Autism. Dyslexia. Scoliosis. Cancer. Diabetes. Alzheimer’s and dementia. Congestive heart failure. Rheumatoid Arthritis. William’s syndrome. Paralysis.
This is a partial list of medical conditions that have affected my family and close friends over the past few years. Each of these conditions have long-term issues that are or have been addressed since their diagnosis. I offer this list to you for a singular purpose: I know from personal experience what I’m about to say.
Furthermore, having just come back from a week-long camp designed for families with child who have special needs, I witnessed the up-close and personal lives of families caught in a vicious cycle little are willing to expose.
A century ago, this list of conditions would in many parts of the world have been considered the examples of a person, or family, who is cursed by God or is oppressed by demonic powers. Even today, this type of thinking is prevalent in many churches across the globe, and yes, even right in your own community. This thinking cuts across all denominational lines so don’t consider for a moment that your tribe doesn’t have to study what I’m discussing. For this is a topic that no one wants to address, so I’m going to speak out.
The church practices bigotry.
In my journey through the nature and realm of grace I came to understand one of its basic tenets is that it applies equally for all, period. Now if you’re a “word of faith” person that sounds right, but you’re still working your faith to see the healing come that Jesus purchased for you with the stripes on his back. Don’t tell me I’m off here because I’ve been down that road, and have a whole wardrobe closet full of the ragged T-shirts it got me. The big boys, names I’ll not mention because you know who they are, worked me and my family up into a frenzy of confessing healing scriptures, reading the word, speaking those-things-that don’t-exist-as-though-they-do until it became quite evident that I, or we did not have the right kind of faith that even a mustard seed could rely upon.
Every charismatic church believes in the gifts of the Spirt to heal the sick. They practically foam at the mouth to lay hands on you, anoint you with oil and pray for healing to envelope you; cast out the spirit of infirmity; discern the generational curses that keeps you bound up; and of course, bind the strongman, satan and his demons, while loosing the healing anointing of the blood of Jesus. They are concerned about your well-being…only to the point of placing another notch on their promotional video about the wonders of God moving in their congregation.
You see the church, all the people, not just the leadership, don’t like you to stick around in their midst if you can’t display the healing power their doctrine is based upon. Sure they believe that healing stuff in their heads but…if you’re going to belong to their group, you’ve got to play by the rules. You must stay at the back of the sanctuary because you make too much noise coming in or going out, or you block the aisles when people are called to come down for prayer. You have to also give others the opportunity to be prayed for, after all, you’re not the only one with an illness or infirmity. After all that story about blind Bartimaeus is just that, a story.
How is this possible? It’s the nature of people both in and out of groups of people in all types of social environments. It’s that curse mentality which no one seems to want to shake off. We hate differences, be it ethnicity or gender-roles, besides being healthy is big business today. If you’re not fit, take a pill or two or three, and get back in the game, dude. If you can’t cut it, we’ll cut you. Tribalism at its finest moment.
Sick people are different. Everyone knows that we need to keep them apart from us because we don’t want what they’ve got. That logic works good for a virus but it doesn’t stop there when you’re dealing with handicapped or infirmed people. Marginalize them. They’ll get the picture and finally leave us to our “healing doctrine.”
The greater works of Jesus.
Jesus never healed all the people. The man, at the gate beautiful, is someone who spent his entire life at the temple as a cripple depending on the handouts of others to provide for him. In his social milieu he was cursed of God. Jesus had to pass by him to go into the temple at least three times a year for thirty-three years. Yet not once did Jesus heal him. That man was restored by Peter and John after the ascension of Jesus. This, we are told, is what a greater work looks like. Hence, it is also the pattern of how every church thinks they are to function – instantaneous, miracle power. Unfortunately, it’s not truly the greater work, or for that matter, even the good works prepared for you before the foundations of the world.
It’s easy to lay hands on someone or pray for them. No results, next. The greater work is staying with them for however long it takes for you both to see the healing. Yes, you may never see it. This is what makes it a greater work. It challenges our propensity to seek speed and convenience over relationship. Have you ever considered that sometimes it is just a miracle to be in a relationship with someone?
The church is called to be the body of Christ. Regrettably, in most cases it is merely a depository of selfish individuals vying for spiritual superiority and recognition through self-help, Tony-Robbin-laden, one-liner preaching. Leadership is not equipping the saints to deal with real issues in a body when their only method is to pray and confess by rote the lifeless words spoken 100 years ago from the last healing revival. Honestly, when I’ve spent the last 36 hours dealing with vomit, phlegm, and diarrhea your quaint, antiquated, little prayer isn’t worth the toilet paper I’ve expended in my toils.
