Processes
March 8, 2008
by Michael Schwartz
Mark 5:25-34 KJV
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent
all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and
touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she
felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone
out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my
clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude
thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in
her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole;
go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
This story is popular enough. Most Christians would be able to tell
it fairly well. But I think there's more to this story than just
another miracle Jesus performed. One of those things is what caused
this woman to be healed.
It says that it was her faith that healed her. It wasn't because
she touched Jesus' magical healing body like most would tell you.
She was healed because she believed in the healing power of the
Messiah.
This is not so with a lot of things we do. Many times, we attribute
something spiritual to something that we've done; in other words,
we think that we are healed because of a touch rather than by faith.
Here's an example. One church that I know of has this prayer that
they recite before taking offerings. It's about a paragraph or two
long and it's basically a request prayer: it asks God for things
like money, jobs, promotions, gifts, etc. While asking God for
these things isn't necessarily a bad thing, that's not the issue.
Whenever someone received something like money or a promotion or
something, the credit always went to the the prayer. It was all because
of this new process that caused them to receive the gift. Neither
God nor faith had anything to do with it.
Here's another example. Someone I know had once said that if she (I
think it was a she) didn't start her day by reading her Bible, her
day would be a very bad one. If she did, though, the day would turn
out great. Now, while I agree that it is good to read the Bible, the
credit should not go to a simple process. It was that she needed God.
Another example would be "the hunt for the right church." When you
finally find a place that you can go to--a pastor that will feed
you, a good social community, etc.--that you like, you now
attribute that filled gap in your spiritual life to your church or
your pastor.God has nothing to do with it. You have nothing to do
with it. It's this new process that you've found and have become
comfortable with.
Processes like these aren't necessarily bad. By themselves, there's
nothing wrong with praying, reading the Bible, or attending a
weekly church meeting. However, it can become an idol that you
worship instead of God. Eventually, your relationship with God
could be replaced by this routine because the focus is on the
routine, not on God.
Doesn't make any sense to you? Well, let me ask you a few questions.
What if you forget that prayer and don't have it written down
anywhere? Would you cease to receive gifts from God?
What if you didn't own a Bible anymore? Would your days forever be
miserable?
What if you stopped going to your church? Would your spiritual self
dry up, decay, and die?
Think of your current processes - what you attribute your spiritual
growth to. What if you were no longer able to use that system
anymore?
If God is the only thing that will always be with you, wouldn't it
make sense to put all your trust and hope in Him instead of a vain
repetition, book, or church? Wouldn't it make sense to have your
spiritual needs met by an all-powerful being instead of a person,
place, or object that will eventually cease to exist?
The believers in the New Testament had no religious processes. They
had God, and that's all they needed. Some of them spent half their
lives in prison, away from their friends, elders, church leaders,
and books, yet they seemed to have spiritual vitality such that we
could only imagine.
Maybe we're doing something wrong.
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