Should Christians take medicine ?

[Cornelius]

all those scriptures are i'm not saying that they arent at all. I learned a long time ago we have common sense and a brain, use them. Would you in right mind drink poison or let a snake bite you to see if a certian scripture is true, there are churches that do that.

jason

I know Jason, those "churches" have moved to "testing God" . You would know that Paul was bitten by a viper and just shook it off. He KNEW that the curse was indeed removed (if he believed it and acted accordingly ) Now if Paul looked for a viper and stuck his finger into the mouth of the snake, Paul would have died , even if he shook the viper off.

When you read how Christians were untouched in Communist countries, even when the guards in prison, gave them poison to drink (based on that scripture) and yet, if you would willfully go out and drink it to prove something, you will die.

When pastor Cho in Korea collapsed in the snow and thought he was going to die (he was on a missionary trip to a mountain village, on God's orders ) , he just went to sleep and the next morning woke up to find that God had sent a mountain lion to keep him warm . The lion just looked at him, got up and left. Cho said to his congregation : Do not try and sleep with the lion in the zoo (You would be testing God)

During this thread, I have noticed that people do not know the difference between "trust" and "test". They do not know that we are required to trust and believe God on what He says. They have been taught that , that trust, = testing. That is very sad, because they are loosing out on all the promises of God.

C

 

[jasoncran]

i have heard some of those testimonies. in your country you very little effective medicine and see that in your comments. I have prayed for and have been to church today where a member testified of praying for his back pain to go away and that pain did. So we in america do have that faith, but aslo believe that god uses docs. my chiropractors that worked on me are christains and prayed for me. I told them i wont live with type of pain i was healed over time and not at once.

jason

 

[Cornelius]

i have heard some of those testimonies. in your country you very little effective medicine and see that in your comments. I have prayed for and have been to church today where a member testified of praying for his back pain to go away and that pain did. So we in america do have that faith, but aslo believe that god uses docs. my chiropractors that worked on me are christains and prayed for me. I told them i wont live with type of pain i was healed over time and not at once.

jason

Most of the healing that happened in my life was "over time" as you put it. Sometimes the symptoms came back , but when I refused to take it back, the sickness left permanently.

I am always trying to get people to believe God (not just believing IN God ) There is a difference. Plus when we start believing God, we find out that we indeed lack faith. Faith is a gift, faith can be small, faith can grow, faith gets tested because it is indeed more valuable than gold. In times of trouble , when the "gold fails" and the medicine is not there, and doctors run scared , then all we have left is faith.

But when that time comes, I want to be tested already, I want to have grown in my faith by then. By then I really must be walking in faith and not starting out learning as a last resort.

When I need food and there is none. I need to know how " He shall provide all my needs......" work in reality (not just words on paper) I do not want to wait until I have no options BUT faith, to see if faith works. I need to practice and learn to walk in faith ..........NOW

 

[Drew]

...i am asking you questions for you to consider and answer back.

Sorry. I have become convinced you are ignoring what I write. Therefore, I see no profit in writing material that will be ignored.

 

[Cornelius]

i have heard some of those testimonies. in your country you very little effective medicine and see that in your comments.

I am sorry if I gave that impression. We are part of Africa, but we do not represent the WHOLE of Africa. South Africa, is the name of my country (I know its silly to stay in a country that is named after a direction , but that is what they call us)
In South Africa, you need money to get to good medicine. Remember my country gave the world the first heart transplant. But that does not mean that every South African has access to medical care. We have a very small wealthy population and the majority are poor. A small middle class as well.

If we go to a government facility because of lack of money, you are risking your life.

But my faith is not based on my need. I have the money for good and proper medical care.But I still believe the higher road is to trust my Father.

 

[jasoncran]

and we want to go goverment healthcare.

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

...i am asking you questions for you to consider and answer back.

Sorry. I have become convinced you are ignoring what I write. Therefore, I see no profit in writing material that will be ignored.

well drew God bless you then, but i hope in the future you will consider that just because someone disagrees compltely with you it does not mean they are ignoring what you post.

 

[Drew]

well drew God bless you then, but i hope in the future you will consider that just because someone disagrees compltely with you it does not mean they are ignoring what you post.

The fact that you do not engage my arguments is sufficient evidence that you are ignoring me - I am assuming nohing. If you weren't ignoring my arguments, we would see posts that actually engage them.

And yet we do not.

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

well drew God bless you then, but i hope in the future you will consider that just because someone disagrees compltely with you it does not mean they are ignoring what you post.

The fact that you do not engage my arguments is sufficient evidence that you are ignoring me - I am assuming nohing. If you weren't ignoring my arguments, we would see posts that actually engage them.

And yet we do not.

drew peace to you in Christ Jesus. i do not understand exactly the contention here because i have directly engaged your agruments and then moved on to asking you questions about your arguements, why you believe i have not i do not know but either way there is no good in having contentions between brethern about such things so i pray for peace and truth between us in Christ Jesus our Lord

 

[Drew]

....there is no good in having contentions between brethern about such things so i pray for peace and truth between us in Christ Jesus our Lord

I agree and I apologize for probably pushing my point a little too far in the last post.

 

[Tina]

.

I wish I don't have to take sinus pill every morning.... Costs US $ 1.5 per pill ......

Well dear sister, let me be the one who gives you the good news. You have been healed at the cross already.1Pe 2:24 ....... by whose stripes ye were healed.
If you can believe that the Word is true and that Jesus indeed already healed you at the cross, you may have that healing. And its paid for, you do not have to pay even $1.5

If you believe, then I will pray for you and you WILL be healed.

