How did the Church get to where she is today? Rev. Moses Aransiola, Senior Pastor, Gethsemane Prayer Ministries, who has been an active national player in the Church since his student days when the Church had power, chronicles the factors the factors responsible for our descent into powerlessness and how the tide can be turned.
INTRODUCTION
Christianity from its early stages has been known for its redemptive and deliverance influence upon nations and people. Jesus Christ and His apostles were men of power, miracles, and the supernatural. Above this, Christianity is the only faith that has been known to transform humans and communities from sinners to saints and from rebels to children of God.
About fifty years ago, the average person on the streets respected the Church and Christians for piety and supernatural power. Human problems that defied local or traditional solutions were often referred to churches. Then the Church was known for godliness and problem-solving spiritual power.
Sadly, things have not been the same in the Church of Christ since the inception and propagation of the worldly gospel or what some have unrepentantly branded the 'social gospel'. The common trait of this gospel is to put the desires of man or the convenience of man above the teaching and commandments of God in the Bible. This perverted gospel presents God as existing to serve the worldly fancies and fantasies of man once he becomes a 'Christian'. With such a gospel, prayer becomes only a means to having our way and getting whatever we want in life. The blood of Christ is presented as merely to save man from demonic oppression and move him from poverty to prosperity and from the difficult life to the easy life. Serving God and living sacrificially for His pleasure in this world is never the theme of such a gospel. Practical and radical repentance from sin is often downplayed, but blessings and prosperity are promised to those who give good offerings. This is the modern gospel that is being patronized by many.
The polluting and disempowering effects of such a gospel message as described above is one of the major causes of the embarrassing powerlessness of the Church today. We have amassed so-called wealth and prosperity, but have lost the real and tangible presence and power of God. In pride, we have fed and overfed our ego and lust to the point that, like Samson, we did not know when the presence and power of God exited our lives and churches. Yes, we continue to gather, run our programs and pretend as if all is well. But the pretense of Samson will become obvious to all when the Philistines show up and he has no power to confront or stop them.
Many Philistines are confronting the Church today. But the Delilah of over-bloated ego and fleshly lust has succeeded in shaving away the power of God from our heads. Consequently, we have been turned into ordinary men and ordinary religious congregations, now vulnerable to the plights and sufferings of ordinary mortals.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US?
An average believer today asks questions bordering on the Christian faith. They find it difficult to reconcile what they have read in the Bible with what is happening in the Church today. What about the mighty miracles that Jesus did while in the flesh? Jesus walked on the sea, healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, and opened blind eyes. People have also heard about mighty men of miracles like Alexander Dowie, A. A. Allen, Benson Idahosa, John G. Lake, Keneth E. Hagin, and others.
Today, the power for signs and wonders seem to be very scarce in Christendom. The question then is, “What has happened to Christianity or the Church?” Christians who ought to be healing the sick are lying sick in hospitals themselves. This situation has led to many people asking questions about the supposed divine or healing power of the Church. The situation in the days of Prophet Jeremiah was exactly like this. The people of Israel continued to wallow in idolatry and its social and spiritual consequences. According to the prophet, the situation begs the question: “Is not the Lord in Zion?” If the Lord had been in Zion, His people would have been healed of their bodily afflictions and their social calamities.
When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me. Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered ? (Jer. 8:18-22).
As Jeremiah lamented, God replied and said that He gave up on his people; He allowed the oppression to happen and continue because of their unabated idolatry, apostacy and iniquity. In other words, there is no curse without a cause. Sin is usually the root, source and cause of human suffering. Meanwhile the people kept asking the question: “Is there no God in Zion?” After several prophecies that raised their hopes had failed to materialize, the people kept asking the same question: 'Is The Lord still in Zion?'
In verse 21, Jeremiah himself identified with the suffering of the people. He said “I am hurt…” A normal minister of God must feel the hurt of the people of God in this times and be concerned about what is going on despite his own personal hurt, because he is a burden bearer.
Today, the social effects of Covid-19 and attendant government lockdowns in most countries is creating fear, anxiety and panic in the hearts of many. Many people have become economically stranded and some are dying even before real death reaches them. Some have become hypertensive and some people are suffering from insomnia because of the fear of the unknown. The fear of death and of contacting the dreaded virus is very pervasive globally.
In the midst of this pandemic, one would want to wonder what has become of the power of God in the Church. Where is the miracle power we read about in the Bible and in the history books of revival? In verse 22 of the above passage, Jeremiah himself asked the question, “Is there no healing medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” If there were physicians, why then is the physical and social health of the people not recovered?”
Jeremiah 30:13, 15 says, “There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines. Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.”
