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A Practical Theological Evaluation of the Divine Healing Ministries of Smith Wigglesworth and John G

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A Practical Theological Evaluation of the Divine Healing Ministries of Smith Wigglesworth and John G A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE DIVINE HEALING MINISTRIES OF SMITH WIGGLESWORTH AND JOHN G. LAKE: A CONTINUATIONIST REFORMED PERSPECTIVE by JOHANES LILIK SUSANTO submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY in the subject PRACTICAL THEOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTER: PROF. DR. JACQUES P. J. THERON JUNE 2007 Student Number: 3594-902-3 I declare that “A PRACTICAL THEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE DIVINE HEALING MINISTRIES OF SMITH WIGGLESWORTH AND JOHN G. LAKE: A CONTINUATIONIST REFORMED PERSPECTIVE” is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. Johanes Lilik Susanto 14 June 2007 ii KEY TERMS Divine healing; Miraculous; Gospel; Atonement; Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit; Divine Life; The Word of God; Kingdom of God; Supernatural; Healing virtue; Power; Divine encounter; Divine compassion; Divine anger; Divine hatred; Simple faith; Faith of divine healing; Act of faith; Consecration; Boldness; Resurrection; Spirit baptism; Baptism with the Spirit; Baptism in the Spirit; Divine guidance; Evangelism; Sickness; Disease; Devil; Death; Demons; Smith Wigglesworth; John G. Lake; Charles Spurgeon; John Gill; Andrew Murray; A. B. Simpson; Herman Ridderbos; J. I. Packer; Martyn Lloyd-Jones; Abraham Kuyper; Martin Luther; Augustine; John Calvin. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is a part of the miracles of grace by which God did extraordinary works in and through my life, not only in my childhood, but also at present in my calling as an evangelist. The essence of this study deals with God’s work of miraculous healing which He wants me to experience, testify about, minister, study, and use for Christ’s glorious Kingdom. Therefore, first of all, I look at God and give my greatest love, praise, thanks, glory, honor, and all, because this study is His, enabled by His abundant love, power, and grace. My part in this study is only the flaws and weaknesses of it. Special love, thanks, and smile to my wife Ayny Hastuti and my children Michael Susanto, Elizabeth Kristine, and Elishema Katheline for their great love, sacrifice, patience, and support during this doctoral program. I was given so much time and liberty for this research, using their time and rights. Also special honor, love, and thanks to Prof. Dr. Jacques P. J. Theron of the University of South Africa, the promoter, pastor, and father for me and my family in South Africa. You have given me much great insight (theologically, spiritually, and intellectually), constructive criticism, challenge, encouragement, support, and all things I needed to finish this complicated study. Your great heart, example, and sharing of the subject of research in a very personal and spiritual way means so much for my existential study. Your beautiful wife is also a great blessing to my whole family in South Africa. Please convey our greetings, love, and thanks to her. A warm welcome, encouragement, and love from Prof. Dr. Andrew Phillips, the head of the Practical Theology department of the University of South Africa, is also very meaningful for me and my study. I will always remember your smile and friendliness. Thank you so much. To Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong, the founder of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Indonesia and one of the three co-founders of the Evangelical Reformed Council of Indonesia, a great servant of the Lord Jesus, I convey my deep love, honor, and thanks for your great support for me and my family here. Beyond measure, my family and I always receive great blessings, love, and grace from you and your family. I always iv remember God’s miraculous strength and exceptional gifts in your ministry for His Kingdom. Praise the Lord. To the central church of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Indonesia (Jakarta) and the synod of the same, I thank you very much for the financial support, love, and prayers for me and my family here. Your contributions were meaningful and I'll always remember them. To the persons who financially support my study here, I thank you very much for your kindness and love. I believe that you have done this out of love for the Lord. May the Lord repay your offerings according to His promise. To the University of South Africa and, especially, Ms. J. M. Steynberg, the manager of Financial Aid Bureau, I heartily thank you and appreciate the research expenditures and bursary award given in my last period of doctoral research. This is God’s gift at the right time. May God bless you. To my dearest parents, this dissertation is made possible through your daily prayers, constant encouragement and support of great love. I thank you very much for this. We always love