It is recorded in the ninth chapter of Luke's Gospel that the Master, Christ Jesus, "called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." He had already taught them that the kingdom of God, or heaven, is at hand, and later he stressed the fact that it is within one's own consciousness.
Throughout his ministry the Master emphasized the need of receptivity. To those who would hear and receive this Gospel message he said (Matt. 18:3), "Except ye... become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." The tenor of this admonition is indicated in the fact that he expected of his followers a spirit of receptivity and teachableness that is usually so much a part of a child's nature.
Let us for a moment consider the experiences of the Master. We recall the account of his coming back to his own country after an active career elsewhere in the work of teaching and healing. Everywhere, along the countryside, in villages, and on the shores of lakes, multitudes gathered, and we have record of large numbers of people having been healed through his ministrations. Their receptivity to his healing and saving ministry was both natural and spontaneous.
