I hope the laughter of the Lord is resting upon you this week. We experienced laughter and God’s healing power this week in worship. We will be concluding Jesus-Care this week with a discussion about universal healthcare. If you want to listen to the audio, follow the link:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/malk4cjenzw/Laughter.mp3
Feel free to read the text below.
“Laughter is the Best Medicine”
Brimfield Faith UMC
March 14, 2010
Proverbs 17:22
INTRO
Over the past three weeks we have been talking about healing in the context of faith and God. This past week we addressed how God heals and suggested three ways: through the immune system, through doctors and other medical professionals, and through prayer and divine healing. This morning I want to continue to talk about another means of God’s healing: humor and laughter. Everyone has heard the saying “Laughter is the best medicine.” It has been part of the Reader’s Digest Magazine for years and years. We all intuitively know how we feel better when we have a good laugh. So I thought I’d share a joke about baptism:
After the baptism of his baby brother in church, Evan sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His dad asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, “The pastor said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys.”
It would seem to be a given that humor and laughter are good, but if you read certain parts the Bible or talked to Christians throughout the history of the church you might get a different story.
SERIOUS CHRISTIANS
We might be familiar with a common stereotype that Christians are serious, boring, and anti-fun people. While this stereotype seems to be fading away, it is definitely not unfounded. The church throughout the ages has worked hard to maintain a serious and holy attitude. This mentality started as early as the fourth century when John Chrysostom, an Early Church Father declared that Jesus never laughed. Then, in the early 1400’s, the Council of Constance condemned to hell any minister or monk who spoke, “Jocular words such as to provoke laughter.” [1] When I read that I thought, “Boy, I am glad that I live in the 21st century and not the 15th because I would have been sent to hell long ago. Before we write off our Christian ancestors, let’s take a look at the Scriptures on the subject of humor.
In Luke 6:25, Jesus says, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” In James 4:9, “Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” Ecclesiastes 7:3, “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.” If you just read these verses, God certainly seems like a buzz kill and religion sounds like serious business.
BUT, there are some other verses in the Bible that seem to support laughter and joy. In Nehemiah 8:10 the people are instructed: “This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” The Psalmist writes about the restoration of Israel and says, “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” In Philippians 4:4, Paul exhorts us to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” In Galatians 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…”
I believe the tension between these two positions can be best explained with the words in Ecclesiastes 3: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…” The reality is some humor and laughter can be inappropriate. When it is crude, malicious, and hurtful, humor is an unholy activity. I think this is the laughter that the Scriptures warn against. Yet, when it is filled with clean, pure and uplifting thing, humor is a holy activity. Instead of focusing on unholy humor, I want to spend some time this morning talking about holy humor and laughter.
HEALING HUMOR
Even though John Chrysostom said Jesus never laughed, I believe he did. I believe God encourages laugher. I also believe that the church needs to be a place where humor, laughter and joy have a prominent place. I say this because Proverbs 17:22 affirms the importance of humor, laughter and joy: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” In recent years, medical research has confirmed the wisdom of Proverbs that a cheerful heart is indeed good medicine.
The concept of laughter was made popular in recent years through a movie called, “Patch Adams.” The movie is based on the true story of Dr. Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams who believes that t the whole body and not just the body ought to be treated. For him, an important part of healing the whole person is humor. As we begin to talk about how laughter heals, we are going to watch a scene in which Patch and several of his medical school friends help to fulfill a dying patient’s last wish. [CLIP 1]
Patch Adams through the Gesundheit! Institute continues to practice “holistic medical care based on the belief that one cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the family, the community the world and the health care system itself.” Gesundheit! puts into practice the importance of treating the entire person. The use of humor and laughter with a holistic healing plan is important because laughter has been proven to benefit body, mind, and spirit.
#1. Laughter is good for the body. According to one researcher from Johns Hopkins University, laughter exercises and relaxes muscles, improves respiration, stimulates circulation, and increases the immune system’s defenses. When we laugh, we physically engage the body in activities that we might not otherwise. Laughter has been called “a form of jogging for the innards.” This can be very good for people whose mobility is restricted due to illness. If you’ve ever laughed until our side hurts, you know that laughter gives the body a workout. These are just a few of the reasons laughter is good medicine for the body.
#2. Laughter is good for the mind. Research evidence suggests that laughter improves mental function, decreases stress hormones, and increases the production of endorphins (the feel good chemicals). It also helps reduce anxiety, depression and improves self-esteem. Laughter provides the mind with a temporary escape from reality. This escape helps the mind to heal and discover hope and energy. It makes the world an easier place to live in. If you’ve ever lost yourself in a good comedy, you know laugher is good for the mind. These are a few of the reasons that laughter is healing for the mind. In a rather humorous scene, Patch gives us a brief review of the benefits of laughter in treating a patient: [CLIP 2]
HOLY HUMOR
#3. Laughter is good for the spirit. I want to spend the rest of our time here. It may be easy to see how laughter benefits the body and mind, but perhaps connecting it to the spirit is a bit of a stretch. To affirm that laughter is good for the spirit proposes that it has a place in church and in our worship of God.
