"A church that heals the world" (Luke 9:6)

Jesus clearly defined the reason why He came to this earth:
"I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent".

However, Jesus did not just proclaim the good news. He also healed the sick, drove out demons, and even raised the dead.

He turned water into wine when there was no more wine at a wedding banquet, fed a vast number of hungry people, and above all, declared our sins to be forgiven (Mark 2:5). His ministry involved healing the world. He was not alone in this ministry – He bestowed the same mission upon His disciples.

Jesus gave His disciples “power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1~2). The disciples did as they were told and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere (Luke 9:6). Even the demons submitted to them (Luke 10:17,20). Jesus’ ministry of evangelism and healing was imparted to them. This ministry that was carried out by Jesus and His disciples was passed down from the first church in Jerusalem to our church today.

Our society is in pain as time goes by. It is hurting in all sorts of places. Pathologies are prevalent everywhere.

Injustice, falsity, and corruption are escalating rather than being rooted out. Distrust, conflict, and confrontation are intensifying instead of being resolved. Degraded moral ethics, rampant violence, decadent and vile cultures are being disseminated even to our children. Abnormality is being accepted as and replacing normality. We live in a critically ill society that is in dire need of healing. People seem to be taken by demons and possessed by legions of demons. There is a dire need for the church to follow Jesus’ footsteps and reach out a healing hand, just like Jesus went to the region of the Gerasenes. The times are calling for us to fervently engage in the church’s mission of evangelism and healing.

Much prayer is needed for the construction of the new church building, which will mark a milestone in the history of our church. However, we need to pray even further for the healing of this world and proactively seek the things we can do to make it possible.