The sermon transcript discusses the power of God in delivering people from darkness and distress. It emphasizes the importance of praising the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works. The speaker also highlights the need for unity and mutual support within the body of Christ, emphasizing that every member is important and has a role to play. The sermon concludes by addressing the response of the body to emotional pain and the importance of ministering to those who are hurting.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, AFPA, 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Greetings to each one this morning. In the precious name of Jesus, truly He is precious. To those who have found Him as the answer to all of their needs, can we stand together for prayer? Heavenly Father, we come to You in Jesus Christ's name, by that new and living way, through Christ Jesus who has opened up that way for us to enter into Your throne room and there make our petitions known. And there we have been invited to come and to seek and to ask and to knock and to make known those things which we have need of. Father, this morning You even know our needs better than we do. But we confess that we are needy. We confess we are hungry. We confess that we are thirsting after righteousness and after godliness and holiness. We confess, Father, that without You we can do nothing. And so, Father, I accept You come and pour Your grace upon us as a congregation. And I accept You come and speak through this vessel this morning. I accept that You come and anoint Your Word in Your vessel this morning. Then, Lord, all shall be vain. It will be empty. It will not have any power nor strength to change anyone's life. But, O Father, we know that if You do come and You speak and You minister, then there will be power to have changed lives. And there will be grace to look up unto Your face and to love You and to bless You. And there will be power to live a godly life in holiness, in the righteousness which is through Christ Jesus. So, Father, would You minister to this congregation this morning? You know all of our hearts. You see each one individually. You know every need. And, Father, You can tailor the message in such a way that every need could be ministered to. So, Father, we commit this into Your hands with thanksgiving in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Some months ago, I had shared a message out of Psalms 107. You can turn there. The message at that time was taken out of verse 39 about being minished and brought low through oppression, affliction and sorrow and realizing that God is sovereign. He is able to do those things and He does those things at times. I'd like for us to read out of Psalms 107 here again this morning. I do believe God has brought us out. He has worked in our lives. And this, Psalms 107, is a beautiful picture of how men will, again and again, they fall and again and again they go down, but God, again and again, He lifts them up out of their difficult situations. And this morning, I'd like to read the positive side of this psalm, if I may. I'm just going to skip some verses and just read the positive verses here. O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered them out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Verse 6. They cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses, and He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. For He satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. And to verse 13. Again they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and break their bands in thunder. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. For He hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in thunder. Verse 20. Verse 19. Again then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing. Verse 28. Again then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet. So He bringeth them unto their desired haven. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders. Verse 35. He turneth the wilderness into a standing water and dry ground into water springs. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation and sow the fields and plant vineyards which may yield fruits of increase. He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Verse 41. Yet saith He the poor and high from affliction and maketh Him families like a flock. The righteous shall see it and rejoice and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. It's good and right to acknowledge our needs. At times, acknowledge that God has brought us low. But it's also good and right to acknowledge that He has brought us out again. Amen. Or that He is bringing us out. Turn with me now to 1 Corinthians 12. I'd like to title the message this morning is A Balm in Gilead. Subtitle would be Care One for Another. Looking at this, reading in this chapter beginning at verse 12 through to the end is about the body very clearly teaching that we are the body of Christ and He's lightening the body of Christ to our physical bodies to help us understand more about how the body of Christ is how it should be how it should care one for another and so forth and that is the thought of the message here is caring one for another. A Balm in Gilead. Let's begin reading in verse 12 in 1 Corinthians. For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many. If the foot shall say because I'm not the hand I'm not of the body. Is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say because I'm not the eye I am not of the body. Is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member where were the body? But now are they many members yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you. Nay much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable upon these we bestow more abundant honor and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need but God hath tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to that part which lacketh. That there should be no schism in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another. That the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it. Or one member be honored all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church first apostles secondary prophets thirdly teachers after that miracles then gifts of healing helps government diversities of tongues. Are all apostles are all prophets are all teachers are all workers of miracles have all the gifts of healing. Do all speak with tongues do all interpret but covet earnestly the best gifts and yet show unto you a more excellent way. In Jeremiah 8 verse 22 it says Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Jeremiah at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem cried out those words Is there no balm in Gilead? The answer evidently is yes there is balm there. Is there no physician there? Is there no doctor there? The answer is yes there was a doctor there. And the question is why then is the health of the daughter of my people not recovered? We also know that there's a time according to Ecclesiastes there's a time to kill and there's a time to heal there's a time to break down and there's a time to build up. I believe we're in the time to build up. I believe it's time of healing. And I thank God for what He has begun to do. First of all, in my own heart and life what a joy just to walk once again with joy. Praise God. Hosea says, come let us return unto the Lord for He hath torn and He will heal us. He hath smitten and He will bind us up. Also, Hosea says, I will heal their backslidings. I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from Him. It is time to heal. Sometimes we need a balm. A balm of