The Power Released for our Healing

IN ONE BRIEF PASSAGE in Paul's Epistle to the EPHESIANS, we count at least fifteen distinct words that define power in one form or the other. All of them revolve around, or must adjust to, what happened when the Lord Jesus was raised from the dead. And, they all relate in one way or another to our healing--our spiritual healing, our physical healing, our emotional healing, and our mental healing. They also relate to the healing of our conscience which is something we have yet to address in an article.

I've looked at this Ephesian passage for over fifty years. I've drawn from its resource, lived by some of its strength, and have written perhaps more than I've really known about what it means. So, it is with some timidity that I approach it once again. But I know that only as we handle it, bathe in its light, and follow after what it means, can we partake of its boundless wealth.

The passage at which we are about to look is Eph 1:19-21. It is part of the prayer Paul prayed for those who would receive the truth of Ephesians. The light he was presenting could only find release in anyone's understanding through the help of the Holy Spirit. This would come in answer to prayer--very specific prayer.

We are learning to pray like Paul did, that the eyes of our understanding will be enlightened. Then we can know what is the hope of God's calling, what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us, and what is the exceeding greatness of the power He gives to us who believe. The full knowledge of these three things--which Ephesians addresses--can only come through enlightenment brought on by the Holy Spirit. They are not things that can be learned by human methods or adopted to fulfill carnal schemes and dreams. They belong to the Kingdom of God. They relate us to that Kingdom. The more we perceive them the fuller will be our lives in the Kingdom. If we get these three matters settled with regard to the Kingdom, its fullness will come over on every dimension of life that we live. It will certainly have impact on our physical being.

It is the third of the three points that we begin to cover in this article. To do this, we drop into the middle of Paul's prayer and find him asking that believers might know what is the exceeding greatness of His ¹Power to us-ward who believe, according to the ²working of His ³mighty ⁴Power, which He ⁵wrought in Christ, when He ⁶raised Him from ⁷the dead and ⁸set Him at ⁹His own right hand in ¹⁰the heavenly places far above all ¹¹principalitiesand ¹²power and ¹³might and ¹⁴dominion and every ¹⁵name that is named..--Eph 1:19-21.

Through it all, we find the key that unlocks the vast wealth of this power. It is given to us-ward who believe. Perhaps the ability to believe is the greatest gift given us by God. Let us cherish it.

Words 1 through 4 in the above passage describe the dimensions of power that worked in the tomb to bring the Lord Jesus from the dead. These same four were released to work in us who submit our lives to Him. Words 5 through 10 describe how and where that power operated as it brought the Lord Jesus to His heavenly position. This is a place He has won for us. Words 11 through 15 describe the forces that have resisted Him through the ages. These final five describe the realms of power that have been invaded by Satan's troops. But, they also show us the realms of power which rightly belong to the Lord Jesus, even in this age, and which we have the authority to take back for Him.

LET US LOOK NOW at the powers that brought off the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. When God raised Him from the dead, four dimensions of power came into effect. They each worked in the Tomb to bring Him forth alive. At that very point in time they were also released to work in us. There was the enabling power of a miracle, the energetic power of a new life, the effective power of a new government, and muscle power to bind the strong man.

Because these dimensions of power have been released, healing--ALL kinds of healing--can take place in us. In Jesus, they reached into the stronghold of death, broke its back and set Him free. Death was no deterrent to them. Because they broke its power, they can reach into the stronghold of whatever rules in us and set us free. They even take the sting out of death for us.

I first noticed the four distinctly different "power" words in this verse when I saw it in the original Greek. Look at it again with me with the Greek words in place. Remember, since we are lifting it out of an ongoing statement, it is not a complete sentence in itself. Eph 1:19--And what is the exceeding greatness of his power (dúnamis) to us-ward who believe, according to the working (enérgia) of his mighty (krátos) power (ischúos)…(literally, "the working (enérgeia) of the might (krátos) of His power (ischúos)").

Dúnamis is the enabling power of a miracle. Enérgia is the energetic power of a new life. Krátos is the effective power of a new government. Ischúos is the muscle power to bind the strong man.

Let me state again, as we did in a previous article, the knowing of all this power, for which we are learning to pray, is the kind of knowing that can never be put down by a contradiction. It is a knowing so settled that no force from man, nature, or hell can remove it from one's heart or mind. It becomes like an innate or instinctive knowledge that prevails when everything around screams to the contrary. It is a knowledge that will not be forgotten in the evil day toward which Ephesians Truth brings us. (See Eph 6:13.) When all the forces of hell come against us to wipe us out, we can still know what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe.

What an asset can be ours! We will have the inbred knowledge that there is available to us the resource of all the power that worked to bring the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. What demon from hell can withstand this?

Even now, in the day by day turns of life, we are discovering how this power will work in us. There is nothing that faces us--even horrible things that sometimes happen to persons and families--but that a testimony to God's greatness and love can emerge from it.

