health

Food for Life – Cancer Can Be Prevented Pt. II

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It is the job of the immune system to recognize, attack, and destroy foreign invaders, one of which is a cancerous cell. Therefore, anything that strengthens the immune system helps to ward off cancer. Vitamin A is essential in stimulation of the immune system. Plant products are the best source of beta-carotene and other relatives called carotenoids. These are the best forms of vitamin A for the body and its immune system. These compounds serve as antioxidants, which help the body dispose of chemicals called free radicals. Free radicals can genetically damage normal cells and set the stage for cancer. Vitamin A also helps body tissue to develop in a normal, orderly way. It is this lack of normal, orderly development that is common in cancerous cells. Vitamins C and E also play vital roles in antioxidant and free radical scavenger activity.

Whole foods provide more anticancer protection than does just taking vitamins. Another advantage to whole foods is the phytochemicals found in them. There are thousands of phytochemicals that seem to have a role in fighting cancer. An increased fiber intake clearly reduces the risk of developing colon cancer, and there is virtually no fiber in meat and animal products. Selenium, a trace mineral found in whole grains, has also been shown to decrease some forms of cancer.

Increased body weight, increased meal frequency, and eating between meals have been linked to an increase of several types of cancer, including colon cancer.

Regular exercise has many benefits, including increasing interleukin-1, plasma interferon levels, natural killer cells, and blood lymphocytes. Each of these is important in the fight against cancer. Although excess sunlight is harmful, sunlight in moderation may be helpful in preventing some forms of cancer. Adequate control of stress is also vital for a healthy immune system and the ability to fight cancerous cells.

By adapting a personal cancer preventative and protective lifestyle, we can greatly reduce our risk of cancer. Surely you want to have this protection against cancer and to share this information with the general public. Most cancers can be prevented! For a more detailed explanation of this topic, see Chapter two, “Good News About Cancer: It Can Be Prevented!” in the book Proof Positive by Dr. Neil Nedley (Nedley Publishing, Ardmore, Oklahoma, 1998.)

Question – What does God require of those who do not have health and strength of body?

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Question:

What does God require of those who do not have health and strength of body? Are they excused from the responsibility of doing God’s work?

Answer:

Praise God! God is love! We really do not understand love. Consequently, we do not always know how to relate to it, because we do not know what love expects of us. The best way to find that out is to study the Bible and the inspired writings that the Lord has given us.

We human beings sometimes go by feelings, thinking it is love when it is only emotional excitement. God has created emotions in us for our joy and happiness, but He also gave us a mind and a heart, which go deeper than emotions. He bids us to reason things out and decide what is best in each situation. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now and let us reason together.” It is not reasonable to expect a handicapped person to do what a strong, healthy individual can do.

God is not in need of our help. We are in need of the service that we can do to gain a character that will fit us for the heavenly society. Some individuals need to learn patience by being handicapped, some by responsibility, and some by illness and by whatever the Lord sees that is needed. God is more interested in our characters than in what we do, because our characters are all that we can take to heaven.

There are several texts that spell out what the Lord expects of us as individuals. “He hath showed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8. “For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.” 11 Corinthians 8:12.

Ellen White also gives counsel on this subject:

“Now when you can no longer be active, and infirmities press upon you, all that God requires of you is to trust Him. Commit the keeping of your soul to Him as unto a faithful Creator. His mercies are sure, His covenant is everlasting. Happy is the man whose hope is in the Lord his God, who keepeth truth forever. Let your mind grasp the promises and hold to them. If you cannot call to mind readily the rich assurance contained in the precious promises, listen to them from the lips of another. What fullness, what love and assurance are found in these words from the lips of God Himself, proclaiming His Love, His pity and interest in the children of His care:

“ ‘The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin’ (Exodus 34:6, 7).” Reflecting Christ, 281.

But everyone must witness for God in some way—maybe only by being patient with difficulty, maybe only by a smile during pain and distress, or maybe with words of encouragement. None of us are released from the responsibility of reflecting the character of Christ in some way.

Life Sketches – Health and the Early Church

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The apostle Paul taught the early church to be aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how you treat your body. He goes so far as to say that the way you treat your body could even result in losing eternal life.

In the city of Corinth there occurred many different athletic events. The most ancient and highly esteemed of them all were the foot races, which were held at stated times and places with great pomp. Being patronized by kings, nobles, and statesmen, persons of rank and wealth who engaged in these exercises shrank from no effort and discipline necessary to obtain the honor of victory. These races were governed by strict regulations from which there was no appeal.

Before the names of the candidates could be entered upon the list as competitors for the prize, they were required to undergo a severe preparatory training. Every indulgence of appetite and other gratification which could in the least affect their mental or physical vigor was strictly forbidden. As the contestants in the race made their appearance before the eager and waiting crowd, their names were heralded, and the rules of the race were expressly stated. The prize was placed in full view before the competitors. They all started together, the judges sitting near the goal line so they could award the prize to the person who was victorious, also seeing to it that no one took some unlawful advantage.

Great risks were run by the contestants in these contests. It happened sometimes that somebody overexerted themselves, just as athletes have done in our time, such that as they reached the finish line they fell over dead.

As a person reached the goal there was shout after shout of applause from the vast multitude that echoed around the surrounding hills and mountains and the judge, in full view of the spectators, would present the winner with the emblems of victory – a perishable laurel crown, and a palm branch to carry in his right hand. This crown was worn with great pride. Not only the one who won the race, but also his parents received their share of honor, and even the city where he lived was held in high esteem for having produced so great an athlete.

It is this experience that Paul presents as a striking figure of the Christian warfare. Notice what he says: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [exercises self-control] in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27).

Notice the seriousness of what the apostle Paul is saying here. The body must be disciplined and be under strict control. The words Paul used in the Greek New Testament are much stronger language than has been translated into our English Bibles. He says that we must have our body under strict subjection and have absolute self-control; if not, we will be disqualified.

“To be carnally [fleshly] minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:6, 7). Paul says here that it is the unconverted person who doesn’t have control over his body.

The Holy Spirit gives to the Christian the power to be in control of his life. By just reading certain portions of the writings of the apostle Paul some people get the wrong idea of his message. They read only the portions that have to do with forgiveness of sin. You cannot do anything to earn forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness of sin comes as a gift of grace alone. The inheritance of eternal life is an infinite gift, and there’s no way that you can earn it. All are saved by grace by a gift of God. Salvation is an inheritance offered free to the entire human race, but it has conditions.

Those who desire to receive the gift must comply with the conditions. In the first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul gives several examples from the Old Testament that are especially applicable to people who are living in the end of time. He says concerning the children of Israel, “All our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:1–5). “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages [“world” KJV] have come” (verse 11).

What are these things that are examples for the people that live in the ends of the ages? He says, “These things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted” (verse 6). When God took the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt into the wilderness, He gave them a program that involved health reform and dietary reform. But many of them rebelled against having a change in their diet that would bring them into a more healthful condition.

Notice what happened: “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving [lusting]; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes’ ” (Numbers 11:4–6)!

