Saturday, March 21, 2009

W. V. Grant Faith Healer

The popularity of the faith healing movement has always been a bit of a mystery to me. The Bible clearly says that signs and wonders are performed for the purpose of bringing unbelievers to a faith in God; why do so many believers chase after miracle signs and wonders?

A friend of mine recently invited me to a faith healing with her. She is a dear friend to me and my transport was her only hope of attendance. It seemed important to her and so I agreed. I think in her heart of hearts she was hoping that if I were to see miracles that I would be encouraged in my faith.

The miracle healer claimed to have a "special annointing" but that Jesus is the one who healed. If Jesus is the miracle healer why would an intermediary be needed? It almost suggests that the healer has already determined that my faith is not sufficient to approach the Father and ask for that which I need. It also suggests that if we have a thorn in our flesh it is not of God and that somehow Satan has some power in my life that God cannot thwart apart from an intervention by someone with a special annointing.

During the service he suggested that everyone would have an opportunity to be healed. It seemed to me that he was suggesting that everyone needed to be healed. Another person there at the healing had been to the revival services throughout the entire week Mr. Grant had been there and claimed to have received a healing himself. This person said that he had never heard of Mr. Grant and didn't know anything about him, but was convinced that he was the real deal. When I did a quick google search prior to the service, I found that Mr. Grant has been convicted of defrauding people in the past and falsefying miracles. Now that he is out of prison, these miracles that I am seeing now are legitimate because God saw fit to forgive him for the miracles he did fraudulently and now has given him "true" power?
http://http//en.allexperts.com/e/w/w/w.v._grant.htm

http://www.bible.ca/tongues-encyclopedia-pentecostal-preachers.htm#grant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WV_Grant

In my studies of the Bible one of the greatest revelations I have had is that God is Holy and I along with all mankind are utterly sinful. Over my years of growing in grace, I have learned how pervasive my sin is. At first, I saw the sins that are offensive to all good church goers and recognized that I fell short of a churchy standard. The church's standard however is so much lower than God's standard of holiness. Jesus pointed that out to the Pharisees who prided themselves on their righteousness and exposed them for the vile sinners they were. God's holiness goes much deeper than external conduct - that is another blog perhaps.

My point is that God uses affliction to draw us in to repentence and into deeper dependence on him alone; sometimes affliction is just for the purpose of him growing his character in us and sometimes it is for his glory, but we don't see God's purpose. We are assured in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good for those who are called according to God's purposes. Mr. Grant at no time in his presentation conveyed an exhortation to deeper fellowship with God, greater knowledge of scripture etc. He spoke out about the way that secular society lives and how it is an offense to God. Well Duh! There weren't a lot of secular society in the room only desperate Christians feeling defeated by affliction and longing for relief. His message could easily be confirmed by the people in the room and had no impact to change the lives that were there.

Faith healing seems to be a misnomer to me. Present are those whose faith is weak and they are longing for a confirmation that God cares and he is all powerful to handle their circumstances. God has shown over and over that he cares. The very fact that he adopted me as a Christian is evidence that he cares. I had no good in me that I should be selected by God. God is still all powerful and he is intimately aware of the afflictions I suffer. He is also able to remove them by a breath if it is his will. I can ask in faith and he has promised that if it is good for me, he will hear my prayer. If Faith healing involved special displays of God's power so that all can see, where is the faith? And where is our faith? Is it in God alone or in some man claiming to have a special prophesy or annointing?

Interesting to me that there were comments during the service about if you wanted your healing to be permanent, you should bring forth your best offering to this man. If it is a healing of God, wouldn't it be permanent? The Bible tells us that there will be false teachers and men claiming to have special power that will deceive even the elect if it were possible. Not all magic is of God and as Christians we need to be discerning in who we allow to influence our thinking.

The spectacle of the faith healing really isn't something that was promoted in the Bible. Jesus even chastised the people who just followed him for a special healing and were not interested in having their lives changed. Paul and the other apostles wrote extensively about the Christian life and it was a journey toward holy living and becoming a person of grace. As Christians we should leave the signs and wonders to the unbelievers. We have something much better; we have the Holy Spirit that lives in us and guides us in the development of the character of Jesus Christ in us. We become living sacrifices.

