- In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus gave His disciples the power to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (verse 1). Matthew records that Jesus Himself healed people of their diseases, cleansed lepers, and drove out demons (verse 8). Indeed, at that time, Jesus performed these miracles to testify that He was the Son of God, and it seems He also performed these miracles because He had compassion on those suffering from illnesses.
- However, today, with the advancement of technology, various diseases can easily be treated in hospitals. Therefore, unless it’s a special case, there is no need to perform healing through prayer when one can easily receive treatment at a hospital.
- What would Jesus have done if He were to come in this era? Firstly, He might have healed incurable diseases with His word, just as He did back then (although the number of such diseases has significantly decreased compared to that time). Regarding the issue of death, which has remained unresolved from ancient times to the present, He would have proclaimed that ‘God sent Him, and there is a God who created us, wanting us to live a certain way here.’ Jesus emphasized during His ministry that spiritual healing is more important than physical healing.
(Biblical Example)
- When healing a paralytic: Jesus first addressed spiritual healing by proclaiming ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ before physically healing by saying, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.
- The saying, “It is better to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,” seems to imply that spiritual freedom is more important than physical freedom.
- Matthew 10:6 tells us that when Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, He instructed them to go to the lost sheep of Israel. This suggests that instead of continually preaching to those who hear God’s word but do not obey, we should care more for our brothers in the Lord. Verse 11 tells us to stay with a person worthy of it. If someone does not accept the word of the Lord after one or two attempts, it is necessary to move on. The phrase ‘He calls His people by His name’ is understood in this context.
- Today, especially the word in Matthew 10:42 brought me to tears and a lot of grace. Reading the word, ‘Anyone who gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because they are my disciple will certainly not lose their reward,’ I was assured that God has been pleased with our plans to gather missionary donations and to serve and help missionaries on short-term missions to the field for the past two years. Tears came with emotion, and the joy overflowed from deep within me, making it impossible to stop crying for a while.
- At the same time, my visit to my brother’s first mission field (Russia) last year led me to repentance. I realized today that despite all our plans, nothing could have been accomplished without God’s permission. (There are times like this when I think of something unintentionally while praying: I consider this the work of the Holy Spirit.)
- I felt that Satan was indeed at work when I was there with my brother. I should have been more prayerfully armed before going and while being there. The feelings of resentment I had towards my brother and his wife were not right. I succumbed to Satan and spent my time there with negative emotions. I only delivered offerings and material support, failing to provide the necessary comfort and encouragement to my brother and his wife. Remembering this, God has prompted me to start praying today in preparation for this year’s visit to the missionary site of the Chang missionary couple. My brother became the sacrificial victim again. God, please forgive me and bless my brother and his wife.
- Recently, I have been receiving the word through various channels to record my relationship with God. God speaks to me through the Bible, podcasts, the ‘Purpose Driven Life’ book, and memorial services. Normally, God confirms to me three times when He wants something from me, but this time He speaks more than that.
- Yesterday’s second memorial service for my father showed us how our faith has been transmitted so far and how it should flow in the future, presenting direct images. Such memorial services and other faith services of our ancestors have transmitted God’s presence to the descendants, and the faith experiences of our ancestors will continue to be transmitted in the future. My son, Sam, also said that he understood this content through today’s service, and his closing prayer contained such content. I am thankful that Sam thinks that this faith in serving God will be transmitted to his children, my grandchildren.
- If I can pass on the story of my experiences with God to the next generation, wouldn’t God be pleased? When I realized this, the story of my relationship with God that I decided to record a while ago became even more meaningful. Just thinking about my son, Sam, conducting my memorial service with his children, my grandchildren, pulling out one of my Q.T. notes, and meeting God through the service fills my heart with overwhelming emotion. I am thankful and believe that my God will be the God of Sam, my daughter-in-law, and our descendants. Praise be to God, who is the same always and everywhere.
<Application>
- Start praying today for the visit to Malaysia (mission field of the Chang missionary couple).
- (February 11th, 12th) Partial answer: Helped to avoid conflicts and navigate smoothly while contacting Missionary Chang. Booked flight tickets and accommodations.
- Continue creating QT notes.