The Same God!

There is a song we sing in South Africa called the “Same God.”  Whenever we sing it feels like the whole building shakes because of the passionate hearts are crying out to God for a miracle just as He did in the Bible.  Here is a portion of the bridge:

“You heard Your children then, you hear your children now, You are the same God.  You answered prayers back then and you will answer now…Your were providing then You are providing now …You were the healer then, You are the healer now, You are the same God…”

I found myself singing this song as I was reading through a book called “God’s Healing Grace, Taking Jesus at His Word,” by Wayne Edwards.  This was another Christmas gift that blessed me so much I thought I needed to share it with you.  The book was published by a friend Henry Miersma, who personally knows the author.

Wayne Edwards & his wife June, (not their real names in order to protect their mission work), have been missionaries in remote areas of Kenya for 40 years. They have set up and run a health clinic as well as various development projects to bless the people living in the bush.

The people group they live with and minister to are Muslims, so you can imagine the challenges they have faced. After 20 years of laboring in this hard field Wayne cried out to God asking what needed to change for them to be more effective in sharing Christ saving love. He felt Jesus say, “Do what I was doing!”

He started studying Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts with new eyes.  As he read he asked these 4 questions:

  1. Who did Jesus heal?   2. When did he heal?   3. Who did Jesus not heal?   4. Why did he not heal them.

He also looked at how Jesus gave the authority to his followers to do the same ministry as He did. He came away from this intense study and concluded, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.

Even though healing was not talked much about in their theological background they acted in obedience and started to pray for people that God would bring to them.  It wasn’t easy and at first and they saw few results but as they continued to pray and obey they witnessed Jesus heal many people which opened the door for them to share the Gospel.

The book consists of 48 chapters which are all stories of the miracles they witnessed. These are humble servants of the Lord, not looking for praise from men but for Jesus Christ to be glorified as the healer of bodies, wounded spirits, and the one bringing people to salvation.  There are also stories of people in the US who have experienced Jesus’ healing power through their ministry as well.

As they have walked this journey of seeking to do what Jesus did they have learned some core elements of healing – confession of sin, repentance, receiving forgiveness, and forgiving others, which are the basic Christian practices.  And one key foundational practice for them is to make abiding in Jesus their daily walk.  As Jesus taught in John 15:4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you…for apart from me you can do nothing.”

I was so blessed by their stories of Jesus’ Kingdom being unleashed in healing the sick, driving out demons, and preaching the Gospel. It truly challenged me again to seek to follow in the steps of Jesus.  How our world needs to see the same God of miracles in the Bible unleash the glory of Jesus in our day.  If you want to strengthen your faith and be challenged to live like Jesus this book will bless you.

If you’re interested, you can click here to find the book online. Please note that all proceeds from book sales go directly to supporting the ministry of the author.