A Reunion with the kid who was healed 45 years ago

Below is a testimony of a miraculous healing that many of my friends have heard me speak of many times over the years.  What a joy it was to reconnect with Rob in 2016, about 5 years ago. What a blessing it was to know that this high school kid, now an adult, is strong in his walk with the Lord and still sharing his wonderful testimony.  ---Billy Long

HIGH SCHOOL KIDS EXPERIENCE JESUS
In 1971 when Laurel and I were first married we were asked to speak at a youth retreat for a group of high school kids from a Baptist church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.. While I was sharing our testimony of our walk and experiences with the Lord, you could have heard a pin drop. It was as if Jesus was walking among us. His presence became more real each time I mentioned his name. A couple of the kids expressed a desire to know Him. Then a few more. Suddenly twenty of them were on their feet and praying with and for one another. The other twenty, along with the football players, remained seated and just gazed in wonder at what was happening.

ROB'S MIRACULOUS HEALING
Then a young man named Rob came up to me. He had both emphysema and asthma. His breathing was a loud wheezing and was so labored that it could be heard all over the room. He had a breathing machine with him, and his doctors had recommended that he not go to this retreat. But there he stood before me with a look of despair and desperation. I pulled him off to the side and said, “Rob, do you want to know Jesus?” He said, “Yes,” but then pointed to his chest to communicate the agony he was going through with his lungs.
I quoted Jesus' words about laying hands on the sick, and then I laid my hands on his head asking Jesus to touch him. Suddenly he fell back and began to shout, “I can breathe! I can breathe!” The Lord had instantly healed him of the emphysema and asthma. I then yelled out to the group, “Hey, everybody, God just healed Rob!” Immediately the other twenty kids rose up like a covey of quail. All forty kids were standing with arms uplifted to the Lord praising and thanking Him for the miracle. They all instantly gave their lives to the Lord and stood there weeping, laughing, and praising Him. God did a wonderful work in those young people.
Following the retreat, the youth pastor invited me to meet with the group a couple times and teach them about the Holy Spirit. This was my senior year at ORU, and when I graduated Laurel and I moved away and had no contact with Rob for 45 years. However, we often spoke of him and wondered where he was and how he was doing, and we often told the story of his healing.

A WONDERFUL REUNION!
Then about 5 years ago, to my great surprise and delight, I received the following message on Facebook. Here is how the exchange went:
ROB MITCHELL: "Can you remember a youth retreat in the summer of '71 in Oklahoma? Steve Stockley was the youth pastor from Oral Roberts University. Were you the guest speaker?"
BILLY LONG: "Rob, how could I forget that!!!! Such a wonderful retreat. Are you the Rob who was healed?"
ROB MITCHELL: "Wow! This is great! Do you remember praying for me? I was completely healed that day, forever changed my life, and the lives of many others. I pastored for 20 years, and told my testimony everywhere I went. I'm crying like a baby just thinking about it… So much to tell you. Will surely talk some more, I still think of you and Laurel often."

Rob and his wife have five wonderful on-fire Christian children, and they currently lead a ministry in the toughest part of Tulsa. What a wonderful and joyful blessing it was to me and Laurel to re-establish contact with Rob, and 45 years  (now 50 years later), to hear him confirm the healing that took place at that retreat, and to know that he has been serving and walking with the Lord faithfully all these years.
I am rejoicing and am so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to re-establish contact and hear the continuing story of his testimony. Rob's testimony is chapter 10 in my book, "Spiritual Power for Everyday Living."
Praise the Lord!
Billy Long

Scroll down to read earlier posts

I want to remind the reader that you have to scroll down to read earlier posts. The article posted below is the most recent in the series on prophetic ministry in the New Testament Church. Scroll down to read earlier posts that lay foundations and help the reader to better understand the topic.  At the very bottom of the page you can click "older posts" to go back even further and read the articles on Spiritual Gifts that preceded and serve as an introduction to this series.  ---Billy Long

But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all...and thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.                  1 Corinthian 14: 24-25.

