Health

As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8:42b-48)

The thing about healing in the bible is that it's a sign. Healing is a sign that this Kingdom of God is in our midst. Healing is a sign that the powers of creation are at work anew. A dictionary might say that healing is a process that leads to health and well-being. But healing is more than a biological process; it is the restoring work of God.

Webster says, health is "the condition of being well or free from disease." I'd like to offer a different spin on health. Health is reaching toward the fullest potential in living. Health is pursuing excellence in body, mind and spirit. Health is more than simply not having a disease or suffering injury. Health is reaching toward your best possible life.

Inspiring hope that we can become our best is the work of the church of Jesus Christ. America is suffering from overeating and poor nutrition. We eat a lot of the kind of foods that we should eat sparingly, and we don't eat enough of the fresh foods that aid us toward a healthy body. We don't exercise. We don't build muscle, nor do we build our mental and spiritual muscles.

One way the church practices the healing ministry of Jesus Christ is to pray.

A group of physicians used in double-blind "drug" studies of the efficacy of Christian prayer on healing. Patients from the San Francisco General Medical Center were randomly divided into placebo and test groups. Patients in the test group were prayed for by Christians; the placebo group received no prayer. There were no statistical differences between the placebo and the prayer groups before prayer was initiated. The results demonstrated that patients who were prayed for suffered "less congestive heart failure, required less diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently intubated and ventilated." (Rich Deem, GodandScience.org)

According to Barna Research 4 out of 5 Americans pray. 75% of them who pray are Christian. 56% say they most often pray for family members, with 3.3% saying that they pray for strangers. How would the health of our community be if we begun praying in earnest for strangers? 41% say their prayers are answered often, whereas only 1.5% say their prayers are never answered. 

Prayer is essential to health. Why do you suppose that is?

When Jesus healed people he often connected their healing to their faith. The Gospel of Mark has the most healing stories of all the gospel accounts. Four men brought a paralyzed friend to see Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith he told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:5b) This caused a stir among the teachers of the law of Moses. "Only God can forgive sins," they said, not understanding that God was standing before them in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them... (Mark 2:9-12a)

When Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth, He could do very little for them.

And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. (Mark 6:5-6)

In the view of the New Testament, sickness and faith are related. And what is faith but our relationship with God, our vital connection with the source of all life. Sin separates us from God. So when Jesus pronounced forgiveness, health returned because sin was no longer a barrier between the forgiven and their God.

Health ministry has as its ultimate objective: the restoration of the relationship between the sick and injured and God. Not every illness or injury is the result of personal sin. Some diseases and deformities are the result of corporate sin. We've corrupted the gene pool through incest, pollution and a variety of other abuses to the environment. Our lifestyle choices, too, effect health. God would restore us to holy living. God would call His people to obey Him in diet, exercise and morality. Even how we spend our leisure time is under the Lordship of Christ. How might God lead you to your fullest potential if you began to really allow Him to rule over your dining choices, snacks, exercise plan, reading, and leisure time?

According to Paul our bodies are temples dedicated to God. Therefore we are to honor God with our bodies just as we honor His sanctuary at the church building.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1st Corinthians 3:16-17)

The church in its mission to build the kingdom of God should set the example for the rest of society in healthy living. We should inspire hope in our neighbors that they too can live healthy full lives through a restored relationship with God and the support of a loving community.

“Daughter, your faith has made you well"
Luke 8:48

Health ministry has a wide variety of expressions. The church established hospitals and clinics. The church provides health education and advocacy. The church provides opportunities to exercise through aerobics classes in fellowship halls and family life centers. The church provides health screenings and parish nurses. The church visits the sick and hospitalized and prays for them. The church established hospice care to grant dignity to the dying. In the Middle Ages religious orders established hospices for traveling pilgrims on the way to shrines in hopes of healing. Churches host support groups of all kinds and addiction recovery. Health is as much the church's business as it is the medical profession's. 

When Jesus healed the woman with the hemorrhage, He told her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well." As she reached out for Him in hope and faith in His name, she was healed and she was restored to her Father in heaven.

Isn't that the picture of health?