Jesus is our Great Physician!
Tony Campolo was an author, Baptist pastor, public speaker, university professor, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Though controversial in some areas of doctrine, he was an excellent story teller, as demonstrated by the following dramatic true story.
Campolo shared about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. He agreed and prayed boldly for the man’s healing.
The next week Campolo received a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, “You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb “had” that his cancer was gone! But before he could think much about it, she said, “He died.”
Campolo felt terrible. But the wife continued, “Don’t feel bad. When he came into the church that Sunday, he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that an all-powerful God did not take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence.”
But the lady told Campolo, “After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing.”
Then she said something incredibly profound. She said, “He was not cured, but he was healed.”
When you are sick in body, look to the Lord for the miraculous physical healing that He can provide. He is Jehovah Rapha – the Lord who heals (Exodus 15:26). Thankfully, He looks beyond the symptoms to deal with the root problem. The man Campolo met needed more than just physical healing; he needed emotional and spiritual healing. He needed salvation and peace in his heart. He needed to be reconciled to the Father. Physical healing is wonderful, but it is temporary; it is limited to this lifetime. Spiritual healing can change a person’s life for all eternity!
The Lord promises to protect and heal His children. Does that mean we will never get sick? Sadly, no. Sickness is a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3) and none of us are immune from it. Thankfully, we can bring all our needs and requests to Jesus (Philippians 4:6) and know that He hears us (1 John 5:14). May He heal you and raise you up!
This Sunday, November 8, we will continue our new study entitled, “Welcome Home!” with a “House of Healing” (James 5:13-16; John 5:1-9). The precious blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on Calvary’s cross is able to provide us healing in every area of our lives: physically, emotionally, financially, relationally, and spiritually. Please invite someone to join you at the 10:35am worship service in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream every Sunday to both locations and would love to have you join us! And please join us in person for Bible Study this Sunday morning at 9:30am. Be blessed & grow in your Christian life by studying the Bible together.
This Saturday: “Girl Time Lunch & Fun” for all ladies and girls is at 11:30am. Bring a friend or two plus something delicious to add to the table. Our November Drive-Through Prayer outreach in the parking lot is that same day 11am-1pm.
Coming Up: Our 2026 Thanksgiving Celebration and Lunch will be Sunday, November 22. Turkeys are provided by the church, so bring your favorite side dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, salad, dessert, and more) to add to the table. (If you are able to prepare one of the turkeys for that day, please let me know.) Come with a heart filled with gratitude to the Lord; He deserves all thanks and praise!
Aloha and Aloha ke Akua!
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