A Rant About Understanding The Word of God

Earl Gillespie

A Rant
Understanding the Word of God
Praying For The Sick

When I stray from my predefined bible study guide,  it means I am venting my frustration at the callous ways we cast the word of God.  In my writing I do not claim to have all of the answers,  I post questions and pointers that could guide us into a  deeper understanding, a  righteous assessment and interpretation of God's word.   I am committed to believing in God and his powers, but much of what I see and hear about the God of today,  I simply don't believe.  

I am often reminded of the days of old while growing up in the church environment, being a curious nature I often made the mistake of asking questions.  Hearing numerous messages delivered on the flat earth concept, (Yes flat earth) I wanted to know why did science say the earth was round and the Bible say it is flat. I was told that science which we studied five days a week and the Bible which we studied on Sunday, did not agree. As I grew older, the age of the earth and the dinosaurs became a point of contention.  Nobody told me of the conversation that  God and Job had about these huge beasts that easily could be described as dinosaurs.  Asking the question, where did Cain get his wife or when did the different races began to appear was enough to get you kicked out of Sunday School and sent home with the feeling that you crossed into dark territory.   To put the final cap on things we were told that there were much about the Bible that we would never understand.  Lack of understanding  of the Bible became the reason many graduate from college and opt out on modern day Christianity. 

How many times have you attempted to engage in a serious conversation concerning world affairs , only to be rebuffed, or told that God said, “If my people which are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, then will I hear from Heaven and Heal the land”?  Questions began to fill your mind but you are hesitating to ask.  The world situation is not getting better.  Look at our communities, read the news headlines.  The United States are not becoming more Godly.  The things that Jesus prophercied  are happening now.  Do this mean nobody is praying?  Yet everyday from the social media pages to the grocery checkout lanes people are talking about how much they pray.  Have you noticed how a smorgasbord of promises is being offered from God?  God said he would not let the sickness and diseases come upon you if you pray.   Paypal is doing a booming business collecting "Donations" from those who desire prayer.  Yet sickness and disease is rampart in and out of the church.  Maybe God had a different plan for the Children of Israel than he has for the world today. 

Serious dialogs are no longer possible in many settings without the power of prayer being invoked and those that consider themselves to be more righteous will leave you in an embarrassing state.  Churches are conducting public prayer services and members setting up call in prayer lines, yet evil seems to flourish.   The Bible is under attack more than ever and alternate lifestyles have mushroomed and flourished even in the churches and too many of God’s ministers like the Kings of old,  they are acting badly.  The church is beginning to lock hand with the government, the same as it did under the rule of Constantine the Great.  Fine churches are being built with the support of government funding and the edifice of the government must be upheld.  Jesus spoke against this type of arrangement in the book of Revelation, in his message to the churches. 

Parent do the best they can raise up their children in the way of the church only to see them walk away from the church.  They sit with heavy hearts as the preacher preaches, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart.”   They pray and wonder, "Lord what did I do wrong", as they struggle to understand.  "A new story say a teenager from a faith-healing family died from an illness that could have been easily treated, just a few months after a toddler cousin of his died in a simular case.   The incidents has led to criminal charges." This type of headline seems to appear more and more .

Before we get too far in this dissertation let me insert this disclaimer.  I am not questioning the power of God, I am questioning our application of our knowledge of God.  I strongly believe that  in the power of God.  if it had not been for the saving and healing power of God I would not be here today.  Those that know me personally will be quick to testify of how God heals me of cancer, but   I do not testify of being healed of cancer.  I went to the hospital and underwent surgical and radiation procedures.  It was God's grace that allowed me to recover.  I believe there is a difference between God's grace and the healing power of God.  Paul stated that he prayed to God three times for a condition that he described as a throne in the flesh, that it might depart from him.  God answered Paul in in 2 Corinthians 12:9, " And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."   When God heals there is no need to undergo surgery.  We ought to be more thankful for God's grace than the natural elements of this life.  When I had a heart attack alone in my shop, God healed me.   

James 5:13-16  Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  We could reinterpret this or spiritualize this to make it say what we want it to say.

To set the stage for this discussion let's ask two questions.  Who is talking and who is he talking to?  James 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.  Now it is accepted by some to spiritualize the scripture, thereby claiming that the church is the spiritual Israel.  If this were true then how could the Jews, The Gentiles and the church be referred to in the same verse. 1 Corinthians 10:32  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:  At this point the pious prelate will quote 1 Corinthians 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.  Yes, it is true the church is a body made up of Jews and Gentiles, but the church and the Jews play an important in the end time judgement.   If we go about spiritualizing the scripture we end up with a polluted Gospel that is not sustainable, nor it is believable.

Now let us agree, prayer is a powerful tool in our fight against the devil.  Pray is necessary for a closer walk with God.  We ought to always pray.  Now that has been said there is much that we call prayer that is not prayer.  We should be like the disciples when they said, "Lord teach us how to pray."   Now, allow me to be redundant and ask you to reread our lesson text slowly.

James 5:13-16  Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The James Brown Effect

I found myself in an untenable position once when I was asked to come to the Alter for prayer.   Now there is an art to pushing a person's head back until the stumble and fall, this is a little talked about secret.  The pastor pushed my head backward to the point I had to make a decision whether to take a step backward or fall down on the floor.   If I took that step backward to regain my balance I would be resisting the power of God.  If I did nothing and fell to the floor I would be submitting to the power of God.  

 To be Continued