Dear Church,

A Church that Heals

One of the most needful and yet neglected ministry today is the healing ministry that brings health and wholesomeness to the entire person: body, soul, and spirit. This is very crucial because ever since the fall, our total wellbeing has been directly and indirectly traumatized by the environment we live in and the relationships that we encounter. The result - broken people…

A human consists of three distinct but interconnected parts – body, soul and spirit (1 Thess 5:23) and they impact one another positively and sadly also negatively.

• Prov. 17:22 “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones”
• Prov. 18:14 “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit”
• Jer. 3:22 “Return, faithless people, I will cure you of backsliding”

Healing for the whole person takes more than a powerful and anointed person; it takes the ministry of a relational community.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” Jas. 5:13-16

Healing is the responsibility of the person himself (v. 13), the church leadership (v. 14) and the community of believers (v.16).

We become a Church that heals when we are open in our heart to be easily touched by the needs of others. Compassion is the foundation of Jesus’s ministry. (Matt. 9:36). He was not “pumped up” when he saw the crowd but was “moved” by their pain and lostness. Relationships help us “feel”, and healing begins when we know that others “feel” our pain.

We also need the boldness to speak and stand on the truth (Jn. 10:10). Truth is more than facts and honesty. By definition, it is God’s Word spoken with God’s Spirit. Many people are “damaged” by honesty and truth spoken out of a wrong spirit. Life and death is in the power of our tongue (Prov. 18:21). Words have an impact on the level of anxiety and level of confidence of a person (Prov. 12:25, 15:4).

Confession is a major key to reconciliation and restoration (Jas. 5:16). It takes humility and forgiveness, truth and mercy.

Not everyone has the gift of healing flowing all the time, and those of us who move in this gift exercise it at different levels. Nevertheless, when the need appears before us, we can all pray the “prayer of faith” (Jas. 5:15).

It takes an entire church community to bring healing to the whole person. I pray that Metrotab will be a Church that heals everywhere, all the time and anyone.

Your Pastors

Pastor Ong and Pastor Nancy