The Spirit's Power to Heal
Month 5: Jesus — God With Us · Walking in the Spirit
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 5:17–26
17 One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick. 18 Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him before Jesus, 19 but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” 21 But the scribes and Pharisees began thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home.” 25 And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 Everyone was taken with amazement and glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Memory Verse
“Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””— Mark 4:41 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalm 143; Psalm 144; Psalm 145; Psalm 146
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 139 of 365 — "The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.")The Heart of It
A man who couldn't walk had friends who wouldn't quit. The house where Jesus was teaching was so packed they couldn't get near the door. So they carried their friend up onto the roof. They dug through it, and they lowered him right down in front of Jesus! Luke tells us something important in verse 17: "the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick." Jesus didn't do His work in His own strength alone. He was full of the Holy Spirit (). First Jesus said a surprising thing. "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Then, to prove He had the right to forgive, He told the man to get up, pick up his mat, and walk. And the man did, praising God.
This matters for how we walk in the Spirit today. The same Holy Spirit who filled Jesus is the Spirit Jesus pours out on His people. And He still heals. We can pray for the sick and trust God to act. That is normal Christian life. It is not something that ended long ago. But notice the order in this story. Jesus deals with the man's sin before his legs. The deepest healing we all need is being made right with God. So we hold two truths gently together. God really does heal bodies. And He always wants to heal hearts. We never treat the Spirit's power as a magic trick or a way to get rich or impressive. Character always matters more than the wow. We simply come, like those friends. We carry people to Jesus and trust Him with the result.
Around the Table
Some friends carried a man who couldn't walk all the way to Jesus. And Jesus made his legs work! Jesus can do anything.
Let's do it: Pretend to carry a friend to Jesus. Then cheer as they jump up and walk!
Jesus forgave the man's sins first, then healed his legs. The biggest healing is having our hearts made right with God.
Let's talk: Who is someone you could carry to Jesus by praying for them this week?
Jesus healed by the power of the Lord, full of the Spirit. That same Spirit lives in His people, and God still heals when we pray ().
Let's go deeper: Why do you think Jesus forgave the man's sin before He healed his body?
💬 Conversation Starter
The friends made a hole in the roof to get to Jesus! What is the most creative thing you would do to help a friend?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Did healings really happen, or did people just feel a little better? This man was carried in unable to move. Then he walked out carrying his own mat. And he did it in front of a roomful of doubting religious experts who couldn't deny it. Healing that is instant and public, with witnesses, is exactly the kind of evidence Luke set out to record. Luke was a careful historian and a doctor.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Classic Pentecostal teaching takes seriously that the Spirit who powered Jesus' healing work is the same Spirit at work in the church today. Gifts of healing are among the gifts still given (). But Robert Menzies and others rightly warn against the abuses. This is not health-and-wealth. It is not "name it and claim it." And it never promises that more faith equals a guaranteed cure. We pray boldly. And we also trust God's wisdom when He says no, or not yet, as He did even with Paul (). Model both for your kids. Show them a faith that prays and expects. Show them a heart that is humble and surrendered. Teach them to carry the hurting to Jesus, and to leave the outcome in His good hands.
Draws on: Robert Menzies, Speaking in Tongues and the Charismata; Derek Prince, The Holy Spirit in You.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that Your power is here to heal. Fill us with Your Spirit. Give us faith to pray for those who are hurting. Most of all, heal our hearts and forgive our sins. We trust Your good and wise hands. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Spirit who filled Jesus lives in His people. So I can pray boldly and trust God to heal.