Responsibilities of a Healing Ministry Kathryn Kuhlman 42 Questions Series Part 1

I have received a letter from one of the most influential, one of the finest religious magazines in circulation today. It's a large denominational magazine. And one of their reporters has listed 42 questions. and has asked me to answer these questions for the magazine. I find these questions most interesting. And remember, 42 of them. Oh, I tell you, I just love it. And I thought, well, I think I'll do something. If the magazine were that interested in getting me answers to these questions, And it's always amazing to me the questions that people ask. I guess that's one reason why I so enjoy these talk shows. I just love them because I feel perfectly free to answer any question. And it's always interesting to me as to what the public would like to know. You know, questions that I would never... Think of asking about myself. And it gives me an opportunity to answer these questions when I'm invited to be a guest on these talk shows. And whether they open the lines to those who call in their questions by phone or whether it's a public audience, I love it. I just thrill to it, believe me. And so... When these 42 questions were submitted to me by this gentleman representing this very excellent denominational church magazine, I'm glad to answer them. And I thought if they would be interesting to those subscribing to a magazine, they would be interesting to you too. And so I'm going to just answer some of these questions. Now, this is the very first question I was asked. And remember that I'll read the question just as they were asked me. I'm reading them from the paper that was submitted to me. Number one, you must find your work very rewarding. You are the best known woman preacher in the world today. Now, this thing about the best known woman preacher in the world today, they have said that. I have not said that. And before I go on with the question, I want you to know that I always disassociate myself from anything that's written about me or that's said about me. I do not consider myself the best -known woman preacher in the world today. In fact, let's go back to the word preacher. I never think of myself in the terms of a preacher. That's the reason I have never used the word reverend. There is not one person in the world who can bring evidence where Catherine Kuhlman has ever used the word reverend. I really do not consider myself a woman preacher. Believe me, I'm just somebody who loves souls. I love people. I want to help. And it's just that simple. And if you become known for being somebody who's trying to help people, then that's me. All right, I go on, and this is the question. You increasingly represent the lost hope of the seriously ill. Is this not an awesome as well as thrilling responsibility? First of all, I want you to know... that helping people is the most rewarding thing in the whole world. You do not have to be a Catherine Kuhlman to help people. I don't care who you are. Every Christian, every born -again man and woman should have as his goal help. I believe that you and I were born to serve. It's not just my responsibility to help people. If you are a real Christian, remember that's what Jesus did. Jesus lived to serve. And if you are a born -again man or woman, you too will... Feel your responsibility in serving and helping people. It's the most rewarding thing in the world. I want you to know that. You'll never realize what it meant to me last Christmas when among the cards, the gifts that I received, a little card with a great big Santa Claus on it. came from a 12 -year -old girl. And the doctors had said that perhaps she would not be living by Christmas. They had suggested that a leg be amputated because of cancer. She sent me this card. And in the card, she had written these words. I am living to see this Christmas. I still have two good legs because God answered prayer and you helped. I cannot begin to tell you the tears that I shed over that Christmas card and it was the greatest gift. that I received. You may have had an angel at the top of your Christmas tree, or some beautiful ornament. I felt that I had the most beautiful gift at the top of my Christmas tree, for I put the little girl's card at the very top of the tree. rewarding. It's something you'd give your very life for. Now you talk about my responsibility? When I walk out on the stage and I realize that sitting there in that great audience, there are men and women who have made a great sacrifice to have attended that service. When I realize that for many a person sitting out there, it is their last hope. Remember something. The question probably is asked in terms of physical healing. But the spiritual healing is far greater than the physical. It may be somebody's last hope. last call for the spiritual healing. The physical healing is so very secondary, believe me. You can well afford to live and die with a sick body, not having been healed physically. But when those last moments come, and the Holy Spirit is speaking at the close of the service, And we turn and give an altar call and remember the spiritual healing is far greater than the greatest physical healing that you ever saw in your life. It's wonderful to see a body healed from cancer. It's glorious to see men and women get up from out of a wheelchair and that wheelchair is pushed down the aisle empty. But there's something that's far greater, that spiritual healing. that new birth experience. And when I stand there in those last moments of a great service and give the altar call, and I realize that there may be those who are receiving the last call from God spiritually, and the destiny of their soul is at stake, that, my friend, is the most awesome feeling. great responsibility is really felt. And when the lights have been turned out of the great auditorium, you wonder whether you gave every ounce of strength that you had, whether you could have done a better job for the Lord than what you did. sure there's