Tag: healing

On the Other Side of This

Matthew 18:15–20; 1 Peter 1:13–24 (read online ⧉)

Once, an old warrior told a young man that the young man’s father was killed by a certain individual. The young man later confronted the certain individual and learned that the certain individual was actually his father. The young man then confronted the old warrior said that it wasn’t a lie, it was the truth told from a certain point of view.

There are many perspectives floating around at the moment. Most are carried with verve and vigor. Many are carried with pain. Many are carried with anger. Many are carried with fear. Many are carried in vengeance.

In the midst of chaos and strife, it is easy to get caught up in the emotions, especially the negative ones. People will often watch or other otherwise consume media that reinforces their viewpoint. This further entrenches the hearts of people, making the divides wider.

Right now, there are many paths being laid, and the sad truth is that each will walk a path, and there is little likelihood of reconciliation. It is not just our country, it is our cities, our state, our world. The saddest place of division is in our churches.

While we are going through the COVID-19 situation, to have the additional stress and strain of societal disruption (regardless of right or wrong) will result in hearts that harder then they were already.

There are cultural and societal sins at play. Individuals are not guilty of these sins, but they are responsible for them. We as ambassadors of the Heavenly Kingdom—where our citizenship rests—are called to be of one mind.

Being of one mind is hard, especially when we focus on all that separates us. If we were, for example, to focus on Jesus Christ, what Jesus has done for us, the freedom that he has given us, our ability to move beyond our earthly desires should improve.

This does not mean that sorrow, grieving, repentance, and reconciliation don’t need to happen. They, in fact, do need to happen. It is through these that the human walls between us are broken down and we can truly be united.

※Prayer※

Lord, as our hearts ache and our tempers flare, grant us peace. As we look to the world in disarray and fear, give us peace. As the world seeks answers and healing, make us peace. Amen.

※Questions※

1) What do you plan to do to heal the rifts between fellow Christians?

2) As barriers grow, how will you lovingly break them down?

2020-06-18
Only the Beginning

Psalm 104:24–35; Joel 2:18–29; Romans 8:18–24 (read online ⧉)

We have lost a lot in the modern age. One of the things is awareness of the land. In the current COVID-19 situation, we may be regaining some of that, as prices go up with agricultural workers being unavailable due to illness.

The health of the land was deeply tied to the health of its people. We’ve seen some strange perspectives of that with both environmental activists and blind corporate juggernauts.

For many the environmental ties to a flourishing people are obvious. To others, not so much. In the era of Jesus and even today, when nature has severe weather, agriculture often takes the brunt of it. In Paul’s age, they were very much aware of that, especially as there were a series of famines. Thus the land needing healing was quite obvious to any person.

The land was tied to prosperity. An unhealthy land made for unhealthy people. It was also the case, which was Joel’s point, that an unhealthy people made for an unhealthy land. Paul noted that it was just humanity that longed for a Savior…the rest of Creation longed for it, too.

Pentecost wouldn’t seem to have much to do with that, yet, it is the empowerment by the Holy Spirit of the people of God, that would be the new shepherds to heal the land. Justice and mercy were not just to be attributes of God, they were to be attributes of his people.

The land isn’t just the physical land and the animals, it is the heart of the people in it, too. The land, our land, is very sick. It is not just COVID-19, it is something far deeper and even more ill. There is an illness that is infecting the souls of the people of our nation and even the people of the Body of Christ.

We may not be able to fix it all, and we certainly cannot heal it all. We can be the messengers of love, grace, and mercy. In so doing, as we guard our words and actions, we will be different than the world that seeks to attack and destroy others.

The love of Jesus Christ cannot back down, and the Body of Christ cannot just let the vileness that pervades continue to build and lash out. We are not called to lash out as the world. We are to say that Christ died for them to heal their pain. We can only walk them on the journey.

※ Prayer [BCPOnline] ※

O God, who on Pentecost taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

※ Afterward ※

Questions seem superfluous. The recent death of George Floyd has taken an anxiety-ridden world and launched chaos. The rise of mayhem and violence will not heal or reconcile. It will only harden hearts. We are called to be the church for such times as this. How we can and will respond in this and in all such, we can only pray that we bring honor and glory to God.

2020-06-01
Opprobrium

Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43; Luke 8:40–56 (read online ⧉)

People often use scripture to justify certain things, or at least state that whatever “this” is, it is nothing new. One of those is a thought that the woman in today’s Scriptures had been bleeding due to a botched abortion. This, of course, is conjecture. There are several other medical conditions which this could fall under, so making this kind of conjecture is often not helpful. This is especially the case when such conjecture takes away from the mystery that is already present in the Scripture.

