The Healing of the Body of Christ — James Robison

The Call to Servanthood and the Healing of Christ’s Body

Join me now in welcoming to our 31st annual convention James Robison. Thank you very much. I.

Would like to introduce you to my wife if you'd give me that privilege and I consider it a privilege because I love her very very much.

And she is so important. In my life, this is my wife Betty. Would you stand right over here? This is me. I would like to express personal and very.

From very deep within my heart appreciation to many of you some of you when I Look at you here tonight and recognize you it's especially appropriate To say thank you for your prayers for all of my ministry and For your prayers and your friendship and support during the last two years When some very definite distinct changes have been made in my own life and my ministry.

And I do not in any way believe that the changes that have occurred in me Are unique for I believe the Lord is going to change all of us far more than we ever imagined and I am convinced in my own mind That the changes that have already begun in my own life are minute Compared to the changes that God is going to bring about in my life in the months and years ahead.

And I don't think you'll meet anyone on earth more anxious to change Than I am. I don't think you'll meet anyone anymore aware of the need to change. Because I really do want to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

I want that with all my heart and I want you to pray that way for me. I am not interested in being a a leader in the terms that we think of leadership. I want to learn what it is to be a servant and to serve you and to see the body of Christ built up.

So that the body can do the work of ministry the work of service. That's what I want to see with all my heart and I'm praying to that end. Now they've changed microphones and I'm wearing this little microphone.

I want to be sure you're hearing. All right. Are you hearing? Okay back here? God bless you. I'm glad this is not the Sanhedrin. Are you hearing all right out here too with this doing? All right good.

Well, I I pray that it'll be worth hearing. I was here in December in a crusade. It was a wonderful occasion. I remember Paul and Jan were here with TBN and I'm excited about going on Trinity Broadcast Network daily in about two weeks.

We'll be beginning daily 30 minutes every day. We're on several stations now daily. The Lord has given us so much to share. The reason we added this daily program is not only with compassion and mercy for those who will be Receiving ministry, but compassion and mercy on me.

I had so much to share. I was about to explode so we had to give me another outlet and just keep letting us share because there's so much in our Heart the Word of God is shut up in our bones like a fire and we have to get it out.

So that's one reason we're on daily and we really believe it's going to be a blessing. But I was here in Anaheim in this very building back in December and Arthur blessed. It had just come in and what a blessing to be with author.

He's properly named blessed because he is a blessing and I remember one night The Lord interrupted me in the middle of my message I had commented to one of our associates Dudley Hall before I got up to preach.

I said Dudley, I'm not sure I know how to preach. I'm not sure I've ever really preached as God wants me to preach. I'm still not sure that I have and I say to Dudley one thing. I'm certain of I know very little about ministry.

And I really want to learn quite frankly. I think the body of Christ I think the pulpit knows very little about ministry today that night. The Lord showed me a little about ministry. I have much more to learn but during my sermon the Lord just totally interrupted me.

And I was preaching to several thousand people here and the Lord directed me to a person Dressed in blue jeans as he most often is and that person was author blessed and somehow every burden every pain.

Every heartache every moment of loneliness that had ever passed through authors mind and person. Came on me that night and I began to love and minister to author blessed a man who's walked alone carrying a 90 90 pound cross 12 feet long 21 ,000 miles and I began to minister to author.

I just began to love him in front of much of America watching on television. And then God called on me to pray for author blessed and I began to pray and the whole nation received ministry. Those who are watching I can remember during the invitation on this cement floor.

Author blessed was stretched out on his face before God and many people hundreds of people. I barely extended an invitation. I I guess it was something like if the Lord's Ministering to you right now.

You want to come to be in his presence just come and people just fell everywhere all over the place on their face before God it was a beautiful experience the next afternoon author blessed It am I was sitting on on some steps here at the front of the Anaheim Convention Center about three o 'clock in the afternoon.

And we were doing some Television programs some interviews and people began to walk in to the Coliseum and they were coming from all over, California people just drifting into this building and they began to listen to the interview and I paused for a moment and Arthur blessed it looked out at several of the people coming in ask him where they were from and they Told him different places in the state of California and Arthur said well, what are you doing here?

