Cessationist Pastor Gets Healed Part 1

I remember standing in a small West Texas town years ago, just a young boy sitting in a school auditorium. The air was thick with anticipation. There were some singers—I forget their names now—and a man preaching the Word. But then, something happened that I will never forget. The presence of the Holy Spirit came into that little auditorium so strongly it felt like a physical weight. I remember thinking, "Wow, God is here." I was so moved, so shaken by the reality of His presence, that it changed the way I looked at everything.

But here is the struggle: many of us are raised in environments where we are told those experiences aren't for today. You might be sitting in a pew every Sunday, reading your Bible, and yet feeling like there is a wall between you and the power described in the book of Acts. You see the miracles in the text, but your daily life feels devoid of the supernatural. Maybe you have even been told, as I was, that the "gifts have ceased."

This creates a deep spiritual ache. You love Jesus, you know the Word, but you are starving for the Spirit. You might even be afraid to admit you want more because the people you look up to—your pastors or mentors—insist that those things died out with the last Apostle. It’s a pain point of cognitive dissonance: the Bible says one thing, but your tradition says another.

The solution isn't to walk away from the Word; it's to have a spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. Today, we are looking at a radical testimony that shatters the cessationist mindset—the story of an associate pastor from a cessationist denomination who was radically healed when a man of God stepped out in faith. If a cessationist pastor can get healed by the very power he was taught didn't exist, what does that mean for you? It means the God of the Bible is still moving, and He wants to orchestrate divine appointments in your life too.

A while back, I was talking with a good friend of mine. We speak on the phone pretty much every other day, sharing what God is doing. He told me a story that just set my spirit on fire. He had the opportunity to pray for an associate pastor from a cessationist denomination. Now, remember, cessationism is the belief that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit—like healing and tongues—ceased after the time of the Apostles.

My friend didn't care about the theology of the man's denomination; he cared about the man. He prayed for him right then and there. And guess what? The pastor got healed on the spot. Can you imagine the shift in that man’s world? One minute he’s holding a theological position that says "God doesn't do this anymore," and the next minute his own body is testifying that God just did!

This isn't an isolated event. Just recently, Susan and I went to a flea market in Gautier, Mississippi. We weren't just there to sell stuff—honestly, we didn't sell anything! We went there to pray for people and share the Gospel. A brother named Doug was with us in the booth, and he stepped outside into the parking lot. He saw a lady limping, leaning heavily on a cane. Doug didn't wait for her to come to a church service; he approached her right there in the heat of the Mississippi sun.

He prayed for her, and she was radically healed! There’s actually a video testimony of it on his timeline. While this was happening, another lady named Virginia heard the prayer and jumped right in—she was already walking in the power of the Holy Ghost herself. But here is the kicker: a pastor from another church was sitting in his truck nearby, watching the whole scene unfold. He watched the lady limp, he watched the prayer, and he watched her walk away healed.

When I spoke to that pastor later, he told me he had never seen a miracle like that. But then he said something profound: "They should be happening." Even those who haven't seen it know in their spirit that the God of the Bible is a God of power.

If we want to see these results, we have to look at the common denominators of the "Generals of the Faith"—men like Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, and William Seymour. When you study the Azusa Street Revival or the lives of these men, you see a pattern. They weren't just "lucky" or "special." They followed a blueprint of the Spirit that we can follow today.

The Blueprint of Power

First and foremost, these were people of long prayer. I was recently listening to Wigglesworth’s book, Ever Increasing Faith. He talked about starting prayer at 11 p.m. and not finishing until 3:30 in the morning. William Seymour, after being barred from his church for preaching about tongues, didn't complain; he just added two more hours a day to his prayer life.

We often want the "Mark 16" signs—healing the sick and casting out demons—without the "Acts 1" waiting. And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father... (Acts 1:4 KJV). If we don't spend time in the presence of God, we are running out into the field without our equipment. We go out and "run off and leave God." We need to wait on Him so He can orchestrate our footsteps.

Secondly, they were consumed by Bible reading. Smith Wigglesworth famously said he only read one book: the Bible. He would eat a meal and say, "Now I’ve fed my flesh, let’s feed my spirit," and he’d dive back into the Word. George Mueller was the same way. He ran orphanages by total faith, never asking a human for a dime. He would read ten pages of Scripture to offset a single page of secular reading. They didn't just read the Word; they lived inside it until the Spirit of Truth guided them into all truth.