Laughter strengthens the spirit. Scientific research supports the idea that humor provides a less of empowerment and control and restores hope and energy. The Scriptures also teach us that having a spirit strengthened by the joy of God empowers us overcome great obstacles. In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah is leading the people through a restoration project of Jerusalem. The city has been destroyed and the people scattered. Nehemiah is able to successfully gather a group of Israelites and the rebuild the walls of the city. To celebrate the victory, the prophet Ezra reads from the law. The people are overcome with a conviction for their wayward ways and begin to weep. Nehemiah, Ezra, and the priests quickly stop their crying and say, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
There are times to weep and grieve, but this was not one of them for the Israelites. They needed to be strengthened for the great challenges that still lay ahead. The Lord knew that the people needed their spirits lifted in order to overcome. There are also times in our life when it is important to draw upon the joy of the Lord for our strength. Laughter brings us out of difficult situations, refocuses our perspective, and allows us to see life afresh. Instead of being bogged down by all that still looms ahead, we can be strengthened by knowing God gives us strength. Then, as we are filled with the joy and laughter of the Lord, we can be reminded that we are called God’s very own, that we belong to God and that we belong to the community of God.
Laughing with others is a significant part of laughter. When we share in that joy with those around us, we know we can preserve. The community aspect of joy is why it is important to share in laughter and joy at church. We are a community of Christ followers who can mutual support and draw upon the joy of the Lord.
As Nehemiah calls on the people to be strengthened by the joy of the Lord, Paul calls us in Philippians 4:4, “To rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice.” Laughter and joy are commanded in Scripture. It is a curious exhortation and there isn’t much explanation as to why we need to rejoice. I suspect the call is to maintain a relationship with God and with others. Studies show that humor actually reduces loneliness. When we are filled with the joy of the Lord, we are edified in our relationship with him as well as with others. People want to be around people that are humorous and joyful. I think if we take this commandment seriously, we will find many benefits, especially to our health.
CONCLUSION
I want to leave with a power story of a man who discovered not only the health benefits of laughter but the healing benefits of laughter. It is the story of Norman Cousin who used humor in his recovery from a painful and often fatal collagen disease. Upon his diagnosis, Cousins checked himself out of the hospital and into a hotel room. With high doses of vitamin C and Marx Brother films, Cousin’s began to fight the disease. He found that 10 minutes of guanine belly laughter who ease the pain for several hours. Every time the pain would return he would watch more comedic films. He continued this form of treatment until he made a full recovery. He beat the odds and discovered what the Scriptures call the joy of the Lord. His life affirmed the wisdom of the Proverb, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
In world filled with stress, anxiety, and continually struggles, we need the church to be a place of refuge and healing. I believe we can be a church that embodies the healing spirit of found in Cousin’s story. I imagine us becoming a church that embraces the healing power of God in all of its aspects. I believe we can be a church of prayer and divine healing. I believe we can be a church that supports our doctors, nurses and medical professionals in prayer. I believe we can also be a church that is strengthened and healing by the joy and laughter of the Lord.
Let’s pray
[1] Craig Bird, “Is Laughter holy?” FaithWords Magazine.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Healing Prayers
God is answering prayer and healing people at Brimfield Faith. This week's sermon focused on how we partner with God in prayer to unleash his divine healing. We also heard testimony from a young woman named Ashley who was healed of pregnancy complications. Follow the link to download the sermon or read the text below.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/4ttyw5mmjlj/Healing Prayers.mp3
“Healing Prayers”
Brimfield Faith UMC
March 7, 2010
James 5:13-18
I want to leave time for a time of activation at the end of the sermon, so I’m going to jump right into things this morning. During the first two weeks of our Lenten Series, “Jesus-Care,” we have addressed several important questions about God’s ability to heal. In week one, we talked about why God heals: it is in God’s character and nature. We talked about who God’s healing is available for: everyone. We also addressed the question does God still heal today: yes. Last week, we talked about how God longs to heal not just the body, but the entire person: mind, body and spirit, the Hebrew word Nephesh. This morning and next week I want to talk about how God heals.
As we read through the pages of the Bible and look at church history, we discover a God who is active in the world and involved in the lives of his people. God walks with Enoch; he guides Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness; speaks to the prophets through dreams and visions. In Jesus, God becomes a man. Jesus then walked, talked and touched the people he encountered. While God is actively involved in the world today, God’s primary way of action is through his followers. As part of God’s Church, the body of Christ, the people of God, we are called to be his primary agents upon the earth. Therefore, it should be of no surprise that God uses people as his primary means of bringing about healing on the earth. Generally speaking there are three ways God facilitates healing.
GOD’S HEALING WAYS
#1. The first means of God’s healing is through the immune system. God has designed our bodies to heal themselves. Our immune systems are a unique gift of God which work towards keeping us healthy. The immune system both prevents diseases and fight off sickness that enters the body. I don’t know much about how the immune system works but it is vital to our health. It is one of the primary ways God keeps us healthy and the one we think of least. It is good idea thank God for your immune system and to pray for a strong immune system. Without a strong immune system you are left vulnerable to all kinds of diseases and sickness. In a real sense, God has equipped us to heal ourselves.
#2. The second means of God’s healing is through other people and medical professionals. We have achieved tremendous advances in medicine and medical procedures. We can do everything from cure the common cold to replace knees to transplant organs. Doctors, nurses and E.M.T.s have saves millions of lives because of their training and expertise. Counselors, psychologists, and pastors are also used daily to bring mental, emotional, and spiritual healing to people as well. Whether it was putting a band aid on a cut, giving someone a Tylenol, or listening to a friend’s struggles, Most of us have been used as a healing agent of God at some point or another. God allows and uses other humans to bring healing to one another.
