Spiritual Gifts – Discussion 7

Pray

Pray together for the group meeting, and any pressing needs within the group.

Review

Each week you’ll spend some time reviewing the previous week’s lesson. Did anything happen last week that brought the lesson to mind, and what did you learn from it?

Watch

Watch the following discussion-starter video. It’ll set the topic of discussion for the group.

Unpacking questions from the video: 

1. What effect did the Acts 3 healing have on the church?
2. Was this healing consistent with the immediate purpose of spiritual gifts in general?
3. Was this healing consistent with the ultimate purpose of spiritual gifts in general?

The gifts of healing are various forms of supernatural cure or restoration from illnesses, diseases, injuries, and other impairments. We believe that what God did during the ministry of Jesus and the early church, He will do today! What a powerful way for God to edify the church and bring glory to King Jesus.

Some more examples of the gifts of healing:

Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 8:22-25, Luke 17:14-19, Acts 5:14-18, Acts 9:32-35

Read, Re-Read, Retell describing the common elements in these examples of healing

Discussion questions:

1. Are there times when healing is not instantaneous. Explain you answer.
2. How could these healings be verified?
3. Does the need for supernatural healing still exist today?
4. Describe a time when you were healed. How did that effect you? How did that effect your testimony?
5. Describe a time when God used you to minister healing to someone else? How did that effect the church?  

Faith plays a vital role in healing. Jesus commanded us to pray for healing. James commanded the early church to pray for the sick among them. Thus, we have faith for healing.  Jesus healed those that came to him in faith. We use the Name of Jesus as we pray for healing. We can use symbolic acts, as Jesus and the apostles did, to help people focus their faith for healing.

Mark 16:17-18, James 5:14-15, Matthew 9:29, Mark 2:5&10-12, Acts 14:8-10

Read, Re-Read, Retell

Discussion questions:

1. Describe the role of faith in each of these healings.
2. What else do you notice in common in these healings?
3. Describe what actions were used to focus people’s faith for healing.
4. How does seeing someone healed effect your faith for future healing?

We see from scripture that healing is the general will of God. We should pray for healing expectantly and with faith. But sometimes healing does not come, even in the early church. Paul prayed three times for deliverance from a physical “thorn in the flesh.” He was not healed. Timothy was often sick. Paul left Trophimus at Miletus because he was sick. When someone is not healed, we should not assume we know the reason. Job’s friends did that and suffered God’s displeasure. We should not condemn nor judge those who are not healed. Instead, we should encourage them and continue pray with them.

Read, Re-Read, Retell each Bible passage and discuss why healing did not occur:

1. Matthew 13:58
2. John 5:14, 1 Corinthians 11:29-30
3. John 9:2-3

Discussion questions:

1. How should we respond when healing does not occur in our bodies?
2. How should we respond when healing does not occur in others?
3. What are similarities between receiving or praying for others to receive the Holy Spirit and receiving or praying for others to receive healing?

Next Week:  The Laying on of Hands

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