Following after miracle workers only leaves our faith defeated because we realize that we do not have that kind of power in our lives. If we did, there would be no sickness anywhere because out of love we would be healing them and saving tons of money on medical services. As soon as we have a need that God does not immediately resolve according to our word, we become discourage. What made us think that God is bound to do our bidding like that? I love the dear souls who were in attendance looking for some hope they could cling to in their lives and I have great news! Jesus alone is that hope and he can be found if we will look for him. His plan for our lives is well articulated in the Bible if we will study and his Spirit joins with ours in prayer interceding and convicting us of our sins. We have a great hope not only here but in the hereafter!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

He has been at my church for the past month, and has one more week to go. I just researched him on the internet today, because after the one service I attended, I thought something felt "off" about what I had seen and heard there. I am hesitant to say anything to my family, because I am not sure how they will receive it. So thank you for posting this. Thank you very very much.

Anonymous said...

Beginning in Jan 1996, I had the privilege to speak with and get to know W. V. Grant, Jr. I have learned that he is just as sinful as the rest of us! That was a shock - but also opened my eyes to the truth: There is none good, not a one! But Jesus is the only One who is Good and Sinless!

These miracles are not to prove the preacher is sinless or holy - nor to prove that every word they say is true. Miracles prove one thing - the Ressurection of Jesus is true and that there is salvation in no other! Period. Praise be to the 1 true God Jesus Christ forever and forever!

I wrote this because I think you should know that Rev Grant truly has miracles in his meetings! I have searched diligently and found no person in all America who has Spirit Miracles that are equal to Rev Grant. And I will say that the only person I've ever found who had more power of God with them than Grant, would be William Branham. But I must say that Grant would be second only to Branham.

Example. I personally know 8 people who had never heard of Grant until they met me. I was testifying on the streets in north Mississippi when I met these 8 people. A few weeks after testifying to them, I learned Grant was coming to south Mississippi for a 1 night meeting, so I invited them to go to the meeting, and they agreed.

The results were all 8 received a miracle! 8 out of 8, is 100%. The exact thing they were praying for! Only 3 of those 8 were called out by Grant and told specific details of their life that were true. The others were prayed for individually by Grant in the Prayer Line at the end of the meeting!

Surely you can understand why I must defend Rev. Grant in light of all these facts of which I am an eye-witness. There is so much more I could say, but I believe this is enough to make my point.

May you consider finding out for yourself if Grant is the real deal or a phoney. I dare you...

Anonymous said...

You may have heard that W. V. Grant, Jr. is a fraud - this has been reported on TV and the internet. However, I can attest to the absolute fact that the supernatural "word of knowledge" that is demonstrated in his meetings is 100% real and miracles have been received by several (11 total) people I know personally - including my grandfather. Allow me to explain...

In 1988, I saw Grant on TV for the first time. I recorded his show and showed it to my grandfather who had incurable degenerative disc disease in his lower back. He had been totally disabled since 1980 and had suffered pain every day for the last 17 years! He had been in and out of hospitals numerous times lying flat on his back in traction for weeks at a time!

I got him and 2 other people from our church to go see Grant when he came to Birmingham, Alabama just a few weeks after I first saw his TV show. Grant had never met us or had any contact with us at all. Yet he was able to call out the man and woman from our church and tell them their doctors' names, their medical conditions, birth dates, and more. They both received a miracle that night! My grandfather and I knew Grant had no way to know these things except by a supernatural power. We were convinced he was a man of God from that night.

A few months later, Grant came to Tuscaloosa, AL, and my grandfather went to the meeting by himself. Grant called him out, told him the names of the two doctors he had been seeing the last 17 years, his 2 daughters' names and more specific details of his life.

My grandfather's back had caused 1 of his legs to appear shorter because his back was twisted. Grant had him sit in a chair on the platform, and prayed for him. My grandfather's back was instantly healed! And his legs were both the same length!

Almost 5 years after that night, my grandfather told me that he did not so much as have a headache for a year-and-a-half after Grant prayed for him! This miracle set my "luke-warm Baptist" grandfather on fire for God! He even went to ICU patients at hospitals and testified of Jesus' ability to heal!

My life was even more profoundly affected! I was only 22 yo at that time and Grant said that God wanted to use all of us Believers to do these same signs and miracles... And I was crazy enough to believe that! And beginning in Jan 1994, God did begin to use me the same way He uses Grant. I say this to the glory of God and to attest to the Ressurection of Jesus - my God and Savior. In no way do I claim to be any more righteous than any other Christian!

growingingrace said...

Thank you for your testimony of healing. I am glad that you give God the glory for the work that was done. I sincerely believe that all the healing you have experienced could have been received directly from God without an intermediary. We have direct access to the throne of grace for our God is no respecter of persons and the need to have a priest take our petitions to God has been abolished by our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am glad you are feeling better and have knowledge of the Lord's tender loving care for His people.