Gilead. My prayer is that God would just work in all of our hearts that God would be able to minister to every heart here today through His Word. Like it says in Psalm 107 He sent His Word and healed them. He sent His Word and healed them. We know that life and death is in the power of the tongue. We know that Jesus healed people with His Word. He is the balm in Gilead. It's Christ. He's the answer to all of our needs. He came and He said in Luke, He said, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted. To preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them that are bruised. That is the purpose that He came for. And people sought Him out. The multitudes began to seek Him out just to touch Him. Because there went virtue out of Him. And He healed them. All. He healed them all. The multitudes sought Him. Why did they seek Him? Why did they seek Him? It was because they had a need. It was because they had an infirmity. It was because they were sick. It was because they had a disease of some kind. And they sought Him. Because they heard about Him. And they sought Him. And they went after Him. And they desired to touch Him. Why? Because virtue went out from Him. And He healed them all. Now, wouldn't that be wonderful? Wouldn't you have wanted to be there? All you would have needed to do was just touch Him. Just touch Him. Somehow press through the crowd and just touch Him. And you would be healed. The crowds were too big. Too many people. He took His twelve disciples and gave them power around clean spirits. And gave them to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and disease. And they went out. He told them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received, freely give. I thought of that as the first message was being preached about being a giver instead of a taker. That's right. We should be givers. But you know, if we don't have anything to give, we can't give anything. But He says, freely you have received, freely give. And if we're going to be a giver, we also need to be a receiver. Just receive that which already has been given and use it for the glory of God. These twelve went forth preaching the kingdom of God and healing the sick. They went through the towns and through the villages. They ministered life everywhere they went. And that is what we also are called to do. We are called to minister one to another. Especially those that are the household of God. And the people came to Him. They came to Him with their diseases. They came with their dumbness. They came in deafness. They came when they were blind. They came in their lameness and their pain and their suffering. Some brought their children. Some probably brought their parents. Some brought their friends. They carried them on beds and brought them to Jesus. And Jesus would touch them and heal them and they would get up and walk. He says, I am the Lord that healeth thee. I am the One who forgives all thine iniquities and heals all thy diseases. He healeth the broken heart and He bindeth up their wounds. This is what the Lord Jesus does. Unto you that fear His name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and ye shall go forth. There were specific instances of healing. There was a certain woman which came and she was healed of evil spirits and infirmities. There was Mary Magdalene out of whom seven devils went. I'd like to look at some parallels of the body this morning to help us to understand a little more of what I would like to share here this morning. But we do know that there is a spiritual body and there is a physical body. And the healing that I'm thinking about this morning I'm thinking of the healing for the whole man. Healing for the emotions. Healing for some of the broken hearts. Healing for some of those who have had a lot of pain. Healing for those who are simply hurting. I'm not looking at physical healing this morning as much. That may be a part of it. But what I really would like to look at is emotional healing. I believe almost every one of us has needs in that area. Often times, when I am in the, during the time of discouragement recently, just meeting the general public and sometimes when you're down you feel like everyone else is down also. And that's how you see the world sometimes by your own eyes, your own experiences. But if there would have been someone who would have come along and would have, in kindness and in love, just simply been able to minister to me and ask me how am I really doing. And if I would have had the confidence that the person really cares, I would have been able to share. Otherwise I wouldn't have opened up to a person like that. And then I began to think about all the other people that I meet daily at work, at the store, all the other people that you meet. What percentage of those people do you think, do you imagine, would have a deep emotional need? They're hurting emotionally. They're in pain. What percent do you think would be deeply hurting? But so often we say hi, we talk a little bit about the weather or this or that, but do we really care for the souls of men? And we know that people that are outside of Christ, we know they're hurting deeply, every single one of them. But isn't the body also a needy, hurting? And how quickly we, how easily we hide all those things. There is plenty of hospitals around. There are plenty of doctors around. Doctors offices. There's lots of supply houses with lots of medications and pharmacies and all kinds of things for the physical body. And there are some who are ministering to the spiritual body. But this whole nation cycles around the needs of the physical body. The medical field is one of the number one things on the agenda. The billboards for the last five years have been lifting up hospital aid and insurances and all those things. Maybe you have to wonder why is that such a high priority? It's where the people are hurting. It's that which ministers to the people when they are hurting. And that's what really means a lot. One of the first things that a doctor does when you go to him with your problem, he will ask you lots of questions. He'll look at what he sees. He'll check your heart. He'll ask you where it hurts. He'll ask you what happened. He needs information to be able to try to figure out what's wrong with you. And I'm not a doctor. I'm not even a medical technician like some here are. So maybe they can correct me afterwards and make mistakes, but that's okay. They'll ask you how long you've had this sickness or whatever it is. When did it begin? And what have you taken? What are you doing about it? And what have you tried? And so forth. They want to know where are you at? They'll wonder what kind of medication you're on and maybe you're having side effects. I thought of side effects of all the things and the medications people take. But you know there's side effects just for having lots of pain and emotional pain too. There's reactions and there's anger and all those type of things that come out. Many times there are surface problems. I think of in Ghana or like in Haiti where I've been and you see people who have skin problems and broken bones and they're bleeding. There's cuts, there's wounds and there's swellings and there's bruises, there's bumps there's sprains and there's strains and there's all kinds of surface things you can look at and you can check to see how this person is doing physically. Is there a fever present and when did it begin? How long have you had the fever? And how high does it go? Does it spike? And when did it come? And by all those means that they can, you know, a person who is experiencing those things he can finally come down to a very good idea of what disease you have