When God Builds A Church (Video) — Shane Idleman

Building the Church on the Right Foundation

The title of the message is when God builds a church, when God builds a church, and I was trying to tie it in with the sabbatical, it just didn't kind of work. But when God builds a church, it will succeed as long as you keep building on the right foundation.

And that's what we find in 1 Corinthians 12 is where we're at. I left you hanging with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. What's miracles? What is faith? What are all these things? And that's what I want to talk to you about.

Sunday, today, and then Wednesday, I want to close with 1 Corinthians as well. But before we get into chapter 12, I didn't really want to put chapter 14 together and teach on it because it's all about tongues, the gift of tongues and prophecy and how that works in the church.

And I spent over an hour on just that topic and it's on our website. So if you put in just tongues on the church website, West Side Christian Fellowship, you can listen to the whole hour and five minute teaching on 1 Corinthians 14.

So I really saw no point in repeating everything from the summer. I don't know when I did it now. It's probably been maybe almost a year or so. And then chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians is the one I've talked about often where Paul says, it doesn't matter if you have great faith.

It doesn't matter if you have faith to move mountains. It doesn't matter if you're burned at the stake for being a martyr. It doesn't matter if you give all your goods. It doesn't matter if you speak eloquently and can preach wonderfully.

If you have not love, it profits you nothing. And then he goes on to say love is patient, love is kind, doesn't envy, it doesn't boast, it's not rude, it's not proud, it's not self-seeking. It keeps no record of wrong done against it, always hopes, perseveres and always trusts.

And I'm gonna pull from that in just a minute. So 13, 14 and 12, I'm kind of going through, they all fit together. When God builds a church, and actually I'm gonna talk about more of this in September.

September is our big 10 year anniversary. I cannot believe it's been 10 years. And just in your head, guess how many people are still here from 10 years ago? Three, not including my family. I think if I missed anyone, let me know.

You know, Yvette and Ron and Randy McMillan from day one. Dorie Graham too. And David, okay, that's good. I was feeling a little bad there for a while. That's five that are still here from 10 years ago of the core group.

Many people move, many people, you know, I know it's hard to believe but I don't like this preaching. I know, you know, my mother-in-law is here. She says, Shane, let me tell you, you either love him or you'll hate him.

There's no middle ground. There's no middle option. So anyway, we're gonna celebrate our 10 year reunion and our 10 year anniversary. I think I wanna talk about the seven things that we initially built the church on.

The Church’s Foundational Pillars

And we're still, that's still our goal. Number one, the truth must be upheld, amen. We must elevate the truth. We must keep the truth. In the culture that we live in, we have to fight for the truth, elevate the truth, proclaim the truth, preach the truth and live the truth.

We love those caught in sin, but we do not compromise the truth. That's one of the pillars of this church. A unity must be fought for. That's exhausting. One of the hardest things I have to do is fight for unity, even among people.

Even this morning, I said, Lord, help me with this certain individual. God, give me a soft heart, a gentle heart. I don't wanna have any animosity. And then next week, it'll be somebody else, right? Come on, you know, don't act spiritual.

You know that unity is hard, but it has to be fought for. And we will die trying. We will kill gossip when it starts. We will encourage people to be united. This church is really good at that, actually.

We are very good church in regard to minimizing gossip. I am very honored to lead this type of church. And prayer is the heartbeat of the church, bottom line. Our strength is directly related to our heartbeat, is directly related to our prayer life.

And holiness must be sought. Holiness, you've gotta be holy and set apart. Come out from among them. You live differently. What you watch, what you view, who you associate with, how you act, there's a different standard.

Paul says, come out and be different. Why? Because there's power in holiness. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Spirit-filled believers are always holy. You will never see a carnal spirit-filled believer.

If you think you're one, let me know. I'd love to meet you. Because it's not possible. You're serving one or two masters there. And then love is always our motive. Love is always our motive. There's people here, as hard as I preach, I talk to people every week that struggle with same-sex attraction.

They're living with their partner. They're struggling with transgenderism. They're hooked on pornography. Or they're abusing this type of drug or alcohol. Different things. We love those, but we still stand for the truth.

You see, you have, if you don't underscore it with love, people know it, and you'll just be a mean Pharisee. Look at the life of Jesus. Incredible, incredible love and humility and compassion. The woman caught in the act of adultery.

