Hello and welcome to
"Health for a Lifetime"
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I'm your host Don Macintosh,
and today we're going to be
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talking about a VERY
interesting subject...
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The question many have
is... What is immunity?
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How does the body
relate to disease?
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Does faith and prayer
have anything to do with
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the prevention of disease?
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Does faith and prayer
have anything to do with
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recovering from
diseases we might have?
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...from protecting us from
things we might come across?
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And today, to talk to us about
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this very exciting
and interesting subject is
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Dr. Glen Wiltse from
North Dakota, actually...
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Isn't it doctor? Right...
And he's been a doctor in
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family practice
for many years...
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And now you do
some education with the
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Black Hills Health
and Education Center
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You've done that
for many years too.
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Many exciting
things you're involved in,
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but today we're
talking about immunity.
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What is immunity?
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And does it have anything
to do with prayer and faith?
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That's a good
question, and one that I think
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we need to look into all right.
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We look at the Bible...
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First of all, let's just
think about what we are...
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David, in Psalms 139,
says that "we are fearfully
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and wonderfully made. "
Was he right? And he was right!
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If we look at the immune system,
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we can see that we really were
fearfully and wonderfully made.
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We look at any
part of the body...
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Look at the eye; look at
the way the liver functions;
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look at the way
the brain functions...
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We ARE fearfully
and wonderfully made,
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and a study of the immune system
certainly goes along with that
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to help corroborate the
fact that we ARE truly made
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the way the
psalmist said we were.
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What is the immune system?
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That's going to help us
right at the beginning here.
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Help us understand what
you mean when you say...
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"the immune system. "
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Actually, our body has a number
of different ways to protect
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itself from outside
invaders from noxious influences
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that may occur into our body.
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Our skin... is a
defense mechanism.
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Our digestive system
actually kills bacteria
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that may be
ingested with our food...
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There are some of them
that live and go through,
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but it kills millions of them.
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Exercise we know helps to
strengthen our immune system.
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It helps to make us so
we're more resistive to various
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infections and
degenerative diseases.
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Foods have protective chemicals
in them, phytochemicals...
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And then of course,
we have what we call...
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the immune system
itself which is what we're
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going to zero
in on here today...
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And the immune system is
affected by our lifestyle,
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and so we need to
go into that as well.
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Okay, so different things we
do in life can either help our
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defenses or our immune system
or can hinder them. That's right
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Well, how does it work?
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Briefly tell us
how it works, doctor.
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Well let's just look at some of
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the elements of
this immune system.
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First of all, the #1 is
a cell, a white blood cell
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called a macrophage.
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And the function of
this cell is actually when
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it sees a foreign body
or a bacteria to go out and
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actually enfold itself
around this noxious agent,
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this bacteria and to ingest it
into itself, and thus kill it!
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So it eats it!
It gives it a hug,
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and it's the last
hug that thing every had!
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That's exactly right! Okay.
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Then, it also sends a
signal to other aspects...
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other portions of the
immune system such as the
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helper T-cell.
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They are also white blood
cells that are stored in the
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spleen and some of them
circulate in the bloodstream
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and they help to
eradicate, in various ways,
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noxious agents, viruses,
bacteria that may be there.
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So the macrophage gives it
a hug, gets on the phone and
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says, "Yo, help me out T-cell.
" Right! And the T-cell comes!
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So this helper T-cell comes and
he starts identifying the enemy.
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He starts calling out
the troops; other T-cells,
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and the next one that
comes out is the killer T-cell.
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They're the fighters
of our immune system.
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They've got the
guns and the ammunition,
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and they come and BANG!
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They kill the
invading organisms.
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They kill the viruses.
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They even kill
cancer cells. Is that right?
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And they even kill cells that
have been sick or are damaged.
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You know our cells
do wear out in time,
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or they become
damaged for some reason,
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and thus, they may be
a hazard to our bodies...
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So actually, they
help get rid of them.
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Another interesting
thing that they do...
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the way this body is
fearfully and wonderfully made
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is just almost
impossible to fathom.
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But, a virus comes into
the body, invades the body,
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and they live within a cell.
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A virus cannot
live outside of a cell,
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so when a virus comes
into your body, the parasite,
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it enters the cell
and there, it multiplies
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from 1 to several 1,000.
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What the killer T-cell does is
it comes and it kills that cell
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so that the cell
ruptures, and the virus then is
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not in the cell
anymore so it dies!
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Marvelous mechanism that
the Lord has prepared for us
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to help protect us.
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It just prevents the
replication of virus.
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Does it remember things
that have happened in the past?
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We have other T-cells
that are memory T-cells.
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We have suppressor T-cells
that suppress the function
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of the other cells
of the immune system.
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Once the invaders are under
control, the battle is being won
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then the suppressor
T-cell comes along and says...