#3. The final means of God’s healing is through divine healing and miracles. In the Scriptures there are countless stories of God breaking the natural order and performing supernatural acts of divine healing. There are times and circumstances when the immune system and the medical profession cannot heal the person. In those times God is able to move in power and do things that would otherwise be impossible. There is still a real and powerful purpose for God to work through divine healing today. Divine healing and miracles are one of the most powerful ways to experience intimacy with God.
HEALING PRAYERS
If we seek to be whole and healthy, then we need to draw up all three means of God’s healing. Without God we can benefit from our immune systems and the training of doctors. Both of these have their limitations though. The immune system wears down. The doctor’s expertise only stretches so far. Therefore, it is important to ask God to be involved in our keeping us healthy. James 5 affirms the power of prayer in relationship to our health and wellbeing: “Are any among you suffering? They should pray… Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them… The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” When we are walking with God, we have access to tremendous power through prayer. Prayer can strengthen the immune system. It can guide the doctor. It can initiate divine healing. Therefore I want to spend the remainder of our time this morning talking about how we can effectively pray and experience God’s healing.
#1. We pray specific but simple. When you are praying for someone, always begin by asking, How can I pray for you? Their answer will help guide you as you pray. Being able to pray specifically for a need is always a good thing. So once you have some initial information, you can begin to prayer for a person’s health and healing.
Now I know for some of you this is the scary part. How many of you don’t like to pray out loud because you are worried about what you are going to say? You are over thinking it. God doesn’t care what you say. After all, he is able to interpret our groaning. In fact, Jesus chastises showy prayers. Instead, in Matthew 6, Jesus encourages us to pray simply: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” If the person is seeking healing in their leg, we can simply pray: “Lord please strengthen and heal Joe’s leg.” You don’t need ramble on using, “Thee’s, Thou’s, or Thy’s.” You just need regular, heartfelt words. I can tell you this, no one will remember what you prayed if God touches them and heals them.
Now some of you might think it safer to pray silently for someone. There is nothing wrong with silent prayer but when we are praying with someone it is important to pray out loud. In Romans 10: 17 it reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Our words have power when we speak them with God’s authority. Allowing a person to hear the words you speak over them, can give them the faith they need to receive the healing of God, which brings us to the next point of how we pray.
#2. We pray with faith. God calls us to pray with faith. It is important to understand that not every prayer for divine healing will be answered in a miraculous fashion. While a lack of faith may play a role in unanswered prayers, I think it is less significant than we think. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells us: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed is really, really small. It proves you don’t need much faith to see miracles happen. I believe the act of praying out loud displays enough faith for God to perform a miracle. So take the step of faith and remember God is the primary mover. Healing is more about God’s faithfulness and his promise to heal than our faith.
To pray with faith means to pray with words of faith. Have you ever had someone pray for you and you feel worse afterwards? Sometimes we dwell on the sickness rather than focus on the healing power of God. Words of faith are focused on God and his power, beauty, compassion, and love. They remind us of the God that can and does heal instead of the sickness. The aim of our prayers should be to heal and lift up not to wound and drag down. When we our words draw us to God, they have the ability to bring healing.
#3. We pray with touch and with others. Touch is an important component of praying for someone’s healing. Jesus modeled the important of physical touch as he prayed with the untouchables of his day. He healed lepers through touch even though he risked becoming infected. He also touched people who were considered ritually unclean and who could have prevented him from entering into the temple. There is nothing magical about laying hands on someone as you pray for them, but there is something powerful about it. If done properly, it can communicate a love and acceptance. James 5:14-15 reads: “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.”
There are plenty of studies that show the importance of human touch. If touch is about expressing God’s unconditional acceptance, then it becomes important to pray with others as we lay hands. At charge conference this past year, Valerie and several of you came and laid hands on me as I got ready to take Michelle to the hospital to give birth to Caleb. I don’t remember a word of what was prayed, but I remember those warm hands and the feeling of knowing I was a part of a loving community of people. God is able move in a special way through the laying of hands. I fully believe additional healing power is released when we loving surround someone in prayer and lay hands on them.
CONCLUSION - HOLISTIC PRAYERS
#4. We pray holistically. As we touched on three basic ways to pray for divine healing, I want to touch on one last aspect of how we pray for healing. I think it is important that we pray for divine, miraculous healing to occur. It is part of God’s plan and will for our lives to experience it. As we understand divine healing to be one of the ways God heals, we should remember to pray holistically for healing. I want to suggest three additional prayer focuses to support our prayers for divine healing.
1) Pray for a strengthened immune system. We know God uses the natural immune system more than anything other means. Prayers for peace of mind and spiritual wholeness may contribute to a strengthened immune system and a healing of the entire person.
2) Pray for the doctors and medical professionals that might be treating the person. Pray that they might be guided by Jesus, that they might have clear understanding, and that they might receive God’s blessings.
3) Pray that if this person isn’t healed that God will still use the situation for his glory. Pray that the person receives God’s strength and grace in the midst of it. Although we can never know for sure, sometimes God doesn’t heal the person we are praying for. This doesn’t preclude them from God’s grace and love.
4) Pray for the miracle. Be bold. You know that God can perform miracles and wants to. So… Pray simple. Pray with faith. Pray with touch and with other.