What would many of us say? You harlot, get out of here. He said, woman, I don't condemn you, but go and sin no more. See, we forget that. Jesus called it out. He told the man he healed, don't go and sin or a worse thing's gonna fall upon you.

He was constantly reminding the people of sin and turning to God. And in a healthy church, when God builds a church, discipleship is flourishing. We were not operating on the cylinder many years ago. But now with the Tuesday night mens, the Saturday morning mens, the Thursday, three things on Thursday for the women.

Donna leads a group Thursday morning. We have Titus on Thursday night, Christine Ramsey and Lindy. And so we have a men's group, discipleship. People are getting plugged in. God is working in a powerful way.

The Power of the Holy Spirit in a Healthy Church

And then finally, my favorite topic, the power of the spirit is always present when God builds his church, always present. You will see the power of the spirit. That's why there's an upheaval. That's why there's a spiritual battle.

That's why there's demonic oppression, demonic attack, because God's spirit is working. Wherever God's spirit is working, the enemy hates it. When God's spirit's not working, the enemy will just leave that church alone.

It's already dead. It's doing nothing for God. Why do I need to go there and do anything? So we see that the power of the Holy Spirit is present in a healthy church. So that's where I wanna pick up where I left off.

In chapter 12, verse one, Paul said, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I don't want you to be ignorant. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. So this topic is interesting because Paul says the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy, speaking in tongues.

Uh-oh. Don't talk about that, Shane. That's weird. I know, but it's biblical. Discernment, healing, faith, miracles, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge.

These were all gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the church to edify the body. And any time somebody says, well, Shane, I don't believe in those gifts today, I just say, I praise God, I do. I don't know what you would do with not seeing how the Holy Spirit moves in these areas.

You should take a trip to the mission field for a week. And they have to have these gifts. They can't put something on visa. They can't go to the doctor and put it on their healthcare plan. If God doesn't heal, they die.

That's how desperate they are. If God doesn't cast out the witchcraft and the things in Africa and come against this demonic influence, the people will be overcome. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are so valid today.

And he said, I'm not gonna list them, all we did a few weeks ago, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, and then verse 11, but one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each individually as he wills.

Continuationism and the Meaning of “The Perfect”

Now, something I didn't talk about that I don't wanna forget. Okay, Lord, help that cough. The main scripture used to support that these gifts have ceased is found in 1 Corinthians 13, I think we have it up there, 1 Corinthians 13, 8 and 12.

So there is a group of the church who believes that all of these gifts of the Spirit are available today. There's another group that believes that they are no longer available. And the scripture they often use is right there.

And what Paul is saying is, love never fails, amen. Love is eternal. Love is eternal. I was just reading last night, actually, Abraham Lincoln, his biography. When he, see, you can read a lot of books if you don't watch TV.

I mean, just a little tip for you. When he married his wife Mary, he had inscribed in the ring, love is eternal. And it's true because the love of God, that is one thing, one gift that will be forever, eternal, love.

But these other gifts that we need now, you don't need in heaven. When that which is perfect comes, when Jesus comes, you won't need all these other gifts. So Paul says, but whether there are prophecies, they will fail, right?

We won't need prophecy anymore. Whether there are tongues, they will cease. And where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. Paul says, for we know in part right now. And we prophesy in part. In other words, we don't see things fully right now.

We don't see things perfectly. We're looking through kind of a glass that's broken and we don't have full knowledge of things. So we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But then he says, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with.

So the argument goes like this. That which is perfect is the word of God. So now we don't need prophecy, wisdom, all these things. We don't need these sign gifts because we have the word of God. But actually what is meant here, when that which is perfect comes, comes from the word teleos in the Greek.

It's the same word that when Jesus said, go tell Herod that fox, that on the third day I will be perfected, I will be teleos, that means Jesus coming. So when Jesus is here, when that which is perfect comes, then we won't need all these other things.

So those who say that which is perfect is the Bible, we just don't find that in scripture. Not only that, Paul spends chapter 14 and 13 talking about that exercise, the gifts. So why would we not need that anymore?

We have the word of God for godliness, for truth. We do not need anything more in regard to the truth. Nothing is above it, nothing is equal to it, we have the truth. But sometimes we need the power of the Holy Spirit to perform some miracles.