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"Cool it fellas,
we're winning this battle;
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and we don't need to
hit it quite so hard now. "
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So it's a MARVELOUS mechanism!
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What about...
I've heard people say,
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"Well, if you've had that before
like the mumps or this or that,
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you won't get it again. "
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How does that
work with immunity?
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Okay, there's another
cell called the MEMORY cell.
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This cell has a
built-in or a developed memory
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of the specific
infection; maybe it was measles,
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maybe it was
chickenpox, or flu...
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And if any of these
particular infectious agents
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invade the body
again, from their memory,
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immediately
identify it, and were able to
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rally the forces more quickly
than if it had to be identified
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through the usual
immune system mechanism.
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So it's just another one
of the fearful and wonderfully
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things that the Lord
has built into our body.
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I don't know if I'll remember
everything you just told me,
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but, you know, I will remember
that there is a whole army
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that's fighting for me,
and I'm thankful for that.
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Now, you had mentioned
something and I want to
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ask you about... You said
sometimes there is a certain
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cell that comes and
says, "Hey, it's time to stop"
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What happens if that cell
is taking a break that day,
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and doesn't get back
from lunch, or whatever?
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The beautiful thing about it
is that they NEVER take a break.
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Is that right? They're
always there ready to go
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UNLESS there's been
some suppressor agent.
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Now, for instance, when a person
has a transplant of an organ,
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a heart transplant,
a kidney transplant...
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then the cells recognize
this as a foreign substance;
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this foreign kidney, or this
heart that's been transplanted,
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is foreign to this body,
it's what we call non-self;
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somebody else.
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And so for this reason,
they have to give these patients
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immunosuppressive
drugs to suppress the action
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of the immune system.
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So effective that they
have to kind of outfox it.
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That's exactly right, yes,
and it keeps on functioning.
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There are a few diseases
in which the immune system
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doesn't function
properly, but in general,
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it moves along and
does its job very well
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unless we give these
immunosuppressive drugs.
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Does it have
anything to do with allergies?
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There is a
relationship there, yes.
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With allergy, the immune
system THINKS it sees an enemy
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that is really not an enemy.
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We might consider it
an imaginary enemy...
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So it sets up
this allergic reaction
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with teary eyes or
maybe breaking out of the skin
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with hives or other conditions
or other symptoms that may occur
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How can we
improve the effectiveness
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of the immune system?
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You've given some hints
just by what you've been saying.
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Probably
keeping your skin clean,
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and all different
kinds of things like that,
00:09:06.71\00:09:07.86
but how can we improve it?
00:09:07.89\00:09:10.10
The same thing that
helps to make our body so that
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we're not as
susceptible to diabetes
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or to high blood
pressure, or to heart disease,
00:09:18.58\00:09:20.98
also help the immune system.
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In other words,
the diet that we eat,
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the unrefined natural
foods, the exercise that we get,
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and exercise is an excellent
booster for the immune system.
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All of these things help out
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and help our immune
systems to work better.
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What about going to
church, does that help?
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That's an interesting
factor, that it really is...
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And this is something
that is fairly new actually...
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The researchers have found that
spirituality really does aid
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in the recovery from diseases,
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and that it actually BOOSTS the
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effectiveness of
the immune system.
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Regular attendees at
religious services tend to have
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less high blood pressure;
00:10:03.09\00:10:04.77
they tend to have
better healing from surgery,
00:10:04.80\00:10:08.22
heal more rapidly from
infectious diseases and so forth
00:10:08.25\00:10:12.08
The immune system is
really helped by the lifestyle,
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and even the religious
spiritual aspect of our lives.
00:10:17.72\00:10:20.67
Now that sounds
like... if I was going to my
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regular doctor...
some of us that maybe are
00:10:23.78\00:10:25.91
joining today say,
"Look, my doctor would
00:10:25.94\00:10:27.68
NEVER say anything like that. "
00:10:27.71\00:10:29.67
I don't know... as
growing up, I even remember
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hearing a doctor say,
"You need to go to church
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a few more times
because you're getting sick. "
00:10:35.79\00:10:38.21
Does science agree with this?
00:10:38.24\00:10:39.68
What are doctors saying?
00:10:39.71\00:10:41.11
It's an interesting thing
that in the last few years,
00:10:41.12\00:10:43.55
the medical profession
really has latched on to this,
00:10:43.58\00:10:47.15
and has taken notice of
the fact that the immune system
00:10:47.18\00:10:50.63
is aided by a
spiritual relationship;
00:10:50.66\00:10:53.51
a relationship
to a higher power.
00:10:53.54\00:10:55.27
So the doctors, not all
of them, but MANY doctors
00:10:55.30\00:11:00.34
and even leading researchers
are accepting the dogma
00:11:00.37\00:11:04.78
that spirituality,
regular church attendance,
00:11:04.81\00:11:08.08
a relationship
with a higher power,
00:11:08.11\00:11:09.80
and a dependence
upon a higher power,
00:11:09.83\00:11:11.45
really do help a
person to stay healthier,
00:11:11.48\00:11:15.08
and to recover from illnesses
when he does get an illness.
