A big smile after receiving a healing in south India.

By Tom Shanklin

“And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.” Mark 6:5, 6, KJV.

People often ask me why God seems to move so much more powerfully in other countries than He does in the United States. Well, I don’t have all the answers. But from the Scriptures I can see that one of the main hindrances to the move of God is unbelief. This can occur anywhere. The question is not which country you are in. The question is, “What is the spiritual climate in a particular place?”

God’s Word says, “They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” We say, “Well, maybe…” In other words, there is a skeptical attitude in the West that often hinders us from receiving all God has for us. This attitude is in society and it’s also in our churches, just like it was in Jesus’ hometown.

There are certain scriptures in the Word of God that I find astounding, and this is one of them. Think of it! The Bible says that Jesus, the Son of God, in His own hometown, could there do no mighty work. It does not say He would not, it says He could not.

Now we certainly realize that Jesus could do mighty works. He healed the sick, opened the blind eyes and the deaf ears. He cast out demons and He even raised the dead. I’m confident that Jesus had the power and anointing to do mighty works in His hometown, but yet the scripture says, “He could there do no mighty work.”

Why? It says that he “marvelled because of their unbelief.” Clearly, the reason for the lack of miracles in Jesus’ hometown was “THEIR UNBELIEF.” In other words, their unbelief hindered His healing power from having its full effect.

Now, we don’t like it very much when someone says that we are not receiving something from God because of our unbelief. In fact, it can be very unpopular to say such a thing. In many circles, it would be more acceptable to say, “It must not be God’s will.” But Jesus did not put the blame on His heavenly Father. When the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast out a demon, He told them, “Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20, KJV.

He then told them that this kind of demon comes out only by prayer and fasting. In other words, it was a difficult case and it required a greater release of spiritual power, but still the root cause of their failure, according to Jesus, was “YOUR UNBELIEF.”

The word translated unbelief means “a mental rejection of something as untrue.”

What was Jesus’ solution? “He went about the villages teaching.” Since faith comes by hearing, the cure for unbelief is teaching. However, it’s interesting that very often in third world countries, it doesn’t take that much teaching. You just proclaim the Gospel and people receive what they need, whether it be salvation, healing or deliverance. The people are generally much more apt to believe and to receive what God has for them. Too often, our attitude is “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But their attitude is, “I believe I’ll receive it.”

I was talking to a pastor friend of mine who formerly lived and ministered in Africa and then came to America. He was talking about this difference. He said in Africa he could tell the people about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and then they would simply receive it. But here in the U.S., he said, you teach and teach for weeks and then maybe someone will receive.

I think in America we make faith too hard. Jesus said all we need is faith like a grain of mustard seed—just a little seed which will produce great big results. You see, the power is not in the size of the seed. The power is the One who created the seed. He set it all in motion in the beginning. He said, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest…” Gen. 8:22) Just plant the little seed and it will grow.

God is the One who produces the miracles. Our part is to believe. It’s like the switch in your living room. The switch costs $2 or $3 and you flip it and the light comes on. But the power does not come from the $2 switch. The power comes from a power plant somewhere that costs millions of dollars. The power plant is the thing that produces the power. The switch just allows the power to flow.

You see, in many of our churches and in many of our towns, just like in Jesus’ hometown, we have the switch turned off. There is a mental rejection of the truth. We have a problem with unbelief, or you could say anti-belief. There is a culture of unbelief and it hinders God’s power from flowing. This applies not only to physical healing, but many other things as well. Unbelief simply keeps the Gospel from working. Like it says in the book of Hebrews, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2, KJV.

When Jesus experienced a lack of success in the healing ministry in His hometown, He went about teaching. Then He commissioned His disciples to go forth and cast out devils, heal the sick, and preach the Gospel. Our reaction might have been the opposite. We might have thought, “This healing stuff isn’t working anymore. The age of miracles must be past.” And that is exactly what much of the church has done. Their reaction to a lack of success in the healing ministry has been to make up a non-biblical doctrine saying that God no longer heals.

I recognize that healing is not the most important issue. Salvation is the most important issue, because salvation is forever and healing is for this life only. However, if you are sick, healing is pretty important. It’s important to you, your family, and to all those who potentially can be blessed and helped through your life and ministry. Not only that, but healing is also God’s advertising program for the Gospel. It is one of the major ways that He demonstrates His love and power to a lost and dying world. We still need the ministry of healing today, just as much as it was needed in the days of the early church.

So today I want to challenge you with one more amazing Bible verse: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:12, 13, KJV.

Jesus said those who believe in Him would do the same works that He did in His name! In reading the book of Acts, I see a fulfillment of this. But this promise is not just for the early church. It is for us today as well. As the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8, KJV.

We too are to do the things that Jesus taught His disciples to do! We are to continue in the miracle working ministry of Christ. If things don’t seem to be working, don’t quit! Pray for God to stretch forth His hand and heal, just as He did in the ministry of Jesus…just as He did in the book of Acts…and just as He is doing around the world today. Give your faith a booster shot from the Word of God and expect to do what Jesus did, just like He said you would.

“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.” Acts 4:29, 30, KJV.

The Power Plant is still producing. Let’s keep the switch turned on!