Someone else’s faith and a mustard seed

It was the early 70s. The Beatles, public demonstrations and disorder, gas shortage lines¹, and the Vietnam War were in full swing. It was the “sign of the times.” It was the dawning of the Age of Aquarius and long beautiful hair.

In 1971, the Jesus Revolution was Time magazine’s featured front cover.  It was a period in history of soul searching, of looking inward. We were trying to figure out who and what we were, and where we were going as a human race. For me, I wanted the assurance of going to heaven when I died and not being left behind. In retrospect, I would have rather had it been my view that God is a loving and compassionate God, akin to the nature of my earthly father, rather than solely driven by the fear of eternal damnation. However, over the years, my views of God have significantly changed from seeing him as an angry, punishing God, bent on seeing me suffer for my sins, to seeing him as a prodigal father–someone who extravagantly loves and gives, a God of mercy and all comfort, a father who’s heart is for his son to return to His loving embrace.

In January of ‘72, I became a believer in Jesus Christ during the Jesus Movement. The ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’ counterculture was discovering a new way to live as many “long beautiful hair, shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen, give me down to there (Hair!), shoulder length or longer”² haired hippies began to embrace the gospel. I was now “getting high on Jesus,” “Peace and Love.”  And hey, what about “God is groovy” and “Smile God loves you”? They were slogans all part of the vibrant scene.

On my college campus, I made friends with a charismatic group of Jesus People who believed in miracles, signs and wonders, faith, healing, and powerful works of the Holy Spirit. Many testified to having supernatural experiences similar to those recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, especially speaking in tongues. I wanted what they had. And so, I began attending an Assembly of God church which operated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

At first, my faith to believe in miracles was … well, let’s just say, challenged. In my previous church, I was taught that miracles, signs, and wonders ended with the apostles.

MY FAITH IS CHALLENGED

Eddie Smith, an evangelist faith healer, was coming to Kearny, New Jersey to lead a weekend healing revival service. While I had heard of faith healers like Smith Wigglesworth, Oral Roberts, and Kathryn Kuhlman, this would be my first opportunity to witness one in person. Their ministries were often accompanied by numerous claims of divine healing. Now, I would get to see one.

I pondered: Is it God’s will for us to be free from disease on earth? Is the kingdom of God now in its fullness, meaning that healing and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today and not just for when we are resurrected with new bodies? Perhaps these questions would be put to bed after this weekend. No more questioning. PROOF that miracles, signs, and wonders are for today!

I asked my younger brother, Jamie, who was also a new Christian if he wanted to go with me. He replied that he would.  So, the two of us on a Friday evening hopped in my Forest Green 1968 Volkswagen Beetle and drove to the church where the revival was happening. If you weren’t looking for it, it was easy to pass by. The small suburban white clapboard Assembly of God church on Elm Street had no parking and sat nestled between houses no more than 20 to 25 feet apart on a tree-lined street resulting in it blending in with the other houses. The church, as you can see from the picture below was neither attractive nor spacious, although, it comfortably accommodated a small congregation of people just under a hundred. There were no ornate stain-glassed windows, church bells, or an inviting entranceway or vestibule as many might be accustomed to. It was plain to look at on the outside, but on the inside, something extraordinary was about to happen.

My brother and I waited momentarily under the aluminum awning behind other attendees ahead of us. As we approached the door, a man warmly greeted us. We acknowledged his greeting and then went in.

Inside, the room was already packed to overflowing. We were fortunate to find a couple of seats on the end of a pew about 8 rows back from the front where I could stretch out my long legs into the aisle. We then sat back and waited for the service to start.

There was a buzz in the air with people talking loudly while others sat quietly, anxiously waiting for the service to begin. Not long afterward, the senior pastor of the Assembly then quieted the room and opened with prayer and singing before introducing Eddie Smith.  Like most churches, there was no clapping to welcome the guest evangelist and faith healer, as would have been customary if this were a theatrical production. But this was not theater; this was a REVIVAL!   

Eddie Smith opened with a couple of jokes in typical British humor. “Who here has a crick in their neck?” he quipped. A guy in the audience stood up unabashedly and acknowledged the invitation. “Well,” Eddie Smith replied with a sly smile, “will you please ask your wife to approach the altar?”  Sounds like Smith was trying to get to the real source of this guy’s “pain in the neck.”   LOL.

In a shift to a more serious tone, Eddie Smith transitioned by inviting the Holy Spirit’s presence, setting the stage for miracles to unfold. Eddie Smith was a heavyset man with an authoritative presence. As I looked on curiously, he confidently invited members of the audience to come forward for healing and prophesied words of knowledge to those present. “Who in this room is suffering from one leg being shorter than the other?” he inquired without a hint of doubt. Unequal leg length is a rare condition where the legs are either different lengths or appear to be different lengths because of misalignment.  “The Lord wants to heal you,” he proclaimed.  A man rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the room, his stride marked by an abnormal gait. Smith invited him take a seat and stretch out both legs so that he could assess his condition. There was an expectancy in the room that something miraculous was about to happen. I looked on in wonderment, hoping. Could one of his legs actually extend? 

