MISSION OF HEALING.
A number oF local people attended the preliminary meeting held by Mr Hickson at Palmerston North last night. The local patients will proceed to Palmerston North to-morrow morning. The Rev. Frank McDonald has received a letter from one of his parishioners of his late parish at Paeroa, dealing with cures treated at the Healing Mission at Hamilton. The writer says : “I suppose it won’t he long before the Hickson Mission starts up your way. It is surprising the number of people who went away from here. Alfie Jenkinson had improved very much in his' speech since going to the preparatory services, and when he came out of the church af Hamilton, he could speak as well as anyone. And I can tell you, he is making up for lost time now! There were cpiite a few teases of stammering cured in Paeroa. Mrs Kerr has benefited a lot from the Mission too. She can get out of her chair and walk about the house. Of course, she isn’t cured properly yet. She can also lift her hands to do her hair. Mr Kerr was overjoyed when he saw her get out of the chair in the church and walk a little distance. Another very bad case was that of a little girl. She had been almost a cripple from birth, and was almost: blind, and she is now as healthy as any child and her sight almost restored to normal. There is also another elderly woman who has cataracts growing over her eyes. You know her well. On passing her on the street she would never know me. Rut she has been to the Mission and last Friday night she came over and spoke to me, and was all excitement about receiving her sight. Her sight came to her gradually while having a little refreshment at the.hack of the church. Mr Kafiles, ‘ Mrs Dunlop, and Mr Met tan went up for deafness. The latter is hearing very well, but tlie first two haven’t, as yet, received any benefit. There are quite a lot of others who went up. from here buT they are mostly stiangers to me. Paeroa seemed to be all excitement when the different cures came through by telegram or’phone. We have bad a fail* share of cures in Paeroa.” SOME POINTS FROM MR HICKSON’S ADDRESS. Here are a few points from Mr Hickson’s preliminary service, held at Palmerston North last, night : “Spiritual healing is healing through Jesus Christ. The whole centres round the person of Jesus Christ. We can do nothing. T have no power in myself to give health and healing. Jesus Christ *is the Healer, and you who have come must look only to Him who is at! power.” Mr Hickson emphasised as the important truth that while physical healing was a. great work, the primary issues of the mission were spiritual. “It is your soul Christ came to save. He came to heat the sick. That, was part of His work and His ministry would have been incomplete without, it —and the work and the ministry of His Church to-day are incomplete without it. But at the same time, it did not take first place. What did take first place with Him was to redeem men from their sins and to fit men for the Kingdom of Heaven. It was for that He shed His blood upon the Cross. So, when you come forward for physical healing, come confessing your sins to God. We haves ouls to be saved, as well as bodies to be healed.* Let us think of our souls first, ‘and a'li these things will be added unto you.’ “If a man is coming to this mission just because he has got rheumatism or paralysis, and with no thought for his soul, that man will he disappointed. Of what use was a healthy body if we had a sick soul! The healing of Christ is allembracing. The Great Physician came to give health —perfect sounduses. And we have not that until our souls as well as our bodies are healed. We are all more or less I wisted.' We need to be pleansed from envy, hatred, malice, fear,.the devil of selfishness, pride, impurity. Until we are healed vve cannot entpr into the Kingdom of God,” A warning was given against discouragement through delay in cure, “Do not be discouraged,” said Mr Hickson, “if it does not all come at cnee. Some people have only been a few weeks preparing. They forget that God has to work through the limitations of man. According to your faith so be it unto you. God has often to change a man’s heart and soul so that he is better able to assimilate the divine life that is to ..flow into his body.” : /
Want of faith is God’s willingness to heal was stressed as a great stumbling block. “Some people,” said the missioner, “see in sickness and disease a visitation from God. What a blasphemy that is! When did His touch leave disease behind? Why do men put such words into the mouth of Jesus Christ ? Disease and c orruption were abhorrent to Him. Disease and sickness are the works of the devil.” Mr Hickson condemned the attitude of mind that was
like looking one way and walking another. Some people who came to be healed had the.idea that their ailment was meant for their spiritual good, that it was a' cross laid upon them. “Where is the dynamic force behind our prayers if that is our belief?” he demanded. “Ask in faith nothing doubting. He that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that lie will receive anything from the Lord.” Those words are quite plain and definite. So wc must come and pray believing in our hearts. Me must pray the prayer of faith; the prayer of expectancy. God did not give disease. He came down to take these things away. “Many people pray ‘Thy will be done/ and look down at their boots and think of all the horrible things that might happen. Sometimes a person will visit some poor home of misery, where there was sickness and suffering, and looking sanctimonious will declare, ‘lt is the Lord’s will! What would Jesus do in such a home? He would bring happiness and health.” “If we want to see this world freed from disease and conniption \ we must see it freed from sin. These things hang together. Most suffering has come about through the sin of others. Children suffer from the sins of their parents. If we want our children to he horn pure we must he clean ourselves. “The surgeon’s knife cannot touch the core of disease. It lies deeper than the physical. It is in the soul. The surgeon’s knife cannot cut that out; but the sword of the Spirit can.” r
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2649, 23 October 1923, Page 2
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1,155MISSION OF HEALING. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2649, 23 October 1923, Page 2
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