The pain point for many of us is the terrifying gap between what we read in the Word of God and what we see—or don't see—in our local churches. You read about a Jesus who heals the blind and casts out devils, then you go to a service where the greatest "supernatural" event is a well-timed choir special. When I brought my experiences to the "experts" in that cessationist environment, they didn't offer me prayer or deliverance. They called me nuts. They told me I was into witchcraft. Imagine being a small child, looking for a shepherd, and being told your very real spiritual battles are just a sign of a broken mind.
This rejection is what drives so many people away from the cross and toward the counterfeit. If the church tells you the supernatural ended two thousand years ago, but you are experiencing the supernatural right now in your living room, you start to think the church is the one lying. You start to think, "Maybe these guys aren't even reading their own book." That frustration led me into the wilderness of New Age religions, searching for any power that would acknowledge the reality of the spirit realm.
But here is the solution I want to explore with you today: the problem isn't the Bible, and it isn't the supernatural. The problem is a theological framework that tries to put the Holy Spirit in a cage. We don't need to choose between "sound doctrine" and "supernatural power." We need a spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus—the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We’re going to look at why the "empty the hospitals" argument falls flat, why "confirmation bias" keeps us blind, and how we can all find ourselves on the same ship, heading toward the truth of the Living God.
Not long ago, a discussion broke out on my Facebook feed that really got the gears turning. It started with a simple post, but it quickly became a microcosm of the Great Debate: Cessationism versus Continuationism. For those who aren't familiar with the "isms," cessationism is basically the belief that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit—things like tongues, prophecy, and healing—ceased after the last apostle died. They think the "perfect" mentioned in scripture is the completed Bible, not the return of the Messiah.
My friend Nancy Petrey told me I better explain this clearly because there’s a lot of confusion. A sister named Gail gave a pretty solid nutshell version. She noted that many cessationists are Baptist or from mainline denominations. They use verses from 1 Corinthians and Ephesians to prop up their idea that the "supernatural" was just a starter motor for the early church that got switched off once the engine was running. They especially seem to have a bone to pick with tongues and miracles.
As I was reading through the comments—and there were a lot of them, believe me—I noticed something fascinating and a little bit troubling. A man joined the thread, a self-identified cessationist. He wasn't being mean; he was actually quite polite. He just said my position was "fallacious." But then came the classic "gotcha" question that street evangelists and missionaries hear all the time: "If healings are for today, why don't you guys just go down to the hospital and empty it out?"
Now, here is the kicker: that is the exact same argument I hear from atheists. I’ve sat in "Blabs"—remember that old video platform?—with famous atheists who used to be pastors. They would look me in the eye and say, "If God is real, why doesn't He heal every person in the oncology ward right now?" It’s a question built on a fundamental misunderstanding of how the Kingdom of God operates. It assumes that healing is a magic trick we perform on demand, rather than a move of the Spirit that requires an atmosphere of faith.
Let me take you to a concrete moment that changed how I see this. A few years back, I was out with Garry Nesbitt. If you haven't seen Garry's stuff, you need to. He’s a healing evangelist who just goes about his day fixing windshields and praying for people. We were standing outside a hospital building. We saw a lady leaning against the exterior wall. She was struggling, clutching the brickwork for support because of intense diabetic foot pain.
Garry didn't wait for a "hospital emptying" permit. He just walked up in love. We prayed for her right there on the sidewalk. I have the video of it; you can see the change in her face. The pain left. She started walking without the wall. It was a radical, beautiful moment of the Kingdom breaking through.
But then, we stepped inside the building.
The atmosphere changed instantly. It wasn't just the smell of antiseptic and the hum of fluorescent lights; it was a spiritual weight. We had just seen a miracle ten feet from the door, and we were excited. We started asking people in the lobby, "Hey, do you want prayer? We just saw a lady get healed right outside!"
One after another, they said no.
It was surreal. People sitting in a place designed for healing were refusing the very thing they needed. I realized that inside those walls, there is often a "principality of unbelief." People are paid to believe in the pharmaceutical, and while I thank God for doctors—remember, Luke was a physician—there is often no room left for the Great Physician.
We eventually found one man in the waiting room who said, "You know what? I’ve got the faith of a mustard seed." Garry prayed for him. At first, the guy stood up and almost stumbled. We prayed again. Something shifted. He didn't just walk; he felt this sudden urge to get out of that building. He limped toward the exit, but the moment his feet hit the pavement outside, he started dancing. He was doing the "rope-a-dope," moving his feet, totally restored.
Why did it happen that way? Why did he need to get out of the building? It reminds me so much of what happened with Jesus in His own hometown. The Bible tells us plainly why the miracles stopped there.
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:58 KJV)
If Jesus Himself—the Son of God, the author of life—was limited in His "mighty works" because of the atmosphere of unbelief in Nazareth, why are we surprised when the same thing happens in a modern cessationist environment or a secular hospital? Unbelief is a lid on the pot. It’s not that God can’t move; it’s that He often won't move where He isn't welcomed or believed.
I also think about my friend Doug Hanson. We were walking down a hall once and saw a lady with a cane. We prayed, she got healed, and she literally tucked the cane into her purse. She was so on fire that she wanted us to go pray for her son. These things happen, but they don't happen because we are "emptying hospitals" like some kind of spiritual vacuum cleaner. They happen because individuals reach out and touch the hem of His garment in the midst of a world that says the garment doesn't exist anymore.
