Is Sin Related to Sickness?

"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")" Galatians 3
The previous blog post "Does God Allow Sickness for His Glory?" received a great response on LinkedIn. Some readers cited verses to argue that God lovingly (?) uses sickness to glorify Himself. Others cited verses to claim that God never allows sickness for His glory. At one point, it seemed to me like a game of tennis with aggressive and prolonged volleying from one end of the court to the other. So does it mean that the Bible contradicts itself? No! Not if you interpret it correctly.
One question that bothers people sometimes is this: "My friend is saved - her sins have been forgiven and she does not have any unconfessed sin in her life; then why did this sickness come upon her?" When I began this series of posts on healing, I said it was on healing. So in a sense, whether you are sick because you committed sins or you are sick even though you have no unconfessed sin in your life - it does not matter. Jesus did not command "they shall lay hands on the sick who have repented, and they shall recover." He simply said "they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark 16:18)
Once you are healed - or during your healing - if you repent of your sins before God, the sickness loses legal grounds to be in you. But if you have not repented, the sickness can come back to you. But there it is - it can come back. This means it can go. So if a born again child of God commands in faith and with the authority he has, for healing to take place, the healing has to take place. In fact, Jesus did not even ask us to 'pray' for healing. He simply said we would lay hands on the sick and they would recover.
One more thing - those who fatalistically accept sickness saying it is God's will for them to be sick; these people still go to the doctor to get treated. Why? If you do not want to tolerate the sickness physically, then why should your Father who formed your inward parts (Psalm 139:13) tolerate it? Wouldn't He pull out all stops to ensure you got your healing? As I see it, it is basically a matter of indoctrination and sticking to your guns. But at all times Truth must stand. We children of God here on Earth, need to enforce God’s will (the Truth) here as it is in Heaven.
In the next post, we will discover why even sinners (saved and unsaved alike) can be healed even though they may have unconfessed sins in their life. Later, we will also see that the original promoter of sin was the devil - not God, Adam or Eve.
Praise the LORD!

Does God Allow Sickness for His Glory?

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

Not convinced? Try this verse:

"If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Luke 12:28
Or...
"If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?" Luke 11:11
Would I allow sickness to come upon my son for my glory? I certainly would not. And mind you I am a normal human father, one who is not the Creator of this universe. Do you think our Heavenly Father, who has made all the mountains and the valleys, the seas and the fields, and the 100 billion galaxies; and most importantly the Father who gave His Son Jesus as a sacrifice to pay for our sins - would such a loving and great God be glorified and be happy watching His creation - including His born again children - writhe in pain?
On December 30, 2009, I lost my cousin brother to leukaemia. The side effects of the chemotherapy - hair fall, weakness, galloping infection…do you think God rejoiced in his suffering? My uncle spent his fortune behind the treatment - 4 million Indian Rupees - close to US$ 85000 (which is quite a lot of money here in India). I don't think my cousin's suffering brought God any glory. You might ask, "What about John 9:3 and John 11:4?" Well, at that point of time, Jesus had not yet sacrificed his life. The event in that verse took place in between Isaiah 53:5 ("But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.") and 1 Peter 2:24 ("Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."). As you read this, Jesus has already died, been buried, been resurrected, presented his blood in Heaven before the Father, come back to Earth and ascended to Heaven. It is really finished! In fact, it is almost time for his return for the Rapture!
True, unsaved people cannot command sicknesses to go away as their sins are not yet forgiven. But we as believers can pray for them - in fact, we are commanded to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover - and thereby prove that what we preach is the Truth. The Old Testament says in Isaiah 54:17, that the heritage of the servants of the LORD is such that "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn." Jesus said (in the New Testament - John 10:10) that "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." If no weapon formed against Old Testament saints would prosper, do you think God would allow anyone to form a weapon against New Covenant Christians and then allow it to prosper too - so that He would (?) be glorified…?
Well, I could possibly go on for many more pages. I will…but we will split these up into a few more posts. So do keep commenting. I can gain greater insight and do my bit so that the Body of Christ (of which I am a part) is built up and strengthened by the Word of God and by praise and worship that are done in Spirit and in Truth.

Merry Christmas

Wish you a Merry Christmas! Whether you are a new or old visitor, if you do not know much about Jesus, read Good News Friday - you will learn a lot about God. Also visit a wonderful site called All About God - most of your questions about God will be answered there. If you want all questions to be answered, proceed from that side to pick up a Bible for yourself; because we speak to God through prayer, but God speaks to us through His Word - the Bible. God bless you!

Is Healing in the Atonement?

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. - 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20

Today I want to start a series on one of the most controversial topics in the Church - whether or not healing is in the atonement of Christ. To start with, re-look the above verses and study them. In fact, from my study of the Bible (and indeed of life) so far, I have come to the conclusion that healing is in the atonement. Let me explain why I think so…

Note: This is not a discussion about whether or not the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still in operation. This series deals primarily with whether bodily and soul-level healing are the (new) birth right of every born again child of God.