Asaph, in contemplation of the wilderness wanderings, said they “ate angel’s food” (Psalm 78:25) and “were well filled” (verse 29). God did not provide for them an impoverished diet; God gave them a superior diet. Among the millions of people there was not one feeble one among all their tribes. (See Psalm 105:37.)  Though they were eating angel’s food and were healthy, they wanted to go back to the kind of diet they ate in Egypt. The diet of Egypt resulted in all of the different degenerative diseases that we have today, a diet that will produce atherosclerosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancers. God prepared for them the kind of diet with which they would not suffer any of those diseases, but still they complained saying, “We want to eat flesh foods.”

Paul said this is an example for people who are living in the last days and warns against lusting after and craving evil things, things that God did not create for you to eat. In 1 Corinthians 10:7, Paul also lists something else. He says, “Do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ ” Here reference was made to worshiping the golden calf. (See Exodus 32.) Paul warned that many would follow the children of Israel in lusting after that which was forbidden, causing them to lose eternal life.

Sexuality was mentioned as being a special problem in the world in the last days. Paul said that just before the children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, thousands fell in one day due to the sin of sexual immorality. He said, “Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell” (1 Corinthians 10:8).

The experience at Baal Peor is recorded this way: “Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.’ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, ‘Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.’ And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand” (Numbers 25:1–9).

Being undisciplined, the children of Israel got involved in idolatry, sexual immorality, fornication and adultery and many of them lost their souls as a result. Take the warning, Paul said that what happened to them is an example for those who live in the time of the end. It is not worth forfeiting your eternal inheritance for sexual pleasure.

1 Corinthians 10:9, 10 says, “Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer” (literal translation). The children of Israel being tempted, murmured and complained, tempting Christ. By His miraculous power, the Lord had protected them from the poisonous serpents in the desert for their whole journey, but when the Lord removed His protecting hand, the people found out that life in this world without God’s protection wasn’t nearly as safe as they had thought it was.

Friends, the whole world is under the grace of God at this present time, provided for us through the cross of Calvary. But the Bible teaches very clearly in the book of Revelation that the time is coming when God’s grace that is shielding our world is going to be removed. There is coming a time when the people of this world (that is, those who have sinned away their day of grace) are going to experience what it is like to be in a world without grace, where there is no mercy. If you accept Jesus as your Saviour, the Bible predicts that in that awful time no plague will come near your dwelling. But the way that you live, the way you treat your body, affects your eternal destiny. You can lose your eternal destiny; you can lose the gift of salvation, by treating your body in a sinful way. (See 1 Corinthians 9:24 to 27.)

Notice Numbers 21:5–9: “And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water [that was a lie], and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’ So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.”

Jesus used this experience to illustrate the gospel to a leader of the Jews by the name of Nicodemus. Jesus said to him, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:14–16, literal translation).

Friend, every person in the world has been bitten by that ancient serpent the Bible calls the devil and Satan. We have been bitten by the instigator of sin; so much so, that the Bible says that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But if you will look, if you will commit your life to the Saviour of the world, if you will choose to follow Him as your leader, surrender to Him, and choose Him as your Sovereign and obey Him, then you can be healed from the sting of sin. Paul said point blank that if you destroy your body you yourself are going to be destroyed. You don’t have to destroy your body instantly by taking a gun; you can destroy your body by taking different kinds of drugs or partaking in many other unhealthful practices. Paul was a very strict teacher of health reform.

After Paul told the church in Corinth how that it was necessary for them to be in strict control of their bodies, he knew that they would be tempted. They had been so used to living in sin. Notice what he says to them, one of the most wonderful promises in all the Bible: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:12, 13).

He goes on to say, if you are a Christian, every detail of the conduct of your life should be in harmony with God’s will by stating, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (verse 31). That is the Christian’s motto – the way you eat, what you eat, how you eat, the way you drink, what you drink, whatever you do, it should be to the glory of God.

To the person who does not pay attention to these requirements, Paul says, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:18–20). The Christian is to be sanctified, not only in his mind and in his spirit, but he is to be sanctified in his body. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:22 and 23.) God wants to sanctify not only your mind, but also your body, to bring your entire life into perfect conformity with His will. Paul says, Don’t you know your body is to be the temple, the dwelling place, of the Holy Spirit. What you have is from God. You are not your own because you were bought at a price.

The price at which your body and soul were bought was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. No one in the world belongs to himself or herself; it’s just that most people don’t recognize it.  We have been bought with an expensive price.

Paul issues a strict and severe warning about those who do not pay attention to this counsel on how to treat your body, choosing to do as they want. He says: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17)? Then there is a play on words that we usually translate two different ways, but the same word is used so it actually should be translated as follows: “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

O, friend, there it is. Paul says that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you. If you defile or destroy the temple of God, God will destroy you.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Restoring the Temple – Nature’s formula For Health

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Health is an extremely valuable asset, and this is especially realized when one is in less than good health. Therefore, it is best if good and even optimum health be obtained and maintained.

There is a formula for optimum health, and all of its components are easily accessible to everyone. It is completely natural and has no side effects, except that of obtaining or maintaining good health. Use the formula consistently, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

There are eight parts to this formula, and they have been rightly termed “the true remedies.” We will take a brief look at each aspect. The formula is:

Nutrition + Exercise + Water + Sunshine + Temperance + Air + Rest + Trust in Divine Power = NEW-START™ to optimum health.

Nutrition: What we eat is a major factor in what level of health, or lack of health, we experience. Our food should be nourishing, unrefined, have sufficient fiber, and be as free from chemicals and toxins as possible. A plant-based diet fulfills these requirements beautifully.

Exercise: Our bodies are designed for activity, and if we are not sufficiently active, degeneration and loss of body tissue and function result. Exercise increases circulation; strengthens the cardiovascular system, bones, organs, and muscles—thus, we have more energy. It also improves mental attitude and relieves stress; and helps in the elimination of wastes. Walking is a wonderful way to start an exercise program. For those physically capable, many other forms of exercise may be chosen. For best results, exercise should be at least 20 to 30 minutes per session and at least three times per week. Excessively vigorous exercise is not necessary and should not be done by those starting an exercise program or those with medical conditions. However, you should observe an increase in your breathing rate and your heart should be beating faster.

Water: Without water, blood would not circulate in our blood vessels, our joints would not move, and we would not be able to eat properly. Water purifies the blood and aids in the elimination of waste. Water plays an important part in virtually every body function. Most body fluids are primarily composed of water. Even cells contain a large amount of water. Thus, it is necessary that the body receive an abundant supply of clean, fresh water daily. Every day we need to drink approximately eight cups of clean, fresh water (not soda pop, juice, or coffee). This water should be taken between meals, because drinking with meals hinders digestion. Water may be drunk up to 10 to 15 minutes before a meal or 1 to 2 hours after a meal.

Sunlight: Sunlight strengthens the body and the immune system, destroys viruses and bacteria, improves the circulatory system, gives a healthy tone to the brain and nervous system, improves our mental outlook, and helps alleviate fatigue. If possible, try to get 20 minutes or more of sunlight daily, or at least several times a week. Individuals who are weak, very young, or very old especially benefit from daily sunlight.

