Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

(Matt. 12:1–12; Mark 2:2– 12). The Pharisees knew the Law taught, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8), and that you shall “do no work on it [the Sabbath day]” (Jer. 17:24). The Pharisees were so strict on the letter of the law that they accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath by curing the sick and asking a healed man to roll up his cot and go home. They missed the spirit of the law, which was simply that the Sabbath was made for resting (Exod. 23:11–12). Jesus was delivering people from sin, sickness, and bondage and giving them physical, emotional, and spiritual rest for their bodies and souls by healing them! But the Pharisees were so caught up in the letter of law and tradition they refused to recognize the Messiah in their midst! Their eyes were veiled with traditional filters (Mark 7:9–13). When ministers begin to teach that God no longer performs miracles and heals, anyone who understands the nature and character of a loving and caring God must examine the spirit of that doctrine. The “no miracles today” theory does not encourage you to seek God for help, nor does it produce faith in your spirit, and it certainly does not create any hope! You just accept what comes and put up with what is happening. Christ answers prayers that our “joy may be full” (John 16:24). Christ’s desire is that His disciples have “My joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13). When healing occurred in the New Testament, there was “great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8). When the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were “filled