or what kind of problem you have and then he knows what to do about it. They're trained that way. They check the eyes and the ears, the nose, the mouth the throat and they'll do blood tests and saliva tests and urine tests and is it a virus or a bacteria or is it a parasite? So many questions that could be asked in that way. The overall appearance of the person. If it's an outward problem you can easily see it many times. If it's inward, sometimes people have inward problems and they can hide. What is our response to our physical injuries? And I want us to go through this so we can think a little bit what our response should be to the emotional injuries. How should we respond one to another in the body and then how can we minister one to another as we walk through some of these things. I had to think of that woman. A woman that had an issue of blood for 12 years. Which had spent all her living upon positions neither could be healed of any. We don't read that Jesus needed to ask all the questions to find out what was wrong with her. She just somehow wiggled her way through the crowd and said, oh if I could just touch him. She came and she pushed her way through the crowd and reached out her hand and she was an unclean woman. She had an issue of blood and when a woman has an issue of blood she's unclean and she's not supposed to be touching people. She's not supposed to be getting against people and for sure not teaching this holy man. And for a woman to touch a priest or a Levite it would disqualify him for service for a while. But she came to Jesus but it was hidden inside of her. Her problem was deeply hidden inside. But she told herself, if I could but touch him I should be made whole. And she did. She came and she touched his garment. I can just imagine she reached through some people there and reached as far as she could and finally she could touch his robe a little bit. And she drew it back and immediately she knew she was healed. But she didn't want anyone to know because she was unclean. And Jesus stopped and he looked around and he said, who touched me? And the disciple said, well Master, the whole crowd is pressing around you. We're throwing at you and everybody is bumping against you. Why do you say who touched me? And he said, someone touched me before I felt virtue going out of me. He sent his word and he healed them. He did. May the Lord minister to our hearts. May the Lord minister to each heart here today somehow by his word. In response to physical injuries. Think with me. When we first are injured we immediately try to shield the injured member. You break your finger or your bone or you get a cut or something. All the rest of the body pays attention to that area where the pain is coming from and it does everything in its power to shield itself from more pain and more harm and it protects that injured member very closely. Amen? In physical injury we're not afraid to let it be known that I got hurt. In fact, we sometimes like to talk about it. When we get hurt we stop everything else our work, our job or whatever it may be and we pay attention to that member of the body that has been injured. We're not afraid to call for help if we need help. If I get a physical injury I'll call for help. All I need to do is lift up my voice and say, help! And if there's people around, they'll come running. And they'll be very quick and diligent to help me in every way they can to try to minimize the pain, the suffering. The whole emergency personnel is geared that way. I think of the, I guess there must be thousands and hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of small towns throughout the United States and most of those small towns have a fire company and an ambulance. A lot of them do. Millions and billions of dollars spent annually for emergency personnel because they want to assist, they want to help people that are hurting. They love it. They give themselves to it. It's their life. They're waiting for the next opportunity to find someone who's in need. When we're injured, we submit our body to the discretion of others. We let them, we give ourselves to them. They're supposed to be able to discern what's wrong. They're supposed to know what to do to take care of me. And they try to eliminate my pain. They'll take me to the doctor, the hospital, wherever I need to go. We submit our bodies to them. We let them help us. We accept the fact that we need help. We accept the fact that we are injured. And we're not afraid to get professional help. Just thought about the times before anesthesia. We're so spoiled these days. We can go to the hospital. We can have our bones set and we can have operations with anesthesia. They just put us out and we can wake up out of the anesthesia and they put our body together to just take some time to heal. But there was a day not too long ago when there was no anesthesia. If you were injured, you suffered greatly because there was no anesthesia to lessen the pain. I don't know of any anesthesia for the emotional pain or the spiritual body except Christ Himself. He's able to do all things. Our response to our physical injuries, usually while we're mending or after we get home from the hospital or when we're in the hospital, we have lots of visitors. We get lots of attention. There's cards, there's gifts, there's visitors, there's well-wishers, there's sunshine boxes and I remember as a little boy one of my school friends hurt his leg or broke his leg or something and we all had this as school children, we all had this sunshine box, you know, how we all brought a little gift along for this little boy. Boy, he got lots of attention. I kind of looked at him and thought, hmm, must be nice. Lots of attention when someone gets physically hurt. We minister to them. We give gifts, cards, well-wishing, we bless them, we go visit them, all those things, amen? What do we do when there is a, when there is someone hurting emotionally? How do we respond? How does the body respond to that? Sometimes it's so painful you wish there wouldn't be that pain. But then if that wish would come true you'd have paralysis. You'd be numb. What's our response to the emotional injuries? How do you respond when someone says something and it hurts? Do you call for help? Do you let it be known? What is your response? First of all, you pretend it didn't hurt. You just kind of go on. You try to hide the injury. You try to conceal the pain. You don't want to tell anyone. And you don't call for help. Anybody hurting this morning? Is that true? You keep right on going as if nothing happened. But then you kind of draw away. You draw back. You crawl into a hole somewhere or into a shell and you lick your wounds and you nurse your hurts. All alone. In self-pity. You tend not to share with others. Sometimes you even refuse help. It's too painful, you see. And there's no anesthesia. And we allow the injury to be untreated. We block out others. We begin to refuse to get involved. All the while deep inside we wish someone would notice. Usually there's no cards. No gifts. No sunshine box. Not even visitors. No well-wishers. And no one who understands. These things happen in the body. What happens afterward? What are the results of an emotional injury? The Bible says the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities. But a wounded spirit, who can bear? Uniformity, I would understand, would be a physical thing. Maybe that's what it means. But a man who's strong in spirit, he can sustain physical pain. But a wounded spirit, who can bear? No one. I've seen some of these results in my own life in the last several months. The results of a wounded spirit. The results of emotional injuries. Lashing