We have been bought with a price. The first part of this verse says that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. By all accounts, it means our physical body and not the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is in us - God gave Him to us. So we do not belong to ourselves. We are purchased with a price. If our body were not purchased with a price, how could it be God's property? It would still have to be Satan's property or our own. But it is God's property. Next point… If the body is the temple, can sickness dwell in the house of God? Jesus said:

"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " Matthew 21:13

So clearly, sickness (symbolic thief) does not have a right to dwell in the temple of God. What should you do if you spot a thief where he should not be? Evict him, or call the police and throw (cast) him out. Well, then, if there is sickness in the body or mind of a born again Christian, it needs to be thrown out in the name of Jesus Christ or have the police (pastor, elders etc.) cast it out through prayer and/or commands, again in Jesus' name.

And if you think sickness - a state of 'less than perfect, divine health' - can legally be in a believer's body (other than as a result of sin), it means imperfections can be tolerated in the house of God. Then even a handicapped lamb (or a sinful Jesus) could be offered as a sacrifice in the temple. Then the very basis of our Christian faith would be voided! People would say, "Why get cleansed of sin - you would anyway make it to heaven!" So if you believe that bodily healing is not in the atonement, do you know what it implies?

Ahead in the series, we will look at other sensitive issues like:

• Does God sometimes allow sickness to come upon believers for His glory?
• If Jesus is not the answer to our sicknesses (that is, if Jesus is not enough to heal us), should we worship another 'god' to get healed?
• Is sickness totally unconnected to sin (despite being the result of sin)?
• Are medicines to be avoided if you believe in diving healing (consult your doctor!)?
  

What has been your experience? What do you think? And what do you think the Bible says? Keep visiting this site. I would love to hear from you!

Don Moen's India Tour a Big Hit

O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. - Psalm 96:1

Gospel music star Don Moen's tour of India this year was a big hit! He conducted a concert and a 'Worship Seminar' each at Chennai, Shillong and Mumbai.

I attended the concert at Mumbai since I live in Mumbai. It was a "Wow!" experience for me right from the time I reached the venue to the time I got back into my car. The stage, the sound, the choice of songs and the audience participation - all were of a very high level. To top it all, Don Moen and Team's performance was excellent! The best part though, was that Jesus Christ was glorified throughout - a great practice session before we worship him forever into eternity. I often feel that one of the reasons why eternal life is eternal is because eternity is what we need in order to thank, praise and worship the Living God! Anything short of that simply wouldn't do.

Coming back to the event, the tour was organised by The Friendship Club (TFC). TFC is a charitable trust that conceives and manages events surrounding the projects they undertake, like the current Project Friend.

A bit about Project Friend…

Project Friend is an initiative to help cancer patients cope up with tough times. It is not restricted to Christians. It covers cancer patients irrespective of religious affinity. TFC believes that cancer patients, especially the terminally ill, have multiple needs. Not all of these can be met by their families. What use are family members if they cannot support the patient emotionally simply because they are forced to look for funds to treat their loved one? TFC solicits charitable donations for Project Friend from various sections of society (in return for an annual membership to TFC) so that the funds collected can be used to arrange for day care nurses, medicines and other such needs. The TFC team can also periodically visit the patient and pray for them as well as counsel them. Who knows - some or all of them can actually recover completely and may even get saved in the process!


I request you to keep the TFC Team and Project Friend in prayer so that precious human souls on the road to an eternity in hell are saved and spend that eternity in Heaven instead - in the presence of God our Creator. I know how important it is, because just December last, I had lost my first cousin - my best friend - to leukaemia. After all, those other cancer patients too are somebody's first cousins - somebody's best friends!

How Do We Renew Our Mind to the Word of God?

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Carrying on from the previous post Why Satan Hates You, we can renew our mind to God's Word by reading it, hearing it, studying it and doing it.

The word hearing in the above verse in the original Greek actually means rhema - the spoken Word of God. So when you give of yourself to God's written Word, He speaks to you and confirms that written Word - the Bible - thereby helping you apply more of "the measure of faith" that He has already given you.

Remember, the Word of God is one the weapons in your spiritual armour. It's the sword - you can wield it to defend yourself and others from Satan. You can also use it to attack and take the fight to the Enemy, because attack is often the best form of defence. But to be able to wield any sword effectively, you must practise using it. How much more, then, the Word of God! And when you practise enough, you will develop a reputation of being a 'commando for Christ' working for his Commander-in-Chief, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ!

Why Satan Hates You

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…" - Psalm 23:5

When Lucifer fell from Heaven, he lost all his privileges. God breathed into Adam and created Eve from his rib; and gave them "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen. 1:26, 28) Then Adam and Eve too 'fell'. But God covered them by killing an animal and using its skin. God thus made them (and not Satan - formerly known as Lucifer) His chosen ones. Sure, Satan was not amused.