When we pray for these four areas way, we can be assured that God will answer one of those prayers. Although it might feel like spiritual hedging, it isn’t. Rather it is informed by our understanding of the ways that God heals. God always desires for our entire person to be healed and in right relationship with him. God cannot be confined to certain ways of healing. In order to be channels of God’s healing we must learn to pray in accordance to his will and ways.
A QUICK GUIDE TO PRAYING FOR THE SICK
In conclusion, I want to have us practice praying for the sick. My hope is that the next time someone asks you to pray for them or add them to a prayer list: offer to pray for them right there in addition to adding them to the prayer list.
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WANT PRAYER
GROUPS OF 3-4 people around person needing prayer. (MOVE!)
1. Ask what person about their prayer need.
(Medical details not necessary.)
2. Ask permission to lay hands on them.
(Can I lay a gentle hand on your shoulder?)
3. Listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
(Are you led to focus on one of the four areas below?)
4. Pray simply and with faith.
a. Immune system
b. Doctors and nurses
c. God’s strength and grace
d. For the miracle!
5. Check with the person to see if anything has happened.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/4ttyw5mmjlj/Healing Prayers.mp3
“Healing Prayers”
Brimfield Faith UMC
March 7, 2010
James 5:13-18
I want to leave time for a time of activation at the end of the sermon, so I’m going to jump right into things this morning. During the first two weeks of our Lenten Series, “Jesus-Care,” we have addressed several important questions about God’s ability to heal. In week one, we talked about why God heals: it is in God’s character and nature. We talked about who God’s healing is available for: everyone. We also addressed the question does God still heal today: yes. Last week, we talked about how God longs to heal not just the body, but the entire person: mind, body and spirit, the Hebrew word Nephesh. This morning and next week I want to talk about how God heals.
As we read through the pages of the Bible and look at church history, we discover a God who is active in the world and involved in the lives of his people. God walks with Enoch; he guides Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness; speaks to the prophets through dreams and visions. In Jesus, God becomes a man. Jesus then walked, talked and touched the people he encountered. While God is actively involved in the world today, God’s primary way of action is through his followers. As part of God’s Church, the body of Christ, the people of God, we are called to be his primary agents upon the earth. Therefore, it should be of no surprise that God uses people as his primary means of bringing about healing on the earth. Generally speaking there are three ways God facilitates healing.
GOD’S HEALING WAYS
#1. The first means of God’s healing is through the immune system. God has designed our bodies to heal themselves. Our immune systems are a unique gift of God which work towards keeping us healthy. The immune system both prevents diseases and fight off sickness that enters the body. I don’t know much about how the immune system works but it is vital to our health. It is one of the primary ways God keeps us healthy and the one we think of least. It is good idea thank God for your immune system and to pray for a strong immune system. Without a strong immune system you are left vulnerable to all kinds of diseases and sickness. In a real sense, God has equipped us to heal ourselves.
#2. The second means of God’s healing is through other people and medical professionals. We have achieved tremendous advances in medicine and medical procedures. We can do everything from cure the common cold to replace knees to transplant organs. Doctors, nurses and E.M.T.s have saves millions of lives because of their training and expertise. Counselors, psychologists, and pastors are also used daily to bring mental, emotional, and spiritual healing to people as well. Whether it was putting a band aid on a cut, giving someone a Tylenol, or listening to a friend’s struggles, Most of us have been used as a healing agent of God at some point or another. God allows and uses other humans to bring healing to one another.
#3. The final means of God’s healing is through divine healing and miracles. In the Scriptures there are countless stories of God breaking the natural order and performing supernatural acts of divine healing. There are times and circumstances when the immune system and the medical profession cannot heal the person. In those times God is able to move in power and do things that would otherwise be impossible. There is still a real and powerful purpose for God to work through divine healing today. Divine healing and miracles are one of the most powerful ways to experience intimacy with God.
HEALING PRAYERS
If we seek to be whole and healthy, then we need to draw up all three means of God’s healing. Without God we can benefit from our immune systems and the training of doctors. Both of these have their limitations though. The immune system wears down. The doctor’s expertise only stretches so far. Therefore, it is important to ask God to be involved in our keeping us healthy. James 5 affirms the power of prayer in relationship to our health and wellbeing: “Are any among you suffering? They should pray… Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them… The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” When we are walking with God, we have access to tremendous power through prayer. Prayer can strengthen the immune system. It can guide the doctor. It can initiate divine healing. Therefore I want to spend the remainder of our time this morning talking about how we can effectively pray and experience God’s healing.
#1. We pray specific but simple. When you are praying for someone, always begin by asking, How can I pray for you? Their answer will help guide you as you pray. Being able to pray specifically for a need is always a good thing. So once you have some initial information, you can begin to prayer for a person’s health and healing.
Now I know for some of you this is the scary part. How many of you don’t like to pray out loud because you are worried about what you are going to say? You are over thinking it. God doesn’t care what you say. After all, he is able to interpret our groaning. In fact, Jesus chastises showy prayers. Instead, in Matthew 6, Jesus encourages us to pray simply: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” If the person is seeking healing in their leg, we can simply pray: “Lord please strengthen and heal Joe’s leg.” You don’t need ramble on using, “Thee’s, Thou’s, or Thy’s.” You just need regular, heartfelt words. I can tell you this, no one will remember what you prayed if God touches them and heals them.
Now some of you might think it safer to pray silently for someone. There is nothing wrong with silent prayer but when we are praying with someone it is important to pray out loud. In Romans 10: 17 it reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Our words have power when we speak them with God’s authority. Allowing a person to hear the words you speak over them, can give them the faith they need to receive the healing of God, which brings us to the next point of how we pray.
