Healing for Laodicea

We live in a society of scientific giants and spiritual infants. If we were to step back and look at our society objectively I believe it would be easy to see the correlations between our "modern age" and the church of Laodicea as seen in Revelation 3:14-22.

Surprisingly, what brought my thoughts to this particular topic had nothing to do with Revelation. Rather, this particular "rant" stems from my current study in the book of James. "Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven." James 5:14-15 NLT

Now, I understand that almost every denomination has a different take on the whole "anointing" idea, but here in James you have a very clear definition as to the purpose of said anointing.

This particular discussion always brings to mind a story from my childhood. While living in California, there was a woman in our church who was like another grandmother to my sister and me. Even at the age of 9 or 10 I understood that her husband didn't come to church with her because he was Catholic. The one story that stands out the most comes from a time when this dear woman was very sick. My dad and several of the elders went to her house to anoint her. My Mom, sister, and I came to pick him up after and I caught the tail end of a conversation between my dad and the husband. Even at a young age I could hear the mix of joking and fear in his voice when he said, "If she dies I'll know you're really Catholics."

For the record, she was healed, and even though I've lost track of her over the last two decades, last I heard she was still going strong.

So, what is my point? I want to tell you one more story that I think will help you understand even better.

Since January 2004, my brother has been serving in Chad, Africa as a medical missionary. One of the biggest struggles he has faced in the last 8 years is the local mentality that "you take your family to the hospital to die". Now, the reason behind this thinking is that many of the locals (who claim Christian or Islamic faiths) will still go to faith healers and/or medicine men before they come to the hospital as a final effort. The problem, however, is that by the time they come to the hospital, they've spent all their money and can't afford the medication that their family member needs.

And here is a good time to state my point: We are the exact opposite of he people my brother deals with on a regular basis! We will seek any and every form of medical professional and only when we are diagnosed with mortality will we seek the spiritual. Now, I do understand that there are times that God doesn't heal when we ask for it. Some people argue that there wasn't enough faith in the praying and others argue that God no longer gets involved. The truth of the matter is that WE CANNOT SEE THE FULL PICTURE!

Sometimes we go into an anointing believing, but use God's apparent lack of answer as a reason I dismiss Him.

It's time to take a stand, Laodicea! It's time to return to a greater faith! Before anyone tries to argue the benefits of modern medicine, I'm not saying we should disregard the benefits of science. Honestly, who's to say that God can't and doesn't use doctors to bring about His healing?

But where is our FAITH in this mess? Isn't it time that we put ourselves out there and called out to God with a strength of faith that BELIEVES in His power to heal, but doesn't give up when His answer isn't an immediate yes? Where is our faith that HE is in control and that HE knows the beginning and the end? Can't we trust the One who has proven His love repeatedly?

Our time on this mortal coil is limited, but we have this greater hope in He who has promised us eternity. We already trust our immortal lives to Him, I think it's time to do the same with our mortality.

You are Who You Hang With

Those of us raised in the church are most likely familiar with the phrase "unequally yoked". This is a concept that is repeated several times in the Bible. What we may not be aware of, is that the concept is first seen in the opening chapters of Genesis.

The first allusion to this concept is found at the beginning of the story of the flood: and the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful and they took them as wives. Now, some people have tried to interpret this passage as angels falling in love with human women, but perhaps a better interpretation is that young men from families loyal to God fell in love with women from families no longer loyal to God.

Many more examples can be found in Genesis that illustrate the disaster that can result from believer marrying unbelievers (Abraham/Hagar, Ishmael, and Lot for example). But, as I said at the beginning, most of us are familiar with this concept. What I'd really like to focus on here is how this not only affects the new generations, but how it can affect any and all relationships.

"However pure and correct one's principles may be, the influence of an unbelieving companion will have a tendency to lead away from God." (PP, 174)

I don't think I could say it any better than that. Think about it, everyone's always talking about peer pressure, an a much as we'd like to think that we're strong enough to withstand it, there are times where we might find ourselves compromising our values in order to be accepted.

Now, before you get all offended and start arguing over the importance of "ministering" to our non-Christian friends, I'm not saying that you should only be friends with people who share your faith, I'm trying to open your eyes.

Think about it, how many times do we shrug off the language or actions of our non-Christian friends because they're not believers? We make excuses for them, claiming that they don't know any better, so how can we possible judge them? And that is exactly where the slippery slope begins.

Take a moment and think of your non-Christian friends. Now that you're thinking of them, take a moment and think about your own thoughts, words and actions since you've been around them. Have you changed? Have you changed for the better?

And that right there is what I'm getting at. We go into these situations believing that we can change them and the truth is that they're changing us more than we are changing them. In order to truly be a light to the world we have to be willing to stand out in the world, I not conform to those around us.

Someone is going to change when it comes to relationships/friendships between believers and nonbelievers...

Fatal Desensitization

A short time ago, I came across a passage in a book that drew a very clear parallel between "Babylon" as found in Revelation and modern day US of A. As much as I hate to see that parallel, there were certain similarities that I couldn't dismiss. As I read the chapter on the destruction of Sodom in Patriarchs and Prophets, I was even more disturbed.

Anymore I find that watching the news is seriously depressing. Between the economy, increasing natural disasters, and escalating violence it can be hard to focus on the positive. In fact, if I wasn't a Christian who firmly believed in the imminent second coming of Christ, I would probably sink into a deep depression over how bad things have gotten.

