David Hathaway

When the centurion comes to Jesus, telling Him that his servant is critically ill, Jesus offers to come and heal him. But the centurion responds with something extraordinary: “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” This brings us back to the question of worthiness, the foundation of salvation and forgiveness, and the importance of building your house upon the rock. The centurion had not been among those listening to Jesus’ teaching. He was a Roman soldier, occupied with his duties, yet he understood something remarkable about authority. He explains in verse 9: “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” That is military discipline. When a soldier receives an order, he obeys it. The centurion understood that authority carries power, and he recognised that Jesus possessed an authority that extended even over sickness. He believed Jesus did not need to be physically present; He had only to speak the word. When Jesus heard this, He marvelled. In verse 10, He made a remarkable statement: “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” What a challenge! It shows us that religious heritage alone is not the same as living faith. This man understood the authority of Jesus and trusted Him completely. Jesus continued in verse 11: “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” People from nations beyond Israel would share in the kingdom of God. Yet verse 12 contains a solemn warning about those who assumed that their place in the kingdom was guaranteed. Religious privilege alone could not save them. Then, in verse 13, Jesus gave the centurion this wonderful assurance: “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” What a powerful statement! Jesus spoke, and the servant was healed in that very hour. The centurion had believed that the authority of Jesus was sufficient, and his faith was answered. But the miracles in this chapter do not stop there. Jesus went to Peter’s house, touched Peter’s mother-in-law, and the fever left her. That evening, people brought many who were possessed by demons and others who were sick. Jesus cast out the spirits with His word and healed all who were ill. Matthew explains that this fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Do you understand what this means? Jesus demonstrated His authority through what He did. He healed the sick, cast out demons and even calmed the storm when the disciples were in danger on the sea. Every miracle revealed something of who He is: Jesus is the Son of God, and His authority is demonstrated through His power. I am challenging you to recognise that Jesus wants to work in the same way today. That is what my ministry is all about. It is not about me. I am nothing, literally nothing. Jesus is everything. Only Jesus. Watch the YouTube video https://youtu.be/pGOqTGbXH68  For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

An interesting ‘window’ on faith is found in Numbers 13. Moses and the whole of Israel had halted on the borders of the Promised Land after their arduous journey. There they were, within sight of their goal, the fulfilment of all God’s promises within their grasp. Surely this was all that they could ask for, the ultimate reward for the sufferings which they had endured both in the last days in Egypt and in the travelling. This was the reason why God had performed all the outstanding miracles both in Egypt and in the crossing of the Red Sea, in order to give them deliverance and to fulfil His promise to give them this land.         But still one thing had to happen before they could appropriate all the blessings of God, which had been so clearly promised and prophesied, this was their ‘Iron Curtain’, the final barrier. One final step and all that they had longed and prayed for would be theirs. One step and the veil that covered their eyes would be lifted and they would see one of the most beautiful and dramatic things that man has ever seen (and few are allowed to actually see this), the REASON why God works great and powerful miracles! His purpose NOW revealed! After all Abraham only acted in faith, he never saw the fulfilment.  But this one final step was not taken!

So, in verse 3 – this is Matthew chapter 8, verse 3 – what was the response? Jesus put out His hand and touched him. Think about that. You were not supposed to touch a leper. Yet Jesus touched him. And He said, “Of course I am willing. Be clean!” The Scripture is very clear: immediately, every trace of leprosy was cleansed from his body. It was a complete and visible healing. Now, Jesus is doing something here. He is demonstrating His authority. He has been teaching, and the people have recognised that, unlike the religious leaders, He speaks with authority. But now He is demonstrating that authority through the power of God. The leper had said to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him. One touch! And the miracle happened. I want to emphasise that: one touch from Jesus, and everything changed. There comes a time in every one of our lives when we have to come to that point of confession. We have to recognise that we need Him. We need Jesus. This leper needed Jesus because he was leprous, and no religion could heal him. You can read through the Scriptures and find all the laws concerning leprosy, but there was no law that could cleanse a leper. No priest could heal him. But Jesus was different. That is why I am emphasising this: every one of us, at some stage in our lives, needs Jesus. And I can tell you that I need Him all the time. I couldn't continue without Him. Look at me! I'm 94 years old, and I can tell you that I would not be standing here talking to you if it were not for the fact that I need Jesus. Jesus has touched me. I came to Him and said, “Lord, You can give me the strength.” And I am a demonstration of what He can do. So part of my ministry, just as part of the ministry of Jesus, is to provide a public witness and testimony. Jesus said, “Preach the Gospel and heal the sick.” And that is exactly what I am doing. I'm simply obeying what He told us to do. Watch the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/8Cb-0bfcwJA  For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