If we apply verse 13 to Nigeria, God is asking “Are there no ministers or intercessors in Nigeria who can stand in the gap, standing between the living and the dead? Is there anybody who can plead the cause of Nigeria, Africa and the global world before the living God? Are there people standing on the walls of cities, praying and holding unto the Lord for salvation, healing and deliverance?
In verse 15, God responded saying that He allowed these things to happen because of the sins of His people. Sin and rebellion against God have always been the cause of human suffering and affliction. Biblically, we cannot separate the global scourge of the Coronavirus pandemic from the sins and the rebellion of the modern age. Fortunately, God has always relented whenever men have repented. The people of Nineveh repented and God relented in His judgment against the city.
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not (Jonah 3:5-10).
In verses 16 and 17 of Jeremiah 30, we see the promise of restoration and healing. “Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after”.
Prophet Jeremiah saw the hurt, frustration and the sufferings of the people of his days. He saw people sick, wounded and broken who needed healing. Jeremiah's question in our earlier passage is an intercessory and prophetic search for hope and a plea for healing.
WHAT IS A BALM?
The Bible used the term 'balm' metaphorically as an example of something with healing or soothing power. A balm is a variant of medicine used especially as a pain reliever.
WHAT IS THE BALM OF GILEAD?
The Balm of Gilead is an oily gum or resin extracted from the Balsam tree or shrub of the Gilead region of Israel. Gilead was a mountainous part of ancient Palestine, east of Jordan. When people were sick in those days, they went to Gilead for its healing balm. Gilead was the region of Israel that dispensed healing to the whole nation of Israel.
Contemporarily, we can use Gilead to symbolize the Body of Christ. This means that the Body Christ is the modern day Gilead for the whole world. When the world needs healing for the diverse maladies that plague it, it should look up to the Body of Christ for healing power. There should be healing in this New Testament Gilead – the Body of Christ.
The Balsam tree is a shrub in the desert, not too tall, with scanty foliage and very inconspicuous. It is not profitable for any purpose: it has no shade because it is not a tall tree, neither is it beautiful because it has thorns and it does not bear fruit. Therefore, it can be easily despised or neglected. But upon wounding it or cutting its branch or stem, out flows a precious gum or balm which is highly medicinal. It is what the prophet refers to as the Balm in Gilead. This is a perfect prophetic picture of Jesus, the Son of God, and the real Balm in Gilead. The Bible says in Isaiah 52:2-3, “He grew up in His presence like a young tree, like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty (beauty) that would make us to look at (desire) Him. He had nothing in His appearance that would make us desire Him. He was despised and rejected by people. He was a man of sorrows familiar with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn't consider Him to be worth anything.
However, verse 5 of Isaiah 53 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”.
The greatest mistake of Satan was to have instigated wicked men to crucify the King of glory. As the soldiers pierced the side of Jesus, a mixture of water and blood flowed out. As the blood of Jesus flowed out through the several wounds and stripes inflicted on Him before and at crucifixion, healing power for the nations and peoples also flowed out with it. This healing power becomes the solution for the sin and sickness problem of man. Sin, sickness of the soul and body all answer to the flow that came from Emmanuel's side – our perfect BALM OF GILEAD.
IMPLICATIONS OF JEREMIAH'S LAMENTATIVE QUESTIONS
Jeremiah asked, “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered (Jer. 8: 22).
The prophet's question above expresses both the spoken and unspoken questions in the minds of people in contemporary times. The people seem to be asking:
- Is there no more power or anointing or help from the Church, the Body of Christ? An average believer goes to church and comes back with his problem. When you go to gospel crusades, you'll see many people come into the crusade ground on wheelchairs, apparently attracted by the advertisement and announcements that the sick would be healed, the lame would walk and the blind would see. But this same people would return home in the same condition, not healed as advertised. This raises a lot of questions in the minds of people; they wonder and ask in astonishment “Is there no more power and help from the Body of Christ which is the Church of the living God?”
- Why does it appear as if the Church has become helpless and clueless in the face of mounting and daunting national and global challenges?
- Can we still expect any personal, community or national solution from God's Mount Zion?
- Where are God's mighty miracle workers as we had in the days of old?
- Where are other God's anointed and compassionate soul savers and soul healers like Billy Graham, T. L Osborn, Benson Idahosa, A. A. Allen, E. A. Adeboye, and W. F. Kumuyi?
- If the nations of the world are helpless, should God's Church also be helpless? If the science and technological wizardry, ingenuity and creativity of the world are now helpless and prostrate before an ordinary virus like COVID-19, should God's Church also be helpless?
- We no longer see our signs; real miracles have become so scarce. Is there no balm in Gilead?
