Hello Carl.
I like most of what you post and see that you offer help to many people.
I am a cessationist, based on the bible.
I have several friends who claim all manner of manifestations.
I know the teaching they offered and could teach it, but i do not think it is biblical.
I have learned to trust the word of God, and act on it.
people claim God told them, this or that.
I am not told to believe anecdotal stories.
There are billions of people on the planet, but if I read your post correctly, you say God told you to leave a dinner party immediately, jump on a plane and fly half way around the world, wait 3 days in a motel, strangers were giving you money, then several near death healings took place???
Carl....i cannot understand this. He could have healed these people in answer to prayer.
I know God uses means, but This just does not make sense to me.
My wife had a mass on her side below her ribs years ago. We prayed for it to be healed for a few days, it remained. We went to a specialist costing several hundred dollars to walk in there.
The lump which was there when we left the house, was gone. The specialist called me into a different room,and asked me to describe the lump. It was gone. Iwas thankful but explained what had happened, and that evidently God had answered our prayer, and perhaps we were to confess that openly to this Doctor....[He still charged us}lol.
God can heal, yes.
God can prevent a person from getting sick or cancer to begin with.
God can allow believers to go through serious illness in order to comfort others, 2cor1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
i am not certain of what happened to you, I just have trouble with such claims.
On a different board I was removed because one of the mods from Australia said his car ran out of petrol, completely empty. Claims his mother in law prayed in tongues, and the car drove like 160 miles with no gas....i do not think that happened.
I stay in the realm of revealed truth. There were signs of the Apostles, but that was foundational.
2cor12
12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
It does not say...signs of all Christians.
In mk 16 in that disputed text, it says these signs would follow"them that believed"
What they believed was the Apostolic preaching, signs followed.
I will look forward to your posts that are word centered. They do help several people.
I can only speak what i know Carl.