And they said well, we just drove in because last night we were watching on television and the Spirit of the Lord Fell here and Arthur said it really did said what happened to you in your living room and the people began to come in.

We fell on the floor of our living room before. Holy God in the presence of God. And that was the experience of many and you know, it is my prayer that all of us will find ourselves prostrate in spirit in our heart and perhaps even physically before Holy God.

God really wants to minister to you tonight. I have not come here to simply extend my ministry or Expose my ministry to more people. I really haven't there isn't even the inkling of that in my heart. I Can't describe adequately how much I'd like to be an instrument of God to minister to you tonight.

I really want to be an instrument of the Lord to minister to you. And I don't think there's a person here that doesn't need ministry. That was the thing unique about Arthur. Bless it. Here is a man who has seen as many as 70 ,000 people saved instantaneously as he prayed with him.

Here is a man who has seen entire cities healed by the power of God. Instantaneously, here is a man who has watched God work miracles all over the earth. And yet Arthur told me that as I was ministering to him his own family Fell on their knees in front of the television set his children his wife saying Someone has identified with daddy's need here is a man mightily used of God.

But Arthur said you'll never know how much in that moment I needed to be ministered to and I really believe tonight the Lord wants to minister to all of us. I confess to you that as I come to minister, I too need the ministry of Jesus.

I want Jesus Christ to minister to me tonight during this service. I long for that in my heart. I wanted to minister to every one of us if somehow at this moment, we would no longer exclude ourselves From the need of ministry.

I think we would find ourselves receiving the ministry of Jesus to us. Because every one of you are hungry every one of you are thirsty every one of you who are needy. I Believe if you'll come now, I believe Jesus Christ will minister to you and that's my prayer.

Discernment, Healing, and the Vision for a Healthy Church

I was listening I Guess two or three weeks ago to Oral Roberts and I just received a letter from him. Oral had invited a number of us to come to a meeting. Just to visit and I understand I didn't get to go to the first meeting.

But it was quite a quite an experience for those who were there and I I plan if nothing Prevents me from going to be with him next week and he'd written me a personal letter. And then I'd also gotten the letter that he wrote his entire mailing list and I watched him on television.

Oral was talking about not losing his dream not losing his vision and Let me just say this and don't don't miss it. Many of the dreams and many of the visions that Christians have today and the churches and ministries have today are not at all God-given visions.

They are the result of spirits of divination the enemy himself placing before Christians and churches. Visions that are totally unrelated to the purposes of Almighty God. We have returned to seek counsel in the shadow of Pharaoh in the shadow of Egypt.

We're trusting in flesh. We're trusting in horses our measuring stick and our standard is Not this book, but it is the same standard the world. We must examine and allow the Holy Spirit examine our hearts to see whether in fact we have heard God.

When we say we have a vision I was listening to Oral Roberts. And what I just said is not an examination of Oral Roberts vision. God Almighty will examine Oral Roberts. He is a man that I love and I want to tell you this.

One of the most glorious experiences of my life was when the Lord sent me to him to apologize. For the critical spirit and attitude I'd had toward him unkind things I'd said holy God invaded that room things began to happen in all of our lives even that day including Oral's and you've been able to see dramatic changes occurring in his own life and ministry even from some of those time frames and I believe the whole Church of Jesus Christ will someday say Thank you when God's healing power listens is again released as it was through Jesus and through the New Testament Church.

We have not seen anything yet. And if you settle for the glimpses of glory if you settle for the mercy drops. You're going to miss the outpouring that is about to come because God wants to do again What he did then and beyond anything we ever imagined or ever dreamed, but it is going to happen only through Holy people.

I believe That we will be able to say thank you that God did lead Oral Roberts to take the healing message to the world. I believe that we will be able to say thank you to the Lord God that a man kept saying Jesus is healer still and I think all of us as Christians and the church must confess that it is very obvious by the works In his ways and we must learn much much more.

But while Oral was talking about his dream, it was as though the Holy Spirit said to me James, what is your dream? Do you have a dream and I can remember in what was an emotional moment for me. I Just said to the Lord Lord.