00:11:15.11\00:11:18.48
More specifically, be a little
more specific with that...
00:11:18.51\00:11:21.64
Is it just going to
church, or are there
00:11:21.67\00:11:23.84
other things that
are really helpful?
00:11:23.88\00:11:25.88
There actually are
a number of things...
00:11:25.91\00:11:27.88
Going to church,
yes, that's good.
00:11:27.91\00:11:30.52
But the fact that a
person goes to church;
00:11:30.55\00:11:34.49
while he's there, he's
associated with other believers
00:11:34.52\00:11:38.38
...other people who
rely upon prayer as well...
00:11:38.41\00:11:41.09
And the social aspects of going
00:11:41.12\00:11:43.18
to church seem
to be very helpful.
00:11:43.21\00:11:45.98
In fact, when we realize
that Christ, Himself, said...
00:11:46.01\00:11:49.57
"Come unto me, all ye who
labor and are heavy laden,
00:11:49.60\00:11:52.39
and I will give you rest. "
00:11:52.42\00:11:53.99
"Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me,
00:11:54.02\00:11:56.18
and it will be
good for your souls. "
00:11:56.21\00:11:58.99
You'll find rest for your souls.
00:11:59.00\00:12:01.02
So the spiritual aspect of our
00:12:01.05\00:12:02.98
lives really is an
important aspect of living.
00:12:03.01\00:12:06.79
When we come back, we're
going to talk a little bit more
00:12:06.82\00:12:09.50
about this subject, but what
about "prayer" specifically?
00:12:09.53\00:12:12.50
What does science
have to do with prayer?
00:12:12.53\00:12:14.64
You had shared some very
00:12:14.68\00:12:16.13
interesting
research with me on that...
00:12:16.16\00:12:17.30
Yes, actually the
first introduction that I had
00:12:17.33\00:12:20.26
to this, from the scientific
community was an article
00:12:20.29\00:12:22.64
that I read in the
"Southern Medical Journal"
00:12:22.67\00:12:24.61
about 10-15 years ago.
00:12:24.62\00:12:27.62
It was a report by a
physician who was working in the
00:12:27.65\00:12:30.86
coronary care unit, and he
found that a study they did
00:12:30.87\00:12:35.66
showed some very
interesting things.
00:12:35.69\00:12:37.21
They took people who
came to the coronary care unit
00:12:37.24\00:12:39.62
with heart attacks, and
they randomly assigned them
00:12:39.65\00:12:42.60
either to be prayed for
or to not be prayed for...
00:12:42.63\00:12:45.56
So, some patients were having
prayer offered on their behalf,
00:12:45.59\00:12:48.21
and others were
not being prayed for.
00:12:48.22\00:12:51.38
The patients didn't know
which group they were in,
00:12:51.41\00:12:53.97
and they appointed people
to pray for these individuals.
00:12:54.00\00:12:57.71
The doctors didn't know
who was being prayed for,
00:12:57.74\00:12:59.85
and who wasn't, either;
it was a double-blind study.
00:12:59.88\00:13:02.42
So, the patients or
the doctors didn't know,
00:13:02.45\00:13:04.27
but when they broke the code,
and analyzed the statistics,
00:13:04.30\00:13:08.09
they found out that the
people who were being prayed for
00:13:08.12\00:13:10.58
had stayed in the coronary care
unit a shorter length of time
00:13:10.61\00:13:14.06
on the average, and that
a larger percentage of them
00:13:14.09\00:13:16.54
recovered, than the
ones who were not prayed for.
00:13:16.57\00:13:18.81
Even though they
didn't know. That's right.
00:13:18.84\00:13:20.48
They didn't know a thing about
it, but something happened.
00:13:20.51\00:13:23.39
So science is beginning
to understand that there is
00:13:23.42\00:13:26.54
something to this, and
they're beginning to understand
00:13:26.55\00:13:29.12
that, hey, prayer is not just
something for people that are
00:13:29.15\00:13:34.58
superstitious or
fanatical... Fascinating!
00:13:34.61\00:13:37.74
We've been talking
with Dr. Glen Wiltse
00:13:37.77\00:13:41.26
He is a
physician in North Dakota.
00:13:41.29\00:13:44.24
He helps out at the
00:13:44.25\00:13:45.81
Black Hills Health
and Education Center
00:13:45.82\00:13:48.20
where he has been
a real specialist in
00:13:48.23\00:13:51.15
preventive medicine.
00:13:51.18\00:13:52.44
When we come back,
we're going to look
00:13:52.47\00:13:53.71
a little bit closer at
faith, prayer, and immunity,
00:13:53.74\00:13:57.39
and you may need your Bibles.
