Our Story, Part Twenty-Nine (Maintaining Homeostasis Through Love)

"I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all of God's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure with all of the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more then all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen"
(Ephesians 3:16-21)

I really couldn't understand at first why God was showing me all of these things, pertaining to the condition of the body of Christ.  It was evident that He was trying to get my attention for some reason, yet I couldn't see how this connected to Kaylee's healing. A couple of days after God so vividly connected the condition of Kaylee's body to the condition of the body of Christ for me, it suddenly dawned on me that this was exactly where we had started. ....Isaiah 58! 

"If you will do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and

satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like noonday.  The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame." (verses 9&10)

Clearly God has always felt strongly about how we treat one another, especially the weak, poor and oppressed.  As I read this chapter again, in its entirety, the resounding message seemed to be that we can fast, pray and seek God's face all day long, but He does not even hear us if we aren't living a life of love toward one another (in action, not idle words.) 

"Your fasting ends with quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fist.  You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high." (verse 4)

It later goes on to say that when we are living our lives out as He has instructed us to do, in love toward one another: "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here I am." (verse 9)

It was a powerful message for me, and I have to say that during this time, while I was so desperate for my prayers to be heard, I was afraid to speak negatively against anyone.  God most definitely had my attention throughout this seven month period. I would later understand completely why God was revealing all of this to me and how it connected to Kaylee's healing.  

I have always had a love for science, especially the study of the human body.  I find it fascinating the way that God designed and orchestrated every intricate detail and the process of how it all works together. I also love the comparisons made in the Bible between the human body and the body of Christ.  It truly gives us a picture of how the church is intended to function, and the more you study anatomy and physiology, the more it all makes perfect sense.  

There is a scientific term called homeostasis, which further helps explain how the body functions. Homeostasis refers to the ability of the body to maintain relatively stable internal conditions even though the outside world or external conditions change continuously.  As I go on to explain how the process works within the human body, I want you to consider the condition of the body of Christ and why we might have an auto-immune condition. I have highlighted some key words. 

When our body's needs are met and the internal system is functioning as intended, homeostatic balance exist, keeping our bodies healthy and safe   from the dangers of the external environment. Maintaining such a level of stability requires ongoing communication where every exiting part (cell, organ, system) work together as a unit.  One of the greatest threats to this stability comes in the form of various invasions or "attacks" led by numerous/various external forces.  Homeostasis is so important, in fact, that most disease is regarded as a result of its disturbance.  

For the purpose of keeping these remarkably designed systems intact, an intricate system, consisting of a diverse arrangement of molecules and trillions of immune cells, was carefully designed and put into place by the hand of God. This system has the complex job of determining what belongs in the body and what does not. This miraculous system known as the immune system has had the job of being the on-going support and defender of the body for centuries.  Yet recently we have witnessed an alarming increase in the breakdown and dysfunction of this system. Without explanation, this innate system, which was created to fight for us and defend us, is suddenly losing its ability to distinguish what belongs in the body from what does not belong.  In other words, it no longer recognizes the truth. 

Let's imagine, if you will, what would happen if the human body began to act like many churches today. Let's suppose the liver, for example, has been infected by a potentially deadly, external bacteria. What is the immune system (or the church) called to do?  First of all, the immune system must recognize the foreign object that has invaded the body.  It must identify the enemy and proceed to defend. So let's imagine the problem the body would have if the immune system did not recognize this potentially deadly, enemy attack.  What if the immune system began to believe that perhaps the liver had been called to this suffering or that the liver was being disciplined by God and it should not interfere? If the immune system does not recognize the truth and act accordingly, the result is a breakdown of the entire system resulting in homeostatic imbalance. The end result would be disease, first of the liver, but eventually to the entire body!  The primary job of the immune system begins with the recognition of what belongs in the body and what does not. 

