Hidden Hurts

In the last few weeks, a fresh collection of tragedies have confronted us. There was the middle-aged couple in Colorado, talking through forced smiles about the loss of their home to a mudslide. “It only took 10 minutes to wipe out a lifetime of work and memories. But we will rebuild!”

An older woman in Washington DC spoke about the death of her husband at the naval yard. “He could have retired 7 years ago, but he really loved his job.” Fighting back tears she added, “He always said, ‘Goodbye beautiful. See you soon,’ when he left in the morning. I was truly lucky and blessed to find the human being I found in him.”

A father from Kenya described how he and his 2 young daughters were able to survive the mall siege in Nairobi by hiding under their car in the parking structure. A grenade landed several feet from them but fortunately didn't explode. “They were throwing grenades like maize to chickens. We're just happy to be alive.”

Their news stories are tragic and vivid, but fleeting. They become pictures of brave faces, voicing hope, frozen in time. The rest of us move on, but do they? By the time we've been on this planet 2 or 3 decades, most of us have experienced some loss or tragedy and know that healing takes time. We learn too, that often healing is incomplete and we continue to live with “hidden hurts.” We are survivors, but with scars of the heart that continue to affect the decisions we make and the way we relate to others, often for the rest of our lives.

We've discussed that physical healing was provided by God through Christ's death on the cross, but did you know that emotional healing was provided as well? Isaiah 53:4 states, “surely He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows…” Father God placed all of our emotional pain on Jesus because He wants to heal that for us too. He is moved by our hidden hurts.

On one occasion, Jesus saw a large crowd of people coming to him and “he felt compassion for them, for they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) Another time, Jesus was passing by the town of Nain, and came across a funeral procession. A widow, a complete stranger, was burying her only son. Seeing her grief, Jesus was moved with compassion and raised her son from the dead. When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus was so moved by the grieving of Martha and Mary (sisters of Lazarus) that he wept openly.

You may be thinking, “Well I can see how God would care about the emotional suffering of innocent people, but I am hurting about some big mistakes I've made. I can't blame anyone but myself, and that just makes it hurt more. My hurts are really hidden because I deserved them. I can't even share them with others.”

The emotional healing of your “hidden hurts” is just as important to Father God. No matter how much self-blame and remorse you may feel, Father God wants to heal you too. Jesus demonstrated this when He reached out in compassion to a woman caught in adultery and a hated tax collector. He offered each of them the opportunity of a new life free from past regrets. Their emotional healing was important. Father God wants to set you free from those hidden hurts that have scarred your heart, however they may have occurred.

Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM as we continue our “Healing the Sick Series,” and focus on emotional healing. My son, Pastor Gabriel Ahn will be speaking on “A Beautiful Mind”. You are also invited to our 2:30 PM healing service every Sunday.

Pastor Che

Faith Not Fear

“Come on Che, you can do it! Just jump!” My older sister called to me from the other side of the swimming pool. I stood on the diving board, my toes curled over the edge, staring at the water below. My stomach churned with butterflies. I bent my knees to spring forward, but immediately a wave of fear shot through me and I straightened up.

“Don't be a chicken, Che. It's fun! I'll get you. JUMP!” For another moment I teetered between excitement and fear, and then I just let go and jumped. For a split second, terror took over as I felt the water surge over my head, and then suddenly I bobbed to the surface. Dog paddling fiercely I yelled to my sister, “I did it! I dived!” I must have jumped off that diving board at least 100 more times that afternoon, each time reliving the thrill of conquering my fear.

All of us have experienced situations where we want to proceed, but hesitate with apprehension. In that stressful moment we decide if our future course of action will be determined by trust in the desired outcome or whether fear will dominate and back us down.

The apostle Peter faced such a moment one night on Lake Galilee. He was in a boat with the other disciples, and they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. Something in that situation excited Peter, and he wanted to experience walking on the water himself. When Jesus told him to come, Peter overcame his fear and boldly stepped on that water and began walking to Jesus. But there was a lot of wind, and Peter became afraid and began to sink. Jesus reached out and saved him, asking: “Peter, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:22–33)

We frequently retell this story emphasizing the fact that Peter lost his focus on Christ and began to sink. But I wonder how Peter relived that event. Did he always feel like a failure because he sank or did he remember the exhilaration of boldly stepping on the water and walking?

A few years later we see a completely different Peter outside the Temple gate with the apostle John. He saw a lame man begging, and without hesitation firmly told him, “I do not have any silver or gold to give you. But what I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” However, Peter didn't stop there. Boldly he reached out, grasped the man's hand and pulled him up, fully expecting him to be healed and walk. And that's precisely what happened! (Acts 3:1–26)

I wonder if his earlier experience in walking on water helped Peter understand how to confidently choose faith not fear. Father God calls all of us to live life boldly in faith, overcoming our fears. He commands us to do things that require complete trust in Him. Oftentimes we must defy our reason, ignore the fear that hounds us, and like Peter on the Galilee, step forward boldly in faith when we hear Jesus say, “Come!”

One such command is to lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. We seldom see this practiced in the church today. Too many Christians are afraid of being embarrassed and failing. But if we never risk stepping out boldly and trusting Father God's word, how will we ever experience the exhilaration of seeing someone healed?

Please join us this Sunday morning at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. We are continuing our series on “Healing the Sick,” and my sermon is “Creating an Atmosphere of Faith Part II.” You are also invited to our 2:30 PM healing service where we give everyone an opportunity to pray for the sick.