#2. We pray with faith. God calls us to pray with faith. It is important to understand that not every prayer for divine healing will be answered in a miraculous fashion. While a lack of faith may play a role in unanswered prayers, I think it is less significant than we think. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells us: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed is really, really small. It proves you don’t need much faith to see miracles happen. I believe the act of praying out loud displays enough faith for God to perform a miracle. So take the step of faith and remember God is the primary mover. Healing is more about God’s faithfulness and his promise to heal than our faith.
To pray with faith means to pray with words of faith. Have you ever had someone pray for you and you feel worse afterwards? Sometimes we dwell on the sickness rather than focus on the healing power of God. Words of faith are focused on God and his power, beauty, compassion, and love. They remind us of the God that can and does heal instead of the sickness. The aim of our prayers should be to heal and lift up not to wound and drag down. When we our words draw us to God, they have the ability to bring healing.
#3. We pray with touch and with others. Touch is an important component of praying for someone’s healing. Jesus modeled the important of physical touch as he prayed with the untouchables of his day. He healed lepers through touch even though he risked becoming infected. He also touched people who were considered ritually unclean and who could have prevented him from entering into the temple. There is nothing magical about laying hands on someone as you pray for them, but there is something powerful about it. If done properly, it can communicate a love and acceptance. James 5:14-15 reads: “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.”
There are plenty of studies that show the importance of human touch. If touch is about expressing God’s unconditional acceptance, then it becomes important to pray with others as we lay hands. At charge conference this past year, Valerie and several of you came and laid hands on me as I got ready to take Michelle to the hospital to give birth to Caleb. I don’t remember a word of what was prayed, but I remember those warm hands and the feeling of knowing I was a part of a loving community of people. God is able move in a special way through the laying of hands. I fully believe additional healing power is released when we loving surround someone in prayer and lay hands on them.
CONCLUSION - HOLISTIC PRAYERS
#4. We pray holistically. As we touched on three basic ways to pray for divine healing, I want to touch on one last aspect of how we pray for healing. I think it is important that we pray for divine, miraculous healing to occur. It is part of God’s plan and will for our lives to experience it. As we understand divine healing to be one of the ways God heals, we should remember to pray holistically for healing. I want to suggest three additional prayer focuses to support our prayers for divine healing.
1) Pray for a strengthened immune system. We know God uses the natural immune system more than anything other means. Prayers for peace of mind and spiritual wholeness may contribute to a strengthened immune system and a healing of the entire person.
2) Pray for the doctors and medical professionals that might be treating the person. Pray that they might be guided by Jesus, that they might have clear understanding, and that they might receive God’s blessings.
3) Pray that if this person isn’t healed that God will still use the situation for his glory. Pray that the person receives God’s strength and grace in the midst of it. Although we can never know for sure, sometimes God doesn’t heal the person we are praying for. This doesn’t preclude them from God’s grace and love.
4) Pray for the miracle. Be bold. You know that God can perform miracles and wants to. So… Pray simple. Pray with faith. Pray with touch and with other.
When we pray for these four areas way, we can be assured that God will answer one of those prayers. Although it might feel like spiritual hedging, it isn’t. Rather it is informed by our understanding of the ways that God heals. God always desires for our entire person to be healed and in right relationship with him. God cannot be confined to certain ways of healing. In order to be channels of God’s healing we must learn to pray in accordance to his will and ways.
A QUICK GUIDE TO PRAYING FOR THE SICK
In conclusion, I want to have us practice praying for the sick. My hope is that the next time someone asks you to pray for them or add them to a prayer list: offer to pray for them right there in addition to adding them to the prayer list.
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WANT PRAYER
GROUPS OF 3-4 people around person needing prayer. (MOVE!)
1. Ask what person about their prayer need.
(Medical details not necessary.)
2. Ask permission to lay hands on them.
(Can I lay a gentle hand on your shoulder?)
3. Listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
(Are you led to focus on one of the four areas below?)
4. Pray simply and with faith.
a. Immune system
b. Doctors and nurses
c. God’s strength and grace
d. For the miracle!
5. Check with the person to see if anything has happened.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Holistic Health: the Nephesh
This past week we continued to talk about God's power and heart to heal us. Healing goes beyond the physical into the whole person. Download the link to learn more or read the sermon text below. May you experience healing and wholeness in the Lord.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mudgnmomoez/Holistic Health.mp3
INTRODUCTION – WESTERN MEDICINE
In many ancient cultures, the art of healing the body was a practice reserved for the divine and the spiritual. Instead of doctors that solely treated the body, there were priests, shamans, and medicine men were called upon when a person fell ill. People throughout the history of the world have understood the art of healing to be both a physical and spiritual journey. In Greece during fifth century B.C. was the first time there two were separated with any significance. Hippocrates of Kos was the ancient Greek physician that laid the ground work for the two to be separated. While he is most well-known for the Hippocratic Oath and the call to practice ethical medicine, he is credited with being the father of Western medicine. This is because he was perhaps the first practiced a more rational approach to medicine that did not lean heavily upon the spiritual.
The approach of Western medicine, of course, is the prevailing approach to healing here in the United States. It primarily deals in treating the body without attention to the mind or the spirit. Western medicine is credited with tremendous accomplishments such the polio vaccine, the discovery of penicillin, and the ability to perform complex surgeries. All of us here have benefited from the methods and practices of Western medicine. With all of the accomplishments of Western medicine, it still has its shortfalls.
