FAITH HEALING

                                                                               FAITH HEALING    

    Prologue: This introduction is a message in itself. The subject gives the reader the opportunity to decide the validity of inspiration and prayer. Inspiration comes through the Holy Spirit, and may direct you in many ways. If you don't believe the Holy Spirit can direct you, you need to study scripture and renew your belief in the Good Book. My inspiration for this message "visited" me three times, and I finally realized what was in store. For three days I awakened in the early morning with a slight pain in the palm of both hands. They were not injured and did not bear marks. The pain did not last. I was puzzled until the third day, when the message to me was an early commentary on Easter. I did not pick up on this until I associated the pain in the palms of my hands to the crucifixion. I have written about several controversial issues at the request of pastor friends, but never this
subject. Read on, and make your own decision.

    Does faith healing exist? If it doesn't, why do Christians and people of other faiths pray for someone who is injured or ill? We need to understand that healing comes through God, not any human. This is the most common misconception of faith healing. This is also why people sometimes conclude that faith healing is a hoax. The faith healing  process is a communication between the person making the request and God. The presence of a person praying for someone is to build confidence in the person who seeks healing. That is to help remove doubt and increase concentration by the person needing healing. It may
be difficult to believe, but our faith is usually very weak. Matt. 17:20 tells us "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

    It is easy to have faith when you have a situation that permits you to actually see a proven solution, i.e., turning on the television. When it comes to healing, you usually can not see the process. Moreover, your faith must continue after the healing. Otherwise, you can experience a recurrence of the original problem. The key is: you must overcome any semblance of doubt. Some pastors teach that nearly every problem you may have is
because of the lack of faith. For example, if you have a cold, it is because your faith is too weak. That is total nonsense. Getting a cold or stomach ache, sore muscles, etc., are usually caused by stress, food, strenuous work and normal causes. We should consider the cause and do what we can to effect a cure. We have specific common medicine and know that rest and massage of muscles will cure the problem. You may note here, that you express faith in these common cures because you can observe recovery in a reasonable time. Prayer may help, but countless people do not pray, and do receive relief from medicine or therapy. This is faith in man-made cures.

    When man-made cures don't work, people have nowhere to turn except God and prayer. Pay attention here! You don't have to be a Christian to be healed by prayer. See Matt. 5:45, (the last half of the sentence), our Father in heaven "sends rain on the just and on the unjust," God loves His creation, but hates our sin. Healing depends on God's powers and is available to those who believe in Him, even though they may not be Christians. You do not have to be a Christian to receive faith healing. This may not be a popular statement
for Christians, but scripture makes it very clear. Salvation will certainly help the prayers, because you can call on Christ and the Holy Spirit. But healing is a blessing from God, Himself, and is available to anyone who accepts God as described in the Ten Commandments.

    We want to remember that God is always in control. Our hopes and desires are subject to His plan for us. Some people pray for a result "if it is in God's will." That is well-meaning, but tends to destroy the positive concentration required for the solution. In a sense, you are admitting you aren't certain the healing will come. There is a bit of doubt in your mind. Faith healing is not just a matter of prayer. If we start out placing our request within the bounds of God's will, we are admitting we don't understand God wants people to not only receive eternal life, but an abundant life. Here we come upon another key word frequently misunderstood.

    The word ABUNDANT can mean many things, and is especially a stumbling block for Christians. It is frequently interpreted to mean "financial" abundance. God may prefer to give you abundance in many other ways, such as health, education, family, leadership, or any specific He chooses. Often Christians jump to define abundance incorrectly because their explanation suits their desire. An excellent example is Matt. 25:14-29, the Parable of the Talents. To keep yourself from missing the real message of this parable, you should
start at verse 26. Consider that Christ NEVER taught that anyone should cheat or steal. Then note the lord (wealthy) admitted he gained his wealth by reaping where he had not sown and gathered where he had not scattered seed. That, my friend, is stealing. In verse 30 the wealthy man claims power he doesn't have when he condemns the servant to outer darkness.

    Abundance for any of us may be something we don't recognize. Or, we may lose it because we seek something else. If we use the spiritual and physical gifts He gives us, we'll have the abundance He wants us to have. That may include a long, healthy life. It may mean financial success. You should note that most Christians in God's service are not rich. You should also note that many wealthy people have serious problems, often not known by the general public. 