C

I just wanna share with everyone here that since I shared my sinus problem on Sept 15 and Cornelius prayed for me , I have applied faith and stopped taking the sinus pill. I used to take a pill every single day, without which, I cannot last a day without nose allergies, blocked nose and breathing problems. But since Sept 15, I reduced my intake to a pill every few days, then it was once a week, then it was once a fortnight. Thank God that for the past 1 month I did not take a single pill and had no nose problems despite the monsoon and cold weather going on in my country every day.


Praise the Lord for HIs Healing ! ..... 3 2 .......... :amen


.

 

[follower of Christ]

Wonderful to hear, Tina

While I dont agree with those who think that this 'by His stripes we are healed' passage has to do with physical healing, nor do I believe that we are owed physical healing by God....what about folks whose arms and legs have been torn or cut off ? Dont they deserve a healing too ?....I do believe that God heals when it suits HIS purpose...and when He does it is a wonderful thing.

 

[Cornelius]

Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

We agreed and it was done
Praise God

C

 

[AAA]

Christians, like anyone else, shouldn't take medicine until they have an understanding of what they can expect if they do not take the medicine, and what they can expect if they do.

If, after this risk/benefit consideration, they are more likely to be better off with the medicine, then they should take it.

Got bacterial meningitis? You'd be fool not to take appropriate antibiotics.

Got a blood clot in your left anterior descending coronary artery? You'd be a fool not to have an immediate angioplasty.

But adults of all faiths and non-believers alike make foolish choices all the time.

What really irritates me is when parents make foolish choices for their children. Ava Worthington was 2 yrs old when she died of a case of eminently treatable bacterial pneumonia. The only people she had to rely on to make good decisions for her were her parents, and they chose to treat her with prayer and anointing. When her condition wasn't improving, other congregation members came to the house to do the same, but at no point, even when she was near death, did anybody ever call a doctor, or an ambulance. If you're interested in learning more about this story, and other stories about members of the Followers of Christ, including numerous children, dying because they insist on receiving only "treatments" that were available 2000 years ago, just google her name, or check out Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Followers_of_Christ)

So what went wrong in this little girl's case? Did her parents just not have enough "faith", or were they bamboozled by a religion that, like all religions, cannot be distinguished from myth?

Do you think that they were guilty of manslaughter, stupidity, both, of not having enough "faith", or nothing at all?

 

[jasoncran]

to aaa, i think that those persons should be charged with child neglect and or muder if they fail to seek medical help in a country that has the capibilites to treat.

yes we can pray for the healing, and we may recieve, i dont think that lord overides common sense. what if you are say just had you arm severed at the biceps. and bright red or orange blood is oozing out. should you sit there and pray or if possible seek help from someone who knows first aid while other call 911. the color of the blood tells the emt that the artery has been severed and the victim needs a turninquet and blood. the human heart will pump out most of the blood in minutes in that situation.

so why i do believe that god heals, and that is for today he has let some go through cancer and all manner of illness to get others saved. what if by our fleshly suffering we have joy and the unbeliving docs see that joy and are in awe of why at the door of death is that christain have joy. they decide to ask and learn and recieve christ!

 

[follower of Christ]

Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

We agreed and it was done
Praise God

C

hmmmm...
so if my wife and I ask for anything together 'it shall be done', right
And if we ask together for a legless man to get his leg back

And apparently there IS condition...

You ask and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it upon your lusts.
(James 4:3 MKJV)

...ie GOD is the final judge whether we receive or not, I would think
.

 

[Cornelius]

Yes of course there is a condition We are not to ask to fulfill our lusts. For the rest we are in God's will to ask and we will receive. Even legs , IF you have the faith that goes with that request. A double minded man shall receive nothing as James teaches us.

Tina's previous health issue is now healed because wanting to be healthy is not a lust of the flesh. Being healthy is being without the curse (unless you see sickness as a blessing ! )Tina simply accepted what Jesus had already done for her at the cross, where Jesus became that curse for us, so that we do not have to suffer under it today.
Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

but this is only for believers in this truth ! Christians who do not believe this to be so, cannot enter into the benefit Hbr 3:19 And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.

 

[Cornelius]

By the way, you should read some of the history of the church in Korea, where God indeed made the legs of an amputee grow back.

I 100% believe that NOTHING is impossible for God and NOTHING is impossible for those who believe in the DONE works of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Its when we have no faith in what the promises say that we get nothing.
Mat 17:20 And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Notice that nothing shall be impossible for ..............YOU. Nothing means nothing. God does not need a language lesson to correct Him ! He means NOTHING .

God said it:............ I believe it.

 

[follower of Christ]

Yes of course there is a condition We are not to ask to fulfill our lusts. For the rest we are in God's will to ask and we will receive. Even legs , IF you have the faith that goes with that request. A double minded man shall receive nothing as James teaches us.

I think you should start reading ENTIRE passages, C, rather that cherry picking out partial quotes here ;)
The James passage is about asking for WISDOM, not Lt Dans new legs ;)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
(James 1:5-8 EMTV)

Context....gotta love and hate it ;)

 

[follower of Christ]

God said it:............ I believe it.

No....God said a few things that you distorted into promises of new legs for all.
Can you show us one single instance of God giving ANYONE a new leg ?
One documented case at all that we can verify ?