Healing of the man who was crippled from birth.

Acts 14:8-10

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“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” Acts 14:8-10

From Iconium, Paul and his companions are brought to Lystra, as seen on the map below.

The greatest healing we will ever experience is to be able to walk with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. That happens when we have faith in Him for the forgiveness of unbelief and thereby receiving the Holy Spirit. The physical miracles of healing that our Lord Jesus did was to show that He has the power to forgive sin, not to show that He is the world’s health care provider. The office our Lord works from is the spirit and soul, not health care offices, as quoted below,

“Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Matthew 9:2-6

Jesus forgave the paralytic of his sins, that was the end of the story as far as Jesus was concerned. Enabling the paralytic to be able to walk was not something that Jesus felt He needed to do, it wasn’t something He intended on doing. Because the scribes [lawyers of Judaism] said that it was illegal blasphemy to forgive sins, Jesus asked which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” or to “Arise and walk”? Jesus knew they would be impressed by a physical healing, so he enabled the paralytic to walk. Jesus only did the physical healing to show the scribes He had the power to forgive sins.

As followers of Christ, we will come across people in this atheistic culture without the strength to walk in Jesus Christ. But when they hear us speaking about our born-again testimony, Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness of sin, they listen with interest. We can look at that person with a fixed gaze and discern that the person has a receptive heart to the Holy Spirit, they have faith to be healed. Faith for healing in the spirit and soul by the forgiveness of unbelief through Jesus Christ. To those people, we say, “Stand up straight on your spiritual feet and begin walking with Jesus, your Lord and Savior.” Faith in Christ Jesus will enable people to leap and walk in the Spirit.

Even though the beast that has power over physiology [including feelings, thoughts, words, and behaviors] opposes the born-again experience, we remain eager to share the Good News of Jesus with those willing to hear. May their faith in Christ bring them ever closer to the Living God, even upon the thorny and stony road of this world.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11