00:13:57.42\00:13:59.33
We hope you join us.
00:13:59.36\00:14:01.11
Have you found yourself wishing
that you could shed a few pounds
00:14:11.74\00:14:14.71
Have you been on a
diet for most of your life,
00:14:14.74\00:14:16.98
but not found anything that
will really keep the weight off?
00:14:17.01\00:14:19.77
If you've answered "yes"
to any of these questions,
00:14:19.80\00:14:23.09
then we have a
solution for you that works.
00:14:23.10\00:14:25.83
Dr. Hans Diehl and
Dr. Aileen Ludington
00:14:25.86\00:14:28.65
have written a
marvelous booklet called...
00:14:28.66\00:14:30.75
"Reversing Obesity Naturally"
00:14:30.78\00:14:33.06
and we'd like to send
it to you FREE of charge.
00:14:33.09\00:14:35.71
Here's a medically sound
approach successfully used by
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.56
thousands who were able
to eat more and lose weight
00:14:38.59\00:14:41.56
permanently without
feeling guilty or hungry
00:14:41.57\00:14:44.56
through lifestyle medicine.
00:14:44.59\00:14:46.13
Dr. Diehl and Dr. Ludington
have been featured on 3ABN,
00:14:46.16\00:14:49.72
and in this booklet, they
present a sensible approach to
00:14:49.75\00:14:52.86
eating, nutrition and lifestyle
changes that can help you
00:14:52.89\00:14:56.02
prevent heart disease,
diabetes, and EVEN cancer.
00:14:56.05\00:14:59.28
Call or write today
for your free copy of...
00:14:59.31\00:15:01.28
"Reversing Obesity Naturally"
00:15:01.31\00:15:03.08
and you could be on your
way to a healthier, happier You!
00:15:03.09\00:15:07.39
It's ABSOLUTELY free of
charge, so call or write today.
00:15:07.43\00:15:11.70
Welcome back, we're glad
that you've joined us again.
00:15:22.94\00:15:25.74
I hope that during the break
you went and picked up a Bible.
00:15:25.77\00:15:28.64
We're going to be looking
at some things in the Bible.
00:15:28.67\00:15:30.86
We've seen what science
has to say about immunity.
00:15:30.89\00:15:33.87
We've reviewed some of the
studies with Dr. Glen Wiltse
00:15:33.88\00:15:36.69
from North Dakota...
00:15:36.72\00:15:38.37
And now, we're going to take a
little closer look at the Bible.
00:15:38.40\00:15:41.94
Is it valid to jump to
the Bible as a source, doctor?
00:15:41.97\00:15:44.76
I believe that it is.
00:15:44.77\00:15:46.20
The most authentic authoritative
Individual in the universe
00:15:46.23\00:15:49.75
has inspired that Book...
00:15:49.76\00:15:50.88
And I think if we can get
some documents from there,
00:15:50.91\00:15:53.40
that will help to substantiate
our philosophy here,
00:15:53.43\00:15:56.63
we are in good stead.
00:15:56.66\00:15:57.83
So this Book has really been
around for thousands of years.
00:15:57.86\00:16:01.02
What's one of your favorite
stories that has a connection
00:16:01.05\00:16:03.97
between immunity
and faith or prayer?
00:16:04.00\00:16:07.56
I like to think of the situation
when the Children of Israel
00:16:07.59\00:16:11.07
were coming out of Egypt
and Miriam became a little bit
00:16:11.10\00:16:13.99
obnoxious and a little
irreverent... Moses sister.
00:16:14.02\00:16:19.35
She was struck with leprosy.
00:16:19.38\00:16:21.33
How did she recover? Did
she do it all on her own?
00:16:21.36\00:16:24.93
Was she given a magic cure?
00:16:24.96\00:16:26.57
Moses prayed for
her and she recovered.
00:16:26.60\00:16:29.81
Now, does this
apply in today's society?
00:16:29.84\00:16:32.34
I haven't heard of anybody
who has recovered from leprosy
00:16:32.37\00:16:37.22
by being prayed
for, but we do have,
00:16:37.25\00:16:40.17
as you said... other instances
that are well-documented
00:16:40.20\00:16:42.88
in the medical
literature of people
00:16:42.91\00:16:44.33
that have recovered from prayer.
00:16:44.36\00:16:45.73
So if you're at home
and you're looking that up,
00:16:45.76\00:16:47.48
where would they look for that?
00:16:47.51\00:16:48.53
That would be in Numbers 12:13,
they could look up that story.
00:16:48.56\00:16:53.16
Yeah, write that
down, Numbers 12:13,
00:16:53.19\00:16:55.75
and it says there that...