Spiritual Gifts and Godly Character

This article continues our teaching on the subject of “Prophecy in the New Testament Church.” The emphasis in this post (and the next one) deals with very important aspects which are especially important for leadership to understand. ---Billy Long 

Spiritual Gifts and Godly Character  

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  1 Corinthians 13: 2

Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.  1 Corinthians 8:1

His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.  2 Peter 1:3

Many will say to me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name”? And I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”  Matthew 7: 22-23

Truth must be accompanied by compassion, godly character, and integrity. This principle applies to any aspect of our relationship to the Lord and His word, whether it be Bible study, preaching, personal counsel, exhortation, or prophecy.  Complications arise when carnal man (rather than the spiritual man) handles the word of God. The lack of compassion causes it to be used as a legalistic hammer to condemn and hurt people. The lack of character and holiness brings deception, mixture, and contamination. The lack of integrity causes men to “use” people and act with wrong and selfish motives.

When we think of spiritual gifts we think of God’s power. But God’s power must not be divorced from godly character and God’s holiness. Character and integrity are the things that prevent prophecy and the other gifts from being “flash” and glitter. Character is the foundation for the anointing and a ministry that has purity and durability. A person’s character can destroy what his gift builds. It is essentially character, not gifting, that determines whether or not we pass the tests of life.

Therefore, we seek to walk in God’s holiness as well as in His power. Power without holiness and character is empty and rings hollow. The world will scorn us if we walk in the power of God but fail in the holiness of God.  The holiness of God (right living, right motives, and moral purity) is what distinguishes us from the rest of the world. The devil can imitate our noise and our power, but he cannot reproduce holiness and godly character.
The devil’s counterfeit imitation of God’s power is seen in soulish mysticism, sorcery, witchcraft, the occult, and psychic phenomena.  His attempts at imitating holiness and character become legalism and bondage.

Godly character is something we as Christians must be careful to cultivate. Good people excelling at good things have to beware of pride. Immature and unlearned people must remain humble in order to learn and avoid the paths of error. People who experience the power and working of the Holy Spirit must especially guard their hearts to maintain integrity and pure motives.  There have  been men and women of God who moved in healing and power gifts who fell because they were deceived into thinking God was overlooking their sin.  Because the miracles continued, because God was still using them, they presumed to think God was giving them special dispensation to continue in their sin with impunity. The fact is the Holy Spirit will continue to use a person who is in disobedience and sin, at least for a season, while the Holy Spirit tries to draw him to repentance in the particular area of transgression.   However, eventually “the bottom will drop out” and the person will face the consequences of his un-repentant sin. Sometimes the problem may be an area of stubbornness, an area which grieves the Lord. Whether sin or childish stubbornness, eventually a person may face either judgment or discipline.

In this same vein of thought it should be noted that some very interesting (though not godly) people have prophesied. Balaam was a soothsayer who spoke some wonderful prophetic words over Israel, words which also prophesied of Jesus (Numbers 22-23). King Saul himself prophesied, even while trying find and kill David (1 Samuel 10:6, 10-12;  19:18-24). The high priest Caiaphus, while leading the plot to put Jesus to death, prophesied that one must die for the nation.  These examples (and maybe some you know personally) show us that the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit operate by the mercy and grace of God, and that God will use imperfect vessels.

The imperfections may be related to ungodly character (like those discussed above) or to issues related to normal spiritual growth and character development experienced by all Christians. If the issues relate to sin and evil, we should repent and change. If the issues relate to the stumbles and imperfections of normal growth, we should recognize that mistakes are a part of growth, thank God for the disciplines of learning, and move forward rejoicing in the grace, mercy, and goodness of the Lord.

Don’t try to fulfill the prophecy yourself; let God do it.

Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your  hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.  And he said to his men. “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” 1Samuel 24: 4-5.

Abishai (acting on the same promise quoted by David’s men in the verse above) said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth.”  1 Samuel 26: 8

This principle applies to those who receive a prophetic word. We must allow God to fulfill His own words rather than our trying to do it ourselves. Waiting on God’s timing requires faith, patience, and godly character.

Abraham is the first example that comes to mind.  He was promised a son, but instead of waiting on God to fulfill this word, Abraham tried to do it on his own. He produced an Ishmael by his own flesh rather than waiting on Isaac the son of promise.

