Here is a question of the day for 07-02-09…

Before I proceed, this came about as a result of a conversation between myself and my buddy “Triple-P”. We were discussing this text in Acts 5:12-16 which states:

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

As we were discussing this statement we started to ask ourselves two questions that actually are intertwined to each other.

(1): Does the statement “so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.” (verse 15) imply that some or possibly all of those sick people on the beds and couches did not get healed for some reason or another?

(2): Does the statement, “and they were all healed” apply only to the “sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits” statement in verse 16 or does it apply to both the statement mentioned previously and also the “sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.” mentioned in verse 15?

The reason why I ask this question is that all my life, this passage of Scripture was always taught that Peter walked outside and his shadow touched all these sick people and they were healed, rose up, and walked. I do not doubt that God can heal nor do I doubt that if God wanted to use a person’s shadow to heal people, He could. But after reading the Scriptures over again I am now wondering if some, most, or possibly all of those people did not get healed at all by God via using Peter’s shadow.

The other thing that came into my mind while discussing this was that in 1984, Oral and Richard Roberts sent out a direct-mail letter that consisted of a picture of Oral and Richard and a prayer request sheet. After writing down your prayer requests down on the prayer sheet, that person was to

…hold it (the picture) over the prayer sheet and your Seed-Faith gift so that the shadow of the picture COVERS THE ENTIRE SHEET.

to re-enact the Acts 5 verses and send in your Seed-Faith gift to “activate” the miracle…

What do you think?