I have a dream. I too have a dream. I have a vision Lord. I want to see your body healed. I Want to see the body of Jesus Healthy on this earth Doing the ministry of Jesus. I can't tell you How much I long to see his body healed.

I Was ministering in Alabama In a meeting There were thousands of people there. But when I got up to preach I I saw one girl. She was on a stretcher. She had various medical Apparatuses attached to her it was obvious that she could not move and when I got up to preach I looked at her and I said Honey, I don't know you.

But I know you came here Because you know when Jesus passes by He does what only he can do and I know you want to be healed and I'm gonna come over After I minister the people and we're gonna pray with you.

I just want to tell you that now I'm impressed to come over and pray with you and she managed to smile. That's all she do smile. She can't move any other part of her body. She can't even talk. She has a break I found out later the highest break that anyone has ever survived her back her neck is broken at the brain stem and She survived the break, but she's totally paralyzed.

And So after the meeting and it was a glorious time together I went over along with two of my associates and my wife who was seated there are by her head right behind her. Her name is Kim Kendall Kim Lunsford.

And I went over and I knelt down by Kim and when you've been paralyzed as I found out she'd been paralyzed for two years your hands will begin to take the shape of the tissue that has not been used or exercised properly and Her hands were not normally shaped but were totally helpless and I reached down and I took her hands in mine.

And I knelt by her and bear in mind now. I experienced something that I want to live in. After the Lord had healed me, which he did I was not looking for healing. I knew that he could heal. I have preached some of the most Unscriptural the most godless messages.

I listened to one of them the other night in the car. Somebody pushed the tape and said listen to James Robinson. It was the most nauseating experience. I've had in some time. I turned it off. It was not only nauseating.

It was totally unscriptural. It was a verbal assault on the very word in nature and character of Almighty God all in the name of deep convictions in the religious realm and The Lord gloriously healed me.

Personal Healing Through Scripture and Faith

I was sick for ten years of various ailments. I carried infection in my blood system. You could check my blood at any time. It was checked nearly every time I went to any town to preach. I carried infection.

I was checked to see if I was contagious. I had infected throat and and Terrible problems all the time sinus infections that were chronic. I had a stomach disorder every Identifiable functioning gland that I knew the location of in my body ate and throbbed with pain.

And that was the way I lived. It was horrible. But the Lord Jesus spoke through a pastor I've been warned to stay away from is a Baptist pastor named Jim Hilton at Lake Country Baptist Church and People had told me said stay away from him and they put a label on him.

Naturally the best thing we can do to get people to stay away from any possibility being helped is label them scare. Do you know that the Church of Jesus Christ today is largely controlled by fear and intimidation.

Putting the people down and it is tragic. But I heard Jim Hilton say as he was preaching the power that raised Jesus dead body from the grave lives in you. Preaching from Romans 8 the same power that raised his dead body lives in you and I heard not Jim Hilton Say that I heard God say it and seated on the front row of that building.

God Almighty came upon me and healed me right there and I'm telling it was wonderful and it still works. I'm living in beautiful health and learning to walk in that hell. I went home. I Went home and prayed for my wife who had suffered with various illnesses for years.

My daughter had been 17 years with terrible asthma. I can remember the last attack she had on the sofa in our den. She was about to choke to death as I've seen her so many times. This was one of the most severe attacks I'd ever seen her come under and sitting down the sofa.

I looked over at her and in the name of Jesus I rebuked asthma and my daughter as quickly as you could turn on a light. My daughter was healed of asthma right there in the midst of a severe attack and it is not returned and she lived in that hell.

She could not run. She could not play like other children. My daughter can now run three four and even five miles a day. What a beautiful beautiful work God did her life. The same thing happened to our son.

That was 12 and have been sick for 12 years with chronic stomach disorders. He went alone with his Bible because we had shown him that God said his word and Healed him and delivered them from their distresses and I'll tell you many people are seeking healing in the wrong place.

They're seeking it at the hands of people rather than by the Word of God the word still lives. Deliverance by man is in vain, but through the Word of God it is real as is healing. Well, I knew that healing was real and I began to study the Word of God and I Became zealous for what God said.

I became so caught up in what the Word of God said that I couldn't hear the traffic and Speculations and and the doubts and skepticism of men bear in mind and this was glorious Lord. I want to live there.