The prophetic word to David was that God would deliver his enemies into his hands. In the two verses quoted above, King Saul was on a campaign to find and kill David. In the first example, David was hiding in the recesses of a cave where Saul just happened to enter to “use the restroom.” In the second example, Saul was asleep in his camp. In both cases David could have killed Saul while he was in defenseless and vulnerable positions. In both cases David’s men encouraged him, based on a prophetic word, to kill Saul. They whispered “This is your chance to fulfill the prophecy. Saul is your enemy and you can kill him now!” David, however, knew in his heart that this was not the time or the manner. He would not enlist his own flesh or the devil’s methods to accomplish God’s purpose. He would wait for God’s hand, God’s timing, and God’s way.

A word from God not only encourages and strengthens us, but also, at times, tests us (Psalm105: 19). A word from God does not necessarily make life easier. Sometimes it precedes waiting, and it requires faith and patience (steadfast perseverance). In the words of an Old Testament prophet, “Though it tarry, you must wait for it.”

Keep a look-out for the next post as we continue our discussion on Prophesying, especially as it relates to leadership. —Billy Long

I want to remind the reader that you have to scroll down to read earlier posts. The article posted below is the most recent in the series on prophetic ministry in the New Testament Church. Scroll down to read earlier posts that lay foundations and help the reader to better understand the topic.  
At the very bottom of the page you can click "older posts" to go back even further and read the articles on Spiritual Gifts that preceded and serve as an introduction to this series.  ---Billy Long

A Healthy Context for Prophecy in the New Testament Church

Prophecy is supernatural, but it does not have to feel that way. The supernatural-ness is determined by context and timing as well as by content.

I remember on one occasion I was about to teach a Bible study to a group of about twenty or thirty young people, and was silently asking the Lord to confirm my direction for the teaching that night.

As the group was worshiping the Lord, one of the boys stood up. I knew he was about to share what he thought would be a prophetic word from the Lord. He said, “The Lord wants us to watch and pray.” He then paused and stood there silent for a minute hoping to add something more significant. But that was it. He had nothing else to say, and so he sat down feeling a little embarrassed and thinking he had failed.

I then stood up. “Our friend has just given a short, simple word telling us to watch and pray. He does not realize how the Lord has used him. He has not only shared a word to which we should all take heed, but also, without knowing it, he has given a word of confirmation to me. I was just now asking the Lord to confirm the teaching I am about to give. My text for tonight is Matthew 26: 41, ‘Watch and pray…’ My Bible was opened to that verse and my eyes were on those very words as our friend was saying ‘The Lord wants us to watch and pray.’”

You don’t have to act strange or take on a different personality.

In some cases a prophecy may be given directly from God syllable for syllable, word for word. In other cases God may inspire the concept, the idea, or the thought, but allow them, in their expression, to take on the flavor of the speaker.

The Spirit-filled Harvard professor very calmly walks up to someone and in a very dignified and stolid voice and says, “This is what the Lord is saying to you, Your canines will develop acariasis and become acaudal.”

A backwoods farmer then walks up to the same person and in a very emotional and energetic manner says, “Thus saith the Lord. Thy dogs-uh will become infested with ticks and lose their tails-uh.”

The fact is, these men said the same thing, but each one spoke out of his own personality and style. The Lord’s word was in the content while the style represented the individual vessel.

You can speak in a conversational tone.

“The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”  1 Corinthians 14: 32.

How do we expect people to act when they are being used by the Holy Spirit? A fellow once said to me, “My preacher is so anointed he pure foams at the mouth.” That is a strange one, and I am thankful that the Lord does not expect us to do that. So what style do we use in our presentation?

While there may be unusual and strange occurrences during great visitations of God’s presence, it is important for us to know that generally speaking we can move in the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit in the normal conversational tone of everyday life. How else can we approach the average person in the world with the reality of Jesus Christ? The Holy Spirit’s work is not confined to a religious context. He can move in church or in any context of daily life as we interact with people.

