Author AmyLu Riley thanks God for the life and work of Francis MacNutt (April 22, 1925 – January 12, 2020) and discusses his work. “It would be difficult to overstate the impact of his work on my life. I have been greatly changed and strengthened as a result of the many books Francis MacNutt wrote during his decades of Christian healing ministry. May God inspire writers in this day with every spiritual gift to push back darkness and usher in truth in love, and may God empower believers to bring his kingdom near to the sick (Luke 10:9), as he clearly did through the life of his servant Francis MacNutt.”
I thank God for the life and work of Francis MacNutt (April 22, 1925 – January 12, 2020). It has been just one year since I first found the writing of Francis MacNutt, yet it would be difficult to overstate the impact of his work on my life.
Of the many books he wrote during his decades of Christian healing ministry, I have, at the time of this writing, read all but the last one listed here, and have been greatly changed and strengthened as a result:
- Healing – A classic, with nearly 1 million copies sold. I wrote about it in this blog post: Where Has This Book on Healing Been?: My Thoughts On Francis MacNutt’s Healing.
- The Power to Heal – I wrote about it in this blog post: How The Power to Heal by Francis MacNutt Changed My Faith to Pray for Healing of Chronic Illness and mentioned it in this blog post: 10 Books That Surprised Me in 2019.
- The Healing Reawakening – I wrote about it in this blog post: Woke: How the Suppression of the Church’s Healing Ministry is Oppressing People with Chronic Illness, and mentioned it in this blog post: 10 Books That Surprised Me in 2019), and in this blog post: Is Healing Always the Will of God? More of my personal experience with The Healing Reawakening will be recounted in my upcoming book, Faith with Wings.
- Deliverance from Evil Spirits – I just finished reading this book on December 29, 2019, and found it excellent—highly practical and useful. It’s one of the books in my list of recommended reading.
- The Prayer That Heals
- The Practice of Healing Prayer
- Can Homosexuality be Healed? – I mentioned this book in the blog post 10 Books That Surprised Me in 2019.
- Overcome by the Spirit – This book was a welcome personal testimony of Francis’s own empowerment by the Holy Spirit to minister to the church in the ways he has done effectively, with so much fruit, for so many decades.
- Praying for Your Unborn Child – Co-authored with Judith MacNutt
I am so grateful for the many ways God has worked through Francis MacNutt’s writing. In the many blog posts linked above, I discussed just some of the broad and deep impact that his writings have had on my life.
His was a tremendous example of producing writing that makes a real difference in the world for the kingdom of God. Francis MacNutt’s testimony, as shared throughout his books, was an outworking of the fruitful ministry of following the leading of the Holy Spirit. May God inspire writers in this day with every spiritual gift to push back darkness and usher in truth in love.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
Revelation 12:11 (NLT)
May God also raise up many more Christians in this day with the much-needed gifts of healing—as well as the discernment, wisdom, and knowledge—and the heart of love—that Francis MacNutt modeled. May God empower these believers to bring his kingdom near to the sick (Luke 10:9), as he clearly did through the life of his servant Francis MacNutt.
Francis MacNutt faithfully carried out the vitally important work entrusted to him by God for the benefit of the global church. While his race is run, ours is not yet over. May God equip every member of his church today to run our race well.
I pray for God’s comfort for the MacNutt family; for the staff and volunteers of Christian Healing Ministries; and for the many colleagues of Francis MacNutt who will miss him dearly. May God bless and hold each one close as they mourn earth’s loss of this faithful servant of God.
AmyLu Riley is the author of Faith with Grit for the Not-Yet Healed and the upcoming Faith with Wings. Join her email list at amylu-riley.com/subscribe.
I was one who our Lord healed from Francis laying his hands on me & prayed!! Back in 1979, I’d been going thru tests upon tests, one showing I had abnormal cells present in my abdomen- somewwhere, they didnt know where. But a Internal medicine Dr told me we have to look at shortened life spans for you girl! I was only 33, & this was 5 years after I’d had Colon cancer surgery!! I had a a 9 year old son, & a 5 year old daughter, who had been 3 months when I’d had the surgery, my surgeon telling me back then I was his youngest patient ever- him being white haired & a past Mayo Clinic Dr. So I heard Francis would be speaking at a College by us the end of January. I had to go! He spoke, then I went up for prayer, & he briefly laid hands on my stomach, & prayed. For the next hour or two, I was sweating in just that area where his hands had been, & kept pulling my pants away from me, cuz the area was SO hot!! I continued going to the Drs, who would scare me so much, until the next August they said we cant find anything wrong with you, we dont know what thos ecells were, but you can come back for just yearly exams now! THEN the Holy Spirit was able to get thru to me & say I healed you way back when he prayed!!!
Praise God for healing you! And thank you for sharing your testimony!