    If you have faith in abundance, you have the key to many things, including health and wellness. This is not to say someone ill or handicapped lacks faith. Sometimes a problem exists perhaps with only God knowing  the reason for the situation. Not getting an answer for healing does not necessarily mean the failure is due to a lack of faith. Accomplishing something on faith is not as simple as salvation. You receive a free gift when you are saved, but you request a gift when you pray for healing or anything else.

    For a Christian, your level of faith when you accept salvation is a reasonable 

measurement of your commitment. There's much more to your "contract" to follow Christ. Have you studied the Four Gospels? I hear or read the very distorted or completely wrong interpretations of Christ's teaching as I pointed out in Matthew above. When you commit to Christ, you commit to His teaching. If you interpret scripture to suit yourself, you are unraveling  the rope that holds you above Satan's pit. Romans 10:17 tells us "So then faith comes by hearing,  and hearing by the Word of God." 

    I know faith healing is real, because I was healed through prayer as a young boy. I have seen others healed by prayer, some who lost healing by later doubting the possibility, and some because they simply lacked faith. Faith is a spiritual element you must have to experience success.

Rev. Walbear

A WALK WITH ESTHER

                                                               A WALK WITH ESTHER

    The book of Esther in the Old Testament can tell us how the Lord puts together His plan, and provides a solid explanation of faith. There is much more to salvation than merely repeating a prayer or a few  words of acceptance. This is an unusual book of the bible, because it dwells on faith and does not contain the word God. The story has all the elements of a best seller, with sharply defined characters.

    Here we can assess our understanding of belief and faith in God, and recognize the difference. Even Satan recognizes and believes God exists. The difference between a follower of Christ and other people is faith. When you accept Christ's offer of salvation, it costs you nothing materially. To have this contract sealed, you must attempt to follow Christ's example and teaching. You cannot "earn" your salvation, but you are expected to live your life as Christ lived His life. You receive your reward in Heaven, which means your earthly material assets are meaningless.

    Now we return to the word "faith", which has everything to do with your heavenly treasure. Obviously this word is very important to me and our ministry because our walk and our tracks reflect the extent of our faith. Research, study and experience have contributed to the mission of our ministry which exists only because of faith. God has His
purpose, and He sent His Son to clearly explain His purpose and set an example for us. We are what we live (values)  and God knows the priorities of our heart. Esther had a purpose in God's plan, although she didn't know what it was until after she had progressed from an
orphan to the queen of a secular regime.

    The remarkable story of Esther is observed/celebrated in mid-March each year by the Jewish people. It is called Purim. This book of the bible could have been titled "Faith". Now, as they often say, "we return to yesteryear", or the rest of our story.

    In Matt. 17:20, Christ tells His disciples they couldn't cast out a demon because of the lack of faith. "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it  will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." There are dozens 
of biblical references to faith, but Paul sums it up concisely in 2 Cor. 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." It is easy to talk about faith, but it is not easy to practice faith. 

     After completing ministry studies, we worked within organized (denominational) churches. I was ordained by two of these, but the time I spent within these and other denominations showed me both the good points and some glaring weaknesses. While faith was preached, it rarely resulted in actual practice. This was true with many pastors as well as congregations. The pull of the secular world is extremely strong, and relying on faith tries the patience when it appears a secular solution will work. The best example of this is in present day mega churches, which are built on secular marketing principles. This is not to say all these people lack faith or are on the wrong path. Salvation and faith are personal issues, and each person stands according to his/her heart values. 

    The glaring weaknesses were the very foundation of Christianity: lack of teaching the Word, and lack of actually following Christ's example and teaching in the Four Gospels. Unfortunately, the secular marketing principles are just as successful in religion as they are in business. Blessings are touted, as they should be, but the sacrifices required of Christians as clearly written in scripture are shoved under the rug. Christ has given you eternal life, and  showed us the sacrifice that was necessary. Each of us who receives salvation has a purpose to fulfill as our "payment."  Always remember, however, that God values obedience above sacrifice. 1 Sam. 15:22, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." We need to remember that obedience frequently requires sacrifice.

    Our ministry name, "Faith Walk", is meant to remind people that we need to walk in faith. Without denominational affiliation and support, we knew the financial road would be difficult. Every step in this walk has seemed impossible. We never sought payment for
our work, and we received almost no financial support. Our secular occupations provided the ministry support. A major reason for that was many of the people we served were poor and widely scattered. While this meant living practically from paycheck to paycheck,
it strengthened our walk in faith. I recall the dean at Liberty Baptist University telling me about two farmers. One sold his crops in the secular market, and told his neighbor he had his money by October 1. He was goading his neighbor because the neighbor had sold his crop otherwise, and had not yet been paid. The farmer responded, "God pays His people well, but not necessarily on October 1st."