Temperance: This means to stay away from that which is harmful to the body. This includes various things such as coffee and other caffeine-containing beverages, wine and other alcoholic drinks, and other substances such as tobacco in all its forms and drugs. These items are very harmful to the liver, nervous system, brain, lungs, cardiovascular system, and impair body functions. Temperance also means to be moderate in everything that is good, such as not overeating or getting too much sunlight, resulting in sunburn.

Air: Without sufficient oxygen, brain cells die in about four minutes; body functions stop; and the heart stops beating. Polluted air carries many poisons and toxins that destroy health; many illnesses and deaths have been attributed to polluted air alone. Pure air—both indoors and out—is what we need. Try to get outdoor air as often as possible. Those who live in the city, should take advantage of the times of less pollution to go outside, and go to the country as often as possible where the air is much cleaner. Be sure to breathe deeply. Exercise and good posture facilitate proper intake of oxygen. Open the windows to your home whenever conditions permit. Pure air gives life to the body, purifies the blood, and vitalizes every organ and cell.

Rest: Rest (sleep) and relaxation give the body time to replenish energy reserves, make needed repairs, and remove waste from the cells. Without sufficient rest, stress is not handled as well and the mind and body are less efficient. Most people experience best results with seven to eight hours of sleep a night. For best sleep, follow the other seven aspects of this formula, do not eat late, and have a regular time for bed. The best sleep is obtained before midnight. Relaxation can be obtained in enjoying nature, doing a hobby, taking a vacation, or even spending time with our families or our pets.

Trust in Divine Power: Peace of mind only comes through trusting in God. There is a profound connection between the mind and the body. Worry, anger, jealousy, resentment, guilt, depression, anxiety, and all other negative emotions have a negative effect upon the body; they break down the life forces and open the door for sickness and disease. We not only worry with our minds, but we worry with every cell in our bodies as well. King David stated a deep truth when he wrote, “A merry [cheerful, rejoicing, thankful] heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22.

Each part of the formula interconnects with every other part. We cannot use half of the formula and still expect to get the sum—optimum or even good health. The true power is in the whole package—in other words, in consistently using the whole formula, daily. If you give this formula a chance, you will feel better, be healthier, stronger, and more energetic.

Diane Herbert is a naturopath and lifestyle consultant. She received training from the NAD Lifestyle Consultant program, Thomas Edison State College, Clayton College of Natural Healing, and Bastyr University. Diane teaches health classes at the Gilead Institute located in Norcross, Georgia, gives health presentations, and contributes to the Institute’s literature and health flyer series. If you would like more information on water or other health topics, you may contact her at: The Gilead Institute of America, 6000 Live Oak Parkway, Suite 114, Norcross, Georgia 30093; telephone: (770) 270-1087; Website: www.gileadinstitute.org.

Restoring the Withered Right Arm, Part 1

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When we exercise an attitude of gratitude, the resulting hormones called endorphins tend to have a physiological impact upon our lives. Endorphins may be produced in three ways: through our emotions, through sunlight, and through exercise. The importance of attitude is spoken of in Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

From Proverbs 3:5–8, we read: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” When we look at the context of this passage of Scripture, to what is the word it, in verse 8, referring? It is referring to trust. This is the very theme of the text. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” The navel is the center of the body; the internal organs surround the navel—the stomach, the spleen, the kidneys and the liver.

Studies have proven that when we are at peace, when we have emotional stability and joy, even our digestion functions properly. We do not need antacids when we have an attitude of gratitude.

Verse 8 also mentions bone marrow. Bone marrow, the soft tissue found in the hollow interior of bones, produces new blood cells. So we may conclude that trust facilitates the function of blood cells.

The first line of defense in helping someone is to help him or her have an attitude of gratitude. This means that if he or she has joy in their heart, their immune system function is enhanced. No herb or juice can do that. Only the Spirit of the living God can do that. This is why it is so important to have an intimate relationship with God.

So, today, praise God and give Him glory. God has given us such an awesome, sacred work to perform, to evangelize the world. Let us be inspired to do His work with joy and with thanksgiving.

Three final, great tests have been given for God’s church. The Sabbath is the final, great test. Another test is the Spirit of Prophecy. There is a movement within the Seventh-day Adventist Church at this time to make none effect of these precious truths. A whole generation of Adventists do not understand the sacredness of the Spirit of Prophecy. You may be surprised at the third test. It is the medical missionary work. This is an indispensable aspect of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot neglect this work and expect to receive the seal of the living God.

A Call

There is a call to medical missionary work. As we read in Psalm 67:2: “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” This text is inclusive of everyone on this planet.

Evangelism is the very heartbeat of God’s church. When I became a member of this precious church, I realized that it had a message to give to all the world. I realized that exercise—activity—is the law of life. If we are not exercising our faith, if we are not witnessing, we will spiritually die. The very circulation of the church depends upon evangelism. An arm confined to a sling and left would die. If you do not use it, you will lose it. Atrophy will result.

When evangelism is dead in a church, the church dies. God has not called us to be pew sitters. I recently talked to a young lady who has been asked to help a minister start a television program. This minister is very busy. He even has said that he has so many activities going on that he does not have any time to engage in evangelism. What type of minister must he be if he does not have time to engage in soul winning? If he is just standing in the pulpit preaching, it is no wonder the church is dying.

Evangelism is the heartbeat! Consider the word evangelism. What do you see in the middle of it? Angel! When we engage in evangelism, we have the holy angels with us. In Revelation 14:6, 7, the Bible says: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,” showing the urgency and sacredness of the message, “having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

The word having means, “possessing.” As we study the Bible, we realize that in Revelation 1 Jesus gives us an understanding of those angels as representing the church. That means the angels are symbolic of people. In verse 6, when it refers to this angel as having, that means this angel possessed something. So, this angel, flying in the midst of heaven, is not set in steel. This angel is pro-active. This angel is engaged and involved. There are lives on the line—our lives, the lives of our families.

Who, What, How

We cannot lead people any closer to Christ than we are to Christ. It is important for us to be experiencing the very power of this gospel, because we cannot give something that we have not experienced ourselves.

When I was growing up in Chicago [Illinois], I lived in an apartment. It is possible to live in an apartment in Chicago with neighbors close next door and never know who they are. You may see them as you come in and go out, but there is no conversation, no engagement, and no intercourse. Are we that way as Christians? Are we ashamed of what God has given us? The world is dying around us, and we have a precious message to give.

The world population today is over six billion people. Over 60 percent of the world’s population is in Asia. Asia is non-Christian, which means that 60 percent of the world’s population is non-Christian. It has been predicted that by the year 2050 there will be 9.8 billion people on the face of the earth; 65 out of every 100 will be in Asia. These people need the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then, when we talk about medical missionary work, we want to answer three questions: who, what, and how? Who is called to do this work? What is medical missionary work, and how is it to be conducted?

