Attraction Not Promotion

In the 5th chapter of John's gospel you remember the story about the the pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem where throngs of sick people waited around the pool for God to send an angel and stir the water. The first person in the pool once this happened was healed.

I was thinking about a modern day equivalent of this sovereign move of God's healing mercy. My thoughts went to the years I spent as a pharmaceutical salesman walking through the waiting rooms of hospitals and clinics, including our own Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. There people from all over the world came for a healing touch from great doctors and surgeons.

As an outreach pastor, a good deal of my time and energy goes into building the image in the community for our church. We appeal to the business and civic community through service projects and serve our local schools as tutors. We design special ministry to attract youth and provide hunger relief with food drives. This is good and necessary, but not the ultimate solution.

I am a very practical thinker, but when God begins to move through miraculous healings like the pool at Bethesda our outreach ministries will be quite different. Sick will be waiting in the lobbies of our churches 24 hours a day. The church parking lot will be jammed with ambulances. Clinics will call you because they have immediate openings. Pharmacies will slash their prices because of over supply of medications.

The reputation and image of the local church will change dramatically. We will scurry to keep up with the demand, not wait for the community to visit our Sunday service. Sick people will see that health care is no longer the property of doctors and Washington lawmakers but a product of the Great Physician.

When our prayer brings God's healing flow, like the pool at Bethesda, our houses of worship will no longer require promotion, the gospel will again become attractive.

Healing is the Dinner Bell

Our pastor, Mac Hammond, recently experienced a miraculous healing from prostate cancer. In his Sunday April 26, 2009 message Pastor shared the circumstances surrounding this event. He credited the prayer of the saints, praying in one accord, as the reason for his healing.

Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin was gifted with a miraculous ministry of healing. Brother Hagin used to refer to divine healing as the 'dinner bell’ of the gospel. Years ago people living out in the country had a big bell on their back porch, and when dinner was ready, someone would ring the bell to let everyone in the fields know it was time to eat.

In Jesus ministry it was the miracles of healing that drew huge crowds to hear Him preach. People who are searching for truth will always be attracted to the spectacular demonstration of God’s power.

You can’t argue with results. In the days to come, outpourings of God’s grace and mercy, much like we have seen in our pastor will bring unsaved people to hear of God’s love and be saved from eternal damnation because healing is the dinner bell.