Think about the other healings that Jesus performed. In the other healings, he was approached then would act. He was just on his way to heal someone else, and this women surreptitiously approaches him and just touches his clothes to be healed.

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) have slightly different tellings of the story. Yet, the woman’s initiative to approach Jesus and touching his clothing to be healed is consistent. Both Mark and Luke talk about the crowds surrounding Jesus. This took courage for this woman.

The primary thought that this bleeding was similar to menstrual bleeding (hence the aforementioned piece about abortion). If that is so, while the woman would not have to declare “unclean” as a leper, should would be ceremonially unclean, and probably unwelcome, if anyone knew. She, probably some sort of outcast, would have to go among those who likely mocked and scorned her. If she was successful, for 12 years, to keep her condition secret, then she would have likely been overwhelmed by guilt and inadequacy.

In Mark and Luke, this story takes on another interesting twist. She approached; she touched; she was healed. There was no “action” by Jesus. This unique aspect should be one of those moments where we stop and wonder, what is different?

Anything is conjecture, as the Bible does not directly say anything. One possibility is that in this story we see God and Man. The Godly power left Jesus. Jesus the Man was surprised. Both aspects of Jesus were in full display. There is even this odd hint of the Water of Life being spent, which would then be refilled by God.

On the other hand, there is an echo of the time in Eden after Adam and Eve had eaten the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve had heard God walking in the Garden and hid because they were naked. God asked where they were. Adam and Eve revealed themselves in shame. Sounds somewhat like the woman who revealed herself.

There is also the beauty of trust that this woman has. It isn’t just trust of being healed, but when she reveals herself and tells her story, there is a vulnerability that requires an explicit trust in Jesus.

This woman has no name in the Scriptures (outlined here). Her cured affliction has been noted for history, but the shame of her condition is not tied to her name. Just as the shame that once weighed her down was gone, so was what needed healing. She left it behind. Her gift was that her legacy was not her condition. She moved forward in freedom.

※ Prayer ※

Lord, we thank you for taking our shame. Though we may still bear the scars and pain of it, the shame is gone. May this freedom that you have given us, not be misused or unused for your glory. Amen.

※ Questions ※

1) Why do you think each of the Gospel writers (especially Matthew), chose to tell the story the way they did? What do you think of the additional piece that Mark and Luke have?

2) What is your biggest takeaway regarding the woman of our story?

3) What do you think the response was of those who were acting on Jairus’ behalf?

2020-05-30
Believing Works

John 14:6–21; John 21:24–25 (read online ⧉)

Often, we operate as if following Jesus is just the thing to do. If you were raised in the church, as a (at least a theoretical) Christian, the “Jesus” and “Christian” thing “sort of” happens. It is a “sort of, as our whole life should be each day taking one step closer to being like Jesus.

The disciples, especially the 12 closest, should have really gotten this themselves, but just as we are often blind with what is right before our eyes, they were too.

Jesus’ question to Philip, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me?” That is a really amazing condemnation of Philip, and probably the other disciples, as well. They were not getting it.

Now, the reality is that Jesus was saying that he was equivalent to God the Father. This was a very bold statement. It is only through the doctrine of the Trinity that these words make any sort of sense. The disciples, however, didn’t have a framework to use to understand.

So, Jesus skips the belief (doctrine) part and says believe the actions. Truly, this is an interesting statement. If you don’t believe the words of Jesus, look at Jesus’ actions. Then the really hard part comes.

Those who believe in Jesus will do the same works. That list of works includes: helping the mute speak, casting out demons, healing internal injuries, healing the lame, and raising the dead. John also says that Jesus did a lot more miracles, but John chose to not record them, as the ones written of were enough to believe. Were they, though?

If we are supposed to be able to do the same works? How’s that for high expectations? Raised anyone from the dead recently?

Now, there are those that say we aren’t all called to do these miraculous things. Partially, it’s trying to explain away the lack of miracles (outside of medical science). There is also the reality that while Jesus did miracles, it wasn’t a constant thing.

※ Prayer ※

Jesus, you said that we would do works like yours, if we believed. Help our unbelief! Amen.

※ Questions ※

1) What physical miracles have you seen?

2) What is the difference between believing in Jesus and loving Jesus?

3) Why do you think that John chose not to write more on Jesus’ works?

2020-05-23
What Say You?

Numbers 21:4–9; Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:14–21 (read online ⧉)

You may recognize the description of the snake on a stick. This is almost identical to the Rod of Asclepius, which is often used (along with, erroneously, the caduceus) to symbolize medical organizations or people. Asclepius was the Greek god of healing, so it makes sense. It is quite interesting that the making of this staff, though instructed by God, would seem to be a violation of the commandment against idols (Exodus 20:4). Yet, as it was intended, it was to be a physical and symbolic reminder that it was their sin (speaking against God) that brought the curse of the snakes upon them and the grace of God by which they were healed.