Faith in Jesus Christ is the key to release the power of God in your life. Not enough people use this key to the power and the glory of God.  1 Peter 1:7 says that the trial of your faith, which is much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested with fire, will be a praise, honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So that just as gold has to be tested by fire, so FAITH has to be TESTED to prove its authenticity. Verse 5 says that we are kept by the power of God through FAITH unto a salvation which is to be revealed. There is a great salvation which is to be revealed in the future – we only have part of that salvation here. We will only experience the real glory of God when we get into heaven itself. But we have the beginning of that salvation now, enough to take us into the kingdom! Please understand: we only experience the real glory and power of God when we are with Jesus. But we have enough power now to get us there! It’s like sending a rocket into space: when the rocket is fired and leaves the earth, you cannot add any fuel to it – it has to have enough energy when it blasts off, to escape all the pull of gravity and get up there. The moment we receive salvation God puts His ‘fuel’, His energy and power, into us. His power is so explosive, every born-again man, woman and child becomes like a rocket with enough power to blast through all the power of the devil, into Heaven!

Speaking about the power in prayer from the book of James chapter 5, David emphasises that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” I love preaching on this Scripture because, in the original Greek, the word translated “effectual fervent” conveys the idea of something powerful and active. The Greek word is energeō, from which we get the idea of energy and activity. We often use words like dynamic or dynamite to describe that kind of power. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective! But we need that dynamic prayer. We need to learn how to pray with faith, authority and conviction, believing that God hears us and will answer. James goes on in verse 17 to remind us that Elijah was a man subject to the same human weaknesses and feelings as we are. Yet he prayed earnestly, and the rain stopped. Then, after three and a half years, he prayed again, and the rain returned. What a powerful miracle! It demonstrated to the king and the people that the God of Israel was living and powerful. Then, in verse 19, James says that if anyone wanders from the truth and another person brings them back, that person has helped save a soul from death and covered a multitude of sins. We must never forget the importance of restoring those who have strayed from God. Through prayer, faith and compassion, we can help bring people back to the truth. But I want to come back to this Scripture about effectual, fervent prayer, because I’ve preached on it so many times. I listen to people praying, and over the years, I’ve learned that there is a way to pray effectively, with power and with authority. That is what I want you to understand. Prayer works! God hears us, and God answers prayer. We need to believe that, learn to pray with faith, and trust Him to work in power.

There is a tremendous battle between good and evil. Sometimes we are tempted to think that evil is winning. But I want to tell you on the authority of God's Word that He will get the victory! Jesus says in John 12:31, 'Now is the judgment of the world, and the prince of the world, that is the evil one, will be cast out'. Thank God for the words of the Bible. There is a day coming when the good that is God will overcome the evil which is the devil. Even if we do not see the judgment on ungodly men, the Bible is very clear, there is a day of judgment. Death is not the end, it does not mean oblivion and no future. The Bible says after death comes judgment, and we need to be prepared for this.  For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk  'Thy Kingdom Come' used by kind permission of Vinesong.

Speaking about the power in prayer, from the book of James chapter 5, David says your praying will restore the broken and heal the sick. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” That healing is not necessarily physical. I believe James is also talking about mental and emotional healing. When we can lay down the burden of our faults, our problems and the mistakes we’ve made in life, and pray together, there can be real restoration. Sadly, so many churches respond to people’s failures by condemning and criticising them, sometimes even throwing them out. But that is not the answer! We should be praying together, helping people find forgiveness, healing and restoration. Even those suffering a mental breakdown or struggling with deep psychological problems need our love, compassion and prayer. We need to restore the backslider and lift up those who have failed, not cast them out! The Church should be a place of restoration, where people can find the help and prayer they need to recover. Then James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." I love preaching on this Scripture because the language in the original Greek conveys something powerful. The word translated "effectual fervent" is related to the Greek word energeō, meaning to be active or at work. It speaks of prayer that is working powerfully. We often use the words dynamic or dynamite to describe that kind of power. We need prayer that is alive, active and powerful – prayer that makes a difference! And James gives us an example in verse 17: "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are." In other words, Elijah was an ordinary human being, just like us. Yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Then he prayed again, and the rain returned. What an extraordinary miracle! Elijah was a man just like us, yet his prayers brought about a mighty intervention of God. James is reminding us that prayer is not reserved for a select few. We need to believe God, pray earnestly and trust Him to work powerfully through us!