THERE IS STILL BALM IN GILEAD
- There is still a healing balm in Gilead - the Church.
- This balm is no longer the physical ointment from Gilead, but a person - Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- He is both the Balm and the Physician and He is still in Gilead – His Church.
- He was nailed to a tree, wounded and pierced; blood and water flowed from His wounded side – this is the balm for the healing of the nations and peoples.
As many as believed in all these truths and invoked the powers thereof have received their healings. When Jesus is adequately and correctly preached, declared and lifted, He acts in healing, deliverance, salvation, and miracles.
WHY THERE'S BALM SCARCITY IN GOD'S CHURCH
1. Ministers More Popular than Christ
One of the problems in churches today is that the ministers of the gospel are projected more than Christ. Almost everything about church today revolves around the man of God, and not Christ. Jesus no longer has the biblical preeminence in His own Church, bought and washed with His own blood.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (Col. 1:18).
As long as Jesus is overshadowed by men, He will withdraw His presence and power, allowing us to run our church the way we choose. Billboards and programme brochures today carry the very large and loud pictures of ministers who have literally become more popular than Christ. Consequently, people now put their faith in the religious leaders advertised rather than in Christ, the Redeemer. As long as this usurpation of Christ's place continues in the Church; we will continue to have the problems of powerlessness and irrelevancy plaguing us today. As long as we don't hide behind the lowly man of Galilee and make Him the focal point by projecting Him, we will continue to have scarcity of healing balm in Gilead.
2. Worshiping the Gift of God
According to Ephesians 4, ministers are gifts of God to the Body of Christ. They are to serve the body and not to be worshipped as it is done today. In the writings of Paul the Apostle, he would often refer to himself and his co-labourers as servants and even slaves of Christ.
Sadly, undiscerning church folks have over-celebrated their ministers to the point of worshipping and making them more popular, respected and feared than Christ. For example, except the church leadership invites certain very popular men of God as speakers in their conferences and programs, the members may not attend. There is more faith in the man of God than in the God of the man. That is the error in the Church today. Preachers are more popular, respected and more celebrated than Christ. Christ- like humility is gone with the winds. Men with overbloated egos, full of themselves are now our popular 'men of God'.
3. The 'Death' of Real Intercessory Prayers
Someone once said, “If on Sunday morning a church in a city is packed to capacity with people jostling for space to attend three different services, the pastor of that church is very popular.” He said, “If on Sunday evening, the same church is packed full with people maybe for only one service, then the church is popular and important in that city.” He further said, “If on Wednesday or Thursday prayer day, the same church is full for an intercessory meeting where they are praying for real salvation of souls and the healing of the nations, then Jesus Christ is popular”. This is so because Jesus is known for soul-saving or intercessory prayers. He prayed while alive, He prayed at His baptism and His last breath was prayer. Presently in heaven, Christ is praying. The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25 “… he ever liveth to make intercession….” That intercessory prayer will not cease until the day the Church is raptured. He is in an everlasting intercession for the work He left behind on earth. Identification with intercessory prayer is identification with Christ. But sadly speaking, real, active intercessory prayer has died or is gradually dying in our churches. If it is not miracle prayers, no one is interested. The end-result of course, is power shortage on the pulpit.
4. Grieving God Through Stage-Managed Miracles And Rehearsed Prophesies
Nothing insults and grieves God's Spirit more than people faking and stage-managing miracles and claiming that God is the one responsible for them. We have seen how these modern day godless, faithless, prayerless, powerless, fearless and reckless 'pastors' and 'prophets' unashamedly pay people and make them act as if they're sick and afflicted and after 'prayers' by the 'man of God; excitedly jump and shout for 'joy' that they've been healed and delivered during crusades and services! Our newspapers are awash with the news of such gospel-damaging and God-insulting actions of these spiritually bankrupt and perverted 'ministers'.
We can't even begin to talk about the modern trend of pre-conceived and pre-rehearsed 'prophecies' and 'word of knowledge' that deal only with the materialistic and superstitious fancies of the people. Occultic and fetish practices to grow churches are now common place in our cities.
So why would God be involved in our gatherings when we can now arrange and perform our own miracles, grow our churches and give prophecies as we please?
5. A Return to What Matters
The Lord revealed to me recently that unless the Church returns to four important things, the siege over her may not be lifted. God may show mercy momentarily but the Church will run into greater problems later if these four important things are continually neglected. The Lord said to me that for there to be meaningful deliverance and healing for the Church, we must:
(I) return to the real ministry of intercession for souls
(ii) return to the ministry of soul-saving evangelism
(iii) return to the preaching of holiness, and
(iv) the raising of true disciples for Kingdom work. Unless the Church returns to these four cardinal mandates, she will continue to be irrelevant and God's power will not manifest as it should.