We can readily tie the passage of Ephesians to this story. We (like the Israelites) lived life according to the flesh. We often allowed our desires and the world’s influence guides our decisions. We may even have spoken against God. Yet, as Paul points out, God still held out the hand and gift of grace through Jesus Christ. Through the life of Jesus, and his sacrifice on the cross, we have the opportunity to accept a gift we could never make or work for on our own. By accepting the gift, we accept Christ as our way of life, and the Spirit of the Living God dwells in us.

Jesus was explaining this to Nicodemus and brought into his explanation the story of the bronze snake, relating the lifting of the snake on a stick, to his own crucifixion. The crucifixion, just like the bronze snake was God’s grace in action. The difference between the two was that one preserved life here on earth, and one gave life here on earth and life eternal.

1) Are you too focus on the here and now to look for the eternal?

2) Have you ever done something where God brought you back into focus on him in a way that was unpleasant or painful?

In many respects, we can see COVID as a plague. While it is not a same situation, there is a single similarity. We can look around and be consumed, or we can look to and and trust in God to be free. Which will you choose?

2020-03-21
Community of Friends

Psalm 25:1-10, Psalm 32, Matthew 9:2-13 (read online ⧉)

The story of the healed paralytic has been many times, mostly it seems, to point the finger at the scribes for their lack of faith. Let us look with grace upon the scribes, to their understanding and traditions, sins could not be forgiven without blood sacrifice. It was not that their faith was weak (or non-existent), but that their traditions and scriptural understanding did not match Jesus’ simple words.

For many of the Jewish religious leaders, part of their understanding was that the paralytic was bearing the curse of his sins, his parents’ sins, and/or some ancestor’s sins. In Psalm 32, the psalmist speaks of acknowledging his sins, but what if the sins the paralytic was bearing were not his own? What could he confess? What if it was some hidden sin of which he wasn’t aware? What could be his hope? His friends.

His friends mirror the great trust in God that we read in both of the Psalms. Their faith was the key. Did you catch that? The faith noted in Matthew 9:2-13 was that of the paralytic’s friends. In a shame-based culture, they could have been despised because they dared to be publicly seen with this…sinner. They were declaring their love of their friend to their village and to their religious leaders. They bravely, faithfully, and lovingly brought their friend to the prophet in expectation of a miracle.

They received two miracles, a spiritual cleansing, and the healing of their friend. The paralytic learned who his true friends were, and the power and love of God that changed his life!

We can reasonably expect God’s grace and mercy, not because we deserve it, but because that is a reflection of God being love.

We have to be humble and reflective as we approach the throne of God. When we do so we become ready to be guided and lead by the Creator.

1) Why do you think Matthew, Mark, and Luke made it a point that it was the faith of the paralytic’s friends that Jesus praised?

2) How does this recognition of their faith affect or challenge your perception or beliefs of what it means to be in a faith community?

3) How does our perception of our faith community affect our interactions within it, and how we welcome new people into it?

2020-02-29
Healing Purpose

Mark 5:1–20, Mark 7:31–36, Luke 17:11–19 (read online ⧉)

Jesus produced miracle after miracle. Usually, people are pretty grateful when miraculous healing has occurred. The first healing we read today is a man who is not right in the head. Whether we stick with the surface Biblical understanding of possession or go with the postmodern view of schizophrenia it doesn’t really matter. Either way, we see that Jesus performed a miracle. The man was healed and he wanted everyone to know. Jesus directed him to return home. He went to the place he was likely cast-out from and talked about and displayed his healing. He wanted to let people know what Jesus had done for him.

The next story of healing is the deaf man, whose poor hearing had also affected his ability to speak. Jesus healed him, he could now hear and speak normally. What’s interesting here is that while only one person appeared to have been healed, there were either more people that were healed that Mark doesn’t talk about here, or the people were so excited for the man’s healing that they all couldn’t keep quiet about Jesus, and this was after he directed them to remain quiet. They couldn’t help themselves.

The last story is probably the saddest. Jesus healed 10 men of their skin disease. 9 of them did not return to honor Jesus, nor (we can infer) did they do anything that honored God (perhaps not even seeing the priests?) in return. Only 1 man did, and he was an unclean awful Samaritan (Jewish perspective). While the gratitude of 1 out 10 is depressing, there is something else here worth looking at. Nowhere do the Scriptures tell us that the 9 men who appeared to not be thankful regained their skin diseases. Yet, only the 1 man who was thankful (or at least returned to glorify God) was told by Jesus that his faith had saved him.