a responsibility when it comes to those who came for a physical healing. And I'm just human enough to tell you that the responsibility is so great that sometimes I wish that I had never been called to this part of the ministry. You may not understand, what I'm trying to say. Sometimes that responsibility is almost overwhelming. It isn't the hard work. I can stand on a platform. I can stand there on that stage three and a half, four, four and a half hours. Sometimes it has been five hours. It isn't the hard work. It's that responsibility. It's that complete yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. And that's a secret. I know better than anyone else that Catherine Kuhlman has no healing virtue. I'm not a faith healer. Please understand that. I resent very much being called a faith healer. You'll never know how much I really resent being tagged a faith healer. When I see it in print, I resent it very much because I'm not a healer. I have no healing virtue. I have no healing power. I have never healed anyone. knew that, believed me, and absolutely depended on the power of the Holy Spirit, on the power of God. I have stood before sick people. If only I could give to them the strength for my own body. And I always remember something that my papa, who worked so very hard, said to me when I was a little girl. And I remember him as he extended his hands. Both hands were opened. And he said, you know, baby, you can have anything in the world that you want if you work hard enough with these hands. That made a very great impression on me because my papa was a hard worker. I've learned to work and work very hard. But Papa didn't quite understand the work of the Holy Spirit. And I've stood before people, and I thought, oh, if only it was hard work that was needed, I'd work the flesh off my bones, believe me. When that daddy stands there with a little baby and that child, has cancer. Or perhaps there's a deformity. And I see those great big tears rolling down the cheeks of that big strong man. And as he holds that child in his arms, I know that he'd gladly give his life, literally, if that child could live. He'd exchange his own life if he... could only see that child of his healed. And standing there, a great spiritual love in my own heart. And I tell you the truth, I would gladly give my life or pay any price possible if I in that moment could see that child healed. And it's in a moment like that. that I know better than anyone else how dependent I really am on the power of God. And it's just like that. You ask me, is this not an awesome as well as thrilling responsibility? No, not thrilling, but awesome. And sometimes so awesome, I wish I had never been called. The second question. you don't bother to answer critics and skeptics. But would you grant that there are some Christians who have some honest, conscientious doubts about you and your ministry? And if so, do they deserve to know more about what you believe and how you operate than you normally state publicly? I tell you the truth. I answer every question that's asked of me. I do not believe there's anyone in the religious field today who is more honest in answering questions than I am. And it's just like that. That is the reason I'm talking to you now. That is the reason I'm answering these questions now. I'm being perfectly honest. Honest with you. I bare my soul to you. I answer them the best that I know how. And when it comes to answering critics and skeptics, remember when the skeptics came to Jesus. answered them and said to them, in substance, if you do not believe that I am all that I say that I am, then believe me for the very work's sake. And that is his only answer. I believe that. If the Lord himself would return in person and do the same works today that he did when he walked this earth in person, he'd have more skeptics than he had when he was here the first time in the flesh. You see, flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And spiritual things are only spiritually revealed. You cannot force a human being to believe something they do not want to believe. If you do not want to believe in the absolute power of Almighty God, If you do not want to believe that God has the power to heal, if you refuse to believe that divine healing is for us today, then if one were to be raised from the dead before your very eyes, you would still not believe and you'd find some excuse for not believing. You still would say probably it was psychosomatic. Or the person had been hypnotized. Or you'd be dead sure there was a catch in it someplace. And so, when it comes to the skeptics and it comes to the critics, I leave them with... And when it comes to answering questions, I answer the questions of the believer and the unbeliever the best that I know how. All right, here comes the third question. Do you feel it? there to come under journalistic scrutiny from questioners who may not be entirely sympathetic with your ministry. You know, sometimes it's a very difficult thing for me to take because someone comes in, a reporter comes in to a great miracle service. He knows nothing about the power of God. He knows nothing about the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing whatsoever about the spiritual things. He may be a very wise person, a very intelligent person. But when he comes into a great religious service, He has no idea, no conception whatsoever of the spiritual things and the working of the Holy Ghost. I think it's quite unfair, really, to himself and to the servant of God. And I'm just being very honest about it. And so, I leave them also in the hand of God. But remember, very recently, a reporter from St. Petersburg, Florida, who had attended the service in the Great Auditorium in Tampa, who was most Honest. After the great service, even coming back to the dressing room, after the benediction had been pronounced and the great crowd had left, was very honest in not only telling me, but the whole area. I came a skeptic. But I left a believer.