"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." (Mark 2:10-12 KJV).
Hello To All:
Today is a very special day! Five years ago, on this day, our Lord Jesus Christ saved me from death, and over a course of weeks, restored me to the fullness of good health (please see letter titled: "I am back: I am crucified!" dated June 14, 2017). Like the man "sick of the palsy," from our opening text, my ability to walk was also restored to me in the miraculous way that only Jesus Christ can do. Thank you Jesus!
This letter is number eleven in a series of letter/essays on faith, that began July 30, 2019. Every letter that the Spirit of God compels me to write is part of a larger journey and purpose, that is known only to the Lord our God. But, from time to time, I am privileged to see the larger picture regarding, His purposes, with what He is doing, through these letters; which brings us to His purpose, for this letter, which is, to focus our attention on the "sick amongst us."
As previous letters have challenged the ordained elders amongst us, to find that place, in our personal journey with Jesus of Nazareth, where we can be empowered by Him, and equipped by Him, to effectively pray the "prayer of faith;" so does this letter, now seek to challenge the "sick amongst us," to reach out and call for the "elders of the church" (James 5:14), to come and pray, that the sick might be healed.
This whole process is initiated by the "sick amongst us." It is not initiated by the ordained elders. It is good to remind ourselves that when Jesus healed, He was, in almost all instances approached by the sick, seeking and asking to be healed; and Jesus of Nazareth always healed!
This is God's, on going provision, for His church, as outlined in the James text. Jesus is the Healer; and He has chosen too manifest His healing presence through the office of the ordained elders. This is not the only way that He will heal the sick amongst us; but, clearly He has stated His willingness to heal, in this very specific way, as outlined in James 5:14-15.
The challenge for all of us, my beloved brethren, is to believe. Previous letters, should help us to understand that we have been given a gift of faith, that is sufficient for victory, in every challenge that we might face, in our life journey with Jesus of Nazareth.
If we are counted amongst the sick, then we must put that gift of faith to use, by believing; and that first step of believing, is to call for the elders of the church. God has chosen you who are sick, to be the initiators of this process, that will glorify Him and create an opportunity for you to be healed.
There is an additional challenge for you, my beloved who are the "sick amongst us;" and that challenge is this: If you call for the elders, and they come, and they pray; and then you are not healed - what will you do? How will you respond to the reality that you are still sick and not healed?
Let me be so bold as to tell you what you must do: you must continue to love that elder, who prayed for you, as a brother in Christ Jesus; and you must be willing to forgive him for his failure to effectively pray the prayer of faith. But your work is not done. Your must then pray for ordained elders to be guided to a place, by our Lord Jesus Christ, where they will discover how they can effectively pray the prayer of faith, so that the "sick amongst us," can be healed.
And still, your work is not done. You must continue to be willing to call for the elders of the church to pray for you. You must continue doing this; believing that, at some point in your journey, Jesus Christ will raise up an ordained elder who will come and effectively pray the prayer of faith, so that you can be healed. Can we say: Thank you Jesus?
Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:
Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus
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