Who

“Every son and daughter of God is called to be a missionary; we are called to the service of God and our fellow men.” The Ministry of Healing, 395. This quote really affected my life many years ago, before I even knew who wrote the book.

When many people think of being a missionary, they think of going to a foreign area such as Africa or Asia. Is that what a missionary is? A missionary is one who has a mission, a purpose. So, a missionary is not just a person who goes overseas; a missionary is one who has a purpose and a mission. Your home community may be a mission field! You may go to some areas in the United States that are concentrated with Adventists or other Christians. That is a mission field.

A missionary is not defined as a person who goes to a foreign field; a missionary is one who has a mission and a purpose. Whatever your occupation—whether you are doctor, lawyer, farmer, mechanic, secretary, or homemaker—you can be a missionary.

“Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; [Even] every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:6, 7. He has formed us for His glory, and He has given two purposes for our lives: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke 10:27.) Our purpose for existence is to glorify God and to serve our neighbor. It is not to make money; it is not for status; it is for these two purposes. When we put this into perspective, everything becomes balanced. We do not have to be stressed.

“We are called to the service of God and our fellow men; and to fit us for this service should be the object of our education…

“They are to obtain an education that will help them to stand by the side of Christ in unselfish service.” The Ministry of Healing, 395.

Yes, education and working are important, but those are only tools to fulfill our purpose. The reason we should acquire education is to equip ourselves to be more effective in the service of God. Money also is only a tool to fulfill that purpose; it is not the object.

My Witness

“Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 43:10. What is a witness? A witness is one who gives evidence, who testifies in a cause, who has personal knowledge of something. A witness is someone who has first-hand experience of a situation or topic. This is what the gospel is all about.

Ellen White wrote: “God can and will use those who have not had a thorough education in the schools of men.” Christian Service, 24.

That means you do not have to have secular education degrees in order to do this work. I suggest, however, that you need three degrees: a B.A., an M.D., and a Ph.D. If you are unfamiliar with these degrees, allow me to explain. They are: B.A.—Born Again; M.D.—Made in the Divine image; and Ph.D.—Praise Him Daily. If you have these three degrees, you will qualify to do the work of God.

Every Member

“We have come to a time when every member of the church should take hold of medical missionary work.” Ibid., 135. “Every member”! Does that include you and me? It does not say that you have to be a surgeon, although there is a place for that, or a nurse, although there is a place for that. But every member should be a medical missionary. That means we need to learn what being a medical missionary entails.

“God wants the ministers and the church members to take a decided, active interest in the medical missionary work.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 300. He does not want just lip service, but a decided, active interest. That means action! We are not just going to discuss it; we are going to begin to implement it.

Inspiration says, “One worker who has been trained and educated for the work, who is controlled by the Spirit of Christ, will accomplish far more than ten laborers who go out deficient in knowledge, and weak in the faith. One who works in harmony with the counsel of God, and in unity with the brethren, will be more efficient to do good, than ten will be who do not realize the necessity of depending upon God, and of acting in harmony with the general plan of the work.” Review and Herald, May 29, 1888. If we submit totally to God and allow God to use us, we can each impact the lives of at least ten people. That means you and I, without even traveling around the world, could potentially impact the lives of a thousand people!

Jesus trained 12 men. On the day of Pentecost, there were 120. Do your multiplication—10 x 12! And on that one day, 3,000 souls came into the church. You realize that one woman at the well impacted a whole town. One man, once he got his mind together and God told the fish to spew him out, impacted a whole nation. Then, there were the two from whom Jesus cast out devils. The freed men wanted to follow Jesus, but the residents of the city asked Jesus to leave. He left, but He left behind two missionaries who went about as His witnesses. When Jesus was able to return, the people flocked to Him. (Acts 2; John 4; Jonah 1; Matthew 8:28–34.) Do you see how one person, trained and moved by the Holy Spirit, can impact so many others?

The reason we do not see the impact we have is because most of us are still waiting to be spiritually fed week after week. When we attend church on Sabbath, we should go with praise and testimony, demonstrating the power that God has manifested in our lives throughout the week. God is looking for men and women who will be led by His Spirit.

“As thy days, [so shall] thy strength [be].” Deuteronomy 33:25. The promise of this text keeps me and, I am sure, many others involved in God’s work going. If I were to not engage in missionary work, I believe I would not only spiritually die, but physically die as well. That is the heartbeat; that is the passion; that is the life of the church.

Will you answer the call?

Behind the Scenes

There are those who seem to play seemingly insignificant roles in missionary work. You do not have to be before the people. You do not have to be a public speaker or a preacher. A missionary is not someone who always has to be in front of the television camera.

Do you remember Andrew, Peter’s brother? “One of the two which heard John [speak], and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus.” John 1:40–42. After Andrew shared the good news with Peter, little more is recorded about him. Nevertheless, much is written about Peter. On the day of Pentecost, thousands came in as a result of his sermon. If it had not been for Andrew, there would not have been Peter’s witness.

If the secretary, the computer operator, the camera people, the cook, do not do their work, those who are more visible cannot efficiently do their work. Do not despise a small beginning. We all have an important role to play in winning souls. We are not to compare ourselves among ourselves. We each should find our place in God’s work. No matter how humble it may seem to us, God puts a high value upon it.

Medical Missionary Work

What is true medical missionary work? It is restoring the right arm of the gospel. Medical missionary work is such an important element of God’s work, but it has been dying. It needs to be revived.

“And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched [it] out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.” Mark 3:1–5. These texts are telling of Jesus going into the synagogue, which represents the church. There in the church He found a man with a withered hand. The church leaders, the Pharisees, watched Jesus to see what action He would take.

Even during the times of Christ there were what are called Sabbath Blue Laws. The church leaders had a specific way in which they wanted everybody to worship, so they were watching Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.

What is the relationship between healing and the Sabbath? It is restoration. What does the Sabbath symbolize? It represents God’s creative work. It is the seal; it is the birthday of the creation; it is a sign that God is the Creator. When Christ died, He rested in the tomb on the Sabbath. That reinforces the Sabbath as a sign of God’s re-creative and restoration work.

We are made in the image of God, and our bodies are to be the temple of the living God. God desires to put His image in the soul of man. The whole plan of salvation is to restore the image of God in the human soul. God wants to bring us back to the original position that Adam had before sin. Healing is a part of that process. Healing is to preserve; healing is to restore. So, there is an intimate relationship between healing and the Sabbath. You cannot separate the two.

The Pharisees looked at Jesus with contempt, and today the health message is being looked upon with contempt, but you cannot separate the Sabbath from healing.

To be continued . . .

Thomas Jackson is a Health Evangelist and Director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by e-mail at: godsplan@meetministry.org or by telephone at: 731-986-3518.

Restoring the Withered Right Arm, Part II

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In Psalm 89:13, the Bible says, “Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, [and] high is thy right hand.”

When the Bible makes reference to the mighty arm and the right hand, it is primarily referring to Jesus who has the mighty arm to save us. You may read other texts that make reference to Jesus in Psalms 89:10; 80:1–3, 15; 60:5; 98:1; 118:15, 16; Isaiah 62:8–12.