Where it succeeds at healing the body it often fails at treating the whole person. This is a problem because more and more research is showing there is a significant interconnectedness between the body, mind, and spirit. For instance, recently a study was released that linked obesity with decreased brain function. Every year, some research institute releases a study showing that prayer makes a difference in health and healing. Without throwing out all of the benefits of Western medicine, it is important that we begin to acknowledge there is more to healing than just the physical body.
Last week, we began the series “Jesus-Care” and we saw how it is in God’s character to heal as is reflected in the Hebrew name, Adonai Rapha or “the Lord who heals you.” As we talked about God’s ability to heal and desire to equip his followers to be channels of healing, we thought of it primarily in terms of physical healing. Being Westerners and being accustom to only having the body treated, this is a natural deduction. This morning, I want to look closer at the way in which God brings about holistic healing in the entire person.
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
The practice of holistic medicine may seem like a new approach or fad, but in reality it is as old as humanity. As advanced as medicine is today, the new ‘discoveries’ of body, mind, and spirit interconnectedness are not new. As United Methodists and Christians, we have a rich tradition of understanding the mind-body-spirit connection. Our founder John Wesley had a holistic view of salvation. Holistic salvation means that Christ died for our sins that we might experience spiritual rebirth, but he also believed salvation could have an effect on our physical bodies. If we learned to live within God’s purposes and ways, that we might receive physical healing as well as spiritual healing.
Wesley understood that a healthy body contributed to a healthy spirit and vice versa. In response to that conviction, Wesley wrote a book called, Primitive Physick. It was a book of home remedies that was committed to helping people alleviate some of the common ailments of body. When read today some of the home remedies suggested simply amusing: for example, electric shock to treat headaches. Nonetheless, Primitive Physick was filled with many practical and useful guidelines. Published in 1746, it went through 23 printings during Wesley’s lifetime and was still widely used until the 1880’s. Wesley was committed to a holistic approach to health and wellness. In fact, you can still read it on Google books today. While Wesley may have been well ahead of his day, he was drawing upon the deep wells of Scripture for his inspiration.
THE NEPHESH
Wesley understands holistic salvation and connection between body, mind and spirit through the lens of the Old Testament. The Hebrew mind did not compartmentalize a person in the same way that we do today. We commonly think of a person being divided into body, mind, and spirit because we have influenced by Greek and Western thinking. The Hebrew approach saw a person much more holistically. Deuteronomy 6, the Shema, illustrates this: “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
The word that best conveys the holistic approach of the Hebrews is the word translated ‘soul’ in this passage. The Hebrew term is Nephesh. While translated soul, the Nephesh is best understood as the entire person. The Nephesh was the seat of the emotions: the center of joy and the seat of evil desires. The Nephesh often referred to a person’s very life itself. While there appears to be a divide, the understanding of the Deuteronomy 6 was holistic. The exhortation of the Shema is to love God with one’s entire self. If one part of the person is to love God, then the whole person must love God.
While this way of thinking may seem antiquated, it is after all three to four thousand years old, it has not been disproven. In fact, recent studies in modern medicine support the belief that every part of a person is interconnected. While we might think of having a separate body, mind and spirit, each part is completely reliant on the other parts.
THE HOLISTIC HEALING OF JESUS
For this reason, when we seek God’s healing power, we cannot confine our prayers to physical healing. Instead, God is in the business of healing the Nephesh, the whole person. If we are desire to be healed in the body, we must also be healed in the mind and the spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 it reads, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The writes of the letter understood that our whole person was in need of healing. You couldn’t have a healthy spirit without a healthy body. And you couldn’t have a healthy body without a healthy spirit or mind.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, God is in the business of healing both the body and the spirit. In Mark 2, we read a story of a man who is healed by Jesus. A paralytic man is brought to Jesus on a mat. As the man is presented before him, Jesus says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” When Jesus does this the religious leaders present are in an uproar. They say, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgives sins but God alone?” Jesus responds, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” First Jesus heals the man’s spiritual sickness by forgiving his sins and then proceeds to heal his physical body. Jesus understands the importance of healing both the spiritual and the physical.
SPIRITUAL HEALING
Spiritual healing is an important part of the healing process. As we see with the paralytic, spiritual healing is often the first step in being be healed in the body. Jesus begins the process of healing by forgiving the man of his sins. There is a unique relationship between sin and sickness. On a global scale, all sickness is the result of us being sinful people. Before the rebellion of Adam and Eve, humanity was whole and unbroken. Sickness did not exist because sin did not exist. A lot of the sickness and illness in the world is a result of a broken, messed up world.
On a personal level, sin can also account for people’s sickness. When we understand sin as being out of alignment with God and broken in our relationships with God, others and the world, we can see how being in sin can open the door for sickness. In biblical times, there was an assumed one to one correlation between sin and sickness. If a person was blind, they must have sinned. In John 9, Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who had been blind since birth. They asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
While there is not a direct correlation between sin and physical sickness, spiritual sickness almost always affects a person physically. This is why we should remember to pray for spiritual healing when we pray for people’s physical ailments. In many cases, the spiritual healing can be the key to unlocking physical healing. For example people with emotional stress and anxiety often suffer physical ailments such as stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart problems. For these people, to receive spiritual healing will naturally lead to physical health.