I need to hear from God through a prophetic word or word of wisdom, I need to hear from God through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And Paul says, when I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see in a mere dimly, but then when Jesus is here face to face, now I know in part, but then I will know just as I am known. Paul's saying, this is so profound because he's saying when Jesus comes, when the perfect comes, I will know fully.

So here's what happens, if we think this applies to scripture, then we now see better than Paul did. Correct? That which is perfect has come, now I don't see dimly, now I don't see imperfectly, now I see perfectly because that which is perfect has come, now I have better spiritual vision than Paul.

See, this whole thing does not work. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are valid today. It's evident throughout scripture. You actually have to move things around to say they don't exist versus just what does the Bible say?

I mean, I know this is kind of a silly example, but if you were Tom Hanks and you ended up on an island because your UPS airplane crashed, and all you had was the Bible, there's no way in the world you're gonna read it and think that this no longer applies.

It's very evident and clear that it does. So when God builds a church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit will not cease. Okay, Shane, what about faith and healing and miracles and discernment, the gifts we didn't talk about?

Well, that's where I'm gonna go right now, you ready? Buckle up, put on your seatbelt, turn your phones off. You know, you see the faith healers, you see the guys on TV, you see this weird stuff, but what does the Bible say?

The Gift of Faith and Persevering Prayer

Faith, here's what faith is. So if you're given the gift of faith, because God, it says right here, what we read earlier in chapter 12, that God gives the gift of faith. Faith is an overwhelming assurance that God will answer a prayer or he will intervene.

So I don't know if you've ever experienced this. I wouldn't say I have the gift of faith, but sometimes I've experienced it. When you know that you know that you know that you know that God is gonna answer, God's going to intervene, you have assurance as sure as the sun's coming up.

That's a gift of the Holy Spirit, and we need that more today than ever before. Now, it doesn't mean we don't struggle sometimes, we don't waver, doubt doesn't come up, but on certain things, I think things that are just foundational, that we need to know, that God will, that Holy Spirit will give a gift of faith.

And I love meeting those people who have that gift, because they encourage, don't they? They'll shoot you straight, but they'll build you up, they'll encourage you because they have that faith. And when a person has faith and they pray in that faith, it's powerful.

You know those prayers like, well, Lord, if it's your will, if you think, if you want, I don't know, I'm beginning to doubt, but when the person with faith prays, Lord, you will answer according to your word.

Lord, we're trusting in what you're gonna, we're gonna rest in that. And that prayer rises up to heaven because that person is filled with the faith and knowledge of God. It's a wonderful gift. Many who pray clear through experience this gift.

Many who pray clear through, what does that mean? Praying clear through. There's a book actually titled that, Praying Clear Through. And I've, this is a challenge for me sometimes, sometimes I need to spend time with God, but many times our prayers aren't answered or there's not assurance because we stop just short.

We get discouraged, but praying through is holding on to God, holding on to the altar, so to speak, until God listens, until God hears, until he gives you assurance or there's peace to discontinue the prayer.

See, the problem with many people is they don't spend enough time with God. I'm just being honest with you. They don't spend enough time with God to hear from God because I found the more time I spend with God, the more I hear.

But when I try to get through, come I got five chapters to read this morning, I've got a quick prayer list, I've got things to do, it's dead, it's unfruitful many times. You have to spend that time with God.

And I've seen and I know, and the scripture attests to this, that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, if you're beginning to doubt the gifts of the Holy Spirit or maybe you don't have those gifts or you want those gifts, the gifts are often released as we draw closer to God.

If I compare the underground church in China, did you know there's a huge movement now in Iran? Underground church talking to me. And if you compare that Christian with the American Christian and we wonder why they're operating the gifts, they are so close to God, it's like they feel his heartbeat.

And when those people are drawn close to God, the gifts are revealed, the gifts are manifest, the gifts are in them. The closer you get to God, the more you'll reflect his character. So many, if people say, man, I want to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.

I say, well, number one, turn off that three hours of junk on Netflix. Stop going online and looking at things you shouldn't. Get rid of that prideful, arrogant attitude. Wipe off the dust from your Bible and start reading it and living it and applying it and asking God to reveal himself to you.

Put on worship, make your home a holy sanctuary. Make God a priority and then you watch the gifts follow. That's how it works. We want the gifts, but not the gift giver. The Bible says, seek the gift giver.

So are you empowered this morning? Do you need this empowerment? I'm gonna ask a question I asked, I think, a month ago. Are you broken? Are you open? Are you teachable for the move of the Holy Spirit?