and honor you in the Lord Jesus Christ. Also to my brothers and sisters, my big family in Semarang, Magelang, Blora, and Cepu (Java, Indonesia), this thesis is made possible through your prayers and love. I thank you and love you so much. To my dear congregations in/from Indonesia and the USA, my close friends in ministry and their family who always kindly pray for me, my study, and my family here – my deepest gratitude and thanks to God because your love and kindness is incomparable. You deeply touch my heart. You already know personally that you have been our consolation in the Lord here in South Africa and wherever we are. Without mentioning your names and kindness, God has put your names and kindness in my heart, our hearts, and especially in the Lord’s heart. Also, if I mention your names and kindness in the Lord, these pages will be too long. However, I have to mention some names with love: Mr. Soedarjanto (now in the USA) whose personal, spiritual, and theological interactions brought me to a deeper walk in the Lord Jesus and His calling. His family is a great support to us here. Mr. Suwito Ayub, Mrs. Fey Ming, and their children who always open their hearts, home, and all things for me and my family in our difficulties. Mr. Dianto and his wife, Mrs. Bella Munansa, whose maturity of faith, faithfulness in Christ, and deepest love for the Lord, us, and the lost deeply moved us. Thank you for all your prayers, care, and support. Mr. v Andrean Tjen and family always gave great joy and consolation for my evangelistic ministry and study. Miss Ina Susanti whose ministry, talents, and love for the Lord became a great comfort for me in the Lord. Mr. Samuel Habil and his wife, Lily Ratnawati, who always gave help to us without our knowledge from afar. All of you and your hidden contributions made significant development in my study and ministry possible. I thank you very much and love you all in the Lord. To a group of lovely people who love the Lord and did language editing for me, I heartily thank you and appreciate your hard work and love of the Lord. They are Mrs. Laura Smalberger (SA), Mr. Christopher Hart (USA), Rev. William N. McElrath (USA), and Mr. Brian de Vries (USA). Your work has great meaning for me, my family, other believers, and for unbelievers as well. Also to Mrs. Marti Gerber (SA) and Mrs. Janice Wiggill (SA) as professional English editors who did several parts of my thesis, I thank you and appreciate your hard work. May the Lord Jesus bless you all. To those who took part in prayers and support for this work, I thank you very much. They are most members of the house church who worship at the New Hope School (who is shepherded by the promoter of this study) in Pretoria, most people of the Indonesian Christian community that begin a new, joyful fellowship in Pretoria, and some members of the Lynnwood Baptist Church congregation. Your contributions cannot be measured. I cannot do my research without your prayers. Although I write this thesis by my own hand, it is in reality indirectly a work of a great family of God in Christ. It cannot be finished without them all. vi ABSTRACT This is a practical theological study of divine healing from a Continuationist Reformed perspective. It attempts to provide existential, practical, theological help to attain a fruitful ministry of divine healing. Within my present Continuationist Reformed conviction, I need more powerful, frequent, predictable manifestations of divine healing to support my evangelistic ministry that is sometimes blessed with unplanned divine healing manifestations. Therefore, I try to identify and formulate a combined practical theological theory on divine healing from the ideas and experiences of two Classical Pentecostals who experienced unusual, remarkable, predictable manifestations of divine healing, namely Smith Wigglesworth and John G. Lake. This will be done through literary research based on their transcribed sermons and writings. A new Continuationist Reformed theory is developed by reworking the findings through evaluations. Theological reflections contribute to the evaluations. My contention is to provide a practical theological theory of divine healing from a Continuationist Reformed perspective. To accomplish this, Chapter I presents fundamental elements of the research: definition of terms, research orientation, and short biographies of Wigglesworth and Lake. Chapter II deals with their understanding of the nature of divine healing (a necessary knowledge for their fruitful ministries). This is followed by evaluations. In Chapter III, I describe their basic attitudes in dealing with sickness and disease and then evaluate them. Chapter IV and V are focused on miraculous faith as the most significant determinant for their fruitful ministries of divine healing. Followed by evaluations, the former deals with necessary convictions about miraculous faith for divine healing, and the latter with the practical theological principles of this faith for a fruitful divine healing ministry.
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