out at those close to me. Harsh words. Sharp words. Painful words. Frustration. Grudges. Unforgiveness. Strained relationships. A critical attitude. Yes, these are results of emotional pain. I'm hurting, you see. And my reactions. And especially against those who are closest to me. My wife. My children. My close friends. I'm trying to escape the pain, you see. I'm trying to do something with my deep hurt. I become judgmental. Demanding of my loved ones. Legalistic. Little or no grace. High expectations of them. Making mountains out of molehills. Little things become mountains. And so forth. Shifting the blame. Refusing to take responsibility for my actions. The circumstances of today that trigger memories of the past. And something comes up. And something happens. And all of a sudden, there it is. And all of a sudden, there's angry words. And all of a sudden, there's hurtful words. And you go through the day and something happens. And again, that triggers a memory. And something. And words are said. The conscience is troubled. There's loss of spiritual desires. Anxiety. Care. Overload. Burden is too heavy. Physically, you become dull and listless. Tired. Sleeplessness. Restless. Sicknesses. Numerous problems and so forth. And, there's a verse in Deuteronomy 28 that I thought fits so well. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were evening. In the evening you shall say, Would God it were morning. And what's happening is, you go to bed and you want to sleep, but you can't sleep. You rest. You're restless. You turn. You toss. And you wish it would be morning. Finally morning comes and you get up out of bed and you drag yourself around and oh, you just wish it would be evening. So you go to bed and rest again. That's what really happens at times. Overwhelming temptations and going your own way. Reactions. You lose out spiritually. Children affected by the iniquities of the parents. The parents' discouragement. Children magnify the parents' problems. The results of emotional pain, wounded spirit. All those things. The multitudes. When they knew that Jesus came, they went after Him. They followed Him. And He received them and spake unto them of the kingdom of God and He healed them that had need of healing. And many of them were made whole. They were made whole. Belonged to be made whole. There's a New Testament word for healing. Or to heal is the word therapeu. Therapeu. I believe it comes from, that's probably where our word therapy comes from. Therapy. Ministering. Healing. Let's turn to Isaiah 53. Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He hath no form nor commonness, and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men. But he's a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. This is the son of God who took upon himself all of our sorrows, our griefs, our burdens, and our sins upon his own body. Then he went unto the cross, and there he suffered and died, and he paid the price for the sin of mankind. But he also paid the price for man's healing, for man's wholeness. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. I don't understand all those things. I don't understand how all those things work. But I had to think of this. Whenever you have a puncture in your body, like you step into a nail, a rusty nail or something like that. I remember my mom and my dad, they always made it very clear and plain. They said, if it doesn't bleed, it's going to become infected. And if you step into a nail, a puncture, and it just punctures your hand or your foot, then oftentimes there's no bleeding. And if there's no bleeding, there's no healing basically. But what's the first thing that happens when you have a cut or something in your body, or even a bruise or something? If you just bruise your body, there is sweating and sometimes it gets black and blue. What that really is, that's blood coming to that place there to assist the healing. And when you cut your body, your arm or your leg or your hand or your finger, whatever it is, when you cut yourself, blood comes immediately. It is that blood that ministers healing to that part of the body. Amen? Because the blood has life in it. And that blood carries what is needed for healing there. And when you cut yourself, the blood rushes to that cut immediately. It begins to close that gap as soon as it comes. The blood thickens and what's that word? Coglates or something like that. And it begins to stop the bleeding. You see, the blood is very important for healing. Amen? There's four words that are found in the New Testament here. Four different Greek words that is translated into the word wound. To wound someone, there's four words. The first one is I can't even pronounce it. I'll have to let Jeff pronounce it. Kephelehu which simply means to strike on the head. That's one word to wound. It means wound in the head. Another word that is translated wound is plege which is the word plague or that means also to wound but more of a plague type thing. Then there's another word 5135 is traumatizo which also means to inflict a wound and that's probably where we get our word traumatized. And sometimes when people are really seriously hurt, they are traumatized. So that's what that word would mean. There's one more word. It means spazo and that word means to butcher or to slaughter or to maim violently. There's four different words for the word wound. We have the word wound in the Greek New Testament. So what do we have to do with the body? What does it have to do with the body? How does the local body minister one to another? How do I respond when someone else is hurting? Do I recognize it? Don't I even see it? And don't I even care? But what is most likely, what happens so often when someone is hurting deeply? Someone will come up to them and talk to them and I've done these things and you end up saying things that hurt them more than what they were when I started. The wound is there. Now who in his right mind would take the wound on your friend? Would you go up to your brother or your sister who just had a deep wound somewhere and you want to try to help them and you want to try to bandage them up you want to eliminate their pain but by the time you're done the cut is bigger than it was when you started and they have more pain than when you started. Would you go back to that person again? Would you go back to that doctor again? But that happens so much. And maybe you're sitting here this morning and you're saying it's not safe here. You're afraid to open up because your experience has proven that that's what happens. Yet there's deep inside such a deep anguish and pain you would long to be free from that but you don't dare open up your heart because the last time you did or the last five times you did they always ended up hurting. They took a stick and just kind of dug in there and just hurt more. Is that what the body should do? Palm of Gilead. Gilead is an area, a mountainous region east of the Jordan River about 60 miles long reaching from the northern tip of the Dead Sea up through the Jordan Valley, up through the Jordan there alongside the Jordan River up there to the bottom end of the Galilee Sea. It's a mountainous range about 3,000 feet high. It's very wooded there. It is about 20 miles wide and 60 miles long. It's a very beautiful area. This is the area that it's called Gilead. It's a lush region and receives an annual rainfall of 28 to 30 inches. Thickly populated and wooded today as it was in the Bible days. This is where the Canaanites before the Israelites went to the land of Canaan, the tribes of of Rubens and the Gadites and half of Manasseh, they wanted to stay on that side of the river because they saw it