Are you broken? What does broken mean? God, I'm broken, I need you to fill me. I need you. If you're full of yourself, God will not fill you. God, I'm humbled before you. I'm teachable, but I didn't say you're gullible.

Discernment, Counterfeits, and Spiritual Abuse

Watch out for some of these guys, some of these churches. They think the louder you get, the more God hears. They take off their jacket and they start to whip it around. Right? Why didn't that row fall over?

And it's just, you know, some in the south have the rattlesnake on the stage. That's testing God. That is blasphemy. From the scripture it says, if you're bitten by a serpent, you will not die. That's a person who's walking in the power and presence of God and calamity befalls them, they can trust in God.

You don't bring a rattlesnake up on the stage and taunt God. Some of those guys have died from doing that. This ridiculous thing that happens in the church really pushes people away from the church, doesn't it?

I wonder how many more of you would be open to the gifts of the Spirit if you didn't see a lot of weirdness. I have, but I'm always reminded, God, they're weird, you're not. People abuse the Bible, they abuse the gifts, but you don't.

Wherever there's an original, there's a counterfeit. What would the enemy want to counterfeit more than the work and the power of the Holy Spirit? You don't know it, but there's people that come in this church on a monthly basis and I know their intent is to harass.

Their intent is to stir up. Their intent is to bring division in the church because the enemy's trying to stop those things. God working in the heart of people. So when God builds a church, you will be empowered.

Miracles and the Manifest Power of God

Okay, Shane, I got it. What about the gift of miracles? Well, I would love to see that gift more often. And I'm gonna read what Wayne Grudem said. Miracles, miracles. Although many of the miracles in the New Testament were specifically miracles of healing, Paul here lists healing as a separate gift.

Isn't that interesting? Because some are given the gift of healings, some are given the gift of miracles. Therefore, in this context, he must have something other than physical healing in view since the Greek word is simply the plural form of the word dynamis, which is power.

It's where we get the power of the Holy Spirit. So that word, some will be given the gift of miracles, of power, of spiritual power, of God moving powerfully and proclaiming. Is it not a miracle when even preaching goes forth and hardened, rock-hard sinners walk in, hell-bent on rejecting God, and they're brought to their knees in forgiveness and repentance?

That, my friends, is a miracle of God changing a heart, the dynamis, the power, the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit. That's part of the miracle working of God in many areas. This means that the term may refer to any kind of activity where God's mighty power is evident, miraculous power to triumph demonic opposition is what is in mind here.

Now, I could spend, honestly, the sermon on this. I've got books on this. I think there's one, Before We Kill and Eat You was written by a missionary where cannibalism was present. And the miracles they talk about, it's unbelievable.

And there's other books, there's other missionaries. See, we don't see the miraculous because we don't really need the miraculous. But when you're fighting witch doctors, and when you're coming against, I mean, people you raised from the dead, little kids, three, four, five years old, and in Africa and Uganda and the, I mean, you see the miraculous power of God working many times outside of America.

I've heard of people that have been trusted. I mean, unless all these people are lying and we're been hoodwinked, unless they're lying, where they've had food for kids, like an orphanage, and the food just keeps going.

And they feed 100 kids, 200 kids, they only had enough for 50. And so you see God working and doing these things. I don't remember the book we passed out a year or so ago of the man who was in the Chinese prison, Brother Yan, I think, he was in a Chinese prison, and God would actually, in a couple cases, remove him from a location and put him somewhere else when the police were coming for him in China.

Now, again, either all these people are just making up fables, or there's a gift of miracles. And I've noticed the more I trust God, the more I trust God, the more we'll see him move, correct? For example, let me just give you a struggle.

I mean, a struggle I've had. For example, with my daughter being sick, the little one, any parent hates to see that. What's going on in my mind? Doctor on Monday, probably diagnosis, probably recommend amoxicillin, antibiotic.

How long am I gonna go before I don't give her that, just let her body healers? See, going to the doctor, going to that source. Now, there's nothing, I'm not against that. Please don't misunderstand. I think we need physicians, we need nurses, we need those people.

They're gifts from God. But where does my mind go? Not to God's healing power first, or a financial need. Financially, where does, ah, if I put on the charge card, or if I can move this, if I can move that, it's rarely.

