Stuff Michael Meeks is doing

Up super early, off to the office - phoned the girl, ( Nat very generously allowed me to use the company phone line ), had a lovely conversation.
Off to church in the morning, Kris Perkins speaking on Ephesians 5:1-21, essentialy the sermon summed up in the first verse: "Be Imitators of God", disagreed with some of what he said. But we are to imitate the faith of our elders too Heb 13:7. Ultimately we need to know who we are in Christ before we can live as children of light. He'd rather replace WWJD bracelets with WHJMYTB: Who has Jesus made you to be bracelets. Hmm.
Back to write to Julia, spent some happy hours. Eat bagles with Ettore with Nutella and Cream cheese - talked.
Off to church in the evening, Dr Gorden Hugenberger. Amazingly, I picked up the 2nd part of his sermon series on Healing, the first of which I heard last time. Extremely good. 3 Pages of notes.
- He started by telling of how as a young minister he never knew anyone close to him be sick, his whole family was healthy and he never considered death. Then he got some horrendous heart autoimmune response. Having counseled the dying before he never realised the peace of God until looking up he saw the blood drain out of the Doctor's faces - as they saw his condition. And he knew - not that he would be healed but to be absent from the body is to be with Christ.
- The whole church was praying for Gordon - and he came through - God can heal, even hearts. By what mechanism is immaterial. But, then his wife's good friend the secretary died a horrible death of cancer, and she was not healed - despite the same treatment; why ?
- What is Satan's view of illness ? after Job' has lost all his material wealth, and still praises God The devil says "But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." (Job 2). Indeed so strong is Job that he says: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him (Job 13:15)
- Can it be that illness and the brink of death brings to you, and those around you an acute awareness of the value of life ? that when you can see that things are not worth dying for, then living for them seems foolish too.
- Conclusions from last time
  - God can, and does heal
  - It is utterly foolish not to ask him to heal
  - But, every healing is ultimately just a reprieve Lazarus lived to die again.
  - The ultimate, perfect, healing is in death: Heaven.
  - There are degrees of 'miraculousness'
  - Miracles wax and wane in frequency accompanying God's redemptive plan. So God warns his people that when the come into the promised land they will no longer have bread falling from heaven, and must beware of thinking that they are feeding themselves by the sweat of their hands - beause God is still feeding them. (Deuteronomy 8)
  - The Doctrine of Concurrence: there are multiple explanations of causation, and many are true in parallel. Whilst if something has a material cause - you planted the seed and watered it - ultimately the planting and watering was fully caused by God. And yet, God also can work without obvious means.
  - ie. simply because when your pneumonia went away you could measure more white blood cells fighting it - by no means indicates that God did not cause it.
- Do not disparage Doctors, to claim that this shows a lack of faith is to radicaly misunderstand how God often chooses to work, and construct instead a misguided ascriptural presumption on God's grace. Many churches can get this wrong.
  - Admittedly in a parable Jesus says On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...." (Mark 2:17). Jesus didn't have a problem with healing people, so should it be re-phrased no-one needs a doctor now ? - no.
  - The Good Samaritan held up as an example for us all used bandages, oil, wine to disinfect and took the wounded man for a convalesence and cared for him.
  - Timothy was told by Paul ( again with 2 ressurections to his name ) to Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. (1 Timothy 5:23).
- So what do we see today - yes God heals people, but why is it that in some 'healings' so often we hear of a leg seemingly lengthen in an apparently already healthy person - but the people in most need are not healed ? Why do we see trivial healings when the amputee is not even prayed for ?
- The NT miracles were not like this: this man was a paralytic for 40 years - and even the critics did not think of denying his healing for he was walking, and jumping, and praising God (Acts 3:8).
- Why are there not more miracles ?
  - They cluster around turning points in redemption history.
  - They point to a deeper and lasting healing that God is working with his people.
  - Jesus heals "all", and the quality is amazing: Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. (John 9:32). Not the prophets before or since - Nobody. A man born blind is an amazing metaphor for my life.
- During the Acts of the apostles there were 2 ressurections in 30 years [Dorcas,Euctus], and plenty of Christians died - life insurers shouldn't offer lower premiums for Christians; it's not statisticaly significant.
- God's special favorites have not been especialy healthy
  - Elija's successor Elisha - with twice the spirit of God - notice Elija didn't even die - he was taken into heaven. Elija fed 1 hungry man, Elisha 100, etc. How did Elisha die ? he suffered an illness and died from it (2 Kings 13:14)
  - Again, Paul - not wanting for gifts of healing - his friend Epaphroditus: Indeed he was ill, and almost died. (Phillipians 2:27)
  - And Paul himself - As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you (Galatians 4:13)
- Is it not that God can adjust the test to our strength or our strength to the test ? Is it not that instead of longer legs we need to say with the sufferer of acute calamity in (Habakkuk 3) The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
- Do we not need to acknowledge and remember that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me... (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- Gordon remembered visiting lady in the church dying in her home, and she would say "I know what you're thinking Gordon, you're just jealous that I'm going to see Jesus first" - and the constant stream of people into that living room to see the comfort of God in action.
- David C.K. Watson a very prominant preacher on the power of prayer in England - ( apparently associated with John Wimber of the Vineyard movement ( who prayed for him ) ) in his book Fear no Evil: One man deals with terminal illness he writes (along the lines of) "some are whispering that God hasn't done anything for me ... but God has been far from inactive. From 1 until 3 in the morning he came and spoke to me, and told me that nothing was important in comparison with my personal relationship with him ... and that this was a mockery if I didn't love my brothers from the heart" and he finishes "Not my will, but yours". ( (Luke 22:42).
A very solid sermon - much to think about.
Nosh with Iain and back to the barracks on the train.
Watched "Dr StrangeLove - or 'how I stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb'" - extremely amusing. I didn't realise Stanely Kubric was capable of producing movies without excessive violence / sex - how ignorant am I.

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Stuff Michael Meeks is doing

2001-08-12: Sunday