| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Victor F. Antoine" |
| Date: |
06 Dec 2005 07:36:28 PM |
| Object: |
Divine Healing Part I & II |
Monday, December 5, 2005
1. Divine Healing Part I. Should Christians Seek Medical Help?
"Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and
your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23, NIV).
A Daily Encounter reader writes, "Is it biblically correct for some
'religious' groups to refuse their 'followers' to be taken for medical
attention at clinics/hospitals for help when they are sick? And is it right
not to allow immunization of children against diseases like polio, measles,
etc.? They claim that God's Word in the bible is against such? I think God's
word is being misused here."
Dear Cheryl (name changed), you are correct in saying that God's Word is
being misused here. Unfortunately, there will always be some people who mean
well but are sadly misguided. And there will always be religious fanatics
who misinterpret God's Word to twist it to say what they want it to say ...
and do so to control their followers. The Bible calls this legalism and
being bewitched.1
Personally speaking, I believe it is very misleading and even cruel to deny
anyone the medical attention they need. Even Paul said to Timothy to take a
little wine for his stomach sake. And Paul himself had some affliction that
God never delivered him from or healed him of it and said to him, "My grace
is sufficient for you."2
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but my father went through a stage of religious
fanaticism and refused to have my younger sister immunized. She died of
diphtheria when she was only two-years-old.
In much younger days I taught a Sunday school class of ten-year-old boys. I
loved these kids. We had some great times together. However, one of these
boys was slowly going blind but his parents believed God would heal him so
never sought any kind of medical help. It was very sad to see this.
In later years a close friend of mine, when in his mid-40s, had cancer and
went to a healing group who prayed for him after which they told him he was
healed ... so he never got the medical attention he desperately needed. Some
months later he excitedly told me about his healing experience. In less than
a week he was back in hospital. His body was riddled with cancer and it was
too late then for medical help. He died within a few months.
True, sometimes God does heal people and sometimes he doesn't. But thank God
for medical help, for without it, many more of us would not be healed.
And by the way, Luke, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, was a physician.
To be continued ....
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please deliver me from religious legalism and
fanaticism, help me to be realistic, and give me the wisdom needed to have a
balanced view and understanding of your Word-and the good sense to apply it
to my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in
Jesus' name, amen."
1. See Galatians 3:1-5. 2. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
<:))))<><
Correction re Monday's Daily Encounter: Luke was not one of the twelve
disciples. He was a missionary companion of Paul and writer of the Gospel of
Luke and probably the book of ACTS.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
1. Divine Healing, Part II. Are Faith Healers for Real?
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that
you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective"
(James 5:16, NIV).
The Daily Encounter reader who asked yesterday's question also asked, "Are
the faith/spiritual healers, who go around nowadays holding healing
crusades, really healing the sick? Is there true healing taking place or is
it some magical act or illusion?
First, one thing is certain, some of these preachers, whether in crusades or
on TV, certainly don't have any problems drawing great crowds and gaining
great numbers of followers-and raising enormous amounts of money-which shows
that vast numbers of people are seeking healing. But how many of these
preachers are faith healers and how many are fake-healers?
Second, is it God's will to pray for the sick? Yes, besides praying
privately for those who are sick, keep in mind when it comes to public
praying that James wrote, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders
of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the
Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well."1
Third, in my own limited experience I've listened to and witnessed a few of
these "public" faith healers but have seen very little healing happen. Most
important, however, in all my years I have never heard one "faith healer"
ever quote an essential requirement for healing included with James'
instructions for healing. That is, if we desire to be healed, we need to
confess our sins and faults-not only to God-but also to at least one or two
others whom we can trust.
Not all physical ills, by any means, are caused by unconfessed sins, but
many sicknesses and problems are, or are greatly aggravated by them. Things
such as guilt, resentment, envy, jealousy, hatred, and especially
super-charged repressed negative emotions create havoc within us-physically,
emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. These need to be resolved to
clear the way for healing.
If we applied these principles as stated by James, I am convinced that we
would witness a whole lot more physical, emotional, relational and spiritual
healing. Speaking personally, to the best of my ability I have applied these
principles to my life, and am a whole lot healthier today than when I was
half my present age.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a spirit of discernment to help
me recognize those healers who are real and those who are false. And if
there are any unresolved issues in my life that are blocking any healing I
need, please help me to see what these are and get the help I need to
resolve them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in
Jesus' name, amen."
1. James 5:14-15, (NIV).
<:))))<><
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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| User: "Gringo" |
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| Title: Re: Divine Healing Part I & II |
07 Dec 2005 08:11:36 AM |
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On Wed, 07 Dec 2005 01:36:28 GMT, "Victor F.
Antoine" <giladan@pipeline.com> wrote:
Monday, December 5, 2005
<snip>
This is really funny! Looks like an advertisement
to me. Yes folks, step right up and you can buy a
little of this magic in a bottle for only a single
dollar.
People who want to share their religious
views with you almost never want you to
share your views with them.
.
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| User: "Victor F. Antoine" |
|
| Title: Re: Divine Healing Part I & II |
08 Dec 2005 01:44:19 AM |
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"Gringo" <thernadiz@amor.net> wrote in message
news:1ardp1l7d3hltta3p5gh2dapqnbr5v8et0@4ax.com...
On Wed, 07 Dec 2005 01:36:28 GMT, "Victor F.
Antoine" <giladan@pipeline.com> wrote:
Monday, December 5, 2005
<snip>
This is really funny! Looks like an advertisement
to me. Yes folks, step right up and you can buy a
little of this magic in a bottle for only a single
dollar.
People who want to share their religious
views with you almost never want you to
share your views with them.
You obviously didn't read the entire post. If you had you would have seen
that devine healing is not some hocus pocus, snake oil fraud. It is the
exercise of a very real faith in a very real Savior. Pity you don't/won't
understand, but I will not argue with you hoping for something that will
never happen. If you ever do become a believer it will have to be the Holy
Spirit who does it. I can't persuade you to.
.
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| User: "Gringo" |
|
| Title: Re: Re: Divine Healing Part I & II |
08 Dec 2005 08:51:30 AM |
|
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On Thu, 08 Dec 2005 07:44:19 GMT, "Victor F.
Antoine" <giladan@pipeline.com> wrote:
"Gringo" <thernadiz@amor.net> wrote in message
news:1ardp1l7d3hltta3p5gh2dapqnbr5v8et0@4ax.com...
On Wed, 07 Dec 2005 01:36:28 GMT, "Victor F.
Antoine" <giladan@pipeline.com> wrote:
Monday, December 5, 2005
<snip>
This is really funny! Looks like an
advertisement
to me. Yes folks, step right up and you can buy
a
little of this magic in a bottle for only a
single
dollar.
People who want to share their religious
views with you almost never want you to
share your views with them.
You obviously didn't read the entire post. If you
had you would have seen
that devine healing is not some hocus pocus, snake
oil fraud. It is the
exercise of a very real faith in a very real
Savior. Pity you don't/won't
understand, but I will not argue with you hoping
for something that will
never happen. If you ever do become a believer it
will have to be the Holy
Spirit who does it. I can't persuade you to.
Actually, I read almost all of it and actually,
it's still snake oil complete with medicine man.
Un hombre sabio utilizará su cerebro.
Un tonto utiliza el cerebro de otro.
.
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