Blog post
However, health has changed a lot since Jesus’ ministry on earth. Healing the sick and bringing healing to individuals and families was one of the main tasks of Jesus. Integral healing is part of the gospel, it is an expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus' death on the cross and his wounds were for our salvation, restoration, holistic healing, and physical health. The Great Commission, the mandate to share the good news of gospel, includes instructions for integral healing. In Revelations, we have a description of a river which is for the healing of the nations.
However, with the gigantic growth of medical science and the health industry that has a pill for anything that is suffered in the body and, (they pretend), in the soul, it seems as the church has given up on the ministry of health and healing, leaving it in the hands of doctors and allowing health to be a good to be sold to the highest bidder. Nowadays health is a commodity for those who can pay for it. That is why this is an urgent call for the churches to regain the healing ministry started by Jesus.
For the World Council of Churches, health is a matter of justice, of peace, of the integrity of creation, a spiritual issue, a personal matter but also of the community, it is a systemic issue. Certainly, we get sick (or not) according to how and where we live and work.
WCC defines healing as a progress towards comprehensive health and wellbeing. God’s healing gifts are occasionally experienced instantly or quickly, but in most cases, healing is a gradual process that takes time to bring a deep restoration to health on more than one level. There are four spheres of healing: physical, mental, social, and spiritual. No disease is limited to just one of these spheres, either in its causes or effects, and neither should the cure.
God is the Healer. He heals using treatments and we have several examples of these in the Bible: Oil: (James 5:14) recommended as a treatment for the sick and for the healing of wounds (Luke 10:34, Parable of the Good Samaritan). Wine: (1 Timothy 5:23) Paul advises Timothy to use some wine for his stomach problems. Balms: (Jeremiah 8:22) In Gilead, a balm was used to heal. Spices and herbs: (Exodus 30:23-25) God gave Moses a recipe for oil containing various spices and myrrh, which was used to anoint priests and for healing purposes. Clay: (John 9:6-7) Jesus used clay made from saliva to anoint the eyes of a blind man, who then washed himself in the pool of Siloam and regained his sight.
God heals instantly and we also have several examples of this: a leprosy disappeared instantly (Mt 8:2-3); the son of the official is healed immediately (Jn 4:49-51); persons with leprosy are healed as they walked (Lk 17:12-14).
The church is one instrument, a means, the hands of God for healing if we allow God to use us. We are not meant to replace doctors or the Ministry of Health. We can do exactly what the Bible says, pray for the sick and anoint them with oil, and also become very practical and offer concrete help to those who are sick.
We should not wait for some to become sick in order to do something. The church should promote health. There are many doable ideas for local congregations described in the WCC’s resource, Health Promoting Churches (volumes 1-4). Some of these ideas include:
- Organizing information and education sessions on specific topics, for example, using the days allocated for certain themes: World HIV and AIDS Response Day (1 December), World Tuberculosis Day (24 March), World Diabetes Day (14 November), International Women's Day (8 March).
- Conduct a survey with members to find out what the most pressing health issues are, that should include consideration of mental health and sexual and reproductive health issues (so common and so invisible).
- Invite experts in certain more complex health issues, for example, cervical cancer that affects many women in Bolivia, surely many women in the churches.
- Make a plan to respond to an outbreak (e.g., COVID-19) or emergency (e.g., an accident due to rainfall)
It is also important to talk about what to AVOID when participating in the healing ministry:
* Moralizing/demonizing the diseases.
* Blaming the sick person, judging them for their illness, insisting that if they are not cured it is due to lack of faith or sin.
* Recommending that medical treatment should be abandoned after having been prayed for. The reality is that many people have died following this misleading advice. God is the one who gave us medical science and medicines.
- Spreading myths or incorrect information about diseases.
God is sovereign and decides who heals; sometimes a physical illness is precisely the needed treatment for a comprehensive healing. In my own experience I can say "I am healed but not cured of HIV.” Over my 25 years living with HIV, many pastors and churches have prayed for my cure of HIV and yet God’s response was “my grace is sufficient for you” just like what was responded to Paul. HIV became an instrument for me to reach several other people living with HIV.
What an amazing opportunity we have to be part of the healing of God to the world.
Health-Promoting Churches Volume I
About the author :
Gracia Violeta Ross Quiroga is a social anthropologist by training and a woman living with HIV for more than 20 years. In February 2022, she joined the World Council of Churches as programme executive for the WCC HIV, Reproductive Health & Pandemics.