was a pleasant place a good place for their cattle. You see they had lots of cattle and this area was a lush green pastured wooded area which was very good for cattle. That's where those two and a half tribes stayed. They lived there and it's called Gilead. This is where Absalom fled to when he was running away after he tried to take the kingdom from David. Through the thickly wooded area of Gilead is where Absalom got hung up by his hair. Many other fugitives have fled to this region for safety. Jacob went fleeing from his father Laban. He was in this mountainous area when Laban caught with him. This is called Gilead and this is a place that was known where they would make bombs. Some kind of a healing bomb that they would take from the bark of a tree and somehow make a salve there which was well known. It was called the bomb of Gilead. This is also where Gideon was with his army when he was told to send them home. All those who were afraid and they all left except I don't know how many. This is also where I think it was the king that fell at Ramoth Gilead. Forget his name. But this is where the bomb of Gilead was made in that area. And going back to Genesis chapter 37 I found an interesting thing when Joseph was sent out by his father to his brethren and his brothers they saw him coming and said here comes the dreamer let us kill him. And Simon I think played with them and said let's not kill our brother but let's just put him in this pit here. And Joseph came to his brothers there he carried with him food for his brothers and they took the food from his hands they stripped him of his robe of many colors and threw him in the pit and sat down to eat the food he had brought to them. And while they were eating there a train of camels came along and says that as they ate the bread and they lifted up their eyes behold a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead. What were they carrying? They were carrying on their camels spices and bombs and myrrh and carrying it down to Egypt. You see they came from Gilead they were carrying bomb and spices and myrrh. Interestingly I found that when Joseph was now later on when he was taken down to Egypt they sold him the slave and they sent him down to Egypt and there he got on those camels and he rode those camels down to Egypt sitting on top of the spices and the myrrh and the bomb of Gilead. Later on when Joseph was the king was second in command in Egypt and he saw his brothers coming he saw his ten brothers coming coming for corn. We don't even read that Joseph had any injured feelings or any hatred anything towards him but he had forgiven them and he loved them but he didn't trust them he wanted he wanted to know can my brothers be trusted? So he acted roughly against them and he told them they're spies and so forth and they said no we're not spies and he asked him about his father. Do you have a father? Do you have any more children? He said our father's at home and we have one more brother. And so he told them that you can't come back again unless you bring your brother with you. In Genesis 43 they came back to their father and they told him how it happened and Jacob said I'll never let Benjamin go down. He said Benjamin can't leave me I'll die. And finally the time came when the corn was all gone they were starving again and he said go and get corn and they said we can't go unless Benjamin goes with us. In verse 11 it says that their father Israel said to them and it must be so now do this take the best fruits in the land in your vessels and then I want you to take a gift a present along for this man a little balm a little honey spices and myrrh and they took those presents down when they came to Joseph they were afraid and they brought these presents to him and they gave him these presents spices a little balm a little honey that balm of Gilead maybe that was an indication that they it was for healing for soothing for ministering the honey was sweet maybe it was an indication to this ruler of Egypt that this gift is special. Joseph received their gift and he yearned after them I'm sure he must have remembered when they sold him I don't know if he remembered if those smells when he opened that gift but I just imagine those smells reminded him of riding the camels with the Ishmaelites down to Egypt but Joseph had forgiven them he loved them he didn't hold it against them he didn't cause any more pain in their hearts I shouldn't say it that way, he did try them and we know the story how that day he eventually showed himself to them and loved them and they were surprised to see Joseph be the leader of the ruler of Egypt but I found it interesting that they took some balm along down there we need some balm sometimes we need some healing sometimes as a body as individuals the hand cannot say to the foot I have no need of you this sister cannot say to another sister I don't need you would you ever say that? would you brothers ever say that to your brother? because you're not like me I don't have need of you just go away painful things we would never do that, the body doesn't do that the body does not do that the physical body does not do that but what does the body of Christ do? how often do we wound injure and so forth Leviticus says you should not oppress one another we are to love one another but Matthew says that the time will come when many shall be offended they'll betray one another and they'll hate one another but we are to be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one another we are to owe no man anything but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law not he that loves himself but he that loves another judge therefore no more let us not therefore judge one another anymore receive ye one another this is what the body is supposed to do admonish one another greet one another love in love serve one another, this is what the body is supposed to do but there are some places it says in Galatians 5 that if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be able to consume one another let us not be desirers of vain glory, provoking one another envying one another but we are to be forbearing one another in love if I am to be forbearing my brother I am supposed to be helping him carry his load I am supposed to come alongside and forbear with him and be easy on him, be graceful with him, be loving to him likewise the sisters with all loneliness and meekness with long suffering be ye kind one to another be tenderhearted one to another be forgiving one to another be admonishing one another in psalms in hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord we are to be admonishing one another in love we have been taught of God to love one another we are to comfort one another with these words we are to exhort one another daily we are to consider one another but what does the body do? O may God grant us grace to minister one to another to consider one another gently, kindly confess your faults one to another I wonder why James used the word faults because it is the same word as is translated for sin in many other places confess your sins one to another pray one for another love one another with a pure heart firmly be kindly affection one to another submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God lie not to one another use hospitality one to another minister one to another be subject one to another and John says it four or five times in 1 John love one another what is the response of the body? how do we respond? for we are for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body for the body is not one member but many the foot cannot say I have no need of you the hand cannot say I don't need you it's not