Principles & Practice of Health Evangelism
Chapter 7
Spiritual Conversion and Health Evangelism
Textbook pages 41-44
In the Seventh-day Adventist church candidates are not baptized until they profess to understand and believe all the Fundamental Beliefs of the church. Sometimes a person is baptized who is not fully exposed to the "health message."
Despite occasional loosening of some criteria for baptism, there are a lot of doctrinal hoops for a person to jump through to become eligible for baptism. This has a way of working against health evangelism. For example, if a previously secular person quits smoking with God's help and has a new relationship with Jesus, there is no way for this to be formally recognized by the church. In reality, this person was "converted" or "saved" at a stop smoking clinic. This person found Jesus and their life was turned around. This person’s newfound trust in Christ is not recognized; he is not welcomed into the fellowship of believers or considered a serious candidate for baptism.
In a health evangelism program, it is possible to have a conversion experience. Your life is completely turned around when you trust God to make a change in your life. You are far from being doctrinally mature, but the salvational step you took should be recognized in some way by the church. You should be welcomed into the fellowship of the saved.
Divine deliverance from one bad habit creates the possibility that God can do even more for you. God will help you with all of your bad habits. This conversion experience can occur over any single aspect of life that needs changing with the power of God. When you first trust God to save you from a bad habit or addiction, your life is turned around and changed. Once you have experienced the power of God in your life you are interested to learn what else God can do for you.
Those who accept Christ to change their lives should be recognized for having been converted. They are baby Christians. They have sipped the milk of the Word. Some act of recognition that this step has taken place needs to be developed.
The best example of this from the Bible is the healing of the demoniac found in three of the four gospels. Jesus was asked to leave the country by the alarmed population who had lost their livelihood in the drowning of 2000 pigs in the Sea of Galilee. As he and the disciples were entering the boat to depart the demoniacs begged to join Jesus and the disciples.
These heathen men were healed and wanted to learn more from Jesus, but Jesus told him to “‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 (NKJV)
This is health evangelism. The demoniac knew nothing about the sabbath, the sacrificial system, the sanctuary, or the state of the dead. He had only one message. “I once was lost, but now I am found. I was a slave of demons, but now I am free. I was dead, but now I am alive. Jesus saves. Jesus saves.”
A health message without Jesus is message without hope or meaning. It points to the change needing to be made but fails to provide the power necessary for a permanent change.
If a health program is conducted in an evangelistic way, people will come to Jesus and be converted by trusting Jesus to change their lives. Having one's life changed by Jesus can occur with any problem a person has. For many people, obesity and gluttony are besetting sins from which they need to be liberated. Jesus can do this for them. They can be saved at a health evangelistic weight management program such as Best Weigh.
The church needs to develop meaningful ways to recognize the conversion experience of an individual who is “saved” in a health evangelism program. Doctrinal maturity can be achieved over time with additional study.
Health reform and salvation are closely connected. It is a mistake to educate and inform people about health and expect them to make lasting changes in their behavior with their own willpower. A few can do this, but most cannot. Most will never change unless they have an experience with Jesus Christ.
Health reform is not to be considered just a salvation from disease or symptoms, but salvation from slavery to the habits that trap us in unhealthful behaviors. This kind of salvation only comes from Jesus. We tend to limit our concept of health reform to the physical or mental arena of life and place the salvation experience into a mystical spiritual arena. But Jesus is needed in all facets of life. Health evangelism needs to be fully infused with the gospel.
The primary purpose of health evangelism is to introduce people to Jesus.
Some program directors feel that health information presented to the public should be more of a scientific nature and not so much from the Bible. A main point of this book is that the Bible should be used much more in health evangelism programs. If lessons from the Bible are not used in your health program it really isn’t a health evangelism program.
Health evangelism is all about the gospel. Jesus saves people from bad habits and slavery to addictions (sin).
Despite occasional loosening of some criteria for baptism, there are a lot of doctrinal hoops for a person to jump through to become eligible for baptism. This has a way of working against health evangelism. For example, if a previously secular person quits smoking with God's help and has a new relationship with Jesus, there is no way for this to be formally recognized by the church. In reality, this person was "converted" or "saved" at a stop smoking clinic. This person found Jesus and their life was turned around. This person’s newfound trust in Christ is not recognized; he is not welcomed into the fellowship of believers or considered a serious candidate for baptism.