This last story shows us an important fact about the nature of God. Even when we are ungrateful, God is still loving and faithful. This also shows something else, just because we received miraculous healing, it does not mean we’re saved. That requires something else from us.

1) What is the difference between saving faith, being saved, and being healed?

2) What do you think God’s purpose(s) is(are) for miraculous healings?

3) Where do you see Christians acting like the 9? Where do you see Christians acting like those healed? Where do you see Christians acting like the witnesses of the healings?

Action: Figure out a miracle God has done in your life that you haven’t given him glory for, and share it.

2020-01-26
Rest or Death?

Psalm 23 (read online ⧉)

Psalm 23 is that one Psalm that even many non-Christians appreciate (if not love), and even those who have walked away from the faith still hold onto. Even with people who do not fully understand the imagery of a sheep and shepherd grasp some of the very important pieces from it, even when they don’t believe in God.

God loves them. Yep. That’s part of what makes this Psalm so amazing. People understand the caring and cherishing love that is conveyed in this Psalm. Those who don’t believe in God or have long struggled with the concept of a loving God versus a harsh God still get it! They want it!

God cares about them. Making people rest. Places of calming. Places of healing. Who doesn’t want that? And it calls to the unbeliever too!

Yes, there is a lot more in this Psalm that has called, drawn, nourished, healed people for generations. That is part of the problem. This Psalm is peaceful. It draws into a place of peace. That’s all good. However, it’s supposed to be a place of rest. If it is a place of rest, that means one needs to rest from something. Too often, though, we just want to rest. Rest is good. God built us that way. Too much rest is bad. We become more and more lethargic. We don’t want to move/go. We want to remain at rest.

At the risk of taking too much out of context, let’s look at the word מְנֻחֹות [mânuchah /men·oo·khaw]. Depending on the translation it means still (KJV, ESV) or quiet (NIV, CSB). When applied to water, there is a concept of the water’s presence being relaxing. In a culture that did not view water as particularly relaxing (there was more fear), this is very important. We, on the other hand, have a more relaxed view of the water.

Still or quiet does not mean stagnant. While the water is still or quiet, it is still “alive”. It moves. It has life in it. Too often we believe we want still or quiet, but we end up with stagnation. Water that is not stagnant has a cycle of its own. Stagnant water evaporates into nothingness. It ends up being nothing. It ends up being useless.
Resting in God is essential. It is important. It needs to be regular. The purpose of God-based rest is to do God’s work. Far too many people rest and are resting too long.

1) What does it mean to be stagnant in God’s Kingdom?

2) People, programs, ministries, facilities, thought processes, and so on can all become stagnant, even the ones we love. Where do you see stagnation?

3) What is the difference between stagnation and building up over a long period of time? How can you tell the difference?

2020-01-22
Anointed, Ordained, and Consecrated

Exodus 28:39–43, 1 Peter 2:4–5, 1 Corinthians 12:27–30, Revelation 5:9–10 (read online ⧉)

In the Protestant tradition, of which we are a part*, there has long been a stance about the Priesthood of All Believers. The primary principle is that Jesus is the ultimate and eternal priest, so there is no longer a need for a mediator between humanity and God. In theology and on paper it sounds great, but in general, we don’t seem to do well with it. There are some Christian traditions that have managed it through the years, but they are few and far between.

Most of this has to do with the human need for organization and administration. Contrary to many people’s thinking, that isn’t a bad thing. If you were to read the Creation account in Genesis, you would see an organized and hierarchal pattern (and that isn’t just humanity’s place).

Despite a long-standing tradition of the Priesthood of All Believers in almost all Protestant traditions (yes, there is an exception), theologically and organizationally we don’t believe or function wholly that way. We read in 1 Corinthians that organizational roles were essentially spiritualized, so we certainly are not outside of the Scriptures.

Without question, there is a tension, and it is a tension well worth thinking on. We call on pastors to teach and guide us. The role of elder in our church is more part of a decision-making body than spiritual leadership (Note: this is observation, not a commentary. They do hard work.). These aren’t the only roles in the church. Each of us has a role to play. The big issue is when we pawn our role onto another since they have a “role” and we don’t. Except we do.

There is a lot of creative liberty in the following, yet sometimes it’s necessary to breakdown our thought processes.
Moses is the “true” mediator in this story, yet he will leave (die) and the practice will remain.

