THE REAL CURE

“…The Christian life is simply a process of having your natural self changed into a Christ self, and that process goes on very far in time.
One’s most private wishes, one’s point of view, are the things that have to be changed…As long as the old self is there it’s taint will be over all we do.
We try to be religious and become pharisees. We try to be kind and become patronizing. Social service ends in red tape of officialdome.
Unselfishness becomes a form of showing off. I don’t mean of course that we’re to stop trying to be good. We’ve got to do the best we can…The real cure lies far deeper. Out of our self and into Christ we must go.”- C.S.Lewis



“Man! Seems like it’s something different with each kid you have doesn’t it?”

This is what one individual replied lately when she heard about Job’s kidney and the fact that we may be looking at surgery in the next few months. Her statement got me thinking. It really is something with each kid. (Job at 4 weeks old – top left photo) With Moses it was the “possibly cancerous” tumor that we had to have him taken to Singapore for. We received the results after the biopsy that it was in fact non-cancerous (Praise God!) but that we needed to begin praying that the tumor would shrink so that it would not impair the use of his finger. We prayed and prayed and asked you to pray too! And now when we are finally seeing some leeway made and the tumor shrunken down to probably a tenth of its previous size and barely visible anymore, we find that our second son Job has an abnormal kidney and may need a surgery before we return to Indonesia. Over the past few weeks we have had a number of tests run on little Job from multiple ultrasounds to specialized renal ultrasounds and pediatric urologist appointments. It wasn’t until just recently however, as he is finishing up his 6th week of life outside the womb, that the doctors were able to clearly identify the problem. They say that Job’s right kidney is swollen and likely causing him a good deal of pain. The reason it is swollen is because most people only have a single collecting chamber in each kidney but Job on the