See, in other places, they have to go to God. There's no plan B. There's no healthcare. There's no charge cards. There's no amoxicillin and antibiotics. There's none of that. You have to trust in God.

Now, what I think we should do in America is not discount these things, but to trust in God. First, and see what he does. For example, for my, he said I have bronchitis. He prescribed two, two hard antibiotics.

I said, make sure it's not ciprofloxacin, because black box warnings on that. But I still have it in my refrigerator. I've never took it. And I told my doctor, let me give it a day, body heal myself, I'm gonna fast, drink a lot of water, and that's the body's meant to heal itself.

A lot of those things aren't necessarily good. I don't want to get on a topic, I don't want to get people upset at me. But be careful. Be careful with vaccines, antibiotics, big pharma. Just saying. Now, these people are not always on your side in regard to health.

Let God be the director of your healthcare. Again, I walk carefully there. Not discounting, but also not encouraging. So what about healings? What about healings? Oh, is this controversial or what? Very controversial.

Healing, Faith, and the Sovereignty of God

Healings. Again, Wayne Grudem, in his book, Systematic Theology, Christ redeemed us from the curse. When he died on the cross, surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows. By his wounds, we are healed.

Now, if we had time, we could look at, again, all these could take a whole sermon. You can look up different scriptures where we are healed spiritually by the cross. But other passages talk about where we are healed physically because of the cross.

And this is a very interesting dynamic. First, it functions as a sign to authenticate the gospel message. Healings did that in the New Testament, did they not? They still do that today. Many, I mean, you watch a lot of the Crusades in Africa or different things, and people are genuine healings.

I'm talking about genuine healings. The gospel is elevated. People begin to believe in this God because blind eyes are being opened and the deaf are hearing, and God is moving among his people. So it does function as authenticating the gospel.

Second, healing brings comfort to those who are ill. Amen? Third, healing equips people for service. A physical disabled man is removed, and they can do ministry. Fourth, healing provides opportunity for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of his goodness, love, power, wisdom, and presence.

And I actually started, I was gonna start a book of all the healings at the church many years ago, and I just got convicted about those kind of things, keeping track of numbers, salvations, and you just, you don't wanna, you wanna be careful and let God just do what he's doing.

We don't even know how many people. We do know that there's like been 300 or so people saved just through the hospital homes ministry. Can you believe that? God is working, the miracle is taking, but people being healed right there.

It's amazing what God does. But doubt comes in, doesn't it? Even as I'm saying that, I'm wondering, how many people think I'm joking? How many people are not open to this because they haven't experienced it?

We also see in the Bible that most healing includes the laying on of hands. Most healing. Now, I don't understand it completely. We're not saying it's transferring, zzzzzz. You know, here comes this into you.

But there's something about Jesus with touch. The woman, if she could just touch the hem of his garment. There's something about a laying on of hands, it's an agreeing, it's an anointing that comes upon.

People agreeing. And I think it has a lot to do also with love and caring for that person, touching a leper. I've prayed for people before that it's hard to touch in the hospital homes, with cancer, with tumors, with things, and they've told me, Shane, wear a mask, put on this, and you know, I'm just gonna trust God.

Prayed for difficult situations. And I think, and people, they would cry once you hold their hand. Once you hold their hand. Some people didn't have half a hand. I remember one day, the first time, God just broke me, the first time I went into one of the hospital homes.

This door shut, the nurse said, she's really struggling with depression, like, okay, I'll pray with her. And I walked in, I could not believe what I saw. It was an attempt at suicide. She took a gun in her, and she removed half of her jaw, her nose, and her eye was missing, and her skull was missing, half of her, portion of her skull.

And she's blind. And she didn't see me, but man, my tears, I'm just sitting there, I'm praying. As soon as I grabbed her hand, and she just started crying, I'm praying, I'm crying, I'm like, oh, I'm glad she's blind, because I'm a mess right now.

And we built a relationship with that person. And she would love the church. She came to the church a few times. Had to wear the helmet and stuff. But God breaks you, and breaks you. And you pray for healing, and you lay, there's something, I think, too, that what about if I did this?

I'll pray for you. Do you think that prayer would be answered? Or when you say, Lord, I care for this person, like you care for this person. And I laid my hands, I held her hand, come to find out she was sexually abused by her father.

