Friday: Further Thought ~ Ministering Like Jesus
Further Thought:
“Many have no faith in God and have lost confidence in man. But they appreciate acts of sympathy and helpfulness. As they see one with no inducement of earthly praise or compensation coming to their homes, ministering to the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sad, and tenderly pointing all to Him of whose love and pity the human worker is but the messenger — as they see this, their hearts are touched.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Gratitude springs up. Faith is kindled. They see that God cares for them, and they are prepared to listen as His Word is opened”. — Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 145.
The unselfish ministry of Jesus opens hearts, breaks down prejudice, and creates a receptivity for the gospel. The church is the body of Christ meeting needs in love everywhere. Christ sends us out into our communities to make a difference in His name. Though certainly, we need to be careful about being contaminated by the world (and that is a very real and dangerous threat to our church), we still must learn to reach the people where they are and to be used by God, who wants to take them from where they are and bring them to where they should be.
Discussion Questions:
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I could not let this lesson topic go without reference to the story in John of the woman taken in adultery. I know that we have the back story in Spirit of Prophecy about how this woman was entrapped but just suppose for a moment that the woman of her own free will had gone into an adulterous relationship. Would Jesus have acted any differently?
More than perhaps any other passage in the Gospels, this story demonstrates the compassion of Jesus towards sinners. Compassion rather than condemnation.
My wife, who was a primary teacher understood the need for compassion when dealing with naughty children. I don't ever recall her getting cranky with a child who had done the wrong thing. She used to say that the kids know when they have done something wrong and more than anything else they wanted to know they were still loved. Don't get the wrong message, She still had to discipline children, but they all knew that they were still loved.
As I have said before, during my lifetime of work in church educational institutions, I have seen some of the best and worst of Christian reactions to disciplinary situations. The worst have been those times when vindictive condemnation has replaced compassion and the invitation to "sin no more!"
Compassion and invitation, rather than condemnation and coercion.
And, Maurice, I see the "Go and sin no more" as an enabling promise. Relieved of condemnation, Jesus left her free to live unburdened by her past. He gave her the gift of grace that produces love and a desire to live for Him.
The woman was not relieved of condemnation by Jesus' words. Jesus was just making clear that the effort of the accusers to include HIM as an accuser was misguided and false. Jesus was not sent into the world "to condemn the world". Still this woman was condemned by her own sin/guilt and the Law, which remains unchanged.
Jesus work was always to call sinners to repentance and faith in the promises of God to "blot out [our] transgressions, and remember [our] sin no more". The condition for this promise is repentance, and Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf allows this arrangement to take place, leaving us free of all condemnation. By telling this woman to "go and sin no more", Jesus was calling for her to repent.
Robert - I found Psalm 103 to speak beautifully to God's all encompassing Mercy and Grace. How would you understand David's words regarding God's forgiveness, mercy and grace, and being slow of anger in light of the 'demand' for repentance?
v.10 - 'He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities'.
v.11 - 'For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear Him'.
v.12 - 'As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us'.
v.14 - 'for He knows our frame; he remembereth that we are dust'.
v.17 - 'But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear(honor) Him, and HIS Righteousness unto children's children'.
v.18 - 'To such as keep his covenant, and to those that *remember*(faithfully) his commandments to do them, the LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all'.
David starts his Psalm with the words: (1)'Bless the LORD, oh my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name'.
v.20 - 'Bless the LORD, ye His angels, mighty in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word'.
v.21 - 'Bless ye the LORD - all ye hosts, ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure'.
He ends it with the words: (22) 'Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.'
David refers to us as dust, our frame is dust, but the living spirit within us is destined to be eternal, is called to unite again with his Creator Father's Spirit trough Faith, Adoration and Praise. He calls everyone to 'bless the LORD' - to Praise Him and give Him Honor by 'doing His commandments'(to walk in His way).
We are called to exercise our Faith, to walk in Jesus' new Light by Faith and do as He has shown and instructed us to do.
Luke 5:31,32 - When Jesus met us, we were 'sick'. He came to make us whole again so to have fellowship with the Father.
Yes, Jesus directs us to have a repentant heart, though man can never repent enough to merit God's forgiveness; this is why He gave us His gift of Mercy and Grace - unmerited favor.
I very much agree, Maurice - the assurance of love in times of 'error of the soul' is the only way we can demonstrate the unwavering love of God the Father to his wayward children. How often have we missed an opportunity to demonstrate this compassionate, unconditional love?
I am a parent and recognize in retrospect these missed opportunities and the consequences arising from them. The 'wrong' discipline can create terror in the heart of the child and separation from God.
Harsh discipline leaves deep wounds, especially in a young child's heart. The young mind cannot reason a physically experienced punishment coming from a loving parent, it confuses them and they withdraw into themselves; for balance, they always need assurance of love and security accompanying discipline. Though the 'wound' may be forgotten, the mental, emotional, spiritual scars remain a lifetime. Only God's compassionate love can heal these scares.
