Tuesday, March 24, 2020

About the Book

Book: The Ministry of Healing

Author: AJ Gordon

Genre: Christian non-fiction, spiritual growth

Release Date: January 17, 2020

Classic Christian author A. J. Gordon expresses curiosity about whether the healing miracles from the Middle Ages up to his day can be verified as a continuation of Christ’s Spirit in the church. Through deep study and inquiry of the established history, Gordon concludes that the power to heal followers remains with the church—there was no special era of miracle working. God and His powers remain the same in the modern era as they have right through human history. For Gordon, God’s intervention in the suffering and sickness of His followers is frequent; the will of the Lord however is variable—but He will not prolong the pain of someone whose illness is too great. Throughout this text, A. J. Gordon makes his argument from a biblical perspective, citing passages in both the Old and New Testament that support the continuation of spiritual gifts. Quoting testimonies of believers across the ages, he offers a convincing argument that the church ministry is, to this day, one of healing.

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MY REVIEW

I was very much challenged by this book. It was hard to follow at times and other times I had to re read a paragraph several times to understand it. Having been written a century ago I could see the profound knowledge being delivered in the book. It was interesting to glance into a writing from a long time ago and see how a man was passionate about the working of Jesus.

The book includes many scriptures that I took the time to look up. I started to use the book as a study tool and delved into what the book was wanting to point out . The book does detail some miracles that were seen over the years and quotes people I am not familiar with. I did like the part about the elders using oil as they prayed over people. The book explains that the oil was not used for medicinal uses because doctors were not using it. The elders used it in addition to praying over someone. I loved the symbolic reference the book uses in applying the oil.

In the church I attend when it is time for prayer, the prayer team goes up front and they pass the bottle of oil to each other before they welcome people up for prayer. I have always felt that the oil was a representation of healing through God. Now I started to really get into the book more and appreciated the insight into healing. I did enjoy the book and realized it would be something I want to study more. There is a lot of information in the book and Biblical figures that I want to learn more about. It amazes me how long ago this book was written and how a man could decipher things with wisdom. This is definitely a book that should be read slowly and I will say it would be worthwhile to take notes as you read.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Adoniram Judson (A. J.) Gordon (1836–1895) came to prominence in the United States as the evangelical pastor of Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston for more than twenty-five years. During his tenure there, he saw the church completely transformed into one of the most spiritual and aggressive churches in America, with an unsurpassed effort in missions. A missionary training school and publishing house were associated with the church, and Gordon preached at many of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Conferences, along with other notable preachers such as A. B. Simpson, A. T. Pierson, and R. A. Torrey. His training school eventually became Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He also founded Gordon College, in Wenham, Massachusetts. He wrote his most famous book, The Ministry of Healing, in 1882, but he also wrote at least fifteen hymns, including “My Jesus, I Love Thee,” as well as other books of Christian instruction.

More from Whitaker House

This classic Christian work has previously only been self published. Gordon is renowned as founder of Gordon-Conwell Seminary and Gordon College. His writings became foundational work for what later became the spirit-filled movement.