00:16:55.78\00:16:56.84
"Moses prayed for
her, and she was healed. "
00:16:56.87\00:17:02.50
Okay, well, any other stories
that come to mind for you?
00:17:02.53\00:17:07.39
Okay, well I was
thinking of Elisha.
00:17:07.40\00:17:09.83
This is not a healing
actually, it was a resurrection.
00:17:09.86\00:17:12.65
The
Shunammite's son, you recall,
00:17:12.68\00:17:14.11
who developed
heat stroke and died.
00:17:14.14\00:17:16.89
Elisha prayed over
that son and he recovered.
00:17:16.92\00:17:21.48
Shunammite, that must have
been the name of some part of
00:17:21.51\00:17:24.42
country where they lived, I
guess, or the name of the town
00:17:24.45\00:17:26.90
or something...
But she had a son
00:17:26.93\00:17:28.66
and what happened? He prayed...
00:17:28.67\00:17:30.43
And this is
found in 2 Kings 4:23
00:17:30.46\00:17:34.52
That Elisha went in
and prayed to the Lord,
00:17:34.55\00:17:37.38
and this son was
brought back to life.
00:17:37.41\00:17:40.06
But you're a minister, you must
be familiar with a lot of these
00:17:40.09\00:17:43.13
prayer stories and
people who were healed too.
00:17:43.16\00:17:45.33
Perhaps you can tell us
some that some to your mind.
00:17:45.36\00:17:47.92
Well, you threw me a
little curve ball there but
00:17:47.95\00:17:50.21
...well yes, many! I've
been fascinated by this.
00:17:50.24\00:17:54.02
I'm fascinated by what you've
00:17:54.05\00:17:55.15
been sharing about
immunity and faith.
00:17:55.18\00:17:57.32
But I think, the one that
comes to mind is Hezekiah.
00:17:57.35\00:18:02.23
He was a king, of course.
00:18:02.26\00:18:03.81
They found archeological
studies that tell us
00:18:03.84\00:18:06.78
that there was a Hezekiah.
00:18:06.81\00:18:07.87
There's a Hezekiah's Tunnel,
and so it's very well-known.
00:18:07.90\00:18:11.51
But the thing that
really impressed me,
00:18:11.54\00:18:13.07
I believe it's in 2
Kings 20 where he had been sick
00:18:13.10\00:18:17.95
for some time and the
Bible says that he began to pray
00:18:17.98\00:18:22.14
and he sought the Lord.
00:18:22.17\00:18:23.85
The interesting thing about
that is that he called into
00:18:23.88\00:18:26.92
remembrance many of the things
that you said we should remember
00:18:26.95\00:18:30.00
I've gone to church. I've
done this, I've done that..
00:18:30.03\00:18:33.20
...different things, I
don't think the Lord needed
00:18:33.21\00:18:35.39
a reminder, but
he reminded Him...
00:18:35.42\00:18:38.73
And then the other thing
that really impresses me about
00:18:38.76\00:18:41.44
that is that not only did
he say, you know, I did that,
00:18:41.45\00:18:45.03
but he had some
natural remedies.
00:18:45.06\00:18:46.79
Do you remember the story?
Right, I remember that well.
00:18:46.82\00:18:49.41
He said that he used a poultice,
00:18:49.44\00:18:51.88
and I have never used a
fig poultice in my practice,
00:18:51.91\00:18:54.49
but they took a
lump of figs, they said,
00:18:54.50\00:18:56.70
and placed it upon his sore,
his illness and he recovered.
00:18:56.73\00:19:01.67
Prayer was offered along
with that lump of figs, however.
00:19:01.70\00:19:05.24
Yes, so as a physician, I
know that you've looked at
00:19:05.27\00:19:09.74
a lot of these stories.
00:19:09.77\00:19:10.80
What about the Master
Physician; what about Christ?
00:19:10.83\00:19:13.32
Are there any stories that come
00:19:13.35\00:19:14.39
to mind for you
concerning Christ? Yes
00:19:14.42\00:19:16.37
Christ performed many
acts of healing, of course.
00:19:16.40\00:19:18.77
You know, He healed
people who were blind,
00:19:18.80\00:19:21.01
and healed
people who were leprous.
00:19:21.04\00:19:23.56
He even raised
people to life again.
00:19:23.59\00:19:27.24
So that Christ performed MANY
00:19:27.27\00:19:29.28
miracles in His
lifetime when He was here...
00:19:29.31\00:19:31.96
And passed along the inspiration
for this to His disciples
00:19:31.99\00:19:36.06
as they followed
Him in their ministry.
00:19:36.09\00:19:38.22
You know, one of the
things that I noticed about
00:19:38.25\00:19:40.32
Christ's healings is
that He loved to heal people,
00:19:40.33\00:19:42.17
especially on the Sabbath.
00:19:42.20\00:19:44.91
Do you think there is anything
special about the Sabbath
00:19:44.94\00:19:47.39
in terms of
healing, health and immunity?
