I recently read an article about a 2 year old who drowned in a washer. Evidently his mother left the room briefly and he climbed on top and accidentally fell into a full washer tub. So, in response, his mother has started educating parents on the unknown risks of drownings in washers. Actually, I have a better answer…..stop using the washer. We could all go back to wringer-washers….oh, wait a minute….people lost fingers in those contraptions. So, I guess maybe we should stop washing our clothes, right?
Sound ridiculous? It uses the same logic applied to guns. Outlaw guns to prevent violence. After all, guns kill people. But, OTOH, guns can be used for good. They are used to defend oneself or another from a violent crime. They are used to provide food for many families. Most of us recognize that, to a large extent, good or ill can be the result of a weapon and it’s based upon the person wielding the weapon….not on the weapon itself.
But, I’ve recently heard this exact same logic used for something else that has great potential to bring healing….Sozo ministry. Countless people have experienced healing, freedom and victory through this ministry. But, some have been wounded. So, some have responded by blaming the ministry itself, not the person administering the Sozo. “I would never have a Sozo because of these people who have been hurt.” “I could not condone or encourage this ministry because a number of people have been hurt by it.” I’ve heard this same reasoning in response to seeking the gifts of the Holy Spirit: they’ve been counterfeited and used to bring harm, so we shouldn’t use them nor seek them. My response to them? Then don’t ever pick up a hammer. A hammer can be used for destruction as readily and quickly as for construction and it all depends upon the person who is holding the hammer. It can destroy either through negligence or ill-will, or through ignorance of its proper use, or inability to handle the tool.
Think on this a little further. I remember recently talking with a woman whose pastor used Bible verses to prove she wasn’t saved during times of depression. How many of us would stop using Bible verses to encourage a friend who is in a bout with depression because of this? Numerous people at countless prayer meetings across the nation actually gossip through their prayers. So, do we stop attending prayer meetings or praying aloud for people because some utilize it to spread gossip? Pastors have used their position to hold an unhealthy sway over people…even to the point that entire congregations have been led astray or even committed suicide because they were so completely committed to their pastor. So, in response, do we cease listening to our pastor? I’m sure we can all remember reading horror stories of people dying from routine surgeries or procedures that carry little risk of death. So, would we say we would never have a surgery or any procedure that should help because a certain percentage have died? NO!
We all recognize that people kill others….not guns.
We know that whether or not a hammer destroys or builds depends on the one holding it….not the hammer
We believe that using Bible verses is generally a good thing….but it depends on the intent of the person quoting those verses.
We are convinced we all need pastors….even if some have led their flocks astray.
Nearly all of us would undergo necessary surgery that promised more good than risk….even knowing that some die.
Washers are necessary….even though some children drown.
Then why, when we learn of a ministry that we know little about, are we so quick to apply a logic that we would never apply to another area of our lives? Why are we so quick to discount or deny the gifts of the Holy Spirit because they’ve been counterfeited so much yet will continue to use $20 bills that are so often counterfeited? Why are we so resistant to those gifts because a few have misused them….either through negligence or ignorance or inability yet pick up a hammer without a second thought even though it can do extensive damage if misused….either through negligence or ignorance or inability?
Why would we NEVER see the good of Sozo because a small portion have been injured, yet would seek most routine procedures without fear of dying….after all, only a small portion die. Why are we so quick to blame the ministry? Yet when it comes to things we use routinely, we believe the fault lies with the person wielding the tool or weapon? Folks, people make mistakes with hammers….and they make mistakes when attempting to minister to others….either through Sozo or spiritual gifts. We live in a world where people will intentionally misuse anything that can good….either Sozo….spiritual gifts….hammers….or guns. But that fact does not diminish in any way the good that God can bring about through any of these ministries.
Are we so much more comfortable with the bondage we see around us? Maybe bondage needs to be as much of a stench in our nostrils as unwashed clothes.