Speaking about a trip he made to Moldova under communism, David shares how there is great power in prayer to heal the sick and ease troubled minds. I needed a separate visa to enter Moldova, and I didn’t have one. They hid me in the back of a car and smuggled me across the border. We held a glorious open-air meeting, preaching the Gospel. Among the crowd was a young woman in her twenties who was blind. She was crying and crying, and eventually she came to me for prayer. But even as I prayed for her, she continued to weep. I looked at her and said, “Look, you believe the Scriptures, don’t you? You’re a Christian; you’re a member of the Church. If you believe God’s Word, you know you can be healed. So why are you crying? You should be laughing in the face of your circumstances!” She took my advice and stopped crying. I prayed again, and God gloriously healed her and opened her eyes! Afterwards, I discovered that her church had condemned her, telling her that she was blind because of her sin. But that is not what the Bible teaches. James tells us that if we have sinned, we can confess our sins and receive forgiveness. God’s healing is not a reason to condemn someone; it is an opportunity to demonstrate His mercy and power. That young woman went away rejoicing. She was completely healed! Now, look at verse 16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” This healing is not necessarily referring to physical healing. I believe James is also talking about emotional and spiritual healing. When we carry the burden of our faults, failures and mistakes, they can weigh heavily on us. But when we are willing to be honest with one another, to confess our faults and pray together, we can find forgiveness, freedom and restoration.

"Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock," (Matthew 7.24). He goes on to explain that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it was founded upon a rock. Now, something that might surprise most people is that, about 60 years ago, when I was in the early stages of my ministry, I actually built my own house. I still live in it today. I built it on the side of a hill, and there were seven houses built in the same location. But mine was different because I brought in a good architect. The result was that, when we cut into the hillside, we built the house on a solid concrete foundation. And after 60 years, my house hasn't moved. But many of the other houses, which didn't have that same foundation, are actually sliding down the hill. Now, the reason I'm telling you this is because it illustrates exactly what Jesus is saying. It isn't simply a question of building a house; it's a question of what you build it on. Jesus goes on to say that, when He had finished speaking, the people were astonished at His teaching, because He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. And this is what I want you to understand. There are two very important things we need to recognise. First, in Christ, we must have a solid foundation. That foundation is our salvation, and everything else in our lives must be built upon it. We come to Christ, we repent of our sins, and we are converted. That is the foundation upon which we build our lives. But there is something else. The people followed Jesus because of one outstanding thing: He taught them with authority. He wasn't like the other religious teachers, the scribes, and we could include the Pharisees. There was an authority in His teaching that they had never experienced before. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/_IyryT5DTbI  For more information on the Ministry of David Hathaway https://www.eurovision.org.uk 

Based on the book of James chapter 5, David shares how a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord will make them well. There is great power in prayer. If you’re afflicted, pray. If you’re merry, sing songs of praise. Then, in verse 14, James says: “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” There is absolutely no question about it: healing is part of the ministry of the Church. Sadly, I believe this is one of the most neglected aspects of church life today. There are so many churches that no longer believe in miracles or in the power of prayer to heal the sick. But the Bible is very clear. If someone is sick, they should call for the elders of the church. They are to anoint that person with oil, pray over them in faith, and trust God for a miracle. James says that the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up. And he goes on to say that if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven. Come on, we need to bring the miraculous back into the Church! We need to recover our faith in the power of prayer and believe God to do what His Word promises. I remember one occasion during the communist era when I was in Ukraine. They smuggled me across the border into what I believe was Moldova. I needed a separate visa to enter Moldova, and I didn’t have one, so they hid me in the back of a car and took me across the border. We held a glorious open-air meeting and preached the Gospel. Among the crowd was a young woman in her twenties who was blind. But God moved in power that day. He gloriously healed her and opened her eyes!