I Once Was Blind, But Now I See

This week, I heard a patient woman at Hope4Cancer tell some people that the Greek word "Sozo" means healing, made whole, etc. This is all correct. Just because someone uses Greek words does not mean that they know what they are talking about. She added in another term to describe the mean of Sozo: "prosperity." She also went on the advertise that she ran a healing ministry in Texas if anyone wants her to pray for them. I know she means well, but the irony of a "healer" at a cancer center. As believers, we desperately have to understand the whole in order to correctly interpret the parts. In a world overflowing with bad vocabulary, it is one of my pet peeves when I hear theological terms used poorly or even completely wrong. Usually bad theological terms are used in conjunction with other bad theology. Although, to be fair, sometimes people have inadvertently been taught wrong, so the blame should fall on the teacher. In light of the opening two paragraphs,...

These past few days have been extraordinary in so many ways. So many opportunities to share the love of Christ. I have noticed that they gradually increase the intensity of the treatments or add more treatments as I progress through the program. It was recommended by my doctor and the founder of Hope4Cancer that I try this intense heat therapy tomorrow. Yesterday, more and more people began to hear about me trying to do this. From nurses, physical therapists, and other patients, this treatment seems to carry some kind of legendary folk lore with it. Last night, I was praying and meditating on God's Word. I was talking to God about how he brought me here to be healed. In order to be healed, we often have to go through an element of being uncomfortable. This is true in the physical life and spiritual life. God takes us through trials to force us to trust in him. At the end of my conversation with God, he brought Job 12:10 back to my attention. He holds my breath in His hands. I was t...

We have been told that we are grieved by various trials in order that our faith might be purified and proven (1 Peter 1:6–7). We are even told that such suffering is necessary for our spiritual growth. In the midst of our difficulties, we can be confident that God is continually working in us to refine our trust in Him. Peter’s repeated emphasis on Christian (1 Peter 3:14–17) makes it clear that the persecution we experience, simply for confessing Christ, is the kind of suffering God uses to strengthen our trust in Him. Before we go too much further, we must define our terminology.  Sickness, death, natural disasters, etc. What is a working definition of a trial? A trial is anything that takes us out of our comfort zone, changes our plans, and forces us to look to Jesus. These are trials, but we must be clear that these should not be considered persecution. No one forced me to take a pill that gave me cancer. Having cancer is a trial. James 1:2-3 " Count it all joy, my brothers,[...