“In the Name of Jesus,” Eddie Smith commanded and to the amazement of all present, the shorter leg began to elongate until it matched the length of the other. The room erupted in loud shouts of praise and raising of hands. Many more healings also happened that night. This made me want to come back the next evening. What miracles would God do again on Saturday?  I looked forward with expectancy.

The second evening of meetings was also packed to overflowing. You could just feel the excitement and anticipation. Much the same as the previous night, Eddie Smith had words of knowledge for those in attendance who needed healing, and again, many were miraculously healed.

Then, amidst the fervor, I heard him ask, “Who in this room has plantar warts?”  I was stunned, shocked in disbelief. How could he know that I suffered from plantar warts?  Plantar warts are small growths that usually appear on the heels or other weight-bearing areas of your feet that can cause extreme pain.  It was true that I suffered from plantar warts, but I thought Eddie Smith couldn’t mean “Little, Ol’ Me.”   I reasoned it must be someone else. And so, I did not respond, nor did anyone else answer the invitation to go forward for plantar warts. When I didn’t respond, Eddie Smith continued inviting others to be healed for other ailments.  Why didn’t I go out on a limb? Was it because I might risk failing, or look foolish? I didn’t like being the center of attention. But mostly, I believe it was to deflect disappointment if I were not healed of my plantar warts.

FINAL INVITATION

Once again, Eddie Smith extended the same invitation as before – “There is someone here with plantar warts.  Won’t you please come forward?” Nothing. Crickets. No one moved. Deep inside I knew the invitation was for me, but I still didn’t respond.  “Nope! Can’t do it. No way!”

It was not until the third and final invitation of the evening that my brother Jamie nudged me.  “That’s you, bro. You have to go up.”  I was stubborn and refused to budge.  “This is the 3rd and last time I will make this invitation for someone with plantar warts to come forward. I want you to come up here right now!”  Finally, my brother then got this brilliant idea to push me out of my pew. The next thing I knew, I stood frozen like a deer in headlights for everybody to notice. It was too late for me to retreat, so, I tepidly approached Eddie Smith. He was expectantly waiting.  

As I stood there, Eddie Smith laid hands on me and called upon the power of heaven and the Name of Jesus for healing from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. It wasn’t a long stylized and eloquent prayer lacking conviction, either, like “O Divine Creator, In the vast expanse of Your boundless grace and infinite wisdom, we humbly gather before Your presence. As we stand in awe of the majesty of Your creation, we bow our heads in reverence and gratitude and beseech Thee, should it be your will ….”

Instead, Smith got right to the point, boldly declaring with the authority given to him in Christ Jesus, “In the name of Jesus, plantar warts, leave right now! Go! In the name of Jesus. Be healed!” And that was it. Short and straightforward. There was no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice, only a steadfast and unwavering belief that I would be healed through the power of Jesus’ sacrifice.

What was I feeling? To be honest, I felt nothing short of nothing. Crazy, huh? I didn’t fall to the floor and start to shake and roll. I didn’t feel a surge of electricity go through me or tingling in my extremities. My eyes didn’t flutter, nor did I hear God speak audibly or even in a small still voice to my spirit. I felt nothing. I heard nothing. Absolutely, NOTHING!  I was more self-conscious of being the focus of everyone’s attention and looking foolish, so I moved rather quickly back to my seat after Eddie Smith finished praying for me. Phew! That was embarrassing.

When I got home that night, I went straight to my room to get ready for bed. As I sat on the edge of my bed, I began to remove my socks, and as my hand brushed against the bottom of my foot, I was stunned. I was completely taken by surprise as I wasn’t expecting to be healed. Miraculously, the bottom of my foot felt smooth and without blemish. God had completely healed me of plantar warts! Remarkably, to this day, they have never returned!

MULTIPLE FAITHS AT WORK

Matthew 17:20 “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

God works in miraculous ways, despite our inadequacies and little faith. Did I believe in healing for myself?  I wasn’t sure.  That day, if my brother and I had not exhibited a small mustard seed of faith, we may not have attended.  But, we did!

It took my brother’s little faith to push me and encourage me to move from my seat so that I might experience more of God.

It took Eddie Smith’s great faith to command, with the authority he had in Jesus’ Name, “Be healed!”  As the disciples were empowered to do the things that Christ did, so are we today. John 14:12-14 is a wonderful verse that we must believe is for TODAY.

Sometimes it is also through God’s prophetic word and others’ testimonies of personal healing that move us to greater faith to believe.

Ultimately, however, it was because Eddie Smith heard the Father’s heart for me. It was because of the Father’s tender kindness, His grace, His compassion, and His constant love for me that He chose to heal me. (Psalm 69:16).

Has this whet your appetite to hear more?  I want to create hunger in you to desire more Holy Spirit as it did for me following that evening in 1973.

Take a moment to sit quietly with the Lord and invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about God’s heart for you. God desires to not only save us but to empower us and commission us to do the things Jesus did.  It is God’s will for you to grow in faith. God desires to heal your body and soul. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you His truths in scripture.

“I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I do—even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! For I will do whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name. And that is how the Son will show what the Father is really like and bring glory to him.  Ask me anything in my name, and I will do it for you!” – John 14:12-14

Copyright 2020 by Bill Hutzel

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FOOTNOTE
1 America Out of Gas – A Lesson in Patience by Bill Hutzel, 2016
2 “Hair” by the Cowsills, 1969