Luke, who was a medical doctor, was with Paul on many of Paul's missionary journeys. Luke
wrote the Acts of the Apostles as well as the Book of the Bible that bears his name. Luke was
with Paul when he was shipwrecked and they were on the Island of Melita.
Nothing at all is said to the effect that Luke ministered to the folks on that island with his
medical knowledge. But the father-in-law of the chief man of the island was sick, and Paul laid
his hands on him
and he was healed. He was healed by the supernatural power of God. This was the gifts of
healings in manifestation.
Then the islanders brought the sick from all over the island, and Paul ministered to them, and
they were healed.
Certainly I believe in medical science, and I thank God for what it can do. I am certainly not
opposed to doctors, but some people confuse medical science with the gifts of healings.
I heard someone say on the radio one time that the gifts of healings were what God had given
doctors and medical science. But the gifts of healings are not doctors and medical science. If
that is God's method of healing, then doctors ought not to charge anything; medical treatment
ought to be free because the Bible says, ". . . freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8).
However, as anyone who has had any experience with doctors knows, medical treatment is
not free. Also, if doctors and medical science were God's method of healing, medical treatment
would always be free from errors; doctors would make no mistakes. However, we know that
this is not true either. Doctors and medical science are natural means of healing. The gifts of
healings and other methods of divine healing are supernatural.
I would not speak disparagingly about doctors, hospitals, and medical science because they
do much good for humanity. I thank God for the number of good Christian physicians who have
the best interest of their patients at heart and who minister to them with their natural human
ability as a trained physician.
But the healing that is supernatural doesn't come by diagnosis or by prescribing treatment.
Divine healing comes by la