Ellen White also references “the arm”: “The medical missionary work has never been presented to me in any other way than as bearing the same relation to the work as a whole as the arm does to the body. The gospel ministry is an organization for the proclamation of the truth and the carrying forward of the work for sick and well. This is the body, the medical missionary work is the arm, and Christ is the head over all. Thus the matter has been presented to me.” Medical Ministry, 237.

Note that Christ is the head, the gospel is the body, and the medical missionary work is the arm. It is important to note that with Christ as the head of this work, no man can tell you your work. God gives you your work.

“The right hand is used to open doors through which the body may find entrance. This is the part the medical missionary work is to act. It is to largely prepare the way for the reception of the truth for this time. A body without hands is useless.” Ibid., 238.

“A body without hands is useless.” That means that any church, any body of people that professes to believe in the Three Angels’ Messages but is not engaged in medical missionary work is useless.

“In giving honor to the body, honor must also be given to the helping hands, which are agencies of such importance that without them the body can do nothing. Therefore the body which treats indifferently the right hand, refusing its aid, is able to accomplish nothing.” Ibid. The body can do nothing without the right hand.

Mercenary or Missionary

“The gospel of health has able advocates, but their work has been made very hard because so many ministers, presidents of conferences, and others in positions of influence have failed to give the question of health reform its proper attention. They have not recognized it in its relation to the work of the message as the right arm of the body. … The Lord has shown His regard for it by giving it abundant prosperity. When properly conducted, the health work is an entering wedge, making a way for other truths to reach the heart. When the third angel’s message is received in its fullness, health reform will be given its place in the councils of the conference, in the work of the church, in the home, at the table, and in all the household arrangements. Then the right arm will serve and protect the body.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 327.

There are medical mercenaries and medical missionaries! Do you know what a medical mercenary is? That is the person who can present the whole delineation of how the body works and what it needs. Then he or she spreads out on a table all the multi-level products they say you need to take in order to be well. There is a place for such products, but that is not medical missionary work.

The health message is not a gimmick to get people to buy a product. The purpose of the health message is not to entice people to spend money on things that they might not need. The purpose of the health message is to lead people to Jesus. “When properly conducted, the health work is an entering wedge, making a way for other truths to reach the heart.” If we want to protect the body, we need medical missionary work. It needs to be active among God’s people. “The body which treats indifferently the right hand, refusing its aid, is able to accomplish nothing.” Medical Ministry, 238.

Around the World

“In new fields no work is so successful as medical missionary work.” Ibid., 239. This is why we need to learn more about it. It can go to North America, to South America; it can go all over the world.

In Papua, New Guinea, we conducted evangelistic meetings on health for one month. The meetings were held in a tent that had been erected on a coffee plantation. The owner of the coffee plantation sold it after the meetings to serve the living God. In that area, some men have more than one wife, but after the meetings, those who attended chose to have just one wife. One gentleman who attended the meetings belonged to what is called a Four Square Church. After attending the medical missionary meetings, he decided that he needed to join God’s remnant church. In fact, the Four Square Church became a Sabbath-keeping church as a result of this medical missionary work.

In the Solomon Islands, the people reached with the medical missionary work committed their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Another month-long series of medical missionary meetings in Australia resulted in a branch Sabbath School. We do not know how many people will accept the gospel message as a result of that, but what a golden opportunity was given to reach people through the health message.

In Montreal, Canada, we held four weeks of meetings for the English-speaking people. Evangelistic work is not done in Canada, but a close friend believed that the health message could reach the people in Montreal. Some of the people wondered whether or not the meetings could hold the people’s interest for that long a period of time.

In most campaigns of that period of duration, the numbers of attendees decrease. But for four weeks the numbers increased! My wife was asked to give a food demonstration, one of the first given in the area, and 400 people attended it. Over 300 people in that area are now taking Bible health studies.

The sponsors in Montreal have sent people to our health ministry for training so they can return to their communities and share the health message. The people are so excited that they sponsored a radio program featuring our health presentations for a year.

The medical missionary work is the gospel illustrated. It is the gospel in action. It reveals the love of God. It is a work of mercy. Medical missionary work is not just hydrotherapy and herbs; it is benevolent work. Medical missionary work is reaching the felt needs of the people that they might come to know Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Illustrated

If the medical missionary work is indeed the gospel illustrated, how, then, is it going to be carried out? Who is called to do this work of mercy and compassion?

Jesus came to this earth. He clothed Himself with humanity to reach humanity. He was able to touch the lives of others. A person who lives to himself or herself will eventually die. You see, a true Christian does not have to be loved, but a true Christian cannot live without showing love. We all need love; do not get me wrong, but our lives are not predicated on that. Our lives are based on the fact that God has already validated our self worth. God has already validated our dignity. Because of that, we reciprocate by showing Him our love by working for others.

A number of years ago, I read a book by Douglas Cooper entitled Living God’s Love. (Pacific Press Publishing Association, Nampa, Idaho, 1995.) In it, Mr. Cooper stated that what we need today is love with skin on it. See, God is love, and in the Book of Hebrews 10:5, the Bible says, “A body thou hast prepared me.”

When Jesus walked on this earth, He exhibited love. Because people are visual, they could identify this love. Therefore, when we embrace the gospel and the gospel embraces us, we are going to demonstrate the power of this love, and we are not going to be shaken by ridicule, by insult, or by slander. We are going to move forward. Inspiration says that many people will not go into this work because of inconveniences and reproach. (See Testimonies, vol. 2, 46.)

Cry Aloud

When I first read Isaiah 58, especially verse 1—“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression . . . ,”—I went into the church, and I cried aloud to everyone and spared not. I had on my spiritual boxing gloves! But as I gained an understanding of Isaiah 58, I learned that this chapter is an indictment of the church for its selfishness and formalism. Read the chapter. In verse 3 we read that the people fasted for show: “Wherefore have we fasted, [say they], and thou seest not?” They were looking for the glory themselves.

Regarding this passage, Ellen White wrote: “The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah contains present truth for the people of God. Here we see how medical missionary work and the gospel ministry are to be bound together as the message is given to the world. Upon those who keep the Sabbath of the Lord is laid the responsibility of doing a work of mercy and benevolence. Medical missionary work is to be bound up with the message, and sealed with the seal of God.” Evangelism, 516, 517.

Do you believe Isaiah 58 is a message for the time? Yes, it is. “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice.”

God says, “Show my people their transgression” and their sins. He is saying that worship without dedication, prayer without action, and knowledge without practice equals sin of formalism and selfishness. This is the message of Isaiah 58. God is saying that we should wake up; there is work to be done. We must get out of our formalism of going to the church once a week, going through the motion of worship, and, when the service is over, going back to business as usual.

In verses 6 and 7, God outlines His work: “[Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” As I travel round the world, going from large churches to home churches to little churches, I see that only a few people are doing the work of God.

