Do the Word

All Christians should know how to administer basic medical care to their family members and those to whom they minister–that was the conviction of John Wesley, who insisted that in addition to the Bible, there were two books that every Christian home should have.

• The first, Thomas A Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, which Wesley considered helpful for the promotion of spiritual health.
• The second, Wesley’s Primitive Physic, he considered helpful for the promotion of physical  health.

As Randy Maddox notes,

Most Methodists today are unaware of the second volume, and scholars who come across it often dismiss it as a collection of “home remedies.” This seriously misjudges its nature and its centrality to Wesley’s ministry. He read broadly on the topic of medicine throughout his life and gathered most of the remedies in Primitive Physickfrom prominent medical authors of his time. This was as much a use of his scholarly gifts to provide aids for his people as was his collection of theological writings in theChristian Library. Moreover, in the preface to this volume (and in other publications) Wesley added advice for promoting wellness to his suggestions for treating wounds and illnesses. He was not simply offering cures but promoting physical flourishing.

We Christians contemplate far too seldom how discipleship extends to the body–what we eat, how much, whether we set aside time for exercise and proper rest. It is almost as if these things are extraneous to discipleship–and they are in most Christian concepts of discipleship, because discipleship is considered to be about spiritual matters, not physical ones.

For Wesley, however, knowing how to provide basic health care to others was an essential part of the Work of Mercy of healing and comforting, and disciplining our bodies was an essential complement to disciplining our souls.

Lessons for us all this month:

1. Separating “spiritual” discipleship from “physical” discipleship is artificial. God intends to mirror his son to the world through not only our souls and spirits but our bodies as well.
2. Praying for physical healing for ourselves and others is incomplete unless we  recognize that our bodies are not ours to begin with. We steward them as his temple. So how can we profess “healing faith” when we are sick if we are stuffing his temple with Cheetos when we are healthy?

Consider investing in some books and training on health and medical care this month as part of your commitment to the Work of Mercy of healing and comforting.

“Lord, we come before to pray for Mrs. Jones. If it be your will, please consider healing her. We understand that this could come in the form of rest, medicine, doctor’s care, or you giving her peace and comfort in the midst of not healing her.”

This is what I call “praying in fine print” for healing. It sounds like the disclaimers you hear at the end of commercials where they say, “Offer void where not prohibited. Prices slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Employees of Snickers Corporation and their families are not eligible to enter. The company reserves the right to change the prize at any time.”

Don’t pray for healing like that. When you pray for healing, always remember that you are you and God is God. He does not need nor desire your preconditions or explanations. They are presumptuous, not humble or informed. After all, if God wants to heal someone supernaturally, he does not need to check with us first.

That’s why I like the lastest issue of The Mission Society’s Unfinished magazine, which you can read about and access online here. It’s devoted to healing, and the most delightful part about it is the omission of fine print.

Yes, fine, there are any number of spiritual whackos who claim any number of wacky things about healing. But they are outnumbered by an even larger number of theological worrywarts who insist on defining the parameters of what God will and will not do, and why, before they pray for someone who needs healing, while they are praying, and after they are done. “We don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea,” they intone with a deep seriousness.

Yes, teach your congregation well. But when you pray for healing, just pray for healing. You are not saved by the theological accuracy of your prayers, nor does that accuracy translate into better care for the sick from the Lord.

So read the stories in Unfinished and remind yourself that when it comes to healing, God refuses to be put in a box of predictability. He is not required to heal–or not heal–on our command or according to our theological framework.

One of the least emphasized elements in modern writings on healing is the degree to which, with a few notable exceptions, healing is almost always portrayed in the Scriptures as a community event.

Note the community orientation of the admonition to pray for healing in James 5:13-15:

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

If you’re in trouble, you appear to be on good grounds to pray solo. And if you’re happy, go ahead and sing in the shower. But if you’re sick, it’s time to call in reinforcements.

And note that though much is made in some circles (and yes, even some Scriptures) of the importance of the faith of the individual who is sick, note that in James it is the faith of the group as a whole that receives mention.

This flies in the face of our modern tendency to think of healing as a drama with three parts:

1. Sick person
2. Savior
3. Crowd

Paul Tautges reminds us that Scripture

stresses the need for believers to live together spiritually, united by truth, and in a close association of mutual care, rather than independently, as “spiritual Lone Rangers” (coined by Kent Hughes). These spiritual communities are God’s ordained instruments for carrying out the Great Command, and will continue to be so until Jesus returns. Therefore, we must lead followers of Christ toward a stronger commitment to their local assemblies where they can grow in the grace and knowledge of their Savior Jesus Christ and practice biblical love by learning to serve others.

As I write this, I am in the midst of receiving daily updates from one of our Seoul USA/.W friends whose son is in the hospital suffering from a serious intestinal problem. Question: How do I regard these email updates? Am I a spectator?

No. James reminds me that the prayers of faith of those who receive this mother’s email are as important as the prayers of the mother and of the suffering son himself.