all eyes not all ears we are members one of another every member has been set set in the body by Christ by God, but now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it has pleased Him and if they were all one member where were the body? very clearly how do I respond to those around me who are hurting how do I respond when I am hurting emotionally but I do believe God has sent forth His word and He healed them my prayer is that the word of God would bring healing to all of our hearts He has begun a good work He also shall finish it He has begun a good work He also shall finish it I would love to hear and give some time to the congregation as to what God is doing in your hearts because I would encourage you to open your heart we understand the principle that when someone has sin that the way to forgiveness the way to freedom, the way to victory over sin is to confess and make it known and not that it be confessed in front of the whole congregation necessarily, unless it's a sin against the whole congregation but generally sin needs to be confessed to those to whom you have sinned against but I also know that how did these people who came to Jesus how did they get help how did they get healing sometimes they came and Jesus said what do you want me to do and if the person was blind what do you think he would say or he was deaf and dumb or he was lame and halt what do you think he would say he needed do you think the person who was lame would say I want to have better eyesight I'd like to have 20-20 vision today no he would confess his need he said Lord like those blind men on the road to Jericho Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me and they cried out and they were blind they needed sight and that was their greatest desire was to have healing in that area of their life that they were needy in and so I also believe that there's something about confessing our needs there's something about opening up my heart in life and sharing right where I'm at I don't know how God does it all but I do know he has lifted me may God add his blessing to the further service amen I'd just like to read that scripture again in Isaiah 53 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted verse 5 says but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed I'd just like to do a three-fold thing here this morning for those who desire to come up here to the altar and just pour out your heart to the Lord Jesus said he carried your griefs and he bore your sorrows pour it out before him those who feel like you need to do so or maybe you have a transgression also he was wounded for our transgressions all of that we can find healing at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ so for those there if there's those that would like to come up here and kneel at the altar and just pour out your heart before the Lord you can do so for those who would like to and the other thing the three-fold thing here is for those who would like to share a testimony of what God has been doing in your life throughout the duration of this week all that took place last weekend God doing a beautiful work in our midst maybe you have a testimony like brother Emmanuel shared the other element is confession maybe you have a confession that you would like to make known to the whole congregation here and have us pray for you so can we move forward in that manner so if any desire to come up here feel free to do so at this time ok let's get the mics and get your hand up if you desire to share this morning I really would like to say something I think that may tie the first message and second message together some excuse my voice when we think about love we can think about it in a form of intimacy you know husbands and wives they love each other they think of the marriage union and that union produces a family and I think that we ought to think in terms of our intimacy with God also having an end that I might know Him Moses in that time when he wanted to be intimate with the Lord it never ceases to amaze me that after he got his desire of seeing the Lord and he was in the cleft of the rock and the Lord passed by and he had the encounter what was the first thing that came out of his heart after he had gained that position he immediately began to use that place to intercede for the people and the point I would like to make here is that many times in our religiousness we tend to measure our love for God in ways that exclude us from others and I often believe that that's not true love I believe that that has a touch often times of self righteousness in it or selfishness and maybe it's like the couple that gets married but they surely wouldn't want children they want to enjoy the intimacies of close relationship but it's a selfish thing and I believe that we're going to measure our true relationship with God by what it does in our relationship with others and if we come into that place of really knowing the intimate fellowship with the Lord the most natural thing for us at that moment is then going to be to see those that are not there and just plead for them we see that also we would say that Calvary is the greatest act of God's love demonstrated Christ's love for His Father submission to His Father but you know that work on the cross was Jesus coming into a place where He could have a position to intercede for you and I and so even the depth of His relationship with His Father it included us and I just want to encourage us here that we really don't know the heart of God like we ought to if when we come into His presence and we know the intimacy if we're selfish and exclusive at that point but rather we turn it around and say because we know this is the heart of God and if you follow through the scriptures there's many people that we would hold up as those who really knew God what did they do with that knowing of God was it not a ministry to others Thank you Daniel Yes I I just want to thank the brothers and sisters here at this body for having ministered to me and reached out to me in a lot of ways and I guess I asked for prayer Wednesday evening and I just wanted all of you to know that God met with me that next morning and ministered to my heart in a very real way and lifted that heaviness and that pain that I was facing and I am so thankful that Christ not only heals our bodies but He's able to bring healing to our souls and spirits and minister to us in that way different several different sisters called me the next day to let me know they were praying for me and others also and it was very encouraging I guess I ended up having to leave that evening before we started praying and the next morning when God met with me and really ministered to my heart I thought they must have prayed for me because I've been struggling with this for over a month and so soon after I asked for prayer God met me and just pulled me through and I wanted to thank the brothers and sisters for praying for me Thank you for that testimony Sarah That's the body ministering effectually Praise God God bless all of you who minister to her and allow God's spirit to use you Others? Anyone else? I was really blessed by both of the messages this morning I must admit that I experienced a lot of different emotions during this church service it ministers much where I'm at right now myself struggling to understand what's going on in my own heart and what all I'm going through in my life what we've been going through as a church but in it's own way I feel that I really experienced courage and a real way again to believe God to go on I do believe that God has started a good work in me in our midst here the thing that I feel spoke to me the most this morning was