When we see a destitute brother or sister, and all we do is say, “I am praying for you,” when it is in our hand to help that person, then woe is to us. God is not saying for us to set up a rescue mission or home for the homeless, but He is saying that we are to reach out to the poor that they might come to know Jesus Christ. To have soup kitchens just to feed people is not what God is calling us to do. If the gospel is not also presented, we are not doing our work. The purpose of our work is to lead people to accept Jesus Christ through the Three Angels’ Messages. This is medical missionary work. This is the work of benevolence. This is the work that will starve selfishness out of us. This is the work that will clothe us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Verse 8 continues, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.”

What is the pivotal word in that verse? It is the word then. What does that word then mean? It means that until we do what is before, we cannot experience the “then.”

Walk As Christ Walked

The true fast is not mere formal service. The Scripture describes the fast that God has chosen. Here is set forth the very spirit and character of the work of Christ. His whole life was a sacrifice of Himself for the saving of the world.

“We can walk as Christ walked only when we abide in Him. We can do medical missionary work in a Christlike manner only when we are one with Him, only when we wear His yoke. . . .

“Yoked up with Christ, we receive spiritual life and power, for then we are ‘laborers together with God.’ ” Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 106.

If we are Christians, then we will walk as Christ walked. He designs that the medical missionary work should prepare the way for the presentation of the saving truths for this time, the proclamation of the third angel’s message. If this design is met, the message will not be eclipsed nor its progress hindered. We can expect great things through this avenue. By doing medical missionary work, we will gain access to the hearts of the people. The way will be prepared for more decided proclamation. We will find that relieving their physical sufferings will give an opportunity to minister to their spiritual needs.

“When human sympathy is blended with love and benevolence, and sanctified by the Spirit of Jesus, it is an element which can be productive of great good. Those who cultivate benevolence are not only doing a good work for others, and blessing those who receive the good action, but they are benefiting themselves by opening their hearts to the benign influence of true benevolence. Every ray of light shed upon others will be reflected upon our own hearts. Every kind and sympathizing word spoken to the sorrowful, every act to relieve the oppressed, and every gift to supply the necessities of our fellow beings, given or done with an eye to God’s glory, will result in blessings to the giver. Those who are thus working are obeying a law of heaven and will receive the approval of God. The pleasure of doing good to others imparts a glow to the feelings which flashes through the nerves, quickens the circulation of the blood, and induces mental and physical health.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 56.

A Final Test

“The word of God in His law is binding upon every intelligent mind. The truth for this time, the third angel’s message, is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, meaning with increasing power, as we approach the great final test. This test must come to the churches in connection with the true medical missionary work, a work that has the Great Physician to dictate and preside in all it comprehends. Under the great Head we are to present God’s word requiring obedience to the system of Bible truth, which is a system of authority and power, convicting and converting the conscience. The demand of the Word to obedience is a life-and-death question.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 31.

Medical missionary work is part of the last work that will go forth when we can no longer buy and sell. This is one work, one job that will not be downsized! Medical missionaries will be employed until Jesus comes in the clouds of glory.

I am never concerned about being laid off of work. I am not even worried about my support, because even the retirement is out of this world. God has already promised that this work will succeed. All we need to do is to become engaged in this work.

Ellen White wrote, “In the days of Christ there were no sanitariums in the Holy Land. But wherever the Great Physician went, He carried with Him the healing efficacy that was a cure for every disease, spiritual and physical. This He imparted to those who were under the afflicting power of the enemy. In every city, every town, every village through which He passed, with the solicitude of a loving father He laid His hands upon the afflicted ones, making them whole and speaking words of tenderest sympathy and compassion. How precious to them were His words! From Him flowed a stream of healing power which made the sick whole. He healed men and women with unhesitating willingness and with hearty joyfulness, for He was glad to be able to restore suffering ones to health.” Counsels on Health, 526.

Think of it! There were no sanitariums. Soon, all such institutions in our time will be closed down. Mrs. White essentially said that wherever Christ went, He Himself was a sanitarium. Whether you are a secretary or a mechanic, you too can be a sanitarium. You do not have to have an institution; you are the institution. You are the sanitarium on two legs. You are love in action.

“The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” The Ministry of Healing, 143. He did not say to a person, when He first met that person, “Come and join my church.” He ministered to them. He won their confidence. He socialized. He sympathized. He served. He saved. That is what He did.

In Your Hand

“God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this [is] my name for ever, and this [is] my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and [seen] that which is done to you in Egypt.” “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What [is] that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.” Exodus 3:15, 16; 4:1–5.

I am sure you remember the story of Moses. The first 40 years of his education were spent in Egypt, and he thought that he was prepared to deliver the children of Israel. But then he killed an Egyptian, and the next 40 years he spent taking care of sheep. When God called him, he was about 80 years of age.

God asked him to go to Pharaoh and tell him, “Let my people go.”

But Moses protested, “I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Exodus 4:10. Moses was demonstrating a sense of pride, even though it was not boastful pride. Many times when we are called, we shrink back, because we feel incapable, as did Moses. We do not want to be embarrassed.

God is not going to ask you or me to do something that He will not give us power to do. His biddings are our enabling. So, when God calls you, do not question, do not look at your inefficiency; look at God’s sufficiency.

Then Moses said, “Lord, how will they know that You sent me?”

And the Lord asked him, “What is in your hand? That is what I am going to use.”

Today, God is asking you and me, “What is in your hand?”

If you can write, if you can speak, if you can sing, if you can type, if you can do carpenter work, what is in your hand? Do not look at what is not in your hand. Whatever is in your hand, God will use it for His glory. Whatever is in your hand He will sanctify, if you will give it to Him.

We are not to compare ourselves among ourselves, and then excuse ourselves, saying, “I cannot speak,” or “I cannot do this or that.” What is in your hand? God can use whatever is there.

When you are not sure of what God has called you to do, reach out to help somebody else, and God will reveal to you what to do. Let the perplexed one seek out others who are in perplexity and speak a word of encouragement to them. When you begin to do this, then you will no longer be in obscurity. You will be helped out of all your troubles.

God is calling us to be medical missionaries, to renew the right arm of the gospel, for medical missionary work is the gospel in practice.

Thomas Jackson is a health evangelist and Director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by e-mail at: godsplan@meetministry.org, or by telephone at: 731-986-3518.

Food – Laws of Health

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God expects us to learn the laws of health, to practice the laws of health, and to teach the laws of health. When we comply with God’s expectations, then He can fulfill in us His desire for us to have health. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 2. Jeremiah 30:17 makes it very clear that the Lord wants to restore health to us: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” All of us desire health, but none desire it more than God desires to give it to us.

If we comply with God’s expectations through obedience, then He can bless us with greater health than would be possible without our obedience and His blessing. This can mean a life that is healthy and filled with vitality. Exodus 15:26 says, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the Lord that healeth thee.” In Psalm 105:37 we see the fulfillment of this promise. Speaking of the Israelites that left Egypt, we read: “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes.” It has been estimated by some historians that as many as one million people may have been part of the exodus from Egypt. Where before or since could we find a million people on the planet earth in which there was not one feeble person among them?