However, the words "as in the days of Sodom..." continue to ring through my head. Ellen White says, "While angels drew near on their mission of destruction, men were dreaming of prosperity and pleasure." (PP, 157).

We only know the actions of the inhabitants of Sodom on that last night, but it's easy to imagine their depravity that would lead to utter destruction. Of course, each of us has a different idea of depravity, so we're all probably thinking different specifics.

"That last night was marked by no greater sins than many others before it; but mercy, so long slighted, had at last ceased its pleading." (PP, 159).

There are so many distractions in our society today, and I say this as one who is often tempted and distracted. Most of us Christians can say no to the obvious distractions - those that are blatantly "evil." But the problems we face are the not so obvious distractions, the ones that slowly but surely desensitize us.

Even Lot, who had lived with Abraham, worshiped with him, and learned of his faith first hand could not fully withstand the effect of Sodom. "Living in that wicked city, in the midst of unbelief, his faith had grown dim." (PP, 161).

For the Sodomites, the result was worse. So desensitized had they become that they saw "no evidence of danger. Everything was just as it had been." (PP, 160).

"There is cause for alarm in the condition of the world today." (PP, 166). This statement reminds me of the words from a Casting Crowns song:

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night


America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping...


Through the story of Sodom and Gomorrah "we are taught the fearful and solemn lesson that while God's mercy bears long with the transgressor, there is a limit beyond which men may not go on in sin." (PP, 164).

Despite how harsh we might view the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, "It will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the cities of the plain than for those who have known the love of Christ, and yet have turned away to choose the pleasures of a world of sin." (PP, 165).

As we look at the decaying state of the world around us, it is even more important to evaluate our own lives in light of Scripture. We can no longer afford to put God off until tomorrow. For "God will not always be mocked; He will not long be trifled with." (PP, 167).

The time to decide is now. Will you escape as Lot did, or will you be left to destruction? "The world is fast becoming ripe for destruction. Soon the judgments of God are to be poured out, and sin and sinners are to be consumed." (PP, 166).

The pleasures of the world may last for today, but are you willing to pay the price?

Faith in Light of Despair

Life sucks. Pardon my colloquialism, but I couldn't seem to find any other word that expressed my feelings quite so succinctly. You see, six weeks ago, we received the devastating news that my six month old nephew died in Africa from complications of malaria. Now, every single person in my family is dealing with the grief in their own way and I'm trying to be supportive, but I've found that my patience is waning with those who insist on arguing the safety of babies over following the call of God (my brother is a missionary doctor in Tchad). That's not to say that some of their arguments aren't valid, but I guess I just see the call of God in a different light.

As I was rereading Ellen White's take on Abraham's final test of faith, I was deeply reminded of my brother and the loss that he suffered.

Abraham was by no means a perfect man, yet he is acknowledged as a righteous and faithful man. Abraham passed and failed tests of faith just like the rest of us, and so it was that "God reserved His last, most trying test for Abraham until the burden of years was heavy upon him, and he longed for rest from anxiety and toil." (PP pg. 147). At 120 years of age, with the promised son barely an adult, God came to Abraham and told him to sacrifice Isaac.

The Bible doesn't give us many details, but Ellen White tells us that Satan took advantage of this moment to tempt Abraham away from God's will. Tempted as he was, Abraham turned to God in prayer, yet received to answer. So instead of succumbing to Satan's temptation, Abraham began his journey to Mt. Moriah, praying the whole time that God would see fit to ease his suffering and call off the terrible order. Yet, throughout this entire ordeal and the silence of God, Abraham "did not murmur against God, but strengthened his soul by dwelling upon the evidences of the Lord's goodness and faithfulness." (PP pg. 151).

Most of us are familiar with the ending of the story: Isaac willingly submits to the will of God, and as Abraham is posed over the body of his son, knife raised to kill, the hand of an angel (God?) stays his action. God intervenes, praises Abraham for his faith, and provides a ram for the sacrifice.

"Abraham did not seek to excuse himself from the will of God...He knew that God is just and righteous in all His requirements, and he obeyed the command to the very letter." (PP pg. 153).

"There are many who fail to understand the relation of faith and works...But genuine faith will be manifest in obedience." (PP pg. 154).

For most of us, the call of God is both fulfilling and daunting. We seek to do His will, but when things go wrong, we tend to wonder if we're really following God's will, because wouldn't He protect us so long as we are doing what He has called us to do? This question has hit home for my family as we deal with the grief of losing such a precious child. And yet, I find that my belief in my brother's call and the guiding hand of God is not shaken. I cannot begin to claim understanding in this matter, and someday (soon) hope to receive the answers to my many questions. However, the words of Ellen White ring in my head:

"It was to impress Abraham's mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. the agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man's redemption...There was no voice to cry, 'It is enough.'" (PP pg 154).

God has made no specific promise of life versus death during our time here on Earth. There is no guarantee that we will be safe from pain, sorrow, or suffering. He has, however, promised to be with us, and that one day all of the suffering here on Earth will be gone, and we WILL be reunited with those who have gone before. God is just and righteous in all His requirements...and our faith will be manifest in obedience.

God is rarely early, but He is never late.