MINISTRY IN THE FACE OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Transcription

1 MINISTRY IN THE FACE OF MENTAL ILLNESS 164

2 Please pray. We readily pray for each other when we re dealing with sickness, surgeries, cancer, or some chronic illness. Mental illness, on the other hand, is not often mentioned. Mental illness can take many forms, and it is estimated that 1 in 10 people suffer from depression. People suffering from mental illness are all around us, including in the church. Instead of ignoring the issue, let s consider a far more positive approach. Wouldn t it be wonderful if God allowed you to be a part of His ministry to others? And He does! Second Corinthians 1 shows us God can take the worst things that happen in our lives and use them in a way that would actually help us grow, and help others get through the difficulties of life. We are called to join God in a powerful outreach and ministry to others. This study on comfort can apply to so many areas of life, but let s use it to focus on helping others who deal with mental illness, emotional struggle, depression, and other issues that often go unseen and unnoticed in our culture and in our churches. Listen carefully to what God says to you in this study. The message is not easy, but it can be extremely advantageous to anyone with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to hear the Spirit of God. Frank Page Dr. Frank Page wrote this study. The president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Page has written several books and pastored for over three decades, but he likes to be known as a husband and a father. Dr. Page wrote the book Melissa: A Father s Lessons from a Daughter s Suicide. His goal is to use that tragedy in his life to help as many people as possible. 165

3 SESSION 13 MINISTRY IN THE FACE OF MENTAL ILLNESS 166 Session 13

4 GET INTO THE STUDY The Point God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. The Passage 2 Corinthians 1:2-7 The Bible Meets Life We are surrounded by people both inside and outside the church who bear the invisible wounds that come with mental illness and emotional problems. The most common form might be called depression, but mental illness takes many forms. We typically know how to pray for and minister to those with physical concerns, but less so with those struggling with mental illness. We need not ignore, look the other way, or even worse, denigrate persons with mental and emotional struggles. The Setting Paul had spent considerable time in Corinth, but after his departure, the church fellowship had fragmented. Factions aligned claiming to follow various leaders. Sinful behavior met no challenge. Pride, arrogance, and egotism replaced the fruit of the Spirit. Paul wrote and visited to correct the situation, but to little initial avail. Eventually most believers repented and healing began. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to facilitate continued healing and restoration of relationships. 10 minutes GUIDE: Explain that today s session focuses on a topic that many in the church often do not mention. Direct attention to the image that accompanies the session (see p. 166; Personal Study Guide [PSG], p. 166). DISCUSS: Question #1 (PSG, p. 166): What comes to mind when you hear the words mental illness? GUIDE: Introduce The Point (PSG, p. 167): God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. GUIDE: Briefly review The Bible Meets Life (PSG, p. 167). State that the author s daughter committed suicide. Note the author s emphasis on the importance of caring for those who bear wounds that are not as visible. Those wounds are just as debilitating, just as serious, and sometimes, just as deadly as physical illness and injury. SAY: Let s learn today from Scripture how we can minister to those suffering from mental and emotional problems. SUGGESTED USE WEEK OF NOVEMBER

5 THE POINT God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. STUDY THE BIBLE 2 Corinthians 1: minutes TIP: This session is not intended to offer professional or medical advice related to mental and emotional difficulties. If you become aware of specific needs in your group that may require professional advice, talk to your pastor or other church staff member about how to proceed. Your pastor likely can help direct you to qualified Christian professionals in your area who can answer questions and, if needed, provide professional care. READ: Invite the group to turn to 2 Corinthians 1:2-3. Ask a volunteer to read these verses. 2 Corinthians 1:2-3 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. Paul was no stranger to Christians in Corinth, the influential capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. He founded the church there during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-17), but his relationship with believers there was tumultuous. The Book of 2 Corinthians is actually the fourth letter we know Paul wrote to Corinth. First Corinthians 5:9 reflected upon an earlier word sent from Paul. This letter has been lost. His second letter, our First Corinthians, addressed specific issues within the church. Following a painful visit to Corinth (2 Cor. 2:1), Paul wrote a third, tearful letter, also lost (vv. 3-4). Second Corinthians then contained Paul s response to learning the Corinthians repented after receiving his severe letter. He also responded to opponents questioning his apostolic authority. Paul was in Macedonia when he wrote 2 Corinthians around A.D. 55/56. Paul wrote 2 Corinthians along with Timothy (1:1), who was with him when he first visited Corinth and founded the church. The letter was specifically addressed to the church at Corinth, but also included believers throughout the region of Achaia. The salutation or greeting is a familiar one in Paul s letters. He offered his wish for grace and peace. Grace, the unmerited favor of God granted to sinful humanity, was for Paul the beginning and end of the faith of the Christ-follower. It is only by grace through faith one experiences God s salvation (Eph. 2:8). Furthermore, it is only as one takes hold of God s grace that he or she experiences peace. For Paul, peace is more than a subjective feeling of the absence of turmoil. It is the Hebrew idea of shalom, the complete wholeness stemming from the removal Notes 168 Session 13

