“Miracles and healing ceased when the Apostles died (Cessationism). Don't pray for my sickness on the street.”

The 30-second answer

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). He sent His followers to heal the sick, and the New Testament presents gifts of healing as part of the church's life until He returns.

💡 Ask them back“In Hebrews 13:8, the Bible says: 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.' Where does the New Testament say that healing would stop before Jesus returns? And if you were in pain right now, would you mind if I prayed a 15-second prayer for God to touch your body?”

⚠️ What not to sayDon't get into angry theological debates with cessationists, and don't rest your whole case on Mark 16:9-20, which is missing from the earliest manuscripts. Offer a simple, loving 15-second prayer and let the power of God speak for itself.

📖 The full defense

Jesus Commissioned His Followers to Heal:

Jesus sent His disciples out: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:7-8).
He promised, "he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also" (John 14:12)—not only the Twelve, but whoever believes.
The Great Commission tells us to teach new disciples "to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20)—which included healing the sick.
Mark 16:17-18 ("these signs will follow those who believe... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover") says the same, but be honest: Mark 16:9-20 is absent from the earliest manuscripts, so don't rest the case on it alone.

The Promise Is for Every Generation:

"The promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).
Paul expected the church to "come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:7)—the gifts continue until Christ returns.
"Gifts of healings" and "the working of miracles" are listed among the Spirit's gifts to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:9-10).
James tells ordinary church elders to pray over the sick with oil: "the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:14-15).

1 Corinthians 13:8-12 Misuse:
Cessationists often claim 1 Cor 13:10 ("when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away") refers to the completion of the New Testament canon. But verse 12 explicitly says: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then FACE TO FACE. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." We will only see Jesus face to face at the Second Coming!

Healing Never Disappeared from Church History:
Around AD 180, Irenaeus wrote that believers in his day still "heal the sick by laying their hands upon them, and they are made whole" (Against Heresies 2.32.4). Augustine recorded healings in his own congregation (City of God 22.8). Today, scholar Craig Keener's two-volume Miracles (2011) documents many carefully reported healing claims from around the world.

✝️ Scripture anchors (NKJV)

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Matthew 10:7-8

“And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

John 14:12

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

James 5:14-15

“Is anyone among you sick? 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 will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

1 Corinthians 2:4-5

“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

🔁 If they push back…

The comeback you are most likely to hear next — and a reply that keeps the conversation moving toward Jesus.

They say“Matthew 10 was a commission for the Twelve only. Miracles were "the signs of an apostle" (2 Corinthians 12:12) to confirm new revelation. Now that we have the completed Bible, they aren't needed.”

You can saySigns did confirm the apostles—but Scripture never says only apostles healed. Stephen and Philip weren't apostles, yet they did great signs (Acts 6:8; 8:6-7); Ananias, an ordinary disciple, laid hands on Paul (Acts 9:17); James tells local church elders to pray for the sick (James 5:14-15); and 1 Corinthians 12 lists gifts of healings for the whole body. Nothing in the New Testament says these would end before Jesus returns (1 Corinthians 1:7).

They say“Look at all the fake faith healers and charlatans on TV. If miracles were real, they'd be verifiable.”

You can sayI agree—fraud is real, it grieves God, and Jesus warned about it (Matthew 7:22-23). But counterfeit money exists only because real money does. I'm not asking for a stage or an offering—just a moment to pray for you in Jesus' name. If nothing happens, you've lost fifteen seconds; if He touches you, you'll know He is real.

🕊️ Pentecostal key — the Spirit on the streetStep out in faith on the street! Ask someone with a cast, crutches, or a headache: "Can I pray for you right now?" Keep it short, direct, in Jesus' Name, and ask them to test their movement. God's power confirms His Word!