Step 1: Anoint
We generally practice this in times of healing. However, if we look at it in more general terms, baptism could be a form of anointing. Yes, it’s different. On the other hand, it too is a physical sign of something that a person is participating in and allowing. You have been baptized (if not, talk to someone about that) into the family of God.

Step 2: Ordain
This is a little trickier, as we have a certain traditional understanding of “ordain”. In Hebrew, מָלֵא (maleʾ, malaʾ /maw·lay/) is more often translated as fill or fulfill. Sounds a bit like the Holy Spirit filling up the disciples on Pentecost, and what is supposed to be inside every person who claims Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Step 3: Consecrate
This is the easiest, as it means set apart. Sounds similar to the list in 1 Corinthians. We each have been set apart for our role to fulfill the Great Commission as a member of the body of Christ, the Church.

1) Everyone has a role in the Priesthood of All Believers. What is yours? If you believe you don’t have one, seek the guidance of other believers, friends, and family. Everyone has a role, and spectator isn’t one of them.

2) People often believe they have no place to belong (whether at home, church, work, school, etc.). When we fulfill our roles, we often find our place to belong. Why do people, then, seem to want to put their role onto others?

3) Why might it be important to think of yourself as anointed, ordained, and consecrated?

*as Generations Community Church, part of the Church of the Nazarene

2020-01-15
Evangelizing the Body

Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 25:15, Isaiah 40:10–14, Matthew 12:11–21 (read online ⧉)

The mission statement of the Church of the Nazarene is, “to make Christ-like disciples in all nations.” In case you’ve forgotten, though you probably haven’t, one of the tasks of Christians is to make disciples. The mission statement of the Church of the Nazarene is really the call upon all Christians. For many years, the culture of the United States appeared to have a deep understanding of Christianity and had embraced it. The formulation of evangelism has been firmly rooted in that. Techniques such as the Romans Road and 4 Spiritual Laws were developed for that culture. If these techniques were so effective, the religious landscape of our country would be very different. It is not that they were not effective, it was just that the presentation of their effectiveness is questionable.

The reality is that techniques that rely on a particular time, place, and culture will only be effective for a short time. The time that many were effective was relatively short. There are many, however, that still cling to these ways. Much of the reason is that they were simple and straight forward. On the front end, they also appeared effective in the short term as people “came to Christ.” Yet, over time a large proportion didn’t “stick.” This actually why evangelism in today’s world has far greater potential.

In today’s world, the fact that we can no longer rely on techniques and “quick-strike” techniques is actually a good thing. It’s a hard thing. It’s a very hard thing. It’s still a good thing. In today’s culture, relationship is the single biggest “technique”. If we are honest with ourselves, we can look back even at the evangelism techniques and recognize that when it “stuck” a relationship was involved.

Our two verses from Proverbs address speaking with others. Contrary to Proverb 15:1, the church (generally) has been characterized (with reason) as speaking with harsh words. In our worthwhile attempt to guide/direct people to live a God-honoring life, we instead scarred and hurt them with our words. Proverbs 25:15 shows us that gentleness will win for more people over, and if our goal is to win people over to Christ, then we should follow the wisdom of Proverbs. Here is the struggle point, however, with this wisdom; there is no guarantee and it will take time. In a quick-fix world like ours, the dedication of time becomes a stumbling block to Christians living out their mission.

Gentleness and guiding are part of the image that Isaiah is trying to portray. Isaiah shows God’s heart for people. Who are we to not follow this guidance? Carrying lambs and guiding those nursing is not quick. It requires patience and love. This guidance and care is placed in the middle of verses talking about God’s glory and power. This tells us that power and glory go hand-in-hand with guidance and care. Of course, there is a human tendency towards condescension, of which we must all be cautious.

This view of God is then applied to Jesus by Matthew (who was quoting Isaiah). It carries on the view of God above. There is the preceding story of a “sinful” healing on the Sabbath. Where was the gentleness and guidance in this? There was only condemnation and condescension. The key for our thoughts on gentleness and guidance are really in Matthew 12:20. A bruised reed means the plant is already injured and hurting. One can easily break a bruised reed, rather than bandage and work to heal it. A smoldering wick means that the fire was blown out or the oil extinguished. One can more easily fully extinguish a smoldering wick rather than reigniting the flame or filling the lamp with oil.

1) Due to many issues (both past and ongoing), evangelism needs to occur in the church, as much as outside of the church. Who is someone struggling with their faith or beliefs? Who can you stand next to and lift up?

2) Many of the people that we meet outside of the church have been hurt by it. This can be by words or spoken actions taken. It can also be by stories told of the church. How can you work to build a bridge to those that have been hurt by us?

3) When being confronted with a challenge to your views, especially your world view, how do you respond?

2020-01-13