brother Emmanuel having experienced some of these same things that he's talking about you could tell he was talking about the things that came right from his heart he knew what he was talking about and isn't that I should say that the way I so often find it myself is why does God have to take me through it so that I can understand what other people are going through see it so often in my life that somebody else is going through something that I haven't gone through or that I don't want to take the courage to admit maybe I don't even realize that I'm dealing with it and I'm still in denial it's so easy for me to look down my nose and say they just need to repent and they're just too proud and then if somebody else is ministering to them then it's so easy to say they aren't doing it in the right way especially this thing of emotional hurts, sometimes gets wrote off that people that are ministering or finally helped somebody through that God forbid but sometimes it just gets wrote off as psychology but I think we heard from Emmanuel's heart this morning at least that's what I heard this is definitely one of the gifts it's the gifts of mercy I just pray that God would show me how to recognize the gifts in the body if there's different gifts in the body than what I have realize that all gifts are needed for the fulfillment of God's ministry I just really like the way he also brought out you know so often we do the opposite thing of what we do to our own body if there's hurt in one hand or the other or we don't make a spectacle out of that part of the foot he gave the analogy of poking it with a stick and just aggravating it and so on I just want to take this time to say that so often in the past first of all with my wife and my family they were struggling with something that was different maybe it was the same thing I was struggling with and yet I wasn't wanting to admit it but God was bringing that thing around and showing me it in someone else and I found that was so easy for me to become judgmental and a self-righteous spirit or maybe cynical or resentful but when God showed me the denial side of myself I realized that I was very possibly more guilty of the thing myself I just want to again talk to my family about it in the past about this but I again want to bring it up that I just want to ask for continual grace and again ask for forgiveness and I also ask for grace and forgiveness of that in the body here that it's so easy for me to see the needs in others that's an area that God's dealing with me and just to really examine my own heart because oftentimes it's the things that really I feel I take easily up easy a fence on and that I'm resentful about and usually when I see those things in others oh that God would help me to check my own heart because it's oftentimes God bringing those things in my midst when God can't get my attention that He brings it out in others so that's a mirror and so often I'm not seeing what He's doing and so I just desire that God would give me my give me the brokenness to realize that be to His here in the body first of all to my wife to my children but also to the rest of you in the body here I would stay humble and broken and transparent that God could really show me who I am I was deeply deeply touched this morning with both messages may God bless Amen. Thank you Claire for opening up your heart. Anyone else? Sister? I just want to thank the Lord this morning that there's a balm in Gilead and I know as I was thinking of the first message Brother Merrill was talking about the cross and I had some fears in my heart about what embracing the cross could mean and as I looked into Jesus face I know that He's enough I just want to say that I found that as I yield it to God's workings in my heart there is healing for the hurts that sometimes come with following God to the fullest and I've had to deal with fears even in the past week fears about embracing the cross or hurts that I've faced in the past and fearing that they'll come again but I just know that God's enough I thank Him for it Sister Dawn Hi you all an overdue thank you first of all for helping me with my medical expenses from last year but more importantly right now I want to thank you for helping me and being there for me as a congregation over the last four years and I think the reason I want to thank you for that today is because I want to talk about how risky it is to expose our emotional needs to people and it's the last thing in the world I ever wanted to do was let anybody know that I ever had any emotional needs in my life I probably would have thought of myself as pretty tough but I wouldn't be able to stand here today and talk to you about this if well on the day that David disappeared Brother Mose Preacher Mose from Ephrata called together a prayer meeting that evening with all the brothers from both of the churches and I know many of you were there and he came to me and he said that he thought the children and I should go over to the church at that time and I really recoiled at that I thought I can't do that and he looked at me and he knew right where to challenge me and he said of course if you can't handle it that'll be okay and I was tough so he said I'd be there and the ministers there met with the children and I and you know all of our needs were exposed but then he went further he said I want you to go in and I want you to meet all of the men in there praying for you maybe a hundred men on their knees just lifting up their voices to God and I said I can't do that and he said well it's too much for you of course to understand so then I said well I could probably do that and that exposure of my hurts and my pains was the best thing that ever happened to me because one by one the brothers could shake our hands and bless us and it did even more than that it made me realize that every single person that I knew knew how badly I was hurting and I think if that hadn't happened even at the time I said I would not have been able to show my face at church the next Sunday and I think I would have just drifted away so if there's anybody here who's really hurting I know it's a scary thing to expose yourself and your needs but you can't be ministered to and you can't receive that healing from the body who is the hands and the feet and the arms of Christ today if you don't expose yourself so I would just encourage anybody to do what it takes thank you that's very good Elizabeth you know it's so important to get rid of that hurt and to lay it at the foot of the cross or share with a brother or sister you know somehow somehow to be able to relieve your heart of that hurt and wound is often the path to healing and keeps you from the temptations to give in to bitterness and anger and I had to think of Moses you know Moses when he was says here in Psalms Psalm 106 32 they angered him also at the waters of strife so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes because they provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisably with his lips you know and again Moses was under pressure and he he did react to that pressure and spoke unadvisably and therefore was not able to enter into Canaan so it's so important that when we are you know when the pressure is building up that you know we continue to bring it to Christ you know he bore our griefs he carried our sorrows he was wounded for our transgressions all of that as we keep bringing it just keep bringing it to the foot of the cross it does it doesn't become a chronic wound and sore that takes you know I mean when we were in Africa we were treated sores at times I remember one man that she had to treat for a whole year it was that chronic and she had