Editorial August 23, 1993 Issue

Education that leads to healing

William E. Moody

Early in Christ Jesus' ministry people began gathering, sometimes in small groups of two or three and sometimes by the thousands, to hear him preach. His teachings had a power that was undeniable. His words were vibrant with light, alive with love, and they were always practical. Nothing that Jesus taught ever felt theoretical, because it wasn't theoretical. People were hungry for the truth.

Through parable, sermon, and example, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and how people could discover that this kingdom can be realized in their present experience. He showed them that they could change how they perceived reality, that they could look at the world in a new way, that their thinking and their lives could be totally transformed. "Repent," Jesus urged—completely change the way you think—"for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17).

Those who followed Jesus closely were known as his disciples. The word disciple also means a pupil, or student. What Jesus' students learned of man's relationship to God empowered them to spread the gospel to others and to heal, even as their Master had demonstrated to them. Healing the sick, uplifting the weary in spirit, redeeming the sinner—these were proofs that the disciples had understood and taken to heart the true essence of what Jesus had taught them.

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