Personal Reflections

I’ll be honest with you: I was raised in that cessationist mindset. As a little boy, I had so many supernatural experiences—demonic attacks, night terrors, and hearing from God. When I went to the church for help, I was shunned. They told me to "stop doing witchcraft." I was just a kid! I didn't know what was happening; I just knew it was real. I had to learn the hard way how to distinguish between the "false light" and the true power of Jesus.

I eventually wrote about this journey in my book, OPEN YOUR EYES: MY SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY. I realized that many of us are getting into the Word, but we are ignoring the Spirit. We celebrate pagan traditions like Easter eggs and Jeremiah 10 trees, but we ignore Pentecost—the most important event in the history of the Church! Jesus told us to wait for the power. Why are we trying to do ministry without it?

I’ve had times where I went out to minister and noticed a total lack of results. I had to stop and ask myself, "Conrad, did you pray? Did you wait on the Lord, or are you just painting the barn and hoping the crop walks in?" . I am not always sure how it works, but it often feels like the Lord “lights up” a person, and then a healing or another miraculous thing happens through a word of knowledge. I tend to operate more in words of knowledge than healing.

We have to keep our bodies under subjection. Sometimes the "want to" isn't there because the flesh is dominant. But when you start talking to people about Jesus and you see Him do something awesome, your flesh starts to realize, "Hey, I need to pray, because when I pray, things happen." It’s like an FM radio in your car—you want that connection playing in the background of your spirit all day long.

Biblical References

The Bible is very clear about the signs that should follow those who believe. We aren't supposed to be guessing about this.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16:17-18 KJV).

This isn't a suggestion; it’s a description of the believer's life. If we aren't seeing these signs, we need to check our connection. Paul tells us how to stay in that flow: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1 KJV). Walking after the Spirit means prioritizing God’s will over our own.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus provided the ultimate example: ...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42 KJV). In contrast, Isaiah 14 shows us the fall of Lucifer, who said "I will, I will, I will." He had an evil imagination in his heart before he ever acted. Are we letting our own will sit on the throne, or is God at the apex of our hierarchy of values?

Finally, remember that ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV). When the Spirit of God wields the Word—the sword of the Spirit—that is when the miraculous happens. We go from "faith to faith," starting with the small things and growing into the radical.

Key Takeaways

• Cessationism is a theological barrier, not a spiritual reality. God is healing people across all denominational lines today.
• Divine appointments are orchestrated by the Spirit. When you seek God first, He puts people in your path at the precise geographical location and point in time.
• Prayer is the power source. The great men and women of God throughout history were distinguished by the sheer volume of time they spent in God's presence.
• Sanctification matters. Being set apart and not "spotted by the world" allows you to carry the presence of God into a room so strongly that the spirit of repentance falls on people.
• Faith is incremental. Move from "faith to faith." If you have faith for a cold, start believing for something bigger.

Conclusion and Call to Action

The God of the Bible is moving. He is breathing on His remnant, and He is calling you to a deeper, spiritual relationship with the biblical Jesus. Don't let tradition rob you of the power that was bought for you at the Cross.

If you are struggling with spiritual attacks or want to know more about my journey from fear to authority, I encourage you to check out my books, OPEN YOUR EYES and Overcoming Night Terror. They are full of the practical steps I took to start walking in the power of the Holy Ghost.

I’m talking constantly about these things on my podcast, Coffee with Conrad. You can find scores of testimonies of healing and deliverance at ConradRocks.net.

If this message touched you today, please share it with a friend. We need to strengthen and encourage one another in the Spirit. Let's dig deeper and go higher together!

Action Items

• Commit to a consistent prayer time. Start where you are, but be intentional about increasing your "waiting" time before the Lord.
• Feed your spirit more than your flesh. For every page of secular media or news you consume, read several pages of the KJV Bible.
• Practice "hearing and doing." The next time you are out in public and feel a nudge to pray for someone, step out in boldness. Don't let the "doubting thing" stop you.
• Audit your priorities. Ask yourself honestly: Is God on the throne of my heart today, or am I following my own "I will"?
• Study the Generals. Pick up a biography of Smith Wigglesworth or George Mueller and look for the common denominators in their walk with Jesus.

PART TWO HERE:


Books:
Azusa Street          https://amzn.to/2EWJigt
William Seymour https://amzn.to/2Wmbm2o
Charles Finney       https://amzn.to/2ImMRgB
Smith Wigglesworth https://amzn.to/2K2hxqW
John Alexander Dowie https://amzn.to/2XqjyAg
John G. Lake               https://amzn.to/2MxkSjB
George Müller           https://amzn.to/2EVvQct