6 of enmity and hostility by God s grace through the atonement of Christ applied to sinners. Grace and peace come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Paul s mind, Jesus deity is undeniable. First, He is linked with God the Father. The grace and peace offered the Corinthians issued not solely from the relationship believers have with the Father, but also through Jesus Christ. In addition, He is Lord. In the New Testament, both the Father and Jesus are called Lord, but it is most-often applied to Jesus. Mental illness often includes a desperate longing for peace. Though medical treatments must not be brushed aside, the wholeness longed for ultimately must be grounded in a relationship with God through Christ. The church confronts mental illness, therefore, in its commitment to the Great Commission. It is through the gospel we proclaim that people have access to genuine peace both on earth and throughout eternity. Normally, Paul began his letters by offering thanks to God for His work in and through the believers to whom he wrote, followed by a prayer on their behalf. In 2 Corinthians, circumstances caused him to alter his general practice. Instead of thanking God for His work in the Corinthians, he praised God for His actions in him. Just as he modified his greeting, Paul took a traditional Jewish blessing of God and Christianized it for his purposes (v. 3). Paul praised the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Christians, God is first and foremost known as the Father of Jesus, who in turn is the greatest blessing given to humankind. We can call him our Father only because He is the Father of Jesus. God is not only described in terms of His relationship with His Son, Jesus, but also by what He offers to humanity. Unlike other religions, whose gods are distant, uncaring, and unfazed by the conditions of others, God is directly involved in our lives. He is first the Father of mercies, an idea that again stems from Paul s Jewish past. He used the Greek word and verb form for mercy more than any other New Testament writer. More important for Paul in 2 Corinthians is God as the God of all comfort. Ten times in verses 3-7 Paul mentioned comfort, six times as a noun, four times in verbal form (one is translated receive near the end of v. 4). The apostle Notes SUMMARIZE: In verse 2 Paul greeted the believers in Corinth with a common greeting, but he expressed it with a powerful truth: grace and peace come from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus as well as our own spiritual and Heavenly Father. It is only as we take hold of grace through faith in Christ that we experience true peace complete wholeness, which stems from the removal of enmity and hostility by grace through Christ s atoning death on the cross applied to sinners. As we confront mental illness, a time may come for medical treatment; however, ultimately, the wholeness we all long for must be grounded in a relationship with God through Christ. GUIDE: Direct attention to verse 3. Note Paul identified God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. As we seek to care for those suffering from mental illness, as well as physical illness, God s mercy and comfort may come through various means, but He remains the ultimate Source of healing, hope, and help. 169

7 THE POINT God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 168): What are some similarities and differences between physical illness and mental illness? (Alternate: What do these verses offer to someone dealing with mental illness?) SUMMARIZE: Emphasize the comfort the PSG author found in Scripture as he dealt with the tragedy of his daughter s death (PSG, p. 169). DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 169): When have you experienced God s comfort? (Alternate: What role does sharing the gospel play in ministering God s comfort to people suffering from mental or emotional problems?) TRANSITION: Believers are connected to one another in Christ. The next passage reminds us that God intends for His comfort to flow through us to others who are suffering. said more about comfort than any other New Testament writer, he said more about it in this letter than any other, and he focused more on it in verses 3-7 than anywhere else in 2 Corinthians. We should be careful not to force our sentimental understanding of comfort upon Paul s meaning. God s comfort is His encouragement and strengthening that produces resolve when believers experience difficult circumstances. Paul s enemies attacked him because he shared his trials as a follower of Jesus. But it was in and through his tribulations he came to know God as his Comforter. Perhaps Paul even contemplated Isaiah 40:1 when writing this text: Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. 1 Nevertheless, God s comfort is comprehensive and exclusive. He offers all possible comfort for those who rightly call Him Father through repentance from sin and receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord. As I write, the United States is only weeks past the tragic shooting at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. Twelve people were fatally shot and four others injured. The shooter, Aaron Alexis, suffered from mental illness. Recently, Lifeway Research released survey results some might find startling. Among those surveyed, 55 percent of people who never attend worship services and 21 percent of those who attend a worship service once a week or more disagree with the statement: If I had a mental health issue, I believe most churches would welcome me. 2 Christians and churches should not believe our ministry alone can successfully treat all forms of mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, but at the very least we can hold out hope that through Christ, people who suffer with these maladies have access to the grace, peace, mercy, and comfort of God. If we do nothing else, the very real issue of mental illness should give us even more reason to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notes 170 Session 13