Daniel and the three Hebrew worthies are also examples of the results of obedience to God’s requirements concerning health. In Daniel 1 is given the faithful recording of what the results are when we refuse to defile ourselves with the meats and wine of the world. Daniel and his three companions were found to be fairer in countenance and ten times greater in knowledge and wisdom than all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 1:1–21.)

We must, through obedience, cooperate with God’s design if we ever hope to have the health that He wants to give us. Regardless of our current health status, we can experience a greater blessing if we begin to faithfully obey God’s health laws. These laws are simple and available to everyone. An overview of these laws will be given in future LandMarks.

Bible Study Guides – Life

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July 20, 2008 – July 26, 2008

Key Text

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4.

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 463–475; Testimonies, vol. 6, 369–379.

Introduction

“Jesus came to ‘destroy the works of the devil.’ ‘In Him was life,’ and He says, ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ I John 3:8; John 1:4; 10:10.” The Desire of Ages, 270.

1 How was Adam brought into existence, and when? Genesis 2:7; 1:26–28, 31.

Note: “The Lord created man out of the dust of the earth. He made Adam a partaker of His life, His nature. There was breathed into him the breath of the Almighty, and he became a living soul. Adam was perfect in form—strong, comely, pure, bearing the image of his Maker.

“Man came from the hand of his Creator perfect in organization and beautiful in form. The fact that he has for six thousand years withstood the ever-increasing weight of disease and crime is conclusive proof of the power of endurance with which he was first endowed.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1082.

2 Who were involved in the creation of Adam and Eve? Genesis 1:2, 26; 2:7; Colossians 1:16, 17. By what power is all things sustained? Psalm 93:1.

Note: “The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.” Education, 132

3 What is God’s plan for every human being? John 10:10.

Note: “Jesus came to ‘destroy the works of the devil.’ ‘In Him was life,’ and He says, ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly’; He is ‘a quickening spirit.’ I John 3:8; John 1:4; 10:10; I Corinthians 15:45. And He still has the same life-giving power as when on earth He healed the sick, and spoke forgiveness to the sinner. He ‘forgiveth all thine iniquities,’ He ‘healeth all thy diseases.’ Psalm 103:3.” The Desire of Ages, 270.

4 What did Christ say about His mission on earth? John 3:16, 17.

Note: “Christ does not weigh character in scales of human judgment. He says, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.’ John 12:32. Every soul who responds to this drawing will turn from iniquity. Christ is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto Him. He who comes to Jesus is setting his feet upon a ladder that reaches from earth to heaven. Teach it by pen, by voice, that God is above the ladder; the bright rays of His glory are shining upon every round of the ladder. He is looking graciously upon all who are climbing painfully upward, that He may send them help, divine help, when the hand seems to be relaxing and the foot trembling. Yes, tell it, tell it in words that will melt the heart, that not one who shall perseveringly climb the ladder will fail of an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; those who believe in Christ shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of His hand.

“Tell the people in clear, hopeful language how they may escape the heritage of shame which is our deserved portion. But for Christ’s sake do not present before them ideas that will discourage them, that will make the way to heaven seem very difficult. Keep all these overstrained ideas to yourself.

“While we must often impress the mind with the fact that the Christian life is a life of warfare, that we must watch and pray and toil, that there is peril to the soul in relaxing the spiritual vigilance for one moment, the completeness of the salvation proffered us from Jesus who loves us and gave Himself that we should not perish but have everlasting life, is to be the theme.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 181, 182.

5 What is God’s plan for our physical life? III John 2.

Note: “The body must be kept in a healthy condition in order that the soul may be in health. The condition of the body affects the condition of the soul. He who would have physical and spiritual strength must educate his appetite in right lines. He must be careful not to burden the soul by overtaxing his physical or spiritual powers. Faithful adherence to right principles in eating, drinking, and dressing is a duty that God has laid upon human beings.

“The Lord desires us to obey the laws of health and life. He holds each one responsible to care properly for his body, that it may be kept in health.” Evangelism, 261.

6 What is the basic condition for a healthy life? Deuteronomy 7:9, 11, 15.

Note: “Our bodies are Christ’s purchased possession, and we are not at liberty to do with them as we please. All who understand the laws of health should realize their obligation to obey these laws, which God has established in their being. Obedience to the laws of health is to be made a matter of personal duty. We ourselves must suffer the results of violated law. We must individually answer to God for our habits and practices. Therefore the question with us is not, ‘What is the world’s practice?’ but, ‘How shall I as an individual treat the habitation that God has given me?’ ” Child Guidance, 367, 368.

“Whether they acknowledge it or not, God lays upon all human beings the duty of taking care of the soul temple. The body is to be kept clean and pure. The soul is to be sanctified and ennobled. Then, God says, I will come unto him and take up My abode with him. We are responsible for our own salvation, and God holds us accountable for the influence we exert on those connected with us. We should stand in such a position, physically and spiritually, that we can recommend the religion of Christ. We are to dedicate our bodies to God.” Medical Ministry, 295.

“When speaking to persons on the subject of health, they often say, ‘We know a great deal better than we do.’ They do not realize that they are accountable for every ray of light in regard to their physical well-being, and that their every habit bears the inspection of God. He made the human being. We are His property, bought with a price, and what a price!” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 8.

7 What instruction did Christ give to those whom He healed? John 5:14; 8:11.

Note: “If, after so much light has been given, God’s people will cherish wrong habits, indulging self and refusing to reform, they will suffer the sure consequences of transgression. If they are determined to gratify perverted appetite at any cost, God will not miraculously save them from the consequences of their indulgence. They ‘shall lie down in sorrow.’ Isaiah 50:11.

“Those who choose to be presumptuous, saying, ‘The Lord has healed me, and I need not restrict my diet; I can eat and drink as I please,’ will erelong need, in body and soul, the restoring power of God. Because the Lord has graciously healed you, you must not think you can link yourselves up with the self-indulgent practices of the world. Do as Christ commanded after His work of healing—‘go, and sin no more.’ John 8:11. Appetite must not be your god.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 25.

8 How are we bidden not to hurt ourselves by failing to practice health reform? Exodus 20:13; I Corinthians 6:19, 20. What do we do to others when we are unfaithful in health reform?

Note: “There are many expensive indulgences that are at the same time very injurious. They derange the digestive organs, and destroy the appetite for simple, wholesome food; and sickness and suffering are the result. With dyspepsia and its attendant evils comes the loss of a sweet disposition. There is irritability, fretfulness, and impatience, often resulting in harsh, unkind words and wrong acts.” The Health Reformer, December 1, 1887.

“If the churches expect strength, they must live the truth which God has given them. If the members of our churches disregard the light on this subject, they will reap the sure result in both spiritual and physical degeneracy. And the influence of these older church members will leaven those newly come to the faith. The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the truth, because of the church members who have never been converted and those who were once converted but who have backslidden. What influence would these unconsecrated members have on new converts? Would they not make of no effect the God-given message which His people are to bear?” Testimonies, vol. 6, 370, 371.

