May, 2001
I had a different thought for this month, then I received a phone call from a friend. I was part of a cell group in which one gentleman had been operated on for pain in the back. About a year ago, just as our group hived-off, and he went back to work, his pain returned. We prayed over him and for him on a regular basis. Six months later our cell group dissolved; and being from another church, we lost track of him. This morning I received the call that he passed away. The caller revealed that he could not stand the pain any longer, as well as being a burden on his family, and took his life. Someone commented that this person committed the ultimate act of selfishness- placing the blame on the person who committed suicide. I believe that when a Christian commits suicide, it is the ultimate act of hopelessness-- an indication of the powerlessness of the church to meet the needs of its flock. To naturally pass away in the Lord for someone who was suffering brings peace and a joy to know they are now with the Lord. To have someone who confesses to be a Christian commit suicide speaks of utter defeat and the inability to the church to ministry of its own. We can enter into a debate on the eternal consequences of someone who in their final breath took the life of a human. But this is not my intent. Rather, I would like to focus my thought on something that both Mary and Martha said at the death of Lazarus when Jesus finally came:
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (Jn.11:20-21)
In other words, where was Christ when my friend died? When Mary heard that Jesus had come, we read:
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (Jn.11:32)
Both Mary and Martha, who knew Jesus very well, came to the same conclusion: "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died." If we would pose this statement into a question, it would be: "Where were you Lord, when my brother needed you?" This is the question that has plagued many individuals tonight as I write. We know that God has not moved, nor has he changed; if anyone has moved it is us. Remember, I am not questioning the eternal state of the person that committed suicide; rather, where was Christ's physical representation on this earth: the church in my friend's life. One brother commented that the church was not able to deal with that level of illness, and that we should hand them over to professionals. I do not agree, for to trust in the wisdom of men is folly:
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. (1Co.2:4-5)
The Bible never directs us to go to the world. When Christ sent out the twelve we read:
As you go, preach this message: `The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Mt.10:7-8)
Some would argue that they were the twelve apostles, while we are nominal Christians. My friend was under physical pain as well as a spirit of depression, and he perceived no hope from either Christ or the church. It was not just to the apostles that He gave authority, for we read that he also sent out seventy-two, saying:
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. (Lk.10:19)
The seventy-two were followers, other then the twelve apostles; and yet, they were given power to heal and cast out demons. My friend was overcome by the enemy and harmed, for he did not realize the authority he had in Christ, nor did the church which he attended. We need to realize that we too have been given power:
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mk.16:16-18)
Why could not the church he attended heal his back from the pain and restore his spirit from the depression arising from his hopelessness? Suicide speaks more about the condition of the church then it does about the person who committed the sin against himself. The question is not so much whether the person in this case was a believer, but did the church have the faith to fulfill its mandate?
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (Ja.5:14-16)
Why was the commission entrusted to the elders of this church not carried out? For this powerlessness is not confined to one church but is the condition of the church in general. For James continues from the previous scripture:
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (Ja.5:16-18)
If the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effect, then we can assume that the prayer of an unrighteous church will be powerless and ineffective. Paul warns Timothy:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2Ti.3:1-5)
People care more about the style of music on Sunday morning then their life style on the other six mornings. Does it is conform to the likeness of Christ? The church of today is so program-oriented that Christ- his message and power, gets displaced by the program. Christ said:
"Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "`These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mk.7:6-8)
It is not that these churches are unsuccessful, as far as the way most churches rate success- numbers. For Satan promotes success in Christian efforts if the principles of those efforts contradict God’s commands, in order to destroy obedience to God at the expense of some success, until the success has no resemblance of God’s commands. Right now I could jot down a list of commands from the New Testament which the church has labeled culturally defined as we pattern ourselves after the wisdom of the world. Jesus said:
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. "If you love me, you will obey what I command. (Jn.14:12-15)
Christ does what we ask because we ask what he commands. The moment elders rationalize the slightest one of his commands for his church, claiming it irrelevant for today, we are preventing him from doing what we ask because our hearts are seeking our own will apart from God. So when elders follow their own defiant spirits, God will not answer when they pray for healing lest they think God is pleased by their defiance. However, the end result is that the church is void of power causing the people to either give up in hopelessness or else seek the way of the world as solutions to life's problems. However this is not God's intended norm for the church:
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (1Co.4:20)
The church could be said to be all talk but no power, but this should not be the case:
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. (Ac.5:15-16)
Some will point out that that was Peter, and yet we read of Philip:
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. (Ac.8:6-7)
Others would point out that both Peter and Philip were apostles, however consider Stephen:
Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. (Ac.6:8)
Paul used signs and miracles as part of his ministry:
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. (Ac.19:11-12)
Today the church has little demonstration of God's power because the church demonstrates little of Christ's character. As long as we live to please ourselves we will remain powerless:
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. (1Jn.3:21-22)
We must heed the warning that Christ gave to the Laodicean church:
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. (Re.3:15-19)
The Laodicean church was void of Christ as they lived in their own self-deception. Christ continued:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Re.3:20)
Here, Christ is dictating to the church, yet informs them that He is on the outside knocking to be let in. This is the reason why the church is powerless and ineffective, those professing to be Christians deny him Lordship of their lives. Only those with a right relationship with Christ can minister his power, for the seven sons of Sceva tried administering Christ's authority outside of his Lordship; of which we read:
One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (Ac.19:15-16)
I have to agree with the girls: If Christ was here, present in the church, my friend would not have died. Therefore, since a hopeless life testifies of a Christ-less life, let us place Christ as Lord of our lives before more take their lives out of hopelessness.