Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

Christ said He would go to the man’s house to heal his servant, the military commander told Jesus to simply “speak a word,” and his servant would be healed (Matt. 8:8). A centurion commanded one hundred men under his authority, and whenever the centurion spoke, his men followed his orders. This centurion recognized that Christ was a man with authority in His words; thus he knew that if Christ said, “Be healed,” the spoken word would travel to the centurion’s home and a miracle would occur, just as Psalm 107:20 states: “He [God] sent His word and healed them.” Christ could physically lay hands upon people and heal them, but He could also send His word to heal them. In Acts 19 we see another method established to assist the oppressed and suffering when they were unable to receive personal ministry through the laying on of hands. The method was for Paul to pray over a handkerchief or an apron and then send the anointed cloth to the suffering individual. The “apron” was a narrow linen covering that was worn over part the body, used especially by servants and workmen. The implication seems to be that people were bringing certain clothing from those who were sick or oppressed and asking Paul to pray over the object for the person’s deliverance. The word handkerchief indicates a cloth for wiping the face (Luke 19:20; Acts 19:12) and is the same Greek word that can be used for a head covering for the dead (John 11:44), translated as napkin in the King James Version. 4 It appears from the text that many people were unable to travel to receive personal ministry, but