I have been reading a book called Power Healing by John Wimber and in it he shares a story of a lady with scoliosis named Mercedes who’s spiritual healing was an important was her physical healing. She story begins with her recounting feelings of unworthiness and fear. During a healing service, she went forward for healing and tells the follow:
“Three sisters began praying over me and at first it seemed that my fears were being realized. But at the point when my frustration had become almost overwhelming, the Lord brough to my mind some memories I wasn’t expecting right then. I burst into tears and cried till I had no more tears to shed. Through that I became so filled with the Spirit and with a great peace that I simply opened my hear to the Lord and his healing power. That’s when a woman laid hands on my back. A that moment, I had a vision in which I saw my spine straightening up and taking its original shape. Then I heard the sisters shout for joy as the vision was realized before their eyes!
“Now I am about an inch taller than before, and I take this physical healing as a sign of ever greater inner healing I experienced during those couple of hours when the Lord came to me and embraced me very tightly. With this permanent remembrance as proof, I can never forget how much he loves me!”
While her spiritual sickness did not cause her scoliosis, it did prevent her from receiving physical healing. This story is a perfect example of the importance of spiritual healing as we seek healing of the whole purpose.
CONCLUSION - BALANCE
Understanding health and healing through a holistic approach may be a shift for you. My hope is that you see the importance in the shift. Allowing God to heal the entire person is much harder than just healing the physical body. It requires much more than just taking some pills or exercising more. It begins with recognizing the importance of each aspect of our person and praying for healing in every one of those aspects. As God brings more and more wholeness to our lives, we must remember to participate in the process. This means seeking to live a balanced life. It means keeping our body, minds and spirits healthy. If we want a healthy mind, we need to eat well, exercise regularly and sleep enough. If we want a healthy body, we need to pray daily and attend worship regularly. If we want a healthy spiritual life, we need to engage our minds and seek emotional wholeness.
Holistic health is not easy but it is worth it. It requires constant prayer and attention. Yet, it is God’s desire is for our Nephesh to be fully restored. He longs for our entire lives to be in alignment with God’s will and purpose. And God is willing and able to fully restore us if we are willing to walk the road of healing with him.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mudgnmomoez/Holistic Health.mp3
“Holistic Health: the Nephesh”
Brimfield Faith UMCFebruary 28, 2010
Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Brimfield Faith UMCFebruary 28, 2010
Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 5:23
INTRODUCTION – WESTERN MEDICINE
In many ancient cultures, the art of healing the body was a practice reserved for the divine and the spiritual. Instead of doctors that solely treated the body, there were priests, shamans, and medicine men were called upon when a person fell ill. People throughout the history of the world have understood the art of healing to be both a physical and spiritual journey. In Greece during fifth century B.C. was the first time there two were separated with any significance. Hippocrates of Kos was the ancient Greek physician that laid the ground work for the two to be separated. While he is most well-known for the Hippocratic Oath and the call to practice ethical medicine, he is credited with being the father of Western medicine. This is because he was perhaps the first practiced a more rational approach to medicine that did not lean heavily upon the spiritual.
The approach of Western medicine, of course, is the prevailing approach to healing here in the United States. It primarily deals in treating the body without attention to the mind or the spirit. Western medicine is credited with tremendous accomplishments such the polio vaccine, the discovery of penicillin, and the ability to perform complex surgeries. All of us here have benefited from the methods and practices of Western medicine. With all of the accomplishments of Western medicine, it still has its shortfalls.
Where it succeeds at healing the body it often fails at treating the whole person. This is a problem because more and more research is showing there is a significant interconnectedness between the body, mind, and spirit. For instance, recently a study was released that linked obesity with decreased brain function. Every year, some research institute releases a study showing that prayer makes a difference in health and healing. Without throwing out all of the benefits of Western medicine, it is important that we begin to acknowledge there is more to healing than just the physical body.
Last week, we began the series “Jesus-Care” and we saw how it is in God’s character to heal as is reflected in the Hebrew name, Adonai Rapha or “the Lord who heals you.” As we talked about God’s ability to heal and desire to equip his followers to be channels of healing, we thought of it primarily in terms of physical healing. Being Westerners and being accustom to only having the body treated, this is a natural deduction. This morning, I want to look closer at the way in which God brings about holistic healing in the entire person.
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
The practice of holistic medicine may seem like a new approach or fad, but in reality it is as old as humanity. As advanced as medicine is today, the new ‘discoveries’ of body, mind, and spirit interconnectedness are not new. As United Methodists and Christians, we have a rich tradition of understanding the mind-body-spirit connection. Our founder John Wesley had a holistic view of salvation. Holistic salvation means that Christ died for our sins that we might experience spiritual rebirth, but he also believed salvation could have an effect on our physical bodies. If we learned to live within God’s purposes and ways, that we might receive physical healing as well as spiritual healing.
Wesley understood that a healthy body contributed to a healthy spirit and vice versa. In response to that conviction, Wesley wrote a book called, Primitive Physick. It was a book of home remedies that was committed to helping people alleviate some of the common ailments of body. When read today some of the home remedies suggested simply amusing: for example, electric shock to treat headaches. Nonetheless, Primitive Physick was filled with many practical and useful guidelines. Published in 1746, it went through 23 printings during Wesley’s lifetime and was still widely used until the 1880’s. Wesley was committed to a holistic approach to health and wellness. In fact, you can still read it on Google books today. While Wesley may have been well ahead of his day, he was drawing upon the deep wells of Scripture for his inspiration.