Jesus said, “…as you’ve done for the least of these you’ve done unto me.” Every person with a long-term illness is “the least of these” in the eyes of the church. Rather than embracing them and their families, the church puts up with, or even marginalize them out of the very body they are a part of.
In that great chapter of faith of Hebrews 11 there is an often overlooked passage at the end which describes all the people who never saw the end of their faith. I think The Message version captures the summation of this chapter the best:
God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours. (Heb 11:40)
Notice how there is a joining of faiths which makes everyone whole. We are not independent individuals as much as we are dependent interviduals, a term coined by Rene Girard to explain how each of us is hard-wired to express the non-conscience desires of others. Another way of understanding this concept is to realize that I am who I am only in relationship to you, and vice-a-versa. I am nothing without someone to relate to. I hope you just caught what I said.
When a church marginalizes the infirmed, they have made them to be nothing because they have no one to relate with. The church thereby has claimed,” Jesus, I will have no part of you.” Now that might seem harsh but let the record speak for itself. How many infirmed people do you know right now? How active are you in their life? How often do you see them outside of a normal church service?
I don’t know if you realize it yet but life is a 24/7 experience. I do know for certain that the church hasn’t figured that out yet. Church is not life, right? It’s an hour on Sunday and maybe one on Wednesday, and then free time. To an infirmed person those two hours a week are actually six agonizing hours of ramping up and winding down just to hear a cotton candied message of hope. This is why so many will not come to the one place they need to be and the church accommodates them accordingly. It just is too painful on so many levels – the church has become just as isolated as the infirmed.
So what are the practicalities once prayer has been made, anointing has been administered and still no evidence that Jesus is in the house? If you’re a disciple, you better start serving. I trust that you can determine that each person is unique in how you serve them. Don’t think for a moment that what I’m able to say is all that can be done. This is where you learn how to develop a relationship with people by asking them what they need. But understand this too, they often don’t know what they need simply because they have been so focused on dealing with their illness. Just keep in mind 24/7, what do you do?
Now I know that some of you fine people out there go to great lengths to make meals for these poor folks, however, have you ever considered that no one seems to stays behind to do the dishes, mop the floor, clean the kitchen, stock the paper towels or do a load of laundry, including drying, folding and putting them away? Many of you will never know the pleasure of being able to vomit into a clean toilet and then rest your head against the coolness of a clean pedestal all night long simply because someone cared enough.
If you’re aiding a family who has a child who is ill, you have no idea how much gratitude you will receive if your help simply allows the parents to take a shower or bath. The laundry thing also gets big points here. Even mowing the lawn is appreciated. Also, bring over a movie and just sit around together to enjoy it. The infirmed don’t have ready access to the latest forms of entertainment, so bring it to them and share the experience. Learn to relate! Texting and emails will not cut it. But by all means don’t feel compelled to be chatty. You’re there to lend a hand and hold one, dry a tear and shed a few, be encouraging in the face of their greatest discouragement.
Right now some of you are getting anxious about how you’re going to do all of these things and the stuff that your life entails. Relax. You’re not required to do all this for everyone, just some one. There is always some church who want to be able to walk into a hospital and clear it out with a healing move of the Spirit. Why not be sensible for a moment and just offer to help those being discharged until they’re back on their feet, and try to do it without even mentioning the name of Jesus.
For those of you who know my story, realize that this message is not a plea for me. My family began our journey down this road in 1994 and we’ve learned a few things along the way. Through thick sleepless nights and thin nurse-less days we’ve muddled along praying diligently for the miracle which would resolve all the issues which seemed to crash down upon us like waves in the ocean. Our faith was challenged, stretched and punched beyond all recognition, even to the brink of shame and disgrace, but it’s never been about our faith anyway. That was a hard lesson to learn but now so vital to our peace. Along the way, a handful of good disciples did the very things you’ve just read. Of the hundreds of people in all the churches we’ve frequented, a handful knew the challenges we faced and chose to walk with us all the way to the end. We lost a few to their own battle along the way, but together we walked through theirs and ours. It’s what you do with those who have become closer than a brother or sister.
24/7 applies to all, equally, just like grace does. What is the least you can do to be like Jesus to the least of these? Get out of the box you’ve put yourself in and be who is inside of you. Maybe then you’ll look like a church-body rather than a spiritual social drama queen.
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