8 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. On April 5, 2013, 27-year-old Matthew Warren, son of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California, committed suicide after struggling with mental illness throughout his young life. Almost four months after their son took his life, the Warrens returned to their church. Rick began a new series tackling mental illness, How to Get Through What You re Going Through. In his first message, he shared truths that sustained them during this time, including that even though circumstances may not make sense, God still loves us and is with us. Warren stated when we grieve, God grieves with us and wants to take our pain, turn it around, and use it to help others suffering similarly. 3 Warren s message echoes Paul s words in 2 Corinthians. With verse 4, Paul expressed his own experience with the comforting power of God. He explicitly praised God, who comforts us in all our affliction. Paul used the plural us, but he referred to his own comfort received from God. His encouragement was comprehensive; in all of his affliction, God was at work. The Greek word gives the idea of inner pressure felt from outer factors. Did Paul have any particular afflictions in mind? In 1:8, he wrote of affliction so severe he even despaired of life. Through the unnamed difficulty, he came to recognize not only God s deliverance, but His purpose to teach Paul to rely completely upon Him. Later, in 4:7-12 and 11:23-29, Paul further referred to his difficulties. What all have in common is both an external and internal element of suffering. He suffered both bodily and mental turmoil as Christ s apostle. If Paul suffered mental distress, why would modern-day Christians think we are immune to various mental illnesses? Some of the best known believers in history suffered from Notes STUDY THE BIBLE 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 READ: Ask a volunteer to read verses minutes SUMMARIZE: The issue is not if you are going to have trouble in your life, but when. Trouble comes to everyone at many times and in different forms. An increasing number of people are experiencing mental and emotional turmoil. Rates of depression, mental struggle, and suicide have hit epidemic levels. GUIDE: Call attention to PSG page 170. Review the suicide statistics marked by the bullets: For the first time, more young people are dying by suicide than by traffic accidents. At the peak of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, according to the U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains, more soldiers were lost to suicide than to combat. (cont. on p. 172) 171

9 THE POINT God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. Suicide rates among young women, [aprox. ages 18-30], have risen dramatically. For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. SAY: God has placed us in these disturbing times to be the presence of the Lord Jesus in people s lives. DISCUSS: Direct attention to verse 5. Emphasize Christ s comfort overflowing from our lives into the lives of others as you begin to discuss Question #4 (PSG, p. 172): Since Christ s comfort overflows to us, what are practical ways we can share that overflow with others? DO: Invite volunteers to share their responses to the activity, Overflow of Comfort (PSG, p. 172). depression. Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, and C. S. Lewis all struggled with this common mental illness. But God had a greater purpose than comforting Paul. Through God s comfort, the apostle would be able to comfort others who are in any kind of affliction. Ultimately, God brought consolation to Paul for the benefit of others in the midst of suffering. God permits trials so, through them, He might comfort the afflicted, who in turn, can come to the aid of others. Paul could comfort others through his own comfort received from God. Through his personal example, prayers, and words of encouragement, Paul could come alongside others in distress, because he himself experienced personally God s comfort. God, our Source of comfort in trials, never intended His comfort to be for our benefit alone. As we are comforted, we anticipate and look forward to sharing His comfort with others. When it comes to believers in the church struggling with mental illness, we care for them rather than ostracizing them; we pray for them rather than neglecting them; and we reach out to them rather than abandoning them. Paul was, and we today are, able to comfort others, because the sufferings of Christ overflow to us. What exactly are the sufferings of Christ? Opinions differ. Some believe Paul referred to suffering incurred on behalf of Christ, trials associated with Christian service. Others hold such sufferings are sufferings Christ has appointed for believers, such as Paul s (Acts 9:15-16). In Colossians 1:24, Paul wrote of his sufferings completing what was lacking from Christ s afflictions for the church. Scholars often refer to these as the woes of the Messiah, the suffering ordained by God for the church to endure before the second coming of Jesus. Another opinion is Paul had in mind the atoning suffering of Jesus on behalf of believers. Irrespective of which opinion one holds, through Christ, Paul s comfort overflowed. Christ was the center and source of all comfort. Another opinion is Paul had in mind the atoning suffering of Jesus on behalf of believers. Irrespective of which opinion one holds, through Christ, Paul s comfort overflowed. Christ was the center and source of all comfort. Notes 172 Session 13

