Remember, the Spiritual is Always More Important Than the Physical

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

As I have pointed out from time to time, the very etymology of the word, "Chaplain" makes it mean – a minister of compassion. Christ had compassion on the downtrodden and the suffering people. In compassion He helped them – even with His miraculous deeds. BUT, HE NEVER STOPPED THERE.

As important as the physical problems of people were to Jesus, THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF PEOPLE WAS ALWAYS A GREATER CONCERN TO HIM. That same concern, in the same way, should always be mirrored by you in your ministry.

I am NOT SAYING, the physical and emotional suffering and needs of human beings are not important to Christ. A statement like that would be UNBIBLICAL. It is unchristian and wrong for us to ignore physical needs. BUT, IT IS JUST AS WRONG TO STOP THERE, AND NOT ADDRESS THE SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE YOU MINISTER TO.

I want to say it again, even though this may offend some of you who are reading or listening to this message, THE SPIRITUAL IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PHYSICAL!

How you react to what has happened and is happening in Haiti or Chile is a good example. Catastrophic disasters resulting in human tragedies on a scale not seen before. What should the response of Christians and their ministries be?

I ask this because ever so subtly, I am hearing on “Christian” radio more of a social gospel than a biblical one regarding our expected response to these tragedies. Specifically in regards to Haiti, there is little or no mention of getting them the gospel. The focus is on meeting physical needs. I am hearing “Christian” speakers say things like, “we don’t just want to give them a fish, we want to teach them how to fish for a living.” PERIOD, the end.

Don’t be influenced that way. Rather, THINK BIBLICALLY. Look at Peter and John, Apostles of Jesus Christ encountering a crippled beggar (born crippled) in the temple area in Jerusalem, in Acts 3:1-26.

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he (the cripple) gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones RECEIVED STRENGTH.
8 So he, LEAPING UP, stood and walked …

You know it was a doctor who was writing this historical account. The Amplified translation reads: “And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady, and leaping forth he stood and began to walk,” note the anatomical wording for the full healing, by Dr. Luke.

The Christian ministers certainly had compassion on the invalid. As first century Apostles with special sign gifts, they ministered to his PHYSICAL need. This healing miracle done by the power of Jesus Christ’s Spirit was complete in a physical sense, BUT the Christian ministry DID NOT END THERE. Pick up the narrative in Verse 11 and read on:

11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John (not because he needed them as a crutch, but because he was identifying with them – compare verse7b and 8a – his healing was complete), all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed (astonished).
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?

Then, instead of merely explaining the compassion and power of Jesus Christ, their Christian ministry went straight to the greater spiritual need of the people – even STARTING WITH THE FACTS OF THEIR SIN! Note it in verses 13-16, and then in conclusion in verses 19 and 26.

13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom YOU delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go
14 But YOU denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 And His name (the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth – verse 6), through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
…
19 Repent therefore and be converted (to Jesus as Christ), that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
…
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him TO BLESS YOU, IN TURNING AWAY EVERY ONE OF YOU FROM YOUR INIQUITIES.”

The GREATER DEED done that day at the temple was giving people the gospel! You are a Chaplain or volunteer minister in a facility that houses prisoners, or indigent people. But, let me ask you a very basic question, ARE YOU CALLED BY God to be Christ’s messenger? Your answer should be a strong affirmative, “Yes!”

If He has placed you there with the spiritual gifts He has given you - to do the ministry He wants done for Him, then you should apply Acts 26:17-18, where Jesus was speaking to Saul who became the Apostle Paul, TO YOURSELF!

17 ‘ … I NOW SEND YOU,
18 TO OPEN THEIR EYES, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

YOUR GOAL should ALWAYS be to see them accept the spiritual help God offers in Jesus Christ alone. Yes, you may have an opportunity to help them in other ways, and you should when you can, BUT YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION IS NEVER FULFILLED APART FROM HELPING PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY.

I want to stress this theme - with a look at our Lord’s ministry in the gospels. He clearly made the point that the spiritual and the eternal is always more important than the physical and the temporary.

The episode I want you to consider and even show others, began in Mark 6:30 with Jesus’ Apostles coming back to Him to report on the results of a ministry He sent them to do.

As they reported, Jesus commanded them in verse 31 to “come aside ... to a deserted place and rest a while.” So together with Jesus, they got into a boat and slipped away. The narrative then continues at verse 33 and following.

Mark 6:33-34

33 But the multitudes saw them departing (from Capernaum see Mt. 8:5; Luke 7:1), and many knew (recognized) Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.
34 And Jesus, when He came out (meaning of the boat), saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. (This means He focused on their spiritual needs).

What then ensued in Mark 6:35-44, was the miracle commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000.

John 6:15, picks up where Mark 6:44 leaves off – after the crowd of possibly 20,000 people (Mt. 14:21 tells us there were 5,000 men and many women and children besides) had been fed and were fully "foddered up," as he later said in John 6:26.

But the thinking of the crowd was on the physical, not the spiritual, so we read in John 6:15

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

On the very next day then, and in the same geographical area, we read in verses 22-27:

22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea (the NE side, where they had been fed) saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—
23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place WHERE THEY ATE BREAD after the Lord had given thanks—>
24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum (the NW side), seeking Jesus.
25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" (in other words ‘how did You get here?’)

