Sunday
May 10
1. THE SOURCE OF ALL TRUE HEALING
a. What is the only source of healing for any kind of disease? Hosea 6:1; Job 5:18.
“The Saviour in His miracles revealed the power that is continually at work in man’s behalf, to sustain and to heal him. Through the agencies of nature, God is working, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, to keep us alive, to build up and restore us. When any part of the body sustains injury, a healing process is at once begun; nature’s agencies are set at work to restore soundness. But the power working through these agencies is the power of God. All life-giving power is from Him. When one recovers from disease, it is God who restores him.
“Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power. Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer.”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 112, 113.
b. What is the most essential step to a full recovery of our health? Matthew 9:1, 6.
Monday
May 11
2. AN IMPORTANT MISSIONARY WORK
a. What is one of the most important parts of missionary work? Matthew 10:8. How will God bless those who undertake this work?
“The sick are to be healed through the combined efforts of the human and the divine. Every gift, every power, that Christ promised to His disciples, He bestows upon those who will serve Him faithfully.
“Sin brings physical and spiritual disease and weakness. Christ has made it possible for us to free ourselves from this curse. The Lord promises, by the medium of truth, to renovate the soul. The Holy Spirit will make all who are willing to be educated able to communicate the truth with power. It will renew every organ of the body, that God’s servants may work acceptably and successfully. Vitality increases under the influence of the Spirit’s action. Let us, then, by this power lift ourselves into a higher, holier atmosphere, that we may do well our appointed work.
“The religion of the Bible is not detrimental to the health of the body or of the mind. The influence of the Spirit of God is the very best medicine that can be received by a sick man or woman. Heaven is all health; and the more deeply the heavenly influences are realized, the more sure will be the recovery of the believing invalid.”—Medical Ministry, p. 12.
b. How did Jesus spend most of his time during His earthly ministry? Luke 7:21, 22. Why?
“During His ministry, Jesus devoted more time to healing the sick than to preaching. . . .
“The Saviour made each work of healing an occasion for implanting divine principles in the mind and soul. This was the purpose of His work. He imparted earthly blessings, that He might incline the hearts of men to receive the gospel of His grace.”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 19, 20.
“The burden of disease and wretchedness and sin He came to remove. It was His mission to bring to men complete restoration; He came to give them health and peace and perfection of character.
“Varied were the circumstances and needs of those who besought His aid, and none who came to Him went away unhelped. From Him flowed a stream of healing power, and in body and mind and soul men were made whole.”—Ibid., p. 17.
Tuesday
May 12
3. DISCOVER AND TREAT THE CAUSE
a. How does the Bible show that without treating the cause of the disease, healing is only temporary? John 5:14; 2 Timothy 2:19.
“When Christ healed disease, He warned many of the afflicted ones, ‘Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee’ (John 5:14). Thus He taught that they had brought disease upon themselves by transgressing the laws of God, and that health could be preserved only by obedience.
“The physician . . . knows that the laws of nature, as truly as the precepts of the Decalogue, are divine, and that only in obedience to them can health be recovered or preserved. He sees many suffering as the result of hurtful practices who might be restored to health if they would do what they might for their own restoration. They need to be taught that every practice which destroys the physical, mental, or spiritual energies is sin, and that health is to be secured through obedience to the laws that God has established for the good of all mankind.
“When a physician sees a patient suffering from disease caused by improper eating and drinking or other wrong habits, yet neglects to tell him of this, he is doing his fellow being an injury. . . . Is he benevolent and merciful if he does not teach strict temperance as a remedy for disease?”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 113, 114.
b. Since false prophets can perform signs and wonders (including healing), how will we be able to distinguish between the healing performed by the servants of God and that performed by satanic agencies? Matthew 24:24; 7:15, 16.
“It is labor lost to teach people to go to God as a healer of their infirmities, unless they are educated also to lay aside every wrong practice.”—Healthful Living, p. 236.
“God will not work a miracle to change natural causes which you can control.”—Ibid., p. 238.
“The way in which Christ worked was to preach the word, and to relieve suffering by miraculous works of healing. But I am instructed that we cannot now work in this way; for Satan will exercise his power by working miracles. God’s servants today could not work by means of miracles, because spurious works of healing, claiming to be divine, will be wrought.”—Medical Ministry, p. 14.
Wednesday
May 13
4. PEOPLE SPECIALIZED IN THE MEDICAL WORK
a. Is there a need for people to be specially trained in treating the sick? Why? Luke 5:31; Colossians 4:14.
“A consecrated physician bears a double responsibility; for in him are combined the qualifications of the physician with those of the gospel minister. His is a grand, a sacred, and a very necessary work.”—The Kress Collection, p. 138.
“Let no one listen to the suggestion that we can exercise faith and have all our infirmities removed, and that there is therefore no need of institutions for the recovery of health. Faith and works are not dissevered.”—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 441.
“Luke, the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, was a medical missionary. In the Scriptures he is called ‘the beloved physician’ (Colossians 4:14). The apostle Paul heard of his skill as a physician, and sought him out as one to whom the Lord had entrusted a special work. He secured his cooperation, and for some time Luke accompanied him in his travels from place to place.”—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 140, 141.
b. How should young people prepare for the medical work? 1 Corinthians 10:31; Micah 6:8.
“While seeking a preparation for his lifework, the medical student should be encouraged to attain the highest possible development of all his powers. His studies, taxing though they are, need not necessarily undermine his physical health, or lessen his enjoyment of spiritual things. Throughout his course of study he may continually grow in grace and in a knowledge of truth, while at the same time he may be constantly adding to the store of knowledge that will make him a wise practitioner.”—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 474.
“In every department where [medical students] have to labor, they must possess a willing mind, an earnest spirit, and a hearty, unselfish zeal in trying to do others good. They will not study how best to preserve their dignity, but by thoughtfulness and caretaking will earn a reputation for thoroughness and exactitude, and by sympathetic ministry will gain the hearts of those whom they serve.”—Ibid., pp. 477, 478.
Thursday
May 14
5. GOD’S METHODS: TRUE VERSUS FALSE
a. Which healing methods were used by Jesus and His prophets? John 9:6, 7; Isaiah 38:21.
“The cure could be wrought only by the power of the Great Healer, yet Christ made use of the simple agencies of nature. While He did not give countenance to drug medication, He sanctioned the use of simple and natural remedies.”—The Ministry of Healing, p. 233.
b. What healing methods are forbidden by God? 2 Kings 1:2, 3. Why?
“Drug medication, as it is generally practiced, is a curse. Educate away from drugs. Use them less and less, and depend more upon hygienic agencies.”—Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 281.
“When Dr. A came to the Health Retreat, she laid aside her knowledge and practice of hygiene, and administered the little homeopathic doses for almost every ailment. This was against the light God had given.”—Ibid., p. 282.
“Cut away from yourselves everything that savors of hypnotism, the science by which satanic agencies work.”—Ibid., p. 350.
“The apostles of nearly all forms of spiritism claim to have the power to cure the diseased. They attribute their power to electricity, magnetism, the so-called ‘sympathetic remedies,’ or to latent forces within the mind of man. And there are not a few, even in this Christian age, who go to these healers, instead of trusting in the power of the living God and the skill of well-qualified Christian physicians.”—Evangelism, p. 606.
Friday
May 15
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. From where does all true healing come, and how is it achieved?
2. What should be our purpose in helping to heal others?
3. If we want the healing to be more permanent, what should we consider?
4. How can a physician work for God?
5. Why are we denying our faith by accepting treatments from doctors who use so-called bioenergy, magnetism, hypnosis, and the like?