In a health evangelism program, it is possible to have a conversion experience. Your life is completely turned around when you trust God to make a change in your life. You are far from being doctrinally mature, but the salvational step you took should be recognized in some way by the church. You should be welcomed into the fellowship of the saved.
Divine deliverance from one bad habit creates the possibility that God can do even more for you. God will help you with all of your bad habits. This conversion experience can occur over any single aspect of life that needs changing with the power of God. When you first trust God to save you from a bad habit or addiction, your life is turned around and changed. Once you have experienced the power of God in your life you are interested to learn what else God can do for you.
Those who accept Christ to change their lives should be recognized for having been converted. They are baby Christians. They have sipped the milk of the Word. Some act of recognition that this step has taken place needs to be developed.
The best example of this from the Bible is the healing of the demoniac found in three of the four gospels. Jesus was asked to leave the country by the alarmed population who had lost their livelihood in the drowning of 2000 pigs in the Sea of Galilee. As he and the disciples were entering the boat to depart the demoniacs begged to join Jesus and the disciples.
These heathen men were healed and wanted to learn more from Jesus, but Jesus told him to “‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 (NKJV)
This is health evangelism. The demoniac knew nothing about the sabbath, the sacrificial system, the sanctuary, or the state of the dead. He had only one message. “I once was lost, but now I am found. I was a slave of demons, but now I am free. I was dead, but now I am alive. Jesus saves. Jesus saves.”
A health message without Jesus is message without hope or meaning. It points to the change needing to be made but fails to provide the power necessary for a permanent change.
If a health program is conducted in an evangelistic way, people will come to Jesus and be converted by trusting Jesus to change their lives. Having one's life changed by Jesus can occur with any problem a person has. For many people, obesity and gluttony are besetting sins from which they need to be liberated. Jesus can do this for them. They can be saved at a health evangelistic weight management program such as Best Weigh.
The church needs to develop meaningful ways to recognize the conversion experience of an individual who is “saved” in a health evangelism program. Doctrinal maturity can be achieved over time with additional study.
Health reform and salvation are closely connected. It is a mistake to educate and inform people about health and expect them to make lasting changes in their behavior with their own willpower. A few can do this, but most cannot. Most will never change unless they have an experience with Jesus Christ.
- “The light God has given on health reform is for our salvation and the salvation of the world ... Let the poor have the gospel of health preached unto them from a practical point of view.” Testimony Studies on Diet and Foods 193
Health reform is not to be considered just a salvation from disease or symptoms, but salvation from slavery to the habits that trap us in unhealthful behaviors. This kind of salvation only comes from Jesus. We tend to limit our concept of health reform to the physical or mental arena of life and place the salvation experience into a mystical spiritual arena. But Jesus is needed in all facets of life. Health evangelism needs to be fully infused with the gospel.
- “The gospel is to be bound up with the principles of true health reform. The gospel and the medical missionary work are to advance together. Christianity is to be brought into the practical life.” Vol. 6 Testimonies 379
The primary purpose of health evangelism is to introduce people to Jesus.
- “We should ever remember that the object of the medical missionary work is to point sin-sick men and women to the Man of Calvary, who takes away the sin of the world. By beholding Him, they will be changed into His likeness. We are to encourage the sick and suffering to look to Jesus and live”. Counsels on Diet and Food 458
Some program directors feel that health information presented to the public should be more of a scientific nature and not so much from the Bible. A main point of this book is that the Bible should be used much more in health evangelism programs. If lessons from the Bible are not used in your health program it really isn’t a health evangelism program.
- “The principles of health reform are found in the Word of God. The gospel of health is to be firmly linked with the ministry of the Word. It is the Lord’s design that the restoring influence of health reform shall be a part of the last great effort to proclaim the gospel message.” Medical Ministry 259
Health evangelism is all about the gospel. Jesus saves people from bad habits and slavery to addictions (sin).