00:19:47.42\00:19:49.10
Well I think God can heal
somebody on ANY day of the week
00:19:49.13\00:19:52.02
all right, but certainly shows
to us that He doesn't forbid us
00:19:52.03\00:19:56.29
from helping people to
get well on the Sabbath.
00:19:56.32\00:19:58.88
If that ox is in the
pit, or in the ditch,
00:19:58.91\00:20:01.90
it needs to be brought out;
00:20:01.93\00:20:03.24
it shouldn't be
allowed to suffer there.
00:20:03.27\00:20:04.92
The apostles, Peter, John,
anybody else; did they heal?
00:20:04.95\00:20:08.39
I'm impressed by the
example of Peter and John
00:20:08.42\00:20:11.35
when they were walking
up to the temple that day,
00:20:11.38\00:20:13.16
as recorded in Acts 3:6.
00:20:13.19\00:20:15.10
This man, who had been
lame for many, many years,
00:20:15.13\00:20:18.07
and looked upon them,
and he really wasn't looking
00:20:18.10\00:20:20.44
to them for healing; he
was looking to them for some
00:20:20.47\00:20:24.36
monetary help... he wanted some
alms, as the Bible states it.
00:20:24.39\00:20:28.17
But what did Peter say?
"I don't have any of that
00:20:28.20\00:20:31.07
to give to you, but such
as I have I'll give you. "
00:20:31.08\00:20:33.67
And don't you think what
he got was worth a lot more
00:20:33.68\00:20:36.56
than a few hundred
dollars would have been?
00:20:36.59\00:20:38.36
The man was
healed and he walked.
00:20:38.39\00:20:40.77
He walked, started
leaping and jumping.
00:20:40.80\00:20:43.12
Now what about the Apostle Paul?
00:20:43.15\00:20:45.58
Well yes, you think
of the Apostle Paul...
00:20:45.61\00:20:47.96
Of course, he was in
many different locations;
00:20:47.99\00:20:50.66
he traveled a lot...
probably a lot like you.
00:20:50.69\00:20:53.02
I think back then, the
thing that fascinates me
00:20:53.05\00:20:55.19
is that most of the
ministers of that day...
00:20:55.22\00:20:58.36
Paul, Jesus, all
these were not just
00:20:58.39\00:21:01.66
ministers, they also
were physicians. Right
00:21:01.67\00:21:04.38
They would have
put you and me together
00:21:04.41\00:21:05.76
and we would have
been one person back then.
00:21:05.79\00:21:07.46
I remember the time when
he was praying over this man,
00:21:07.49\00:21:12.43
and he said, "Look, you
need to stand up and walk. "
00:21:12.46\00:21:15.50
And He said, "Your
faith has made you well. "
00:21:15.53\00:21:18.91
I believe that's in Acts 14:9
00:21:18.94\00:21:21.07
Yes, and it's interesting
that He asked this man to
00:21:21.10\00:21:23.14
do something himself.
00:21:23.17\00:21:25.03
He didn't just
say... "You're well"
00:21:25.06\00:21:27.57
He says, "Get
up" He said, "MOVE."
00:21:27.60\00:21:29.84
And immediately when
he started to do that,
00:21:29.85\00:21:32.12
his muscles were
again strengthened
00:21:32.15\00:21:35.13
back to what
they would have been
00:21:35.16\00:21:37.13
originally if he'd
been a normal individual.
00:21:37.16\00:21:39.12
Let's talk about
that a little more...
00:21:39.15\00:21:40.38
You know... faith What is FAITH?
00:21:40.41\00:21:42.07
What would you say faith is?
00:21:42.10\00:21:43.73
Well, you know, Hebrews says,
00:21:43.76\00:21:45.10
..."You believe in
something that isn't there...
00:21:45.13\00:21:47.85
that you can't see. "
00:21:47.88\00:21:49.20
..."It's the evidence of
things that are not seen. "
00:21:49.23\00:21:51.51
So you HAVE to do
that... you have to say,
00:21:51.54\00:21:55.10
"Hey, I'm going to
make this movement,
00:21:55.13\00:21:56.26
I am going to step
out" based on the promises
00:21:56.29\00:21:58.55
based on that... Is that was
Paul was asking the man to do?
00:21:58.58\00:22:02.68
I think that's what
was happening there.
00:22:02.71\00:22:04.65
We DO have, as we pointed
out earlier in our program,
00:22:04.68\00:22:09.13
that people who were
prayed for who didn't know they
00:22:09.16\00:22:11.56
were being prayed for
DID get well more often
00:22:11.59\00:22:16.04
than the ones who
were NOT prayed for.
00:22:16.07\00:22:17.81
But I think that the element
of faith adds to the prayer.
