Last week, in our sermon series, Simply Jesus, we covered the eye-opening and controversial reality of demonic possession, oppression and influence in today’s world. Several were affected deeply by that message. As part of the message, we saw a powerful video clip of an exorcism. For those who want to see the full program you can watch it online by clicking on this link:http://abc.go.com/watch/primetime-nightline-beyond-belief/SH55131205/VD55136065/battle-with-the-devil
If you missed that message, you can listen to it here: http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia//wp-content/uploads/sermons/How_to_Act_with_Authority_over_Evil.mp3
This Sunday, we will turn our attention to the powerful subject of divine healing. As always, we won’t be able to cover every aspect of this fascinating biblical truth, but as we study through the gospel of Mark we will have other opportunities to revisit this reality. We will have a special time of prayer for healing this Sunday, so please pray for this service, that God will bring healing in our lives in a powerful way.
We will also celebrate baptisms this Sunday, so it will be a GREAT DAY at Crosswalk Church. In fact, although we say this often, this truly will be a perfect time to invite someone to worship with you!
Speaking of healing, there was a tremendous study done recently regarding the level of depression across a span of many nations. In an article dated July 26, 2011, ABC news reports that “The old adage that money can't buy happiness may be true not only for individuals, but for society as a whole, according to new international research on depression."
In what is called a “global collaborative study” on depression that featured a whopping 89,000 interviews with people from 18 different countries all across the economic spectrum; the conclusions showed a remarkable similarity among the nations studied as well as a shocking difference that caught many researchers in their unawares (how embarrassing!).
First, the remarkable similarity: The researchers found that depression has the same debilitating effect on people regardless of their economic status. This makes perfect sense to me, because people are people wherever they live. But the researches thought it to be quite remarkable. “One of the things (they) …found most striking however, was the extent to which people from all different nations seemed to respond to depression with similar levels of impairment -- that is, depression negatively affected citizens' ability to work, have meaningful relationships and in general live their lives…” This is one of the many reasons to have a biblical worldview. The Bible teaches that ALL PEOPLE are created in the image and likeness of God, and all people have the same sin nature, regardless of their environment. This is why God’s truth revealed to the ancient agrarian communities in the Bible speak to us so clearly today!
Psalm 42:5-8 (NLT)- Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— …But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.
But now, the shocking difference: “Researchers found that… wealthier nations tend to have a higher incidence of depression among their citizens when compared with middle-income or poorer nations… The United States and France were the leading most-depressed nations, with a prevalence of depression five times what was reported for less wealthy nations like Mexico and China.”
Of course, the researchers were somewhat bewildered by this turn of events, but they did speculate as to why wealthier nations suffered from more depression:
1. "Wealthier nations ... are industrialized nations where individuals rely less on family support for everything from childcare to marital advice. There is a well known link between social support being a protective factor against depression," says Dr. Sudeepta Varma. This makes perfect sense. God created us for community. We are better together! Strong nuclear families and strong church families help us with our mental health!!
2. Dr. Varma also said, "I also believe that poorer nations may look to religious/spiritual beliefs for comfort, also a protective factor." Of course this is true! The more secular a nations becomes, the less people rely on God, the more debilitating will be the depression. Make no mistake, spiritual people suffer depression as well, but we do have God as our shield, and the spiritual protection he provides!
3. Dr. Gary Kennedy speculated that in wealthier nations, the expectations are so much greater. In other words, we so easily tend to compare ourselves with others, and in wealthier nations there is a great disparity which negatively affects our mental health. Clearly, this is also a factor. The spiritual answer to this is found in the words of Jesus: “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own…” (Luke 12:15).
The church of Jesus was always meant to be a place of healing and hope! May the Lord richly bless your week!
Love in Jesus,
Pastor John
No comments:
Post a Comment