THE FIRST "POWER" WORD I learned in the Greek New Testament was dúnamis. It was also the first word Paul used in the Ephesian prayer passage--and the one to which we must give our attention in the rest of this article. It is the word from which we get our English word "dynamite." Dr. Alfred Nobel drew this word from the Greek to name the explosive he discovered over a century ago. The most basic meaning behind the Greek word is "to be able, or to be strong enough" to do something. It did not bear the meaning of an explosive in the New Testament. In a time when many of the forms of power we know now were unknown, dúnamis meant miraculous power. To early believers it was the power of creation, the kind of power that would get into an impossible situation and release possibility. It was the kind of power that would get inside believers and make them strong witnesses for Christ. It was the power of their new life in Christ.

To become more acquainted with this kind of power, we should see some of the New Testament passages that speak of it. It is a power--wonderful, amazing power--that is ready to work in us.

The word dúnamis occurs in the New Testament over 120 times. The first time we see it in relation to the Lord Jesus is in Lk 1:35 when the angel…said unto Mary, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power (dúnamis) of the Highest shall overshadow thee. The same power that would later work in the tomb to bring Jesus again from the dead worked in the womb of a young virgin to bring Him into being. With no blast of heat or release of radiant light, power was released in her womb and a conception took place. A child began to form supernaturally. This kind of power was creative. From nothing, except a yielded vessel upon whom the stamp of impossibility yet remained and the visitation of God's power, the Lord Jesus came forth. When, in the face of impossibility, we are able to look unto Him, we are drawing close in upon God's power for He was and is the greatest expression of it.

The first New Testament occurrence of dúnamis is in Mt 6:13--For Thine is the kingdom, and the power (dúnamis), and the glory for ever. We must remember this statement taken from what we call "The Lord's Prayer." The ability, or power, to perform all things belongs to our Father in Heaven. This divine ability comes in company with His Kingdom and His glory. While it is beyond our ability to comprehend all of this, we can at least begin to do so. His power relates to His Kingdom, and we are beginning to know His Kingdom. His power relates to His glory, and we are beginning to know how to give glory to Him. At least we can say, Let Thy Kingdom come! And we can say, Father glorify Thy Name--Mt 12:28. When we do this, we are drawing close in upon His power. We are embracing two things that accompany it. In seeking His Kingdom and in glorifying His Name, we cannot be far from knowing His power also.

THERE IS A PRECIOUS PASSAGE in which dúnamis occurs with reference to the Lord Jesus. It's when the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years reached through the throng of people and touched Him. There is a record of this in Mt 9:20-22, Mk 5:25-34 and Lk 8:43-48. We take note that immediately her issue of blood stanched--Lk 8:44. Immediately means "on the spot, forthwith." Here we find out what can happen when this kind of power is released into a situation. Instantly, every thing is changed.

When the miracle happened, Jesus said, Who touched me? Then all the disciples questioned Him because the whole multitude had been touching Him. And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me: for I perceive that virtue (dúnamis) is gone out of Me--Lk 8:46. There was a touch from one person that was different than all the others.

When the woman saw that she was not hid, she fell trembling before the Lord and told why she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. Jesus comforted her and said, Thy faith hath made thee whole. We have to take note in this that the woman reached toward Jesus even when He was not aware of her. When Jesus told what happened, He did not say, "The power that came from Me made you whole." He said, "Your faith made you whole." Through all her impossibilities, she had reached out for Him and touched His garment. It was a humiliating circumstance from which she came. Her reach was one of humility, but it had in it the element of faith. That key of faith opened the door to His healing power.

This is an amazing story and one that should give hope to all who have suffered long. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on this passage, gives seven points as to the affliction of the woman. 1--Her malady was such that it could not be made public without exposing her to shame and contempt. 2--It was a chronic disorder for it had lasted twelve long years. 3--It was continual for she appears to have had no interval of health. 4--Her disorder was aggravated by the medicines she used for she had suffered many things of many physicians. 5--Her condition was ruinous both to her health and circumstances, for she had spent all that she had. 6--She was brought to the last point of wretchedness, want, and despair. She was growing worse and had neither money nor goods to make another experiment to procure her health. 7--She was brought so low by her disorder as to be incapable of earning anything to support her wretched life a little longer.

Never could the power and goodness of God be shown in a more difficult and distressful case. She came upon Jesus and she is healed--all because she was willing to place her faith in Him.

It is here we need to see just one brief statement from the Book of Hebrews. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever--Heb 13:8. This being so, there is no person in any dreadful condition today but who can touch Him and be made whole.

And I think I must take note of this: it was she who touched Jesus; He did not touch her.

What does this mean to me if I am hopelessly ill? I need no longer wait without hope, like some in the outer room of a great doctor thinking he may hold some knowledge of medicine that will cure me. I need no longer wait like some in the meeting of a great healing Evangelist with the hope that, perchance, he might draw me out of the audience and minister to me. With a faith, born of God's Spirit, I can reach through the throng of whatever, and whoever, surrounds me and touch Jesus, whether I ever be touched by any person or not.