We can be ourselves, we don’t have to act strange or change our voice. This is one of the keys to moving in the Holy Spirit on the job, in school, on the street, and out in the market-place. You don’t have to walk up to people and shout. You don’t have to say ‘’God-uh” or “yea, yea, thus saith the Lord.” You can be emotional or non-emotional. You can be enthusiastically zealous or you can be quiet and reserved. The key is to be genuine and real. The supernatural is not what you do, but rather what God Himself does. Sometimes God’s work is seen as obviously and patently supernatural. Other times it can be hidden and unnoticed because it is defined by the context and timing and may be significant only to those to whom it is directed.

A person moving in prophecy should not be passive.

“The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”  1 Corinthians 14: 32.

This verse deals with two problems: emotionalism and passivity. Emotions (such as joy and enthusiasm) are good, but emotionalism tends to be emotions posing as or substituting for the Holy Spirit, and generally tends to quench the Holy Spirit. Emotions represent our response to God’s presence. 

The verse also deals with the problem of passivity.  “The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet” means a person should not put his mind and thoughts in neutral waiting for “something” to take over.  Demonic counterfeits, the occult, and false religions work on the principle of passivity. We see it in meditation as practiced by eastern religions and in the demonic ceremonies of animistic cultures. Allowing your thoughts to go into neutral and your mind to be “blank” opens the door to demonic spirits, who take control. By contrast the Spirit of God works together with us while our faculties are at work and engaged. The Holy Spirit works through our spirits, and our spirits are subject to us. There are times when the Holy Spirit will move forcibly upon us (as in unusual revivals), but generally speaking He will be gentle and lead us rather than drive us. He requires our cooperation and our active involvement rather than a limp vessel with passive mind.

We Prophesy in part.

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part.”1 Corinthians 13: 9

“For now we see in a mirror dimly.” 1 Corinthians 13: 12

Paul reminds us that we are not infallible and our knowledge is limited. A person moving in prophecy will generally be given only a glimpse of the issues to which he speaks. We may not fully comprehend or understand the implications of the words we give.   

Prophecy should be judged

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-21

“Let … prophets speak, and let the others judge.” 1 Corinthians 14: 29

Because we are human, we have to deal with the principle of mixture. We make mistakes. Within proven Christian fellowship our ministry and words should be pure and clearly from God. However, we sometimes let the imaginations of our own heart blend in with the word and create mixture. This produces the need to test and evaluate whether a word is from God or from man, or a mixture of both. 

The devil can also be the motivating source of a word or activity. This is why a prophetic word or any ministry must be evaluated by the written word of God and discerned by those who are spiritually mature.  

Prophecy usually confirms issues which a person has already been dealing with or considering. It should not give direction “out of the blue.” A person should not accept a word with which he does not indentify. He might reject it if he thinks it is wrong, or place it in his “pending file” to be evaluated again later. A person should not make a decision base on a prophetic word alone. He should have an inner witness or a confirmation from fellow Christians or spiritual leaders. Prophecy must be harmonious with and not contradict the Bible.

Prophecy, like preaching, does not replace the Bible nor does it stand on the same level as scripture. It must be judged or evaluated the same as a sermon or any other word of instruction or exhortation. The Bible is the written word of God and is the standard by which prophecy and all ministry, church doctrine, and practice should be judged (Galatians 1: 6-9; 2 Peter1:16-21; Act 17:11).   In testing prophecy or any other word of ministry, we consider the following: Is it harmonious with scripture? Does the recipient of the word identify with it and does he have an inner witness to the truth of the word? Are fellow Christians or spiritual leaders able to confirm the word? Does the word reflect the love and peace of Christ.

We should not force people to accept our words.

A person giving a prophetic word must allow the recipient freedom to test the word and to accept or reject it. We do not coerce a person to act beyond what he has grace to do. We do not force a person to receive our words. We allow him the freedom to reject the word and go his own way, even if it is to his judgment and God’s discipline.

We should prevent excesses and abuses that harm the reputation of the prophetic ministry.

You should not prophesy every time you get a thought or feeling.

You should not “prophesy” things you ought to communicate from yourself.  Don’t “prophesy” what should be given as an exhortation, or counsel, or personal input and your opinion.