10 Overflow was a commercial term meaning profit or a surplus. Elsewhere, Paul confidently proclaimed, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18). He believed what we must also believe. Regardless of any sufferings believers endure, including mental illnesses, they will never be any match for the comfort extended by God. His comfort has not nor will it ever be outweighed by any suffering. TRANSITION: Both distress and comfort, when experienced by God s children, work for good in the lives of others who are suffering. 2 Corinthians 1:6-7 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort. Paul moved toward the climax of his praise to God for comfort in his trials. It is a remarkable conclusion based on the confidence he expressed considering the relationship he had with the church in Corinth. Some among them criticized the apostle because of his suffering in his ministry, and cast doubts about his authority among the Corinthians. In their estimation, no apostle would boast or have confidence about personal tribulation. Yet Paul found reason for confidence his sufferings benefited other followers of Jesus. We, too, can impact others as God grants encouragement to us in the midst of our difficulties, including mental illness. Paul explained his affliction served to benefit the Corinthians. If, he wrote, he was afflicted, it was for their comfort and salvation. As Paul suffered in the pursuit of his calling and ministry in the gospel, his readers could take comfort and know their salvation came as a result. He planted the church in Corinth; he brought the gospel to them; he was God s instrument in their repentance and faith in Jesus. But his ministry was one marked by persecution and physical and mental hardship. How could they question STUDY THE BIBLE 2 Corinthians 1: minutes READ: Ask a volunteer to read verses 6-7. SUMMARIZE: Paul s sufferings benefited other followers of Jesus. We, too, can impact others as God grants encouragement to us in the midst of our difficulties, including mental illness. Notes 173

11 THE POINT God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. SAY: It is natural for us to want to avoid suffering. Yet the Bible repeatedly teaches that followers of Christ can grow spiritually through these challenges. READ: Invite volunteers to read the bulleted passages on PSG page 174: James 1:2-4 : Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Romans 5:3-4: We also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. SAY: These benefits of individual spiritual growth do not stop with us alone. They equip us to serve. his credentials as an apostle due to his suffering if it was through that suffering they became followers of Jesus? Paul s affliction would bring comfort; likewise, if he was comforted, it was for their comfort. This encouragement would be experienced in the same sufferings Paul suffered. Literally, their comfort would be energized as they too were afflicted and comforted by God. Were the Corinthians presently being persecuted for their faith in Jesus? One view is that they were not, but enjoyed relative peace with the pagan community in which they lived. But some hold Paul pointed to, at the very least, minor persecution from family or others as a result of being Christians. But if they were afflicted, their comfort would be affected as a result of Paul s suffering and comfort on their behalf. In essence, he gave them reason to share in his sufferings: so they might also share in his encouragement. Paul elsewhere wrote that all who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). Suffering, persecution, and affliction are a fact of life for faithful believers. But we do not experience these on our own if we follow God s pattern for our lives. We may suffer, but God brings comfort. Our comfort, then, affects and encourages other believers as we reach out to them. Both suffering and comfort serve to energize not only our spiritual lives, but also our ministry. Paul s hope for his readers was firm. As they shared in the sufferings, they would also share in the comfort. Though many translations insert our, the word is absent in the Greek. They would experience Paul s sufferings and comfort, but the sufferings and the comfort from God. During the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, spoke passionately, urging SBC entities to get more involved helping Christians and churches ministering to those dealing with mental health issues. Citing statistics that 58 million Americans and 450 million worldwide suffer from these disorders and more than 1 million die yearly from suicide, Floyd stated, Jesus called us to care for the suffering, to care for the least of these. We often overlook them. At times their lives are so disrupted and severe they require Notes 174 Session 13