I want to move and live there till Jesus comes, but I want to tell you with religion Bombarding you with the vain Speculation of men the assertions of men the fruitless discussions of men in a religious village atmosphere.

It's not impossible to stay here. But I lived in a situation where for six months as my memory serves me I do not recall a single instance a single occurrence a single place either in person or by telephone.

Where I prayed with anyone for six months who was not Instantaneously healed of whatever sickness or disease they had for six months every single one of them. Some of them were dying. Some of them were waiting to die.

The miracles were absolutely incredible. Do you know that when I went to pray for people during that six-month period? I could not even find get this reaching my mind. Subconscious or conscious the thought never entered my mind.

It never got to my mind that they might not get well. That thought never got here. The only way I can explain that is to tell you was a miracle. All I could hear was God. Not men. God wants us to live there as I went over.

And I believe we're so supposed to live there that when the miracles that Jesus did don't happen. He will tell us why I'm gonna tell you the church is so sick today. If he told you why they couldn't take it if you told them and if you told the individual why they didn't get well.

Your name would be mud. Because it'd be all over the community that you're putting condemnation and guilt on that person. Even if you told them the very Word of God, I want to tell you we're dealing with the sickest Organism on the face of this earth when we refer to the body of Christ the church of Jesus Christ today.

And as I knelt beside that girl on that stretcher Longing in my heart at that time to see her get up. I Took that little crippled hand and held with those fingers and I Lifted her hand up to my lips. And I kissed that little crippled hand and I prayed God Heal this girl.

I rebuke destruction. I rebuke the effect of injury. I rebuke paralysis. I rebuke the tissues. Inadequacy. I spoke healing and life and strength and every fiber of her body. And as I held her hand And I felt no quickening of the muscles.

And I'm gonna tell you something I don't rest on past Experiences or miracles. I want God to touch you. Because God feels your need. And as I held her hand I said Jesus heal her body and Then as I felt no quickening in her body, I said speak to me Jesus.

And as real as I've ever sensed anything. It was as though Jesus himself right there in front of thousands of people just knelt down right beside me. And as he knelt down beside me put his hand right there on my shoulder.

And as I was holding her hand Jesus said to me James Her hand is Like my hand. Her hands are like my hands like my body today In proportion to what they're supposed to be. My hands are like her hands James.

Her body is like my body bird at the head. Jesus said I'm not the head of my church. Me at all fleshly exaltation and by the Foolishness of the sheep who fix their focus on men rather than Jesus. We're Not only blind leaders of the blind we have chosen rather to follow men than to follow God.

It takes time to be holy. He speaks in a steel small voice. You have to train your ear to hear it. He's not often noisy as all his preachers. It's easier to heap to yourselves teachers having itching ears according to your own desires.

Whatever kind you want. They're a dime a dozen. You can find an appropriate teacher. To motivate your flesh. And then Jesus said to me My body today is being stimulated by artificial means. Just like Kim's body and then Jesus said something else to me.

He said Kim understands the condition of my body and Kim is an intercessor for the healing of my body and Jesus said as my body is restored Kim's body is going to be restored. Tell her that. And I said Kim Jesus just said to me you're an intercessor and you understand the need for the healing of the body of Jesus and that as his Body is restored your body is going to be restored.

And she nodded and she had told her mother just two days before. Those exact words that Jesus had spoken to her. I'm gonna tell you something folks before you're going to see the healing of the body of Jesus.

It's going to take some travail in Zion. It's going to take some people who are going to pray through who are not. Who are not satisfied by simply going to some conventions. Who are not satisfied by Statistical reports.

Who are not satisfied with the world slogan that bigger is better. But who want to see Holy God manifested in holy people and They have a heart for God and they're going to tune out. They're going to tune out every preacher and every teacher.

They're going to turn off the superstars and the celebrities and they're going to train their ear to hear the Shepherd. And they're going to recognize truth and go after it with their whole heart and they're not going to follow man anymore.

They've had it an.

Testing Spirits and Returning to Scripture

Insecure concerned preacher said to me the other day. I don't know what we're going to do with these people of God. I think we're losing control. I said I want to affirm that you are. God is taking over.

