Something that has long frustrated me is how we here in the Western world, in the Western church, don’t focus on the power of healing, on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit quite like we should, like the early church did, like Christians in rougher places still do.
It is not all bad, but for the most part it is in the Western world were you will find people focused more on worship music, on drawing crowds into mega churches, on curriculum, on conventions, on churchian politics, faith more as a name brand than an actual practice.
Somebody asked me why I go to church the other day and I said, “to praise and worship, because God asked us to give a day to Him, for fellowship and a bit of like-mindedness.” It was a terrible answer because that’s not really why I got to church at all. I go for refuge, for renewal, for refreshment, for healing for my soul. Healing! Emotional, spiritual, psychological healing, that life-giving force that is Jesus Christ. Life, as in something that moves like Living Water, that progresses and flows. I go to have “life and life abundant,” just like He promised.
True, “church” is just a piece of this, one has to actually pray, read the bible, have a relationships with Him more than once a week, allow Him into your heart and embrace Him as the Great Physician, as the cure for what ails you. One cannot just sit in church and absorb Jesus Christ through osmosis, although that is certainly a good place to start. Just don’t stay there forever, year after year, still waiting to find Him…. Dead, dead in those pews, now just a skelaton covered in cobwebs, still waiting. I jest here, but I’ve seen it and it’s sad.
Back to my frustration, I am in the business of healing, in work, in life, in faith, in supporting and serving people anyway I can. Far, far too often I encounter people in desperate need of healing and they are already Christians, they have faith, but they don’t have belief, they don’t know to turn to Him for healing, they don’t trust that He can fix it. For them, Christ is far away and disengaged from them personally. It is also true, sometimes we are not healed, sometimes thorns are left in our side becasue they have something to teach us, but for the most part we are to be whole, prospering within our souls, even if our bodies begin to fail us.
So, I find it infinitely frustrating when people are trapped in some emotional/spiritual affliction, and they do not know how to get out of it, they do not really know the Great Physician, how He came to set the captives free. None of us are expected to be perfect but we are expected to allow Him to transform us into better versions of ourselves.
This is part of the reason why the church is in a bit of a decline in the Western world and yet growing rapidly across the globe. In the West we are comfortable, a bit more shy about our need for healing. Many people around the world are in desperate need of healing and Jesus Christ is all they’ve got. In the West we tend to treat prayer more as a last resort, but for many in the world, it’s the only resort.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God…” 2 Timothy 1:6-8
Salvageable said:
I agree one hundred percent. I attend church for healing, and I invite others to church for their healing. I wonder if churches would start filling up again if more of them promoted the healing power of Christ’s Gospel instead of their own wonderful music, friendliness, etc. J.
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insanitybytes22 said:
I have a feeling churches really would fill up if we focused on healing more, much like the emergency room fills upon a Friday night during a full moon. That always baffled me, and while some people may need actual medical attention, what many of them really need is some healing for their souls.
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newenglandsun said:
“There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God; first passible and then impassible— even Jesus Christ our Lord.” St Ignatius–Epistle to Ephesians, Ch. 7 ‡‡‡
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Paul said:
Well said IB – I especially like the ” … afflictions of the gospel … ” – so very true.
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gmgoetz said:
In agreement with you. Looking forward to the day when Christians enter the building, to enter the “church” in honesty and humbleness. There are too many hurting people, physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, etc. entering the fellowship every week, who when asked how they are, respond, “fine, doing good.”
As well, many have been neglected by someone who has asked, when the answer was “not so good”, or “hurting” etc. and the person who asked the question said something similar to, “great, glad to hear it”, because they didn’t really care, didn’t listen, and only asked out of habit.
If we get these two sides together, speaking honestly, then praying expectantly for one another, believing in faith, we will see mighty works of God, and Christians will grow in their faith, and God will receive glory.
Sorry for my rant, but that is a peeve of mine (not a “pet” peeve) 😀, pets are supposed to be enjoyable.
God’s Blessings Sister.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Oh, amen! Great rant.
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dawnlizjones said:
And amen again to http://thotsfromgeorge.wordpress.com/ on that one! Naturally, we all need to set our boundaries, but there is still way too much hesitancy toward emotional honesty, far too many taboos when it comes to certain issues and past (or present) experiences. Thanks, Becky, for this. We need to LEARN and demonstrate koinonia.
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Citizen Tom said:
Healing is certainly a start. There is fellowship in Christ. There is a place we can get help educating our children about the Bible. There are lots of reasons, but healing is where it all starts.
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Dan Ledwith said:
Right. On. Soooo right on! The western church simply does not expect this, and its what we expect that we tend to get…
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Wally Fry said:
Nice IB
You know how i feel about church by now I a sure. I am so very spoiled I suppose. I have the biggest family in the world in my church, and they, for the most part share in all the joy, pain, and ….well….all of it. We support each other when we are weak, love when we are down, rebuke when we are screwing up…and on and on. Heck, I can probably even count on the people who don’t actually like me to be there if I needed them.
But, as was pointed out by gmgoetz, we can’t be healed from things that are unknown. I liked that one a lot. But, who can share their pain with people they don’t know and trust. It’s all rolled up in a ball. I know for a fact there are men I can do to in my church with my pain, and they will advise me, encourage me, and pray with and for me. If I only tell them about it.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Amen, Wally. LOL, you are spoiled. How wonderful!
I am spoiled too, at least in the sense that Christ is always right there, that He does answer my prayers, and that most of my grief lies in the fact that others don’t have Him, don’t know Him.
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The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
This is good IB. We are spoiled here in the west and too many of us don’t believe we need any healing.
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insanitybytes22 said:
Good point, we often don’t believe we need any healing. Wally mentioned something similar, about how we have to ask, to communicate.
Here we are living in this country where we have a huge drug industry, staggering medical costs, and yet nobody needs no healing of any sort. We’re all just fine. 🙂
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The Isaiah 53:5 Project said:
Truth is we’re not fine, we just want healing from everywhere but church.
Here in America we have alcohol, medication, counseling, empowerment seminars, safe spaces…In other words, we have a ton of stuff to keep us from the great physician.
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Wally Fry said:
Well, there was no personal wisdom there, IB. I got it right from the manual!
James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? 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:”
Have a blessed day!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Ha! Read the instruction manual,it explains everything! 🙂
We still need these reminders, Wally, people to point us back to the path.
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Damola A said:
I attend church more because I know I go to a place to find solace. I know I can come to lay my burden at the feet of Jesus while fellowshipping with my brothers and sisters. I think its important that we know we can come to find healing
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insanitybytes22 said:
Amen! I go to find solace too, refuge from the world sometimes. Church is a good thing, or it can be.
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NothingImportant2Say said:
Wow, I was visiting my parents this weekend (I live in another part of the country and only see them physically 2-3 times a year). Since it’s Sunday, I was preparing to go to church when my Dad asked me why I go to church and if people were required to go to church to be saved. I hope I gave a good answer, but I wish I would have read this blog before answering. This post represents what I was trying to convey. Thank you for putting this in a post!
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insanitybytes22 said:
Thank you for reading and for your kind words. 🙂
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