Jesus did not control the situations which came to him. On more than one occasion, people simply approached him, begging to be healed. And He healed them. He did not make faith a condition or requirement of healing, except on one occasion (Mt 9:27-30). Certainly, at other times He acknowledged and commended the faith of those who came, but did not make faith a condition to receive the healing. Others received healing from the Lord without having faith at all in Him or His ability to heal. Faith healers of today screen their would-be benefactors. They have trusted employees who determine whether a given person's ailment will fit with the program. If they are suitable to be healed. It is a very controlled environment. If one passes the screening, but still is not healed, the blame is not placed on the lack of ability of the healer (ie. Jesus' disciples in Mt 17:19-21), but on the intended recipient. The accusation, "You don't have enough faith."

Also, consider the types of miracles performed. Among the miracles performed by Jesus, we see lepers cured, paralytics walking, withered hands restored, the dead being raised, the blind seeing, a flow of blood being stopped up, a severed ear restored, etc.. These are things which are physically visible. When Jesus restored Malchus' ear, there was no doubt that a miracle had occurred. The ear had been completely severed from the body, and yet at the touch of Jesus, it was whole again. How many amputees are having limbs restored by today's faith healers? The fact is, they focus on inward ailments, such as tumors, heart troubles, arthritis, and so forth. Others, who are partially crippled may be selected, for the adrenalin of the moment will buoy them up, and appear as a miracle. Yet others will come in wheelchairs and crutches, who are not really healing seekers, but plants in the audience by the faith healer himself. A Christian brother who works at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, TN told me a few years back of a faith healer who had come to town. Shortly before the doors were opened to the public, a PA system message rang out, "Those who are to be in wheelchairs, please get in your chairs now".

Friends, I want you to see that there are four periods where God employed in strong measure the miraculous among men. Almost all miracles are confined to these four periods of history, separated by centuries.

• When God brought forth His people Israel from the land of Egypt and established them in the land of Canaan.

• While God's people struggled against heathenism during the time of Elijah and Elisha.

• While Judah was exiled to Babylon, as God showed his power over the heathen gods (ie. Daniel and his companions).

• At the beginning of Christianity, used by God to attest to the things which were spoken (Heb 2:1-4).

May I suggest to you that miracles were given and used for a specific purpose. Never has the primary purpose of miracles been to heal the physical ailments of man. Whether we are talking about the early days of Israel, as God brought them from bondage into the promised land, or the days of unfaithfulness which followed generations thereafter, or the beginning of the New Testament church, the elementary usage of miraculous power was not to cure physical diseases. A common claim among faith healers is that God doesn't want us to be sick, that He wills to heal us from every disease. It seems that no one told Paul that miraculous power was to be used as the cure for all ailments, for though he was able to perform great miraculous works (Ac 19:11-12), he commanded Timothy to use medicine for his stomach troubles (1 Ti 5:23). Miracles were not given to heal all that ails us. Rather, the miraculous was supplied by God as a means of confirming the word which was spoken (Mk 16:20; Heb 2:3-4). It was God's testimony that the word of His messengers (Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Jesus, Peter, John, Paul, etc, etc, etc.) was true.

Finally friends, note that the miraculous gifts were of a temporary nature. We do not read of miracles persisting in the land of Canaan after it is possessed by the Israelites. After Judah returned from captivity, there is no recorded of manifold miraculous works. Likewise, the miraculous measure that is spoken of in the New Testament was given for a certain duration, it was temporary. Once the given purpose was fulfilled, the need for the miracles would cease, and thus, the miracles themselves would cease (1 Cor 13:8-12). To say such is not to reject God's power to heal, but to admit God's will, as revealed in His word. Can God still heal today? Absolutely. Does He accomplish this through the hands of men? Absolutely not.

Be not deceived, today's faith healers are in fact fake healers.