00:22:17.84\00:22:23.14
Theologically, I guess I
can't back this up by a story,
00:22:23.17\00:22:26.50
or a text of Scripture, but I
think that the matter of faith
00:22:26.53\00:22:31.63
is important and I
think it's a part of healing.
00:22:31.66\00:22:34.41
I think in John
5... This comes to mind.
00:22:34.44\00:22:37.00
You know where the man
had been laying there for
00:22:37.03\00:22:38.80
many years, and
then Jesus said to him,
00:22:38.83\00:22:41.03
"Do you WANT to be made well?"
00:22:41.06\00:22:43.98
Do you think sometimes people
like to have their sickness?
00:22:44.01\00:22:48.08
We've had patients
come to the office.
00:22:48.11\00:22:52.63
I've had patients in my
practice who, as doctors,
00:22:52.66\00:22:57.44
when they're talking in the
back room, about our patients,
00:22:57.47\00:23:00.50
we sometimes say some things
that we wouldn't say to them...
00:23:00.53\00:23:03.09
But I can remember
hearing a doctor say...
00:23:03.12\00:23:07.66
"I think that
person enjoys ill health. "
00:23:07.67\00:23:10.93
They don't
really want to get well.
00:23:10.96\00:23:13.13
So faith is a part of it.
00:23:13.16\00:23:14.45
Certainly the Lord
wants us to have health
00:23:14.48\00:23:16.29
and to live more abundantly.
00:23:16.30\00:23:17.64
He wants our immune
systems to function effectively,
00:23:17.65\00:23:20.61
but sometimes
people really get sick...
00:23:20.64\00:23:23.06
And there was another thing
we talked before the program
00:23:23.09\00:23:25.99
...and that was the
prayer for the sick.
00:23:26.02\00:23:29.65
Talk to us a
little bit about that.
00:23:29.66\00:23:30.88
Yes, I think those of you
who have your Bible out there,
00:23:30.91\00:23:32.93
will want to
look up James 5:14, 15
00:23:32.96\00:23:37.92
...where James is giving
instruction to the elders
00:23:37.93\00:23:41.50
as to how they should treat
their parishioners who are ill.
00:23:41.53\00:23:45.02
And he said, "If you're
sick, call for the elders. "
00:23:45.05\00:23:49.73
It's okay to
call for the doctor,
00:23:49.76\00:23:51.44
but you need to
call for the elders.
00:23:51.47\00:23:53.90
Get the Lord in this
thing as well as the doctor.
00:23:53.93\00:23:56.05
And if you have a doctor
who is interested in the Lord
00:23:56.08\00:23:58.04
helping him, that
will make it even better.
00:23:58.07\00:24:00.10
But the
instruction there in James 5...
00:24:00.13\00:24:02.35
is "Call the elders of the
church; let them pray over him,
00:24:02.38\00:24:05.72
anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord;
00:24:05.75\00:24:08.01
And the prayer of
faith will save the sick,
00:24:08.04\00:24:10.82
and the Lord
will raise him up. "
00:24:10.83\00:24:12.31
Now, I have a
question for you...
00:24:12.34\00:24:14.96
Does this mean that every
time the elders come together
00:24:14.99\00:24:19.18
and anoint
someone and pray for him,
00:24:19.21\00:24:21.55
that he IS going to recover?
00:24:21.58\00:24:23.75
Well that's a good question.
00:24:23.78\00:24:25.11
I would say this... The
text says that "the Lord
00:24:25.14\00:24:29.70
will raise him up"...
00:24:29.74\00:24:30.79
Now the question
is, WHEN is that?
00:24:30.82\00:24:32.53
It CAN be immediately, but we
know for sure that in the last
00:24:32.56\00:24:36.61
day, He'll raise him up because
00:24:36.62\00:24:37.91
he has given his
heart to the Lord.
00:24:37.94\00:24:39.35
Let me just say this...
You know, this text, of course
00:24:39.38\00:24:42.70
I'm very familiar with as
a pastor and in my church...
00:24:42.73\00:24:45.96
I work with many physicians,
and what we find is that
00:24:45.99\00:24:49.18
when people hear about
this, they may not even be
00:24:49.21\00:24:51.49
members of this
church, or my church,
00:24:51.52\00:24:53.72
my particular faith community...
00:24:53.73\00:24:55.59
But they want us
to pray for them.
00:24:55.62\00:24:57.83
And so there are some
other qualifiers here...
00:24:57.86\00:25:01.19
We call for the elders, #1
00:25:01.22\00:25:03.15
We let them pray over us,
and if we've committed sins
00:25:03.18\00:25:08.17
it says we confess
those. That's right.
00:25:08.20\00:25:10.01
And so there
are some conditions.
00:25:10.04\00:25:11.59
You know, those of you
who have joined us today,
00:25:11.62\00:25:13.60
and are watching, you're saying,
00:25:13.63\00:25:14.89
"Look, I have a problem...