Looking back, I can now understand the spiritual aspect of the 'wrong' which we, the parents, have committed. I now realize that the true 'transgression' was committed by us, the parents, not by the young child; we had chosen to through the stone that wounded the heart of a child. I am crying as I write this; it still saddens me deeply. The remorse is with us, but the consequences of this act of unkindness has scared the heart and spirit of our child.
As parents, we missed the opportunity to demonstrate the compassion and love our Heavenly Father has for His creation, and hope that through His Compassion - Grace and Mercy - in time, His spiritual healing will take effect and restore the heart of this hurt 'child' to Himself.
Did anyone else, like me, find discussion question no.3 odd?
"All the people that were healed/raised from the dead eventually died anyway.
How should that impact my outreach?"
Thought - so why bother healing people, its only temporary?
Oh! Is that the point?
Us, and those who are sick, should be more concerned about eternal life than about this temporary life.
But then why did Jesus heal so many people, why didn't He just preach like John the Baptist? People flocked to hear John without being healed. In fact people were amazed by Jesus' teaching for He taught as one having authority not like the scribes. Matt 7:28,29.
So why the healing?
One reason was because it was a sign that He was the Messiah like it said in Luke 4:18,19, Isa 61:1 He would heal the sick and cast out devils, a sign that even the Priests and Rulers couldn't deny.
Secondly it was because He really cared for the people and wanted to make their everyday life better and happier. Imagine a life where everyone is healthy and happy!
So back to the question how does that impact our outreach. Firstly we don't need healings to prove who Jesus is, He has already done that, but people still need to feel that He really cares for each one individually right now through us not only in the world made new.
Let us be Caring Lightbearers!
I too was puzzled by what the author was getting at with that question. One answer that came to me is how linked things are. Our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health is linked together. Jesus took a holistic approach. To heal the spiritual it was sometimes necessary to heal the physical which also impacted their emotional and mental health.
So with that I feel that our outreach should also be holistic in it's approach. If we see someone in need of food for example we should address that. If they are unhealthy they may not be in a state to receive God well. There is a reason we were given the health message.
If someone needs professional counseling we might seek out good christian counselors and try to get them the help they need. Our outreach shouldn't be just sharing doctrines.
Shirley, I see another reason He healed. It had to have a spiritual impact. The recipient would naturally wonder who had healed him and how Jesus was able to heal. In many of the healing stories, the healed witnessed to Jesus' power. One even wanted to follow Jesus as a disciple. I think the implication in the question is that even though we show compassion for those in need without condition, it often opens avenues to awaken spiritual interest. Love awakens love. And Jesus is the Supreme and Perfect Lover. By showing His love, we witness to His saving power.
I think that this sentence/question is miss-composed. The lesson writer might have intended to say:
"Dwell more on the idea that even *though* all the people healed or even raised from the dead would eventually die, what should that tell us about how we ought to be conducting our outreach and ministry to those around us?"
Would the question formulated this way help with answering it?
Ok, so why our health message for those who will eventually die anyway?
From my devotional yesterday: "When the suffering body had been relieved,... the heart is opened and you can pour in the heavenly balm". Many will respond to the gospel through the health message who have no interest in religion otherwise. Also, Jesus command is to heal, teach, baptize. A healed and now healthy individual will be a living witness for the truth and more able to serve in a broader capacity.
Healing isn't to prove, it is to bless the one suffering and thus demonstrate the love of God for suffering mankind, and, "to purify the church". This last benefit should be of the greatest interest to every member. Health reform was given to prepare us for the Lord's return.
Thank you Robert for that insight, it lead me to consider the difference between instant healing and encouraging one to develop a healthy lifestyle.
It is similar to our walk with Jesus which starts with a decision event and then continues with a daily renewal of commitment and interaction.
Jesus didn't have time to demonstrate the long term benefits of healthy living but He showed He was concerned about people's health. Surely it would have reminded many of the instructions given through Moses that involved the healthy living of the chosen people.
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. Ps 18:1
#1. Compassionate ministry
Hymn # 508- Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.
I was listening to a report on 3ABN approximately 1 yr ago. This woman was saying the Lord had laid it on her heart to witness to the native people of America. She shared it with others but she was told because of her race it will be impossible almost a dead end for her because of all past and present issues with other races and distrust. She kept praying. One day she was directed to a young lady who was a native Americans who became an Adventist. The two partnered together and witness for the good of the people. It was not easy but the Lord was guiding.
Many people who Christ came in contact with were non Jews. He showed them he genuinely cared for them and about their life situations, healed and for give. Jesus never shew any partiality. The woman who come for healing for her child to Jesus, he said it was not meet time for the dogs to have food. She boldly said she was not asked for the bread but even the dogs have a right to the crumbs. Do we as a people who knew Jesus, as we claimed allow all to even have the crumbs? Are we working to break down all of these barriers in our present day? The barriers of predictive?