9 What is the only way to be faithful both to physical and spiritual laws? John 14:15, 23.

Note: “The ten commandments, Thou shalt, and Thou shalt not, are ten promises, assured to us if we render obedience to the law governing the universe. …

“That law of ten precepts of the greatest love that can be presented to man is the voice of God from heaven speaking to the soul in promise, ‘This do, and you will not come under the dominion and control of Satan.’ There is not a negative in that law, although it may appear thus. It is DO, and Live. …

“The love of Jesus in the soul will banish all hatred, selfishness, and envy; for the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. There is health in obedience to God’s law. The affections of the obedient are drawn out after God. Looking unto the Lord Jesus, we may encourage and serve one another. The love of Christ is shed abroad in our souls, and there is no dissension and strife among us.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1105.

10 What is God’s plan for our whole life? I Thessalonians 4:3, 4; 5:23, 24; Philippians 2:12, 13.

Note: “The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but he will maintain a constant warfare against it. Here is where Christ’s help is needed. Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims, ‘Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 15:57.” The Great Controversy, 469, 470.

Additional Reading

“The same power that upholds nature is working also in man. The same great laws that guide alike the star and the atom control human life. The laws that govern the heart’s action, regulating the flow of the current of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty Intelligence that has the jurisdiction of the soul. From Him all life proceeds. Only in harmony with Him can be found its true sphere of action. For all the objects of His creation the condition is the same—a life sustained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised in harmony with the Creator’s will. To transgress His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to place oneself out of harmony with the universe, to introduce discord, anarchy, ruin.” Medical Ministry, 10.

“God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of health. He has made it a duty to preserve our physical powers in the best possible condition, that we may render to him acceptable service. Those who refuse to improve the light and knowledge that have been mercifully placed within their reach, are rejecting one of the means which God has granted them to promote spiritual as well as physical life. They are placing themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of Satan.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 111.

“All should have an intelligent knowledge of the human frame that they may keep their bodies in the condition necessary to do the work of the Lord. The physical life is to be carefully preserved and developed that through humanity the divine nature may be revealed in its fullness. The relation of the physical organism to the spiritual life is one of the most important branches of education. It should receive careful attention in the home and in the school. All need to become acquainted with their physical structure and the laws that control natural life. He who remains in willing ignorance of the laws of his physical being and who violates them through ignorance is sinning against God. All should place themselves in the best possible relation to life and health. Our habits should be brought under the control of a mind that is itself under the control of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 348.

“The transgression of physical law is the transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the author of our being. He has created the human structure. He is the author of physical laws, as He is the author of the moral law. And the human being who is careless and reckless of the habits and practices that concern his physical life and health, sins against God. Many who profess to love Jesus Christ do not show proper reverence and respect for Him who gave His life to save them from eternal death. He is not reverenced, or respected, or recognized. This is shown by the injury done to their own bodies in violation of the laws of their being.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 43.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Question – What do my eating habits have to do with my religion?

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Question:

What do my eating habits have to do with my religion?

Answer:

We all have certain eating habits. Some are very neat and dainty; some are course and rough, but we all eat, or we would not have life. What we eat and how we eat are an individual matter.

Health is one of the most important possessions we human beings can have. We may have wealth or intelligence, but if we do not have the health to use them properly, we cannot be the blessing God intends us to be.

God Himself instructed our first parents as to what they should and should not eat. (Geneses 1, 2, and 3.) Since sin entered this world when Adam and Eve ate what God told them not to eat, getting out of this sinful world may have something to do with what we eat. Regarding this, Ellen White wrote: “The reason why many of us will fall in the time of trouble is because of laxity in temperance and indulgence of appetite.

“Moses preached a great deal on this subject, and the reason the people did not go through to the promised land was because of repeated indulgence of appetite. Nine-tenths of the wickedness among the children of today is caused by intemperance in eating and drinking. Adam and Eve lost Eden through the indulgence of appetite, and we can only regain it by the denial of the same.” Review and Herald, October 21, 1884.

The Bible is the very best guide for our religious principles, so we should consider what it says about health. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 2.

God is love, and every instruction that He gives us is for our best good and happiness. (See Deuteronomy 6:24.) Since He tells us that He wants us to prosper in health as well as in our spiritual lives, it would be well for us to study how we can have good health. Good health depends on good health habits, which includes our diet. Therefore, it is well for us to study what our bodies need in the way of nutrition that we may fulfill the desire of the Lord in having good health as well as a good religious experience.

Paul wrote: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” I Corinthians 10:31; 3:16, 17.

One way that many people destroy their bodies is by poor choices of food. Many people are suffering from obesity, heart attacks, strokes, and many other maladies that could be prevented by proper diet.

The psalmist says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvelous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14. God gave us a wonderful body, and He also gave us intelligence. It is up to us to use our intelligence in choosing healthful food to eat.

“There is work for us to do—stern, earnest work. All our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the good.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 25.

Food – Digestion

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The human body is an amazing miracle that only an omniscient being could create. We each are responsible for the maintenance of our bodies such that we may operate to our fullest potential. Diet is one of the most important ways we revitalize ourselves physically. In order to understand our nutritional needs it is important to understand the intricate workings of the digestive system.

God designed our bodies to partake of a vegetarian diet. The differences between ourselves and carnivores, such as, lions, are pertinent differences that uphold the idea that we are still intended for a diet of plant life. The way by which we obtain food in itself is evidence of this. Humans have hands and fingers, including an opposable thumb, which are excellent for picking foods and, if you have a green opposable thumb, planting! Lions, on the other hand, would find this difficult as they have paws with sharp, retractable claws which are designed to fell prey and tear flesh.

The difference in diet is supported by the digestive differences between the herbivore and carnivore. Most people know that digestion begins in the mouth with saliva. But another structural variation between humans and lions that differentiates how we digest our food is the teeth. Carnivores have sharp, pointed teeth necessary for tearing flesh, where humans have flat teeth for grinding fruits, vegetables, and grains. There is also a difference in the saliva produced. A human’s saliva contains salivary amylase which begins the break down of complex carbohydrates found in plants. So chew well! The lion has no salivary amylase in his saliva, but he certainly has the intestinal juices to make up for it!

Lions have a chemical substance in their stomachs called hydrochloric acid. Humans have this also, but our carnivore friends certainly have the lion’s share. They have ten times the amount of this acid in their stomachs! This is very necessary, however, as meat is more difficult to digest. Carbohydrates and plant proteins are much easier on our stomachs as they do not require such high levels of hydrochloric acid to digest.

Humans have intestines that extend 24 to 26 feet in length! Imagine the convolution that is required to make room just for our intestines! The length is pertinent though. It allows for the time needed to digest our food and allow our bodies to absorb the nutrients we require to function properly. A lion does not need such a long intestinal corridor. In fact it would be quite harmful since the flesh ingested would putrefy in the body’s warm environment. A lion’s intestines, in contrast, average around 8 feet in length to allow for quick removal of the food ingested.

As we consider these few differences between our bodies and the lion’s, it is easy to see that we were built for different diets. In studying Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 3:17 our Creator has spelled out for us the diet He recommends for His most beloved creation. How wonderful that our Heavenly Father is so concerned for our health!