As I have said before, the belief that, as Christians, we are simply called to endure disease joyfully is one of the great misconceptions in the church today!  The reason that I have continued to emphasize this point throughout my blog is because, not only did this misconception almost stop me from praying for Kaylee's healing, Satan would try to use this lie one last time, in the final hours, to try and stop this healing from taking place.  I cannot help but wonder how many times this subtle deception of the enemy has been used to stop our prayers for healing.  As disease continues to multiply throughout the body of Christ, we have got to be able to recognize that this is a foreign invader, a deadly enemy attack, not a calling on our lives! We have got to recognize the difference between what belongs in the body and what does not!  I want to state one final time for the record: Disease does not belong in the body!

Disease is not the only external attack that goes unrecognized within the body of Christ.  How often do we see a brother or sister suffering and turn away or remove our compassion because we believe that it must be God's will? If you will remember, there was a time when my husband lost his job (the 4th time) and we also lost our medical insurance with a baby on the way.  The day after this job lay-off, my Bible study leader informed me, in an indirect way, that I was being disciplined by God.  I had come to this Bible study, desperately needing support and encouragement, yet nobody prayed with me or reached out to our family in any way. I left that Bible study feeling weaker than when I had arrived, and I could not bring myself to go back for some time. This was the overwhelming response of the church throughout most of that excruciatingly hard time in my life.  It was only that rare individual who reached out in love and threw us a lifeline!  

How often do we confuse an external attack or a  

consequence of living in a sinful, fallen world with God's will or discipline?  I do not believe it is our job to determine who is deserving of anything.  It is our job (as the immune system of the church) to reach out in love and to do all that we can to defend and protect one another from the on-going effects of the external environment - a world where Satan rules. (Ephesians 2:2, II Corinthians 4:4, I John 5:19).  Of course there will be times when a person is responsible for his own difficult circumstances. If this is the case, we can gently point them in the right direction as Jesus did.   

There are times when we may be called to suffering for Christ and there are also times that God does discipline His children. I don't believe, however, that we will ever hinder or thwart God's plan by responding with love and compassion or by meeting a need. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails..."  (I Corinthians 13: 4-8)

In order to maintain homeostasis in the body of Christ, we must see that the needs of our brothers and sisters are adequately met.  I am sure that there have been times when I have helped people who may have been solely responsible for their own circumstances. Yet I cannot tell you the number of times God has helped me when I was solely responsible for my own circumstances! I have always said that, if I should error concerning the wounded and broken, I pray it will always be on the side of love and mercy, not judgement.  I can't envision anyone standing before the throne of God and being judged for showing too much love and mercy toward someone who was undeserving.   

God is very clear on this subject:    

"But whoever has the world's good, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his compassion for him, how does the love of God remain in him?" (I John 3:17)

"If a brother or sister is in need of clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them: 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (James 2:15&16)

When my son was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes, the explanation (theory) that was given to me was that most likely a foreign invader (bacteria, fungi, virus) had attacked his pancreas and that his immune system had mistakenly targeted the pancreas instead of the foreign invader. Isn't that interesting? How often do we do this very thing when a brother or sister is under an external attack? How often do we join in the attack by gossiping and throwing stones at another member instead of reaching out in love?  If we saw the true value of each and every member of the body, and if we loved with all of our hearts, this would never happen.  The key to bringing healing and maintaining homeostasis within the body of Christ is to always walk in love toward one another!  

In the final days before my birthday, the battle over Kaylee's life greatly intensified!  Kaylee began to go downhill again, and this did not make sense to me.  It was hard to hang on to the faith that this was about to be over.  Yet what God had been putting together, through our united prayers and fasting, was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. We were all about to witness the miracle of a healthy, fully-functioning body of Christ (and immune system) filled to the measure with all of the fullness of God and operating in genuine love! I still get chills thinking about it! 

As I have said before, there is great power in persistent prayer!  There is tremendous strength in numbers and unity!  But it is the power of LOVE  that the enemy cannot stand against!