Today, men are busy running religious activities not knowing that they have locked the owner of the Church outside His Church. The owner of the Church says in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Let him that has ears hear what the Spirit is saying to His Church and to His shepherds.
CONCLUSION
The miracle and healing power of God is still available today for the salvation of nations. The Church is being called upon today to return to the ancient Christian practices that made the miraculous power of God commonplace in the days of the apostles and the saints of old. Such power generating practices as intercessory prayer, the preaching of holiness, raising of disciples and soul winning evangelism can no longer be compromised if we must see the miracle power of God in our churches again. The present COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for the Church to prove to the world that there is still balm in Gilead.
PART 2: HOW TO CONNECT WITH THE BALM OF GILEAD: WHAT TO KNOW AND DO
1. Christ's Balm Is Fragrant and Precious
·Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner (1 Peter 2:6-7).
Hold Christ in high esteem, regard Him as precious. Do not mess up the Christ that dwells in you. How can you take a part of Christ to the bed of fornication? How can you take a part of Christ and give it to a harlot? Everywhere you go, Christ follows you. How can you carry the indwelling Christ to a bed of adultery? Sadly speaking, this is what many people do. They don't regard Him as precious and fear Him; therefore, He cannot manifest in their lives and in their midst. To some, Christ is there, but there is still pride, covetousness, greed, enmity, unforgiveness and bitterness within as well. Christ will not manifest in our lives once we do not regard Him as precious. Once you hold Him in high esteem, live like Him, regard Him and revere Him, He naturally manifests.
2. Like the Physical Balm, This spiritual Balm Has Marvelous Curative Powers
·As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider (Isa 52:14-15).
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Col 1:20).
3. Just as the Physical Balm Is Derived from the Balsam Tree; Not Just Any Tree Can Produce This Balm, but a Special Tree – the Cross
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:2).
The preaching of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation. If you want the balm to flow, preach the Cross – the tree. Christ was nailed to a tree. Gilead's balm oozed out of the Balsam tree. Preach and emphasize the life, ministry, the wound, the stripes, the death and the resurrection of Christ. Prosperity message cannot heal, motivational message cannot heal, they can only fill your head with so much knowledge and tickle your fancy, but they can't heal sin and sickness. It is only the preaching of the Cross that can do that.
The Late Archbishop Benson Idahosa told us a beautiful story in those days. He said Evangelist T. L. Osborn was ministering somewhere in India with thousands gathered. There was an old man in the crowd blind from his youth. Who was brought there by his grandson. T. L. Osborn as usual preached about Christ and the Cross. He preached about Christ; he described the holy one, the righteous one, a good man and compassionate, going about doing good. He preached about how Jesus healed the sick, walked upon the sea and eventually how wicked men arrested Him, tried Him and hung Him on the Cross.
As he was preaching, the blind man who was following him mentally and emotionally, suddenly became overwhelmed with sorrow about how such a good man would be killed. He was so touched that he began to weep, and as he took out his handkerchief to wipe away his tears, from his eyes, the eyes just popped opened and he was able to see clearly. At that moment he began to shout that he could now see clearly. When he came on the stage to share his testimony, his testimony led to the miraculous healing of many other people. The healing balm was at work because Christ was projected.
4. The balm is good for all diseases and plagues.
5. It is easy to apply.
6. It had to be applied by faith, prayer, and in righteousness.
This balm that flows from the Cross of Christ can heal our nations, lands, relationships, business, careers, bodies, souls and our wounds. In Bible times when Jesus was on earth, he healed blind Bartimaeus, delivered Mary Magdalene from evil spirits, raised Lazarus from the dead, and healed the woman with the issue of blood amongst other miracles too numerous to list. The Balm of Gilead is in heaven today but still heals through His saints on earth. His balm is still in Gilead.
BALM OF GILEAD SPECIAL PRAYERS
Lord, keep the Cross of Christ perpetually in my view; keep me near that Cross, help me to live out the crucified life and preach the crucified Christ.
Father, help your Church either through pressure or through pleasure (of our own volition) to return to the mandates of holiness, discipleship, intercession and radical evangelism, in Jesus' name.
Lord Jesus Christ, because of the mounting affliction, oppression and wounds in your Church today, please, in mercy, let your healing Balm of Gilead flow in our midst like never before.
I invoke and apply to healing balm of Gilead to deal with all my life injuries and challenges, in Jesus' name. Lord, let your balm of Gilead flow across the length and breadth of Nigeria, Africa and our world bringing forth supernatural and uncommon healings and deliverances to the sick and the dying, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
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