Prophecy should not be used as a substitute for personal confrontation. Some people attribute to God what they themselves would like to say. They put the other person in the psychologically uncomfortable position of having to disagree with God. 

It is best not to prophesy in situations where there is conflict. People will not accept it. If it’s wrong, it is soulish or carnal and not spiritual. If it’s right and a true word, it ends up “pearls before swine” and trampled on.

At this point I refer the reader to a previous post entitled “The Biblical Context for the Supernatural,” which shows the distinction between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the demonic counterfeits that are in our culture today. Just click this link: Biblical Context

(My next posting will deal with cautions to leadership regarding prophetic ministry in the New Testament church.---Billy Long)

Purpose of Prophecy: Part 3

A prophetic word can impart faith and strength to stand during spiritual warfare and when encountering assaults against us, our faith, and our work.

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.”  1Timothy 1: 18

Timothy received prophetic words that confirmed his call and the specific work he was about to do. Those words were given through Paul, the elders, or other saints in the local church. According to Paul, these prophetic words would sustain and strengthen Timothy during the spiritual warfare he was certain to encounter. These prophecies would sustain him in the face of struggles, persecutions, and tribulations that come with advancing the kingdom of God.

This principle of “waging a good warfare” or “fighting the good fight” through the prophetic word is also illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul. A prophetic word can have the same effect as the instruction Jesus gave to Paul regarding his subsequent travel to Rome. The risen Lord appeared to Paul in the night and said, “As you have testified for me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11). This word gave Paul the assurance that whatever else might happened on the journey, it was inevitable that he would end up in Rome to preach the gospel there. This word sustained him as death threatened him many times on this particular journey.

Forty men banded together with an oath that they would not eat or drink until they killed him. I can imagine Paul thinking, “You men are going to be mighty hungry and thirsty because I am going to Rome.”

He was held in chains by the Roman authorities while the Jewish leaders wanted him taken to Jerusalem where he could be put to death. Paul’s response: “I am going to Rome.”

On a Roman ship in the Mediterranean Sea a severe and violent storm threatened to destroy the ship and everyone on it. Paul said, “I’ll not die here. I am going to Rome.”

When the ship ran aground and was breaking up, the soldiers were about to kill the prisoners, including Paul, but the centurion stopped them. Paul was “going to Rome.”

The passengers were marooned on the island of Malta. While gathering wood for a fire Paul was bitten by a poisonous viper. Everyone watched, expecting him to fall over dead, but he shook off the snake and suffered no harm. He was “going to Rome.”

The prophetic ministry in Christian fellowship often works on the same principle. When the Lord speaks to confirm his plan or purpose or to encourage us in an endeavor, we can stand on that word. Of course, the Bible is the written and final word of God on which we stand as the foundation for our faith and life in Christ. But the Holy Spirit does give us specific prophetic words, such as those given to Timothy, to encourage and help us “fight the good fight.” 

On one occasion I faced a difficult decision. I told the Lord that I did not have the courage or strength in myself to do what He was calling me to do. I did not want to refuse or say “no” to God. So I went to the Lord with these words: “My Lord, I do not want to make such a decision out of the imaginations of my own heart. The only way I can obey is to know that I have heard your voice, to know I have a clear commission from God. Only then will I be able to face the struggles and difficulties that might accompany this step.” This is why Peter, standing in the boat during the storm, said to Jesus, “Lord, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter knew he would be able to take that step of faith only if He was certain Jesus was telling him to come. The same principle was at work when Peter responded to Jesus’ instructions to cast his net into the water. “Lord, we have toiled all night and have caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net.”

Of course the Lord can and does speak to us personally and directly by the Holy Spirit in our daily walk with Him as we pray and read our Bibles. But He will not allow us to be so independent that we get everything we need from Him without receiving from others.  He delights in Christians’ blessing and serving one another. We see this in the ministry of the body of Christ as it is described in 1 Corinthians 12. The prophetic anointing is one of the means by which the Lord uses us to minister to one another.

(Scroll down to read previous postings. Also, keep a look-out for more to come. --BL)