While some do benefit from the knowledge and skill of physicians, not everyone does. While we may respect and enjoy the ministry of the miracle Evangelists, and while many receive from their hands, it does not happen to all. If you are one who, like the woman, has suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, then reach through all this and let His virtue come upon you. It has not diminished, but rather is now gone into all the earth wherever there is person ready to place his or her faith in Him.

THE FIRST VERSE in which I remember seeing the word dúnamis was Acts 1:8. This Scripture took our attention after the Holy Spirit came upon us back in 1956. Look at it with me here. But ye shall receive power (dúnamis), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses (Greek martúres, from which the word "martyr" comes) unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. There is no boundary beyond which the witness unto Him cannot reach.

We began discovering over forty years ago how the same power that brought Jesus into being and that entered death's dominion to bring Him out alive would now work in us. We discovered it was a creative and enabling force from God that would enter us who are believers and make us into witnesses, even witnesses unto death if need be. This meant more than standing up to give a good testimony in a Gospel meeting. It meant having something within us that came from out of eternity with God. It meant being indwelt by something that came into the world in Jesus. It meant living by something that was perfected and released for us through His Resurrection. Having the Holy Ghost come upon us brought the power from God's Throne into us. This would have effect on what we are as well as what we do and say. We began discovering that the power brought by the Holy Spirit was the stuff from which miracles are made. It was the power of a new life.

We take note in Acts 1:8 that this power can be known only after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. We can read about it, talk about it, think about it, and preach about it, but we cannot know it in us until the Holy Spirit Himself comes upon us and releases us to know it.

We cannot shrug this off as an option for less educated believers. We cannot consign it to the first century when the ability to witness for the Lord was more difficult and therefore more power was needed. It will become increasingly difficult to be a witness unto Him as the age moves on toward its end, till finally many will give their lives for this very thing. We need, with simple trust, to hear again the Lord Jesus saying, Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem (or wherever it is that you may be), until ye be endued with power (dúnamis) from on high--Lk 24:49.

Tarry means, "Stay right where you are. Don't give in"-- till you are endued with power. It's this kind of determination before the Lord that brings forth a soul knowing miracle power. There are those who seek but give in before the answer comes, who knock but turn away before the door is opened, who ask but are content not to receive. They never really know much of this power that Jesus promised and Paul taught us to pray about.

I DISCOVERED THAT EIGHT TIMES in the King James Version of the Bible the word dúnamis is translated miracle. This begins to show us what a miracle is. It comes about when an impossible situation is visited by the power, the dúnamis kind of power, that was released in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Early believers were close to the Resurrection, and miracles were frequent among them. They were kept ever aware that God had raised Jesus from the dead. His Resurrection was the continuing subject of the Apostles' message. Thus, the word they preached ever drew the people unto miracles.

Observe how it was with Peter and John. And with great power (dúnamis) gave the Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Look what grace and power were on these two. They encountered a cripple man begging. Peter said he didn't have any money, but such as I have give I thee. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk--Acts 3:6. Immediately, just as with the woman who had an issue of blood, he was made whole. There came from these two men who exalted the Lord Jesus and proclaimed His Resurrection the same kind of power that had come from the Lord Himself. Peter explained what happened. He said, God hath glorified His Son Jesus. He hath raised Him from the dead (Acts 3:13-16).

The same was true with Philip, the obedient deacon in the church. In Acts 8 we find him going down to Samaria. There he preached (kerússo) Christ. This word preached did not have reference to a sermon or a message; it had reference to a Person. The word kerússo meant to publicly proclaim, to announce as a herald would do. Philip announced the presence of Christ who was alive and miracles (the plural form of dúnamis) and signs were done.

We also find that God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul--Acts 19:11. When he listed the Nine Gifts of the Spirit to operate in the church, he put at the very center the working of miracles (again, the plural form of dúnamis)--I Cor 12:10. Literally the working of miracles means "the energetic release of dúnamis power."

We continue, simply expecting and believing this will become the order of the day for believers everywhere. We learn not to fear the impossible any longer.

HOW DOES THIS come into effect with us? We've learned a few things--and we continue to learn. One is that we need not be baffled by impossibility. "Impossible" is the opposite of "possible." The basic meaning behind the word dúnamis is "it is possible." Thus, it becomes the power of possibility, the enabling power of a miracle. This enabling power is set in motion in us through the simple matter of faith. In faith we learn to take steps toward Him and give Him the impossibilities that face us. The virtue that came from Jesus rushes to meet us on the way. Sometimes our early steps are faltering, but that wonderful power released out of the Resurrection is great enough to make up for our faltering faith.

We've walked in this for years--and have many testimonies of God's great faithfulness as it paired up with our little faith to bring about a miracle. Sometimes our faith has been so small it was almost ridiculous, but at least we reached toward Him, like the woman with an issue of blood reached toward Him--and He responded.

Another thing we have learned is that we are not sufficient enough in ourselves to always make it alone. There are times we need the help of someone else to go with us in before the Lord. That's the reason we feel the most important ministry we can have now is the ministry of intercession. That's what we call praying for someone else. If you need help, e-mail us. There's a prayer team here with us who will pray.