So many things, I was just broken. That was one pivotal moment in my ministry where God broke me. You go from preaching like this on Sunday, to talking, you need to get involved in these ministries. You really do.

It'll keep you so humble, and grateful, and filled with God's Spirit. And we've seen people being healed. People being set free. I remember one man I went to, I had the privilege of baptizing him in the hospital, just a couple hours before he died.

He was actually dead, and they revived him. And I get there, I'm like, what are you doing? I thought you died. And he just wanted to be baptized. He died later that night, but he was a quadriplegic. And the first time I went in, and Mike Thomas actually made him a thing to use for his mouth, to use his iPad.

We got him an iPad, he was able to go on Facebook and stuff with his mouth. But anyway, I went in, and he said, can I have a drink of water? I'm like, yeah, here you go. So I realized I had to hold it for him, and put the straw in his mouth.

I'm about ready to cry again. It's like, oh my Lord, we are so thankful. Long story short, I said, hey, here's what I talked about at church. It was, I don't know, six years ago, Matthew 7. Many will come to me in that day and say, Lord, Lord.

He asked what I talked about. So many will come to me in that day and say, Lord, Lord, we don't know you, and I talked about a false prophet. Just read him the Bible and talked to him. Got a text that, hey, remember that guy?

He's ready to accept Jesus. I'm like, what? He goes, yeah, you read to him, he's ready to pray. And I'm like, I'll be there in an hour. I'll get there. And just, you see so many miracles of God working, but you have to step out from your comfortable to being very uncomfortable.

You have to step out, and that's faith. That's exercising. Comfortable Christianity does not exist, amen? There's no such, so you will start to see the miracle touch of God as you step out. So again, most healings include the laying on of hands.

Praying for Healing While Trusting God’s Will

He laid his hands on them, and they healed each one of them in Luke. So how should we pray for healing? Well, when Wayne Grudem said this, when we, so when we pray, it seems right that our first assumption, unless we have specific reason to think otherwise, should be that God is pleased to heal that person we're praying for.

I agree wholeheartedly. That should be our first assumption. God, you're a good God. You heal, you want people to be healed. I'm believing, Lord, that you will heal this person. But what happens when God chooses not to heal?

Because we do know that not everyone is healed. Some churches teach that they are, and I don't see that. I don't see that, because then we would be God. Everybody's healed, everybody's healed, everybody's healed, on our command.

And God uses sometimes sickness. God uses sickness. I like what, I believe it was David said, I didn't put the references. It was good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

And before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. So God sometimes uses sickness, uses illness to draw him back. Also, in regard to healing, sometimes it takes time. I know, many of you have heard of Ravi Zacharias.

God healed his lower back after many, many years of praying. Sometimes it takes time. It's just a pressing in. I noticed Ralph doesn't have his walking sticks anymore. He used to come in here with his walking sticks.

And one day, God set him free, left those things at home. We've talked about it, we testified to it. God is moving among his people. But how, but how, but are we closed-minded? But how closed-minded are we be?

Let me tell you, I struggle with that. I'm not a charismatic fanatic thinking, no, no, no, no. I actually struggle with the opposite. No, because of that doubt comes in, that flesh comes in and begins to doubt who God is.

But I do think we need to have a healthy balance, because I know groups that believe God's always gonna heal. God's always gonna raise from the dead. And there's recently a story of a lady worship leader who lost her little daughter, and they kept praying that God would raise her from the dead for days and a week.

Like, okay, at some point, you know, you gotta give that to God. Now, I can't relate to what they went through. I would probably be doing the same thing. But there's a healthy balance you have to understand.

We're like the three Hebrew boys in the fire. God will deliver us, but even if he doesn't, I'm gonna worship you. Even if he doesn't heal, I'm gonna worship you. Even if he doesn't set me free, even if my prayers aren't answered, I'm going to worship you.

And often, when healing doesn't take place, sometimes our faith is quenched by a wrong attitude. See, I'm not a faith healer. I'm not a name-it-and-claim-it, but I also can't discount the wonderful role that faith plays in healing.

Jesus didn't do many miracles there because of their unbelief. I believe, but help my unbelief. If you have enough faith and believe, you can cast this mountain into the sea. Isn't it interesting? Jesus never cast a mountain into the sea.

That never happened. It's talking about this mountain, this problem, any issue. Nothing is so big for God not to remove out of your life, but you have to have the faith for that. So see, faith does play a role.