Bethlen Évkönyv, 1993-1996 (Ligonier)
Dr. Eva M. Fabian: Qualifications, conflicts, compensations
receives the blessing of the Lord: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will he called children of God. ” (Matthew 5:9.) In Christ’s church we can achieve the desired perfect peace only by forgiving each other seventy times seven and some more. Preventive peace keeping offers even better results. When elders throw gossips, backbiting, character bashing, slander, envy, jealousy in the garbage, they will find less need for conciliatory services. 3) God also calls elders to the bedside of sick members. The “Why me God?” syndrome indicates a conflict between the sick persons’ faith in God’s love and their predicament. We read in James 5:14-15: “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. ” Since the Roman Catholic church uses this passage as the basis of the last rights, we Protestants have neglected the call to this remarkable service. It offers a blessed role in solving the problems sickness can cause. Not everybody among us has the gift of physical healing. Nevertheless, our visiting the sick may contribute to it. The Word of God, prayer can induce the spiritual, psychological and emotional healing of the patients. In turn, their inner healing can be conductive to their physical well being. The joy of our presence conveys them the presence, care, forgiveness, and the love of Christ. There is no more fertile soil for the gospel than the heart of a sick person. The Lord sends us elders to sow the seed of a healing relationship with Him which may eliminate the spiritual conflict sickness causes. Do not leave this blessed service entirely to your pastors! God specifically assigned it to the elders of the church. COMPENSATIONS Please remember that on entering the office of an elder, you begin a function of great distinction and honor. It is not only the oldest office of the church of Jesus Christ, it also existed in Judaism at Old Testament times. We can read 143