THE NEPHESH
Wesley understands holistic salvation and connection between body, mind and spirit through the lens of the Old Testament. The Hebrew mind did not compartmentalize a person in the same way that we do today. We commonly think of a person being divided into body, mind, and spirit because we have influenced by Greek and Western thinking. The Hebrew approach saw a person much more holistically. Deuteronomy 6, the Shema, illustrates this: “4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
The word that best conveys the holistic approach of the Hebrews is the word translated ‘soul’ in this passage. The Hebrew term is Nephesh. While translated soul, the Nephesh is best understood as the entire person. The Nephesh was the seat of the emotions: the center of joy and the seat of evil desires. The Nephesh often referred to a person’s very life itself. While there appears to be a divide, the understanding of the Deuteronomy 6 was holistic. The exhortation of the Shema is to love God with one’s entire self. If one part of the person is to love God, then the whole person must love God.
While this way of thinking may seem antiquated, it is after all three to four thousand years old, it has not been disproven. In fact, recent studies in modern medicine support the belief that every part of a person is interconnected. While we might think of having a separate body, mind and spirit, each part is completely reliant on the other parts.
THE HOLISTIC HEALING OF JESUS
For this reason, when we seek God’s healing power, we cannot confine our prayers to physical healing. Instead, God is in the business of healing the Nephesh, the whole person. If we are desire to be healed in the body, we must also be healed in the mind and the spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 it reads, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The writes of the letter understood that our whole person was in need of healing. You couldn’t have a healthy spirit without a healthy body. And you couldn’t have a healthy body without a healthy spirit or mind.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, God is in the business of healing both the body and the spirit. In Mark 2, we read a story of a man who is healed by Jesus. A paralytic man is brought to Jesus on a mat. As the man is presented before him, Jesus says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” When Jesus does this the religious leaders present are in an uproar. They say, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgives sins but God alone?” Jesus responds, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” First Jesus heals the man’s spiritual sickness by forgiving his sins and then proceeds to heal his physical body. Jesus understands the importance of healing both the spiritual and the physical.
SPIRITUAL HEALING
Spiritual healing is an important part of the healing process. As we see with the paralytic, spiritual healing is often the first step in being be healed in the body. Jesus begins the process of healing by forgiving the man of his sins. There is a unique relationship between sin and sickness. On a global scale, all sickness is the result of us being sinful people. Before the rebellion of Adam and Eve, humanity was whole and unbroken. Sickness did not exist because sin did not exist. A lot of the sickness and illness in the world is a result of a broken, messed up world.
On a personal level, sin can also account for people’s sickness. When we understand sin as being out of alignment with God and broken in our relationships with God, others and the world, we can see how being in sin can open the door for sickness. In biblical times, there was an assumed one to one correlation between sin and sickness. If a person was blind, they must have sinned. In John 9, Jesus and his disciples encounter a man who had been blind since birth. They asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
While there is not a direct correlation between sin and physical sickness, spiritual sickness almost always affects a person physically. This is why we should remember to pray for spiritual healing when we pray for people’s physical ailments. In many cases, the spiritual healing can be the key to unlocking physical healing. For example people with emotional stress and anxiety often suffer physical ailments such as stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart problems. For these people, to receive spiritual healing will naturally lead to physical health.
I have been reading a book called Power Healing by John Wimber and in it he shares a story of a lady with scoliosis named Mercedes who’s spiritual healing was an important was her physical healing. She story begins with her recounting feelings of unworthiness and fear. During a healing service, she went forward for healing and tells the follow:
“Three sisters began praying over me and at first it seemed that my fears were being realized. But at the point when my frustration had become almost overwhelming, the Lord brough to my mind some memories I wasn’t expecting right then. I burst into tears and cried till I had no more tears to shed. Through that I became so filled with the Spirit and with a great peace that I simply opened my hear to the Lord and his healing power. That’s when a woman laid hands on my back. A that moment, I had a vision in which I saw my spine straightening up and taking its original shape. Then I heard the sisters shout for joy as the vision was realized before their eyes!
“Now I am about an inch taller than before, and I take this physical healing as a sign of ever greater inner healing I experienced during those couple of hours when the Lord came to me and embraced me very tightly. With this permanent remembrance as proof, I can never forget how much he loves me!”
While her spiritual sickness did not cause her scoliosis, it did prevent her from receiving physical healing. This story is a perfect example of the importance of spiritual healing as we seek healing of the whole purpose.
CONCLUSION - BALANCE
Understanding health and healing through a holistic approach may be a shift for you. My hope is that you see the importance in the shift. Allowing God to heal the entire person is much harder than just healing the physical body. It requires much more than just taking some pills or exercising more. It begins with recognizing the importance of each aspect of our person and praying for healing in every one of those aspects. As God brings more and more wholeness to our lives, we must remember to participate in the process. This means seeking to live a balanced life. It means keeping our body, minds and spirits healthy. If we want a healthy mind, we need to eat well, exercise regularly and sleep enough. If we want a healthy body, we need to pray daily and attend worship regularly. If we want a healthy spiritual life, we need to engage our minds and seek emotional wholeness.
Holistic health is not easy but it is worth it. It requires constant prayer and attention. Yet, it is God’s desire is for our Nephesh to be fully restored. He longs for our entire lives to be in alignment with God’s will and purpose. And God is willing and able to fully restore us if we are willing to walk the road of healing with him.
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