to redress it and redress it and praise God that you know there is healing for those for even those chronic wounds and sores that uh but I believe as we continue to bring it to Christ and and if there's a thing with that we've been wounded with another sister or brother that we you know somehow are able to share with him or her also if need be to just again relieve ourselves of those wounds and burdens that they don't fester and become chronic and cause us to react many times okay is there others that would like to share brother Merle up front here well I really didn't think I'd be sharing a testimony here this morning but after Elizabeth shared I just felt like I need to share this if there would be one person here that could benefit from this it could be a blessing it would be worth it and if not it may just be a blessing to the body too but um just trust the Lord to guide me to say exactly what he wants but I during the time of me trying to find my way here at the local fellowship about two or three years and I tend to be somebody who rejoices a lot I love the Lord I had a relationship with him that took me through that time but there's only a few people that were close to me sometimes that really knew the pain that I was going through and there'd be times that my wife would go to leave the office and she knew what was going to happen when she left and she just had to let me go and I'd shut the doors and I'd just lower myself down on the floor and just weep uncontrollably for a while I didn't know what to do with it I knew that God loved me and it took me through but I had no clue how to walk all this stuff out and a lot of it was because of things I was didn't understand flesh I was walking in that I didn't realize and I thank God for the brothers that were trying to help me and help me find my way there's times I'd get off the phone somebody give me a call discuss maybe a need in my life or something I just couldn't handle it I'd just lay that phone down and just cry a while I used to sing I remember writing down one time there's a song that was really and you know it was just my limited understanding where I was at that the song was a warrior of the child and basically some of you might know the song but the sum to the song is that when I get home and put my armor down and just rest I just cry a while and all that's inside the shell is just a little child that's how I felt and I just want to say this morning that God has brought me through that about a year ago. It took time He did heal me but also it took time walking it out in relationships but it's just been the most beautiful year of my life but I would say that if there's deep pain that you think nobody can understand when you feel so alone you know you love the Lord maybe but you just don't know what to do with it don't give up. He will bring you through if you'll be humble and if you'll wait on Him it's when you get to the end of yourself that He's there. It's the only safe place and sometimes He tempers a fire to what we need and He knows how much fire it takes to bring us to the end of ourselves and I just wanted to maybe in a public way I just identify I guess with a lot of what Emmanuel shared this morning about pain and I think my heart beats the same way. I want to be a brother that can look out for those that are hurting and somehow say would you just share your heart but it only takes an anointing. You can't do it in flesh and I'm seeing that only Jesus can do it so I'm not sure why I needed to share that but I just felt the Lord put that on my heart that if you feel alone and you're hurting, don't give up and it is alright to share. It's alright to be real. There's nothing in keeping a friend up. It won't help you at all. I'm not sure where to start or where to stop but I guess I heard something that Emmanuel shared that just spoke to my own heart was that if someone could have come alongside while he was deeply hurting to be ministering grace and and I guess that's a burden on my heart that God would deal with my own heart to make me sensitive because the body a healthy body will not be able to ignore a hurting part of the body. If my toe is been smashed I'll know it pretty quick. It's just that I could be sensitive that way and that we as a body could be sensitive that way and that we would know how to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. I have to think of the analogy of the rescue squads in every town practically. I also thought of this that if you won't pick up the phone and call them, they won't come no matter how deeply you're hurting. Just using that as in the body of Christ if I'm not willing to admit that I am hurting and ask for help and yet sometimes maybe a person is hurting that badly, they need someone else to make the call to find them and make the call for help. So I just pray the Lord would bring healing where there's healing needed and if there's anyone that is deeply hurting for many years the balm in Gilead is sufficient and it's in Christ. I'll just share one of the things that I have longed for for years and it has been somewhat of a hurt to me that it hasn't taken place and that was as as one who is called by the Lord to be an elder in a church, I just longed for an older seasoned brother who has weathered many storms in ministry that I could just be free with to share my heart and have some prayer and support and ask counsel and wisdom of an older seasoned brother who has faithfully walked with God and he's in his 70s or 80s and could just come alongside and say, Lord, I know that's a tall request and the Lord has been sufficient for me and yet I still do have that desire, you know, that there would be the Lord might grant me that because some of the things I felt that I've faced in ministry I felt very unprepared for and I felt like, you know, isn't there someone who has walked this way before? I could have said, now, Brother Aaron, you're going to face this. You're going to face this. And here's how you walk. And I just want to say I deeply appreciate the body here at Charity and love each one of you and it is my desire that we can just be whole and go on to glorify the Lord and if there are those deep hurts, I believe it is a safe place to open up and share. I believe it is. Like Emmanuel shared, you know, some of the things maybe don't need to be opened up publicly before everyone if it's not a public offense before the whole body but something personal that you can find someone that you can have confidence to share. So may the Lord Jesus Christ be magnified in His body here at Charity. Thank you Brother Emmanuel and Brother Merrill. I was blessed with the messages this morning. Minister too. Alright, did I miss anyone? You know, I just had to think on what you shared, Brother Emmanuel, on caring one for another and how Moses and Abraham you know, Abraham even he begged God for Sodom and Gomorrah you know, that they wouldn't be destroyed. Moses pled for his people standing in the gap, you know, when God was almost ready to pour out His wrath and you know, so to speak just put away with His people. Moses was there interceding in love and care for those who were under His care. May we have that kind of a heart instead of you know, wounding and being judgmental being rather the first thing let's make this our priority is to pray. Intercessory prayer. Deep intercessory prayer for that individual. And yes at times going to him or her and sharing the need but again that the truth is spoken in love and a desire to bring along instead of push away. Okay, thank you brother Emmanuel for the message. I know it's late but I would love to have that song John. The great physician now is near.