Pastor Che

Believing Is Seeing

"What in the world have I done?"

I can't believe my current predicament. My mind races back to when it all began about 12 years ago. I was so happy, married to a prosperous merchant who provided me, and our 5 children, a comfortable living.

It was vague at first, just feelings of fatigue and some unpleasant cramping. I went to the doctor who prescribed medication, reassuring me that I would feel better. But over time things just kept getting worse. The fatigue became so great there were days I couldn't get out of bed. I often felt dizzy, nauseated and had constant abdominal pain.

For the first few years, my husband was very concerned and took me to numerous specialists. I went through a variety of treatments, some so unpleasant I don't like thinking about them. This became very expensive and a drain on our finances. Eventually I was so weak that relatives cared for our children, and I saw them infrequently.

We had to sell our lovely home, and move into a much smaller dwelling. The increasing stress was too much for my husband, who divorced me, leaving me destitute and alone. At times I despaired and thought of taking my life.

But then I heard stories about a man who was having great success healing people with challenging medical conditions. I had exhausted what doctors could do for me, and besides I had no more money. This man was my last hope.

Somehow, I managed to get out of bed and get dressed this morning. I don't remember walking to the town square, but I'm sure it took me a long time. All I knew was that this man was in town and I had to get to him. There were so many people around him, that in sheer determination I fell to my knees and began crawling. I knew if I could just reach him, that he would help me.

Despite my weakness, I pushed through that crowd and momentarily touched him. Suddenly, something incredible happened. I felt a strange warmth go through my body and knew I was healed. I haven't felt this good in 12 years!

But now he is asking, "Who touched me?" The crowd has parted, and here I am still on my knees. All eyes are on me, and to make matters even worse, the leading town official is with him. "What on earth have I done?" You see, I have broken the law, for I'm not supposed to go out in public in my condition. I realize my actions may get me into serious trouble now.

In apprehension, I look up at the man. He has the kindest eyes. He smiles at me, stretches out his hand and lifts me up. Through tears, I tell him my story. He puts his arm around me and says softly, "Return to your home. Your faith has made you well."

This is an actual account of a woman's healing by Jesus. She is known as the woman with the issue of blood, and her story was so compelling that Matthew, Mark and Luke all record it. (Matthew 9:20–22; Mark 5:25–28; Luke 8:43–48)

Jesus attributed healing to her faith. She not only believed He could heal, but that He would heal her. Faith is simple trust in God and what He says. Our human tendency is to wait and see, and then believe. But faith believes first, before it sees. Jesus tells us in Mark 9:23 that all things are possible to the person who believes. Can you believe Him before seeing?

Come join us this Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM. We are continuing our series on Healing the Sick, and my sermon is, "Creating an Atmosphere of Faith." You are also invited to our new healing service every Sunday at 2:30 PM.

Pastor Che

The Lost Gift

Mary Smith was frail and elderly when she was visited by the priest of the local parsonage. It was the late 1800s in Britain and Mary was living in a small cottage that was literally falling apart. Years earlier she had been an upstairs maid at the estate house of the local nobility.

Happy to have a visitor, Mary recounted her years of service at the “great house,” and the many kindnesses shown to her by Lady W. There was always a Christmas bonus and she lived downstairs in comfortable maid’s quarters taking her meals in the staff kitchen.

As she talked, the priest noticed a single picture frame hanging on the wall. “Oh yes,” Mary replied when asked about it. “When Lady W died 20 years ago, there was no further need of my services. They gave me a wonderful gift of 20 pounds and that lovely certificate. So I framed it and hung it on my wall.”

Upon close inspection the priest discovered that the “certificate” was actually a legal document bequeathing to Mary Smith a generous annual living allowance. He asked Mary if she had ever read her “certificate.” “Why of course not, Father, for I never learned to read. But it's a beautiful certificate so I wanted to hang it.”

Mary had been living in abject poverty for 20 years while a document hung on her wall that would have provided her with a comfortable home and everything she needed. But being illiterate, she had lost the gift through ignorance.

Over the years, I have run into various versions of this story. My guess is there never was a Mary Smith, but the story illustrates a great point. It is possible to lose an important gift simply because we are not aware of its availability.

Unfortunately, for many years the Church lost an important gift provided by Christ's death on the cross. We knew that Jesus died for our salvation, but we took only part of that gift. We were taught that salvation provides for the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with Father God. But many Christians still don't realize that salvation also provides for our physical healing as well. They have lost an important gift because they have never understood everything that was included in their salvation.

Isaiah 53:4–5 gives this account of the gift of salvation. “Surely Jesus has borne our griefs, sicknesses, weaknesses and distresses, and carried our sorrows and pains of punishment. Yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken, smitten and afflicted by God. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement necessary to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes that wounded Him we are healed and made whole.”

This passage describes salvation as providing not only for forgiveness of sins, but for the healing of our bodies and emotions as well. It's a total package, but too often we have received only part of this gift. Christ demonstrated the total gift as He both forgave sin and physically healed people. Large crowds followed him and 22 times in the gospels we are told that “Jesus healed them all.”

At HRock Church, we are determined to receive the whole gift of salvation, including physical healing. Come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM for a continuation of our series on Healing the Sick. My sermon this week is “How to Effectively Pray for the Sick.”

We also invite you to our new service on Sundays at 2:30 PM in which we are specifically focusing on the ministry of physical healing. Come and learn how to recover the lost gift!

Pastor Che