Personal Reflections
I spent a long time being angry at the cessationist church of my youth. When you are a kid and you're experiencing "crazy demonic stuff" and the people who are supposed to have the answers call you a liar, it leaves a scar. It pushed me into the New Age movement. I thought, "Well, at least these people acknowledge that the spirit world is real."
I’d sit in those New Age circles and hear them quote the Bible. That’s the irony! The New Agers often had more "faith" in the supernatural power of the Word than the cessationist preachers did. They were using it for the wrong reasons, sure, but they weren't trying to pretend the power was gone. I had to come full circle. I had to realize that I didn't need the occult, and I didn't need a dry, powerless theology. I needed the biblical Jesus.
I've learned that much of the debate comes down to "confirmation bias." I saw this clearly when I was talking to that atheist ex-pastor on Blab. I asked him, "Have you ever heard of Smith Wigglesworth? Maria Woodworth-Etter? The Azusa Street Revival?"
He said, "No."
How can you be a "seeker of truth" or a "scholar of religion" and never look at the documented accounts of the supernatural in the last 150 years? It's because people only read the books that confirm what they already believe. Cessationists read John MacArthur’s Strange Fire to find reasons to hate the charismatic movement. And look, I get it—there is a lot of "false fire" out there. There are counterfeits and weirdness in the pentecostal world. Even pentecostals will tell you that. But you don't throw out the gold just because someone showed you a piece of fool's gold.
I recommend people read Authentic Fire by Michael Brown. It’s a direct response to MacArthur, and it’s brilliant. Don’t just stay in your bubble. If you’re a cessationist, read the other side. If you’re a charismatic, make sure your "fire" is grounded in the Word.
We are all on the same ship. Whether you call yourself a Calvinist, an Arminian, a cessationist, or a continuationist—if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, we are sailing together. We need to stop pouncing on each other from the shadows like atheists looking for a fight. We need to discover the truth together.
Biblical References
When we look at the progression of faith in the New Testament, we see that the supernatural wasn't a "one and done" event. It was a journey of receiving. Look at what happened in Ephesus:
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. (Acts 19:1-2 KJV)
These were "disciples." They were believers! But they were missing the power. They had the "baptism of John"—the baptism of repentance—but they hadn't moved into the fullness of what Jesus promised. Paul didn't tell them, "That's fine, the Holy Ghost is only for the twelve apostles." No, he laid hands on them.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:6 KJV)
There is a chronological progression here. You hear the word, you believe, you are baptized, and then there is an immersion in the Spirit that leads to the supernatural. We see this even with the apostles. In John 20, after the resurrection, Jesus breathes on them.
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive the Holy Ghost: (John 20:22 KJV)
They received the Spirit then for regeneration, but they were still told to wait for the "power from on high" at Penticost. It’s a process of going deeper and higher.
Look at the Apostle Paul. Before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was the ultimate cessationist—or worse. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He had the scripture memorized. He thought he was doing God a service by attacking those who believed in the "supernatural" claims of the Christians. But once he met the Author and Finisher of our faith, everything changed. He went from being a persecutor to being the man who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament and spoke in tongues more than them all. He moved from the letter that kills to the Spirit that gives life.
Key Takeaways
- God is Unchanging: He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He was a healing God in 33 AD, He is a healing God in 2026.
- Unbelief is a Barrier: Miracles often require an atmosphere of faith. Jesus Himself was limited by the unbelief of those around Him.
- Avoid Confirmation Bias: Don't just read things that support your current view. Dig deeper into the Word and the history of the church.
- The "Same Ship" Principle: We must focus on our shared foundation in Christ rather than dividing over the cessation of gifts.
- Seek the Biblical Jesus: Don't settle for a cultural or denominational version of Christ. Read the Word for yourself and expect to see what you read.
Conclusion and Call to Action
My passion, my absolute heartbeat, is for you to have a spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. Not the Jesus of "tradition," not the Jesus of "that's just how we've always done it," but the Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Galilee and still walks the halls of our lives today.
If you’ve been told that your spiritual experiences aren't real, or if you've been sitting in a dry place wondering where the power is—don't give up. The "rocks of revelation" are still being poured out. We don't have to be afraid of the supernatural when we are anchored in the Word of God.
I want to invite you to join this journey with me. Dig into the scriptures. If you want to read more about my own supernatural journey and how I dealt with those early attacks, check out my books OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY and Overcoming Night Terror: Making the Demons Leave. They go much deeper into the "how-to" of spiritual warfare and walking in the Spirit.
Please share this post, like it, and leave a comment. I want to hear your thoughts. Have you encountered "confirmation bias" in your own walk? Have you seen the power of God move in unexpected places? Let’s talk about it.
Until we meet again, remember: dig deeper and go higher.
Action Items
- Study the Progression: Read Acts 19 and John 20 this week. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is a "next step" in your own reception of His power.
- Challenge Your Bias: Pick up a book or listen to a teaching from a perspective you usually disagree with (like Authentic Fire or Strange Fire). Compare everything to the KJV scripture.
- Pray for an Opportunity: This week, ask God to lead you to one person who needs prayer for a physical ailment. Don't worry about "emptying a hospital"—just focus on the one person He puts in front of you.
- Audit Your Atmosphere: Identify areas in your life (or your church) where "unbelief" might be acting as a lid. Repent of any "rationalizing" that explains away the power of God.
- Visit ConradRocks.net: Explore the archives for more episodes on the supernatural and spiritual growth to keep your faith fueled.
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