In to Heal: Jesus Christ healed all forms and magnitudes of sicknesses and maladies. He healed everything from lifelong blindness to seeming-epilepsy to mental illness. Healing is a tough topic since God heals one persons struggle as he wishes but not another, it doesn't seem fair. But God sees things from an eternal vantage, not a limited-temporary-selfish view. He heals as He deems eternally most expedient.
I would love to tell you like some in the Christian entertainment field that Jesus will heal you the way you want if you have enough faith, or if you frame your prayer correctly, or if you quote the right scriptures in the context of your prayers; but God heals in whatever way He knows will benefit us eternally, not to pacify our non-negotiable demands. Don't misunderstand me, God can heal anything He chooses, no matter it's intensity or debilitating affects, but He always acts with eternity in mind, not our immediate desires.
If you don't mind, I would like to tweak the word heal from our immediate vision to, God making us eternally healthy. No matter how God heals, His desire is that we be transformed to eternal health and happiness. I have ministered to people with the most debilitating diseases who were spiritually effective, and happy beyond my imagination. I have watched people die of the most painful sicknesses in extraordinary health and happiness, it made me ashamed of my personal whining and griping. God can make us healthy and happy no matter this life's circumstances.The question is, do we want to be healthy? Do we want to be happy? Or will we only feel healthy and effective if we get what we want, when we want it?
I will never forget Bob. He rarely attended church, or focused on Christ; but as he became sick God lead him into the most happy, spiritually extravagant, joy-filled life you could imagine. He could not be with God's people enough. He could not love-on and appreciate his pastor enough. He told everyone in his world about the love and grace of Jesus Christ. He was most definitely healed and made healthy without being healed in the temporal sense, he dies with a smile on his face.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul asked to be healed of a thorn 3 times (I believe he never named the struggle so we could fill in the gap). God never said yes or no, He said, my grace (gift of whatever you need, whenever you need it) is sufficient... and My power is perfected in your weakness. Will we allow God's grace be sufficient, no matter what He chooses for us in this life? Will we allow Him to give us the power to be healthy, whether we get what we want in this world, or not? It is God's will to heal you perfectly, even though God's perfect and our perfect may not be the same perfect.
Out to Love: Love is an overused, yet under-lived force. In America (especially in the church) we have so emptied the word of any authentic meaning that we can love everything from a person to a TV show, with little difference in fervency or commitment. The love we speak of in our mission statement is the love Jesus Christ lived- agape. Agape is: 1) unconditional. Somehow God loves us in spite of our wounds and warts. 2) Sacrificial. Jesus died for us, even though we were rebellious sinners. 3) Never-ending. No matter how goofy and rebellious we may be, God never gives up on us or quits investing in us.
I'm not so heavenly minded that I have no human common sense. We are not going to love everyone like we love our spouse. We will never have the loving affinity that we have for our children with everyone we meet. But we as Christians need to love others as God gives us opportunity and as He equips us. Some need counsel and/or mentoring, yet others need a sink or a window fixed. My whole life is developed for spiritual-life coaching, but you do not want me to fix anything. God does not usually call us to do something we are not equipped to do (although there are times of extraordinary gifting), but we are responsible to invest what we are equipped for. But this is what the church is all about, one person is gifted in fixing windows, while others fix minds and hearts. What a wonderful plan. Do we love?
Are you healing? Are you becoming healthy in the context of your real life? Are you healthy enough to invest in others, even when life is not neat and pretty? This is what Riverview Christian is all about. Are we absolutely functionally perfect- no. But are we focused in this direction- yes! You are always welcome to experience the healing power and vision God is blessing us with.
Dr. John Letterman
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