    The meaning of this declaration came home to roost this past year. I had a serious medical problem that required some six months' of treatment and care. My wife and daughter, already carrying a heavy workload, stepped up to keep things going. Here's a teaching point  for you. Many people prayed for me, but very few gave us any money.
The prayers are appreciated, but without the trickle of money, my wife would not have been able to make the trips for the care I needed. The teaching point is that the money came equally from Christian and secular givers. If you payed attention to Christ's teaching, you know He welcomed and worked with secular people as well as believers.
An important point we realized early in our ministry was that while prayers are important,  material aid may be even more important, and may require you to make a personal sacrifice. You are not to judge the person in need, but address the entire situation. Throwing money at a drunk won't help him at all. A poorly dressed person can be helped by some shoes or clothing. A mortgage or car payment can help someone temporarily in need. Christ told us to share with the less fortunate, and our generosity will be repaid in heaven. 

    The exciting part of Faith Walk now is how increments of our undated payment is taking shape. There's a small amount of cash, but a huge amount of personal input--much by secular people. Their input consists of chopping and hauling wood, unloading feed, watering livestock, and various helpful acts of labor. While this is happening, we are able to  discuss God and Christ's path on a low key basis. For some, this is their first taste of religion and/or Christianity. Food brought to us is shared with these families as needed, and wood from our woodlot goes to heat another home. Some of our helpers take meals with us. Helpers range from middle class to poor. They are an expansion of the widow's mite. Even if not saved, they are becoming accustomed to the Christian "walk".

    A Faith Walk naturally leads to Faith Tracks. If your walk in faith is as true as you can make it, you will provide tracks for others to follow. We all follow tracks of those who have gone before us, whether the tracks are physical or mental. Early in our ministry, we were led to use the experiences with animals to show people--mainly children--the power of faith. An example was a cat taken by a puppy/cat mill person while we weren't home.  This was a gentle house pet taken from our yard. We felt a real loss, but told our young daughter God could bring the cat home if her prayers were strong in faith. Several weeks later, when we went to our coal bin, we found the cat sleeping peacefully there. She was very thin and obviously had a difficult journey to get home. She became known as Coal Kitty from that day on.
 
    Our farm animals and pets became a source of comfort and companionship, both for children and adults suffering from depression and loneliness. We put together a book of these real life events, and the stories were used in some Sunday Schools. These booklets were a major source of disappointment when their display at a church-sponsored event resulted in the theft of our entire stock. Since then there have been many more animal adventures that may join the original group in a book. We have become a "known" place to drop off pets, so the variety and number of animals continue to grow. These animals frequently leave spiritual footsteps that may be followed through bonding and understanding.

    We are very thankful to have a part in a recent undertaking by a group of military veterans who are putting together a recovery facility to help returning veterans who suffer from various forms of post traumatic disorders. The project is using a foundation group of our miniature cattle to provide veterans with an opportunity to rediscover peace with these animals, who will also provide milk and meat. This extensive project, like our ministry, exists without taxpayer subsidy or other organizational support. It offers a faith walk and faith tracks to Christ's message, a rebuilt life and salvation. There is no secular
separation and money isn't required. This project, like Faith Walk, is in the hands of caring volunteers. 

    The Book of Esther illustrates how God uses man/woman to carry out His purpose and plan. Esther had to risk her life, a willing sacrifice if necessary, to save her people, God's Chosen. Read the Book--it's short--and it will do you good. I also urge you to read something every American should read and seriously consider. It is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. It was written by Emma Lazarus. The name Lazarus occurs in several places in scripture, but most notably in Luke 16:19-31.
For those of you who don't recall these passages, I will sum them up for you. It describes who and why people go to Heaven or Hell. Now please read the inscription on the Statue of Liberty.

    "Give me your tired, your poor,
    Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
    The wretched refuse  of your teeming shore,
    Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
    I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

    This message by that lady speaks to us today just as Christ spoke to the people of His time and directed the path to eternal life. Christ is the Light of the World  and the golden door is the gateway to Heaven. Many Americans today are interested in material wealth, unwilling to share the wealth God has provided (all wealth belongs to God, not man), and don't care about the health and well-being of their fellow man/woman. Lazarus didn't have much in the material world, but he retired to a mansion in Heaven. You can make your choice. Saying you are a Christian doesn't make you one. God knows our values.

Rev. Walbear