Praise his holy name. The day of manipulating God's sheep is over. The people of God are Going to become Noble more noble than those at Thessalonica like the Berean Christians who receive the Word of God with readiness of mind and Search the scriptures daily whether those things are so we're not going to believe it because so-and-so says.

We're not going to come and simply sit before the distinguished men of the earth. We want to hear God and You need to test the spirits. You need to discern the spirits there many of them and the reason you need to discern the spirits John said is because Many false prophets have gone into there more today than any other time.

There's as much flesh in this pulpit as there is in any country club. I'm telling you as much carnality and worldliness and materialism and flesh and unholiness in church Sanctuaries than there is in a nightclub.

We are parading flesh. God is about to shake down everything that can be shaken folks. And I want to tell you if you're standing on a worldly system of religion if you're standing on worldly tradition.

It's coming down if you're standing on it. You better get off it. It's coming down if you're standing near it get away from it. It's falling down. Don't be near it. The only thing that's going to stand is the Word of God.

Plant your feet on the Word of God and stand there see what God says. It's going to take time. Many of the people that I have known now in the past months who've been healed by going to this word. Many of you for years have camped in the fifth chapter of James.

Call for the elders of church anointing with oil and pray the prayer of faith will restore the sick. But you forgot the first four chapters of James. The first one says let no double-minded man think he receives anything from the Lord.

So stay out of chapter 5 to get chapter 1 down. Many of you Forgot chapter 4 if you make friendship with the world, that's enmity hostility with God. You don't receive anything from God. God will not answer you.

Find yourself in the presence of God. Come with brokenness. Watch God work. I Went with my wife a few weeks ago. And this is I'm gonna share with you several things. The Lord told me to share and then the Lord just gonna carry us along and we'll ministers the Holy Spirit directs prayerfully.

Spiritual Warfare and the Unattended Garden

I Was with my wife for a couple of days. Well, really a day 24-hour period we drove about two hours have a little place we can get away to pray and just be alone and We were going to eat that night and I was gonna charcoal a steak for me and Betty and we had a little charcoal.

I don't know how many of you've ever done this. But I'll tell you what I would do if I were pastor of a church and you're not you shouldn't make you people do anything. But I would encourage my people to do two things.

I would encourage my people to build a charcoal fire until they were successful. Not with self lighting charcoal the kind you have to soak in light. And I would encourage every single member of my church from child from junior age up and Possibly even younger than that.

I would encourage every member of my church to grow some kind of a garden. Either a flower garden or a vegetable garden or some kind of garden. Because it is only then that you begin to understand what it means to be fruitful and to multiply.

And I'm gonna tell you something about a garden. I don't care if it's a flower garden or a vegetable garden or a field of hay or grain or wheat or corn. You can plant the very best. But if you leave that field unattended, I can tell you what's gonna take over.

And I'll tell you something else your flowers and your vegetables will not be in sin. They don't sin, but they will find themselves under the assault of a destroyer as Surely as any holy person sitting in this room tonight.

For the fiery darts of the wicked come against every breathing living being. There is a destroyer That will grow weeds and thorns and briars in your garden. And the black spot and the spider mite and every other Fungus known to man will attack plant life that doesn't sin.

And I can assure you that you and I are in a war with the spiritual powers of darkness and if you leave God's field unattended to by the Husbandman by Jesus Christ the vine dresser if you're not in Holy Spirit Communion with Holy God and allowing the sword of the Spirit to do work in your life.

You too will be overgrown and your field will become a field that is sprouting Poisonous weeds rather than good fruit to the glory of God, and I'm telling you that most Christians right now Have their lives so infested by the work of the enemy that is an abomination to think about.

Well, I was building a charcoal fire and as I Had the charcoals there on the grill I remembered last winter a friend of mine went out to build a charcoal fire and he couldn't get it lit and I went out and I saw that the charcoal was scattered all over the grill one little layer of charcoal he was dousing it with the lighter fluid and Putting the match to it and go like that and put dead black charcoal.