I REALLY do want to have
00:25:14.92\00:25:18.52
that healing
the Lord has for me"
00:25:18.55\00:25:20.54
...There is a book
entitled, "Ministry of Healing"
00:25:20.57\00:25:23.98
and that book,
"Ministry of Healing"
00:25:24.01\00:25:25.51
if you call 3ABN, they would
know how you could get one.
00:25:25.54\00:25:29.18
They may even have one.
00:25:29.21\00:25:31.06
There's a chapter there
in that book entitled...
00:25:31.09\00:25:33.52
"Prayer for the Sick"
00:25:33.55\00:25:34.85
If you read through that
and you pray through that,
00:25:34.88\00:25:37.12
I would encourage you to
contact a minister, an elder,
00:25:37.13\00:25:41.11
a local church
near you, perhaps even a
00:25:41.14\00:25:43.74
Seventh-day Adventist
Church if there's one there.
00:25:43.77\00:25:45.78
They'll know much
about that chapter.
00:25:45.81\00:25:48.58
But just ask the Lord, "Am
I meeting those conditions?"
00:25:48.59\00:25:51.93
And "Will you pray for me. "
00:25:51.96\00:25:53.21
I think that they will help you.
00:25:53.24\00:25:54.59
Doctor, is there
anything else about this text or
00:25:54.62\00:25:57.92
in closing out this segment
about faith and immunity?
00:25:57.95\00:26:00.58
Yes there is... I
like what you said
00:26:00.59\00:26:02.60
"that the Lord will SAVE
him who will raise him up. "
00:26:02.63\00:26:05.66
"He will save the sick
and will raise him up. "
00:26:05.69\00:26:09.49
And like you said, it doesn't
mean that he will save him
00:26:09.52\00:26:12.00
from his illness, but
because of his confession,
00:26:12.03\00:26:14.59
and his faith in God, he
will be saved in the long run.
00:26:14.62\00:26:17.91
And the final phrase there is
that the Lord will raise him up.
00:26:17.94\00:26:22.09
Does this mean that
he's going to be raised out
00:26:22.12\00:26:24.22
of his sickbed at that time?
00:26:24.25\00:26:26.17
Perhaps, but he will at
least have the assurance that
00:26:26.20\00:26:29.06
at the resurrection, on
the final resurrection day,
00:26:29.09\00:26:31.52
that he WILL be
raised up at that time.
00:26:31.55\00:26:33.67
You know, in that text, one
thing we didn't bring out...
00:26:33.70\00:26:37.51
We have about
1-1/2 minutes here,
00:26:37.54\00:26:40.22
and I know there are some people
right now that are saying...
00:26:40.25\00:26:41.84
"Oh, I want to be healed,"
00:26:41.87\00:26:44.30
"I want to have that experience"
00:26:44.33\00:26:47.33
"I want to have that assurance,
if not now, then later"
00:26:47.36\00:26:50.99
And you know, I don't know...
I believe it would be fitting
00:26:51.02\00:26:55.64
for us to just, in an
attitude of prayer here,
00:26:55.67\00:26:58.11
in this last minute...
00:26:58.14\00:27:00.18
to maybe just bow our
heads and pray for those people.
00:27:00.21\00:27:02.55
Do you want to do
that with me, doctor?
00:27:02.58\00:27:03.78
I would like to do that, yes.
00:27:03.79\00:27:05.28
Father in Heaven...
Today, we've been talking about
00:27:05.31\00:27:07.22
a very important subject.
We ask that You would just
00:27:07.25\00:27:10.59
draw NEAR to these
people where they are...
00:27:10.62\00:27:13.02
That You would bring healing
to them and hope to them.
00:27:13.05\00:27:15.87
And we thank You and we ask
it in Jesus all-powerful name.
00:27:15.90\00:27:20.06
He's the Master Physician, and
we say this in His Name... Amen
00:27:20.09\00:27:24.68
We want to remind you of another
text as we close out today
00:27:24.71\00:27:27.77
that the Bible ends with
a GREAT text, doesn't it?
00:27:27.78\00:27:30.55
It says that... "At the end
of time, in Revelation 22:2,
00:27:30.58\00:27:34.80
that the ultimate
healing will come.
00:27:34.83\00:27:37.79
"There will be healing in the
leaves for all the nations. "
00:27:37.80\00:27:41.60
We hope today that you
found something helpful;
00:27:41.63\00:27:44.37
that your faith
has been increased,
00:27:44.40\00:27:47.81
and that as a result
of turning to the Lord,
00:27:47.84\00:27:50.18
maybe returning to church,
00:27:50.21\00:27:51.72
maybe calling that
faith leader in your area,
00:27:51.75\00:27:54.95
you will access things that can
give you health for a lifetime!
00:27:54.98\00:27:58.65