tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177793.post4125469671761234205..comments2024-02-25T14:37:25.154-05:00Comments on CaroleMcDonnell: Christian dismissivenessCarole McDonnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15443401088634718848noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177793.post-65732343486590520992011-05-03T12:17:01.463-04:002011-05-03T12:17:01.463-04:00Hi Kat:
So many of the folks in the name it claim...Hi Kat:<br /><br />So many of the folks in the name it claim it world don't know enough of their Bible. Often so many of them don't love their neighbors enough to intercede for them, and many don't stay in God's presence enough to even get a regular prayer answer, much less a command prayer, or an endurance prayer, or a claim it prayer. <br /><br />I truly believe that in Christ we are all healed and blessed, but the fight for such things is hard. The sower has given us the seed but getting the seed to grow involves more than sowing the word in faith. So many of the folks who pick on those who supposedly "don't have faith" don't seem to realize that A) it's not faith alone that causes prayers to be answered and B) Jesus didn't rebuke the man with the afflicted son, he rebuked his disciples. <br /><br />Many times those who accuse folks for not being healed either blame God ("It wasn't God's will") or Satan or they blame the sick person. They rarely blame themselves. We can't say anything about God being unable to heal or against healing unless the majority of our own prayers for healing are answered. Most people who speak as if God doesn't want to heal or who speak as if God wants us sick for some mysterious reason or who speak as if the sick person lacks faith....don't usually get healing prayers answered. <br /><br />If Paul or Jesus or someone who gets 99% of his prayers answered says healing is not right for us, then I will believe. But the church nowadays doesn't know enough about healing to speak one way or another about it. Most of the time we have failures in all our prayers. <br /><br />I can't really say that Paul's thorn in the flesh was a sickness. Everytime it was used in the Bible it was used as Israelites enemies or demons. Plus Paul and James both use the word "afflictions" to mean something other than physical sickness. (Is any sick, let the elders pray. Is any afflicted, let him pray.) And there is no evidence that Paul was sick. But you're right in the sense of Paul mentioning his sorrow. Paul didn't hide his feelings and hurts because of some weird need for "propriety."Carole McDonnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15443401088634718848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177793.post-89065753704426968692011-05-03T08:31:59.364-04:002011-05-03T08:31:59.364-04:00Oh, how I love the corporate prayers at church whi...Oh, how I love the corporate prayers at church which are announcements in disguise. "Dear Jesus, bless our choir's special show next Satuday, May 7th at 6PM in the rotunda at Blanktoen Mall. And dear Jesus be with the youth fellowship tonight at the Walkers' house at 1130 Selmac Drive." As if God needs directions and appointment reminders. :) <br /><br />You say some powerful things here, and I think it's especially significant that you mention Joyce Meyer. As one of the premier Name It and Claim It preachers, Meyer has an extremely vested interest in seeing any suffering as a failing of faith on the part of the believer. Whenyour teaching says that God wants you to be healthy and financially prosperous--if you ask with enough faith and 'seed the tree' by sending money to her ministry--then you have no choice but to dismiss suffering as either a failure of devotion or a punishment for greed. There is no room for compassion in such a heretical teaching. <br /><br />It isnt mentally and emotionally healthy to wallow in self pity, but tje Bible showcases several examples of tearful grieving. God knows that sorrow and pain are part of the human experience; just look at Jesus' tearful pleas in Gethsemene. Witness Paul's mention of his thorn in the flesh. I think grieving and suffering are only wrong when they become an idol that steals our focus from God.Kat Coblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01989208841608754591noreply@blogger.com