If you do go to doctors, then isn't that saying that you don't really have faith that God will heal you?"
That is a possibility. But there may be other reasons as discussed in Q2. Either way, there is nothing wrong with going to a doctor.


Blessings!

Matthew