Well, I had remembered that I am fairly perceptive. I learned quickly. I'm not like some people in government. Mr. Watt who never will learn no matter what they do, you know, and So what I had done is I knew that in order to get charcoal to light you've got to pile it up in a neat little pile now watch this I get the charcoal and I make a little pile and Some of the little briquettes trickle off and roll down the side and Meticulously, I reach down and pick up the charcoal and I place it in.

I have to lodge it. I have to prop it up with some more charcoal. I've got dirt all over my fingers and I'm piling up the charcoal and it's as though the Lord himself He's just chuckling at me. He does that a lot about me chuckles at me a lot.

He thinks I'm pretty funny and He's just chuckling at me and he says well look at you. What are you doing? The Lord and I talk like this a lot. Excuse me. Some people don't believe you can but I'm enjoying it and I'll go right on talking to him.

He likes to talk to me and we fellowship like this. It's really all right to fellowship with your father. He really likes to talk to you and I never will contradict his word that's the reason he gave you the word because the devil will masquerade as an angel of light and His ministers will come as ministers of righteousness.

And they'll deceive you. They don't come in and announce behold a false prophet they think they're right. But when you're deceived you deceive. Well the Lord and I talk a lot and he's chuckling and and he said what are you doing?

And I said, I'm stacking this charcoal. It won't light unless you get it all together. We're all of its touching each other and I said that's what I'm doing Lord. And he said in that something He said why don't you preachers learn to do that with my people?

He said my people are scattered all over the earth not even touching each other and you're running around trying to soak them in the Oil of the Holy Spirit and in truth He said you just soak them and soak them and soak them and soak them and then you wonder why they don't get on fire.

He said my son's already prayed it. That you may be one is we're one a new commandment. He gave you that you love one another we love one another and By this the world will know you're my disciples my disciples not full gospel not bad this not Pentecostal.

Not charismatic my disciples if you love one another really love one another and the Lord said. The Lord said you can soak them in truth soak them in Holy Spirit emphasis. But until my people agree to come together until my people will Seek strive Diligently to preserve the unity of the Spirit into which they were born in Christ in a bond of peace.

He said you need not expect me to light the fire. He said let my people come together. With this purpose to seek me as they did at Pentecost. Waiting on me waiting on the promise of the Father waiting on me.

And I'll light their fire. That's what I want to see. I'm committed to that. I'm committed to it. There isn't anybody. I'll stop loving. I've been called the ugliest names. I know any preacher been called.

I never know a preacher get called. What I've been called in the last year. I don't know any other preacher here been called a cult and a cult leader. I Spent on the headlines of several papers with a very flattering picture of me like this.

Tell you of those people. I'm not even a little bit mad at. I'd even chapped. I'm not even hacked. I'd preach for him next week if I had the courage to let me come. I mean, I'd just love to go and just preach to their people.

Let me tell you what we're doing. Listen folks, we're revealing the true nature of our system. We've got the nature of the accuser of the brethren beamed each other. God's gonna heal us. Because we're going to agree to love one another so this is.

I'm not going to compromise. Well, I believe it may be the greatest compromise at all to refuse to love one another. As a matter of fact, if you don't love one another God says you don't even know him.

I Didn't say that God said. You can't hear God if you won't walk in love. How are you gonna know the truth if you're committed to walk in darkness hating one another. God forgive? He's going to. I don't know that I've ever had a vision.

Spiritual Gifts Without Idolatry

Where I could see everything clearly. My wife had a vision recently. Our little 11 year old daughter had a terrible growth on her lip. We had everybody pray for we knew to pray for we prayed for and It stayed there and it was ugly and it wouldn't go away and we took her to doctor and he wouldn't take it off.

He sent her another doctor. He wouldn't take it off. He sent her to a plastic surgeon said it's serious. It'll leave a scar need a plastic surgeon. So Went to him and he said I'll do it in about another month or so.

And it really kind of upset me we'd prayed, you know. And then the doctor said he could do it, but he put the thing off and and I called Betty. I said Betty what what why do I to do that? And she said I don't know honey, and We didn't understand why it didn't go away, but it was ugly.

She could hardly brush her teeth. She could hardly. And there it was it was as big as into my finger just a bulbous bulbous tumorous little growth here. It's horrible. It's ugly like a cigarette ash hanging off her lip.