Throughout the ages, God kept assuring His people of a Saviour whose Kingdom would never end. And through His Son Jesus, God promises to exalt us too, as is written in Romans 8:17:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;"

Now just think of this. God seats you at a table in Heaven. He prepares the table with the finest things you can imagine consuming. That not being enough, He anoints you with oil. And when all this happens Satan and his fellow evil spirits stand as mute spectators. The glory that would have been theirs is now yours, even though you did not deserve it. Just imagine their frustration! They cannot do anything - it's too late. If you're a born again Christian, you're already seated in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus - you are a joint heir with him!

Satan's only chance to prevent this from happening (as best as he can prevent it!) is until a human being is saved. Once you're born-again through turning your life over to Jesus, the devil's time is up. He cannot attack your spirit. So his next best targets are your soul and body.

When you're born again, Satan & Co. takes notice of you and swing into action. Whether you survive and thwart the attacks will depend on whether or how much you renew your mind to the Word of God. We will look at this in the next post.

Word of God Bearing Fruit in Nepal

"…and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Nepal is probably the world's only officially Hindu country. My India isn't, as it is a multi-religious and non-theocratic State. Now this small country Nepal, with a population less than that of my hometown Mumbai (Bombay) is receiving the Lord Jesus…and how!

Greater Grace World Outreach (www.ggwo.org) has planted 18 churches in the Himalayan country, famous for the Mount Everest. (Update: as of April 2016, there are now 29 Greater Grace churches in Nepal.) You'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that many of Nepal's believers actually live in mountainous caves, hours away from 'civilization'. Recently, our pastor narrated the story of a Nepali pastor from the Praja tribe. This pastor is just 28 years or so and has a family to support. He cannot leave his family behind for years to attend Bible College. So he stays with his folks for a month and goes down to the city for a month. He will do this for the next 3 years, in order to get trained up in the Word of God and carry it back to his folks up in the mountains.

This may not sound too difficult to do. Except when you consider that:
• To reach the city, he climbs down the mountain on a 9-hour journey on foot.
• He climbs down the mountain on which he lives, then climbs up the next peak, then down it, then up the next and then down that one too.
• Along the way, he crosses a river - crossing it 17 times, at its various bends.
• In the rains, the river gets flooded chest-high. So the young pastor wades his way across the river, holding his bag up in the air, as it contains his Bible, books and clothes.
• After his 9-hour descent, he reaches the highway.
• He changes into a dry pair of clothes and takes the bus to the city, which is another 8 hours away.
• He will stay there in the church building with a dozen other pastors in the same room, until better facilities are available.
• He will go back up the same way he came, after investing a month in formal Bible study…
• …all this, to carry the Good News to people just like you and me, so that if they accept Jesus, they will continue to live in Heaven even after they die physically on earth.
The conditions are so tough, that some tribal children have probably never even seen a car. If they want to see one, they must walk their way down to the highway, which is 9 hours away. Pastor remarked that one day, when we get to Heaven, we will probably see a spirit shining like a star; and when we ask Jesus who it is, he will tell us it's that tribal pastor from Nepal, who labored - and not in vain.

Jesus - The Turnaround Expert

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Everything is not perfect in this world because Earth is not Heaven! Every adult I know has some problem or the other. And the bad news is that we cannot become children again. But the Good News is that Jesus Christ invites us to hand over our heavy burden to him.

Jesus changes lives!

Jesus has changed - transformed - the lives of billions of people over the ages, some of whom I know personally. Like my uncle, for instance. He was deeply in debt, but when he earnestly prayed to Jesus and began attending church and studying the Bible, God cleared his debts in a matter of a few months.

There's a youngster who was suffering from AIDS. He faithfully prayed to God and began attending prayer meetings at my family friend's church. He was healed completely within a few months! Medical tests confirmed that he was free of AIDS. He even married after that. Now he attends church and you must hear him pray. I am convinced that the Spirit of God gives him utterance as he prays fluently and just right, quoting Scripture!

One pastor I know was a local rowdy trained in martial arts, until he gave his life to Jesus. Now he has been the world over, preaching the gospel. There was a time, he said, when he could not go to sleep at night unless he had hit someone. The Lord has turned his life completely around and dealt a body blow to the devil in this pastor's life! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

So if you think your life can do with a makeover, let that makeover artiste be Jesus. He knows a thing or two about turning lives around for the better. He did it for Mary Magdalene, for Saul (Paul) and for me. He can do it for you too. He is the true turnaround expert!

Sack vs. Sword

"...a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table." Matthew 26:7

In an earlier post, we discussed about crucifying the flesh through the Word of God. Here, we demonstrate it using an analogy - a biblical one, in a way.