Healing Community
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
As a fourth generation Pentecostal, healing is a very familiar concept to me. God’s promises of healing are as common to me as his provision for salvation; the same sacred crucifixion process that delivered humanity from sin and restored man’s relationship with God also provided for the healing of my body and restoration to its original intent, designed in the image of God. I have believed in the concept of divine healing, studied the theology of healing, experienced the power of divine healing in my life personally, and seen it at work in countless people around me. Like many other pentecostal believers, I have struggled to make sense of the suffering of those not healed. For me, this struggle began young as I watched my grandmother succumb to the effects of untreated cancer when I was only thirteen. Losing my baby sister just two years later fueled my internal battle, but my wrestle was not “does God heal” rather I grappled with the question, “why doesn’t God heal all the time”.
If I am honest, a similar question is at the root of my present inquiry. The scope of healing for me has broadened. While I still believe theologically and experientially that God heals our physical bodies, my faith has expanded to include healing for our minds, relationships, emotions, families, communities and institutions. Coming from a perspective of holistic faith, I am convinced that the work of Christ on calvary was not limited to a spiritual redemption, as significant as that is. Rather, I see that redemptive act appropriated to the holistic restoration of humanity to the image of God (imago dei) in which it was originally designed. I see this healing to include all aspects of the life of the individual, but because I am convinced that relationship is at the heart of the trinity and therefore the gospel, I also believe this healing extends to all aspects of the life of the community often referred to as the church. This is where the grappling returns for me. Like many of you, I struggle with why there is such brokenness inside the church, the metaphorical body of Christ, and why families, communities, churches, public organizations and social institutions continue to exist in disease. Does healing extend beyond the individual to the corporate? Is there healing for communities?
I believe that an honest interpretation of biblical theology answers a resounding yes to the question, even though the practical experience has often shouted no. Like so many other issues, I am inclined to believe that the biblical ideal is possible even though our historic experience has only produced impossibility. My hope for the present generation is that they would learn to appropriate the healing of Christ to their lives personally and then, walking in that restoration, share that freedom and wholeness communally. We have all heard the adage, “hurt people, hurt people”. I believe it is time for “healed people to heal people”. What would happen if Christians would learn to walk in healing, extend healing to others and use the healing power of the Spirit of God, alive and at work within them, to heal the communities in which they participate? How would that positive, healing ripple effect change our social institutions? How could healed leaders strengthen our communities and extend redemption to a broken world, still crying out for the awaited savior to restore all things (Romans 8:18-30)? What would happen if we not only hoped and waited for redemption, but became active participants with the spirit of God in healing the world? I am inclined to believe that is the essence of living refreshed and the first step in healing community.
