We know and believe that with God all things are possible and that God has the utmost power to do all things. But the words of Orwell George that double think is the power of holding two contradictory belief in ones mind simultaneously and accepting both of them, came to mind when a woman who brought her child to the hospital lost the baby for holding on to the ‘faith’ taught by her Pastor. The words from the Pastor of the woman that she should not allow her daughter who was diagnosed to be anaemic [with P.C.V. = 10%] to be transfused because he had prayed, caused the preventable death of the little but innocent girl. This incidence points to the fact that the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Christian Association of Nigeria. [C.A.N.] and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria [P.F.N.] should organize seminars for some of these Pastors on how to preach the topic of faith and medical science if the health for all campaign is to yield meaningful result. Medicine is the science of diagnosis, treating or preventing diseases and other damage to the body or mind. The branch of this science encompasses treatment by drug, diet, exercise, non-surgical and surgical means while faith is defined as a complete trust, confidence and reliance in God. It is a firm belief without proof, a yearning from the bottom of one’s heart for God kingdom to come. It means absolute allegiance, loyalty and fidelity to God no matter under what circumstances. We are justified by faith alone. But many confuse “faith alone” with “the faith that is alone”. They think that work is unnecessary, obedience is optional and one can be justified by an empty belief that results in no fruit. The congregation should be taught how faith works, the degree of faith and the need to seek medical attention where and when necessary. The people should be taught the factors that impede and nourish the working of faith like doubt, sin, prayer and righteousness as documented in Mat 21: 21-22 “ I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not DOUBT, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree but also you can say to this mountain “Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you BELIEVE, you will receive whatever you ask for in PRAYER”. Sin is another major obstacle as in the book of James 5: 15-16 “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has SINNED he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man is powerful and effective”. The Holy Bible made us to know that the Disciples of Christ and Jesus himself did not operate on the same level of faith. No wonder Jesus called Peter, man of little faith when he failed to walk on the sea like himself. It was also recorded that the disciple were not able to cast out demons from a possessed boy while the strong faith of the woman with the issue of blood, brought to an end her long standing bleeding disorder. I have seen faith in action performed by Pastors who will equally advised the healed brethren to go for check up. I have heard Pastor Adeboye urging his church members on several occasions. I will use the following stories to support my point that today’s Christians are mixing up the points as regards faith and medical science. I once saw a woman who had a placenta previa at full term but the fear of operation as the only solution made her to rush to the church with the belief that her faith will see her through. It was God that saved her life when she started bleeding and the church members who were neither nurses nor doctors rushed her to a nearby teaching hospital, she still had the baby through operation. Another one is the story of a church in Lagos where the sick members will be told to bring evidences to prove their sickness but after deliverance, the Pastor do tell them to avoid a repeat test. A man who claimed to have been cured of HIV by this Pastor refused to have a repeat test claiming he was fit to do all activities by faith. How would this type of person not spread the deadly disease? The pastor who told them not to go for repeat test has forgotten the instruction Jesus gave to the lepers in Mat 8:4 that “ but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” Similarly, a man who has been battling with diabetes for years exercise faith that nearly sends him to his early grave. He had abandoned his routine check-up and drugs after attending a crusade where he was told to claim his ‘victory’ over the disease. The day he was rushed to the hospital his blood sugar level was 300mg/dl [instead of normal value of 80~100mg/dl]. I cannot forget so soon the story of female student who died at Obafemi Awolowo University in the course of binding and losing the spirit of typhoid by her roommates. When their attempt failed after two weeks she was then rushed to the Health Centre where she gave up the ghost resulting from perforated typhoid. If this lady was rushed to the hospital on time while other sisters stayed around praying to win the spiritual war perhaps, her life would have been saved. Ignorantly, some people died because they refused to do ultra sound scan. They claimed that doing scan is tantamount to playing God. Scan is a diagnostic tool that assists the Doctors on what to do with the baby and the mother. In conclusion, It may not be enough for Government to ban miracles on the television but the ministries of health, education and information should set up campaign on the need to get certificate of fitness from hospital after Church healing. While the churches that have hospitals that carter for the needs of the communities like the Catholics, the Baptist , the Redeemed and the C.AC. should be encouraged and supported. Besides , Sir Arthur once wrote that the greatest mistake a man can make is to sacrifice health for any other advantage. I strongly advise our brethren to know the limit of their faith and where to go for medical help. They should pray to God to give them good Pastors not those Apostle Paul spoke of in Roman16: 18 “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people”. The Bible further says, “ You see that his faith and his actions were working together”. James 2:22. It is imperative for our Pastors to have enough knowledge and understanding on the above issue so that my people would stop perishing for lack of knowledge. ABIMBOLA ADEKOYA [B.sc (Hons) Ife, AIMLS, MBA, M.sc (Lagos),] Medical Scientist BIMADE DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES BETTER LIFE MARKET IJORA LAGOS
