[Scripture: James 5:13-20]
How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle?
That’s a question that thousands of people want to know the answer to. The answer from medical experts is to keep eating healthy and do proper exercise. Eating good nutritious food and taking a fresh breath in a park is essential to us staying healthy and active because poor nutrition could impair our health and reduce physical function. Most people know if you eat a double cheeseburger and french fries everyday and sit on your couch all day long, it can increase the risk of developing many health problems.
What about maintaining a healthy Christian spiritual life?
We know the biblical answer. A Christian should try to maintain good and healthy spiritual habits which keep our soul and spirit uplifted. Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus… May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is the original intention of God’s plan for us when He created us.
That is the reason why you and I should let the joy and peace of God guard our hearts and protect ourselves from negative thoughts such as fear of uncertainty and anxieties about the health issues, even in the time of the global Coronavirus pandemic.
In this pandemic, we have many guidelines that help us protect ourselves from the danger of the virus, which is to practice social distancing, wash your hands, and receive the vaccination. According to the CDC recommendation, vaccination is one of the best ways to help stop the pandemic.
Vaccination
January 21, 2020, the first case of COVID was confirmed in the state of Washington, and the pandemic evolved and progressed through the year. Since then, Coronavirus has brought fear and panic, but now the statistics tells us that vaccination is steadily progressing. As a result, around 48% of Americans are fully vaccinated. It brings me hope and confidence that our churches might go back to our normal gatherings, sing songs of joy without face masks, and hug each other again.
However, if someone asks me why we need vaccination, my answer would be simple: because there are viruses that kill vulnerable and high-risk groups of people around us. The virus is totally new which brings new infections and symptoms into the human population. That’s why our immune system needs to prepare to fight the virus.
In the same way, if some Christian asks me, “Hey pastor, tell me why do Christian need to pray, sing holy songs of praise, and do intercessory prayer at Church?” I would say, “You need to do that because prayer, songs of praise, and intercessory prayer are spiritual vaccinations that shield your soul and spirit from the problem of the sinful nature in us.”
Romans 5:12 says sin entered all of humanity.
The sin which entered in the world was like a spiritual virus. The symptoms of sin are:
- Emotional distress and depression.
- Spiritual sufferings and problems.
- Physical pains and powerlessness that we all experience in our daily life.
These are spiritual issues that kill the Christian joy and peace that God promised to provide for us in the name of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual vaccination
We could look at today’s passage as talking about a spiritual vaccination or a doctor’s prescription for us. “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
The main point of these passage is that we keep our connection with God through prayer, songs of praise, and spiritual fellowship with the Church. These are healthy spiritual habits that help us keep our connection to God. Again, keeping your relationship with God is your spiritual vaccination which guards you against the danger of spiritual problems.
In John 13:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
Jesus talked about the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we directly connect to Jesus, he will pour his spirit like a spring of water to quench the thirst in our soul, and we can produce lots of the fruit of joy and peace in our daily life.
The Story of Prodigal Son
I believe that everyone is familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. The main problem in this parable is that the Prodigal Son had a disconnection from his father’s guidance and protection that caused him to have lots of spiritual and physical distress. This is the danger of Disconnection in the Bible.
Keeping your connection to God through Jesus Christ is the way that the Spirit of God fully vaccinates your soul from sin and evil influence, and the Spirit of God inspires you and elevates your internal joy and peace in God.
Conclusion
Being connected to the source of spiritual life by prayer and songs of praise is the way that you can maintain protect yourself. It is what I call a spiritual immunization from the spiritual viruses. Our church is walking alongside you with prayer and praises. Please remember that our church is praying for the well-being of your spirit, soul, and body. The Church has spiritual power to fight for you. Please, let’s connect with each other in God.
2021.07.18. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