12 intervention. These people and their families are isolated, stigmatized and rejected. Messengers to the Convention later overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Mental Health Concerns and the Heart of God Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), Bob Smietana, Mental Health: Half of evangelicals believe prayer can heal mental illness, LifeWay Research [online], 17 September 2013 [cited 23 January 2014]. Available from the Internet: 3. John Evans, Rick Warren returns to pulpit after son s April suicide, Baptist Press [online], 29 July 2013 [cited 29 January 2014]. Available from the Internet: 4. Barbara Denman, Mental health issues garner SBC attention, Baptist Press [online], 13 June 2013 [cited 23 January 2014]. Available from the Internet: DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 174): As God s people, what can we do to care for those with mental illness? (Alternate: On a scale of 1 to 10 [with 1 being low and 10 being high ], how do you rate your own outlook on hope?) Titus met Paul and delivered SHARING THE GOOD NEWS the encouraging report that the To offer God s comfort to Corinthians had repented of their those who are struggling, attitudes of resistance toward Paul we must first have received (2 Cor. 7:4-16). This uplifting report ourselves the comfort we led Paul to write 2 Corinthians can find only in Christ as ILLUSTRATOR PHOTO/BOB SCHATZ Inside the upper city walls of ancient Corinth. while he was still in Macedonia. He sent the letter back to Corinth with the understanding that he himself would return to Corinth soon (2 Cor. 13:1-4; Acts 20:2). Luke wrote of Paul s visit to Corinth in Acts 20:2. Savior and Lord. Each week, make yourself available either before or after the session to speak privately with anyone in your group who wants to know more about becoming a Christian. The following excerpt is from the article, Paul and the Corinthians, which relates to this session and can be purchased at com/biblicalillustrator. Paul was anxious to know the effect of the letter among the Corinthians and left Ephesus. He waited in Troas and then in Macedonia for Titus to come (2 Cor. 2:12-13). In Macedonia Read the article Comfort: A Word Study in the Fall 2014 issue. Previous articles, Paul s Asian Afflictions, and Comfort, relate to this session and can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at www. lifeway.com/biblicalillustrator. Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. Subscribe to Biblical Illustrator at or call See the article, Leading Someone to the Greatest Decision of All, on page 2 for guidance in leading a person to Christ. Remind group members that page 2 in the PSG offers guidance in how to become a Christian. Encourage believers to consider using this article as they have opportunities to lead others to Christ. 175

13 THE POINT God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes DO: Emphasize The Point: God s people are to care for those suffering from mental illness. GUIDE: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 176; see text to the right). Invite group members to mark the application they feel God is leading them to adopt this week. Wrap It Up READ: Conclude this session by inviting a volunteer to read the final paragraph in Live It Out: Many around us suffer in silence. LIVE IT OUT How do you respond to this session? Apprehensive? Eager to help? Or something else? Consider one of the applications below as you seek to follow God s call as a result of what you have learned. > > Pray. As you consider what you can do to help someone struggling with mental illness, begin asking God this week to reveal to you someone who needs a loving touch, the ministry of presence, and an encouraging word. > > Prepare. Starting tomorrow, discipline yourself to make prayer, Bible study, and service a daily part of your routine. Then, when trouble comes, you will more likely seek to grow through it, not just escape it. > > Promote. Help people within your sphere of influence become more aware and sensitive to those who are struggling with mental and emotional illness. Talk to your Bible study group leader about inviting a Christian who works in the mental health industry to help your group know better how to minister to those in need. Many around us suffer in silence. Perhaps some of us are in that group. Let us each seek to be a source of love and healing in Christ s name to any among us who suffer from the silent wounds of mental illness. They are not beyond our care. PRAY: Heavenly Father, strengthen us with courage, wisdom, and patience as we seek to care for others who struggle with mental and emotional difficulties. Amen. 176 Session 13

14 My Thoughts My Group's Prayer Requests Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, boomers, and singles) are available at BibleStudiesForLife.com/blog. And for free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid.com/web/BibleStudiesForLife. Melissa: A Father's Lessons from a Daughter's Suicide I had never wanted to go here in my thinking about Melissa. Yes, she had been troubled for years. Words can hardly describe what both she and we all had been through, dating back two full decades or more. But unlike the case with so many, she had never one time threatened suicide not to my knowledge, at least and I knew her about as well or better than anybody. So while distress and Melissa were rarely very far away from each other, the thought of her taking her own life never really seemed an imminent risk to me. To continue reading this excerpt, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles, and enter the article title in the search bar. Or use your smartphone to access the article directly by scanning the QR code. 177