That’s amazing. They never considered He was supernatural - the very God over nature, even though He miraculously fed them the day before. Yet verses 16-21 explain He came by way of walking on the water, stilling the storm and by possibly a third miracle – transporting the boat immediately to Capernaum’s harbor (verse 21)!

Now pay attention to what the Lord over creation, and storms and physical provision - said to them, when they asked Him “when did You come here?” in John 6:26.

26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw (meaning, noted with understanding) the signs (the miracles), BUT BECAUSE you ate of the loaves and were filled (literally, ‘foddered up’ - like a brute beast).

The point is don’t seek Jesus for simply the temporary physical needs you have, rather seek Him for something else, the spiritual provision that He alone offers. That this was the meaning of His teaching here is confirmed by what He said in the very next verse. -

27 DO NOT LABOR (literally, stop constantly laboring and expending energy) FOR THE FOOD WHICH PERISHES (i.e. physical stuff) BUT FOR THE FOOD WHICH ENDURES TO EVERLASTING (eternal) LIFE, which the Son of Man (Jesus, the Christ) will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Did you notice there were two sets of opposites laid before the crowd seeking Jesus here? The first set is - STOP CONTINUALLY LABORING or struggling for one thing - versus - DO LABOR (implied), or do struggle for something else. The second set is - THAT WHICH PERISHES - versus - THAT WHICH IS CONSTANTLY ENDURING.

So many people SEEK Jesus and Christian ministries FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS. Your job is to follow Jesus’ example and challenge them to seek Him for the right reasons. People need the Lord Jesus as their Savior from sin. Their greatest need anybody has is spiritual, that is - how they are going to relate to God. In relationship to their real life of sin, He will either be their Judge or their Savior. That is spiritual and eternal.

This is not an isolated passage. Other passages show Jesus making the point of the eternal and spiritual being higher in importance than the temporary and the physical. Look up Matthew 16:5-12, where Jesus rebuked His disciples for missing the spiritual and only focusing on the physical. Check out Mark 7:14-23, and note Jesus’ response to the disciples question; and lastly John 14:1-9, focusing on Thomas and Philip and notice Jesus’ responses to them. In effect, Jesus was saying, “Why are you so focused on the physical and miss the spiritual?”

But, we may well ask, then why does He want us to also attend to the physical needs of people, just like He did while on earth two millennia ago? One answer is BECAUSE ULTIMATELY, THE PHYSICAL AND THE SPIRITUAL ARE CONNECTED.

Sin (which is a spiritual issue) was committed through our physical bodies. The curse of dying physically is directly linked to mankind’s sin. Even eternal judgment for sin will be experienced in physical eternal bodies. Jesus’ resurrection body which we are about to celebrate, WAS PHYSICAL. Luke 24:36-43 proves it. The bodies the truly saved will get someday will be physical glorified bodies in which they will inhabit heaven forever (See 1 Cor.15:20-23, 42-44, 50-58; Phil. 3:20-21 and 1 John 3:2).

Tell your inmates to think about that on April 4, 2010, as they come to celebrate Resurrection Day. In conclusion, do good - even in the temporary and physical areas when you can BUT ALWAYS, ALWAYS LINK IT TO THE GREATER SPIRITUAL AND REAL NEED THAT ONLY THE BIBLICAL JESUS MEETS!

At our last Chaplain Enrichment Seminar, Steve Camp was driving home the point of presenting the real Jesus and the main thing He came to do as over against the other Jesus’ people are inventing for themselves to follow. He calls that Jesus a “Plastic Jesus.”

He even wrote a song that addresses this issue. He uses the word “plastic” to mean phony. Here are a few of the lyrics, which I think connect with what I’ve been saying:

“Burn your plastic Jesus, your social worker for the poor. He’s your red-letter Christian, your moral politician, He’ll be you friend but not your Lord. He’s you presidential slogan, your bumper sticker god, He wants to make you happy with your best life now.”

“Oh, but it aint no plastic Jesus who was virgin born, and it aint no plastic Jesus who was beaten and scorned. And it aint no plastic Jesus who suffered death, and it aint no plastic Jesus who drained the cup of wrath. And it aint no plastic Jesus who reigns from heaven’s throne, who’s King of kings and Lord of lords, the Sovereign over all. And it no plastic Jesus who rose up from the grave, and it aint no plastic Jesus who’s the life the truth the way.”

“He’s got all power, He’s got real love. There is a tomb that He broke through. He’s got all power, He’s got real love, He’s got a cross that He bled and died on. There is a tomb that He broke through, He aint no plastic Jesus, He aint no plastic Jesus, this aint no plastic Jesus - but He came to save the plastic me and you.”

If you wish you can listen to Steve sing this song in its entirety. Go to our web site, www.ChaplainHelp.org and click on the Enrichment Seminars link under the Navigation Menu. Then, scroll to the bottom of that page and click on the blue link that reads “Pictures Gallery and Audio Recordings.” The song is at the beginning of Session 4, “The Glory of Christ.” With your sound on, click the arrow to the right of “Download Audio.”

Next month, I will focus on yet another passage that shows Jesus wants physically hurting people to seek Him for their spiritual needs even more than their physical ones.

Until then, keep on rejoicing in our Risen Lord!

Rich Hines - Aurora Ministries, Minister To Chaplains