Miracle Healing in Christianity

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Miracle Healing in Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Its followers include 2.38 billion people worldwide. A large portion of these followers live in the Global South.

Christianity began in the first century when Jesus sent his disciples out on a mission. They preached the gospel and healed the sick. This was a very risky proposition. However, Jesus’ compassion moved them. Some people gave up everything to follow Him. Those who came to faith usually found healing.

In the fourth century, Christianity grew rapidly. Churches added about half a million new converts every generation. Many of these believers experienced healing and were healed themselves.

Healing was a common practice in the Bible. Jesus commanded His disciples to heal the sick. He also entrusted his apostles with the power to cast out demons. Often, the miracles in the Scriptures were only performed in the presence of Jesus.

After Constantine converted to Christianity in 312, healing drifted to the margins of Christianity. Church leaders restricted prayer for the sick. Instead of praying to God for healing, church members prayed to “desert fathers.” These people were often reluctant to pray for the sick.

The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit encouraged Christians to pray for healing during the 1960s and 1980s. Churches began to use the anointing of the sick as a sacrament. During this time, many Protestants reported a “second blessing” of sanctification.

A growing number of Christians were also praying for strangers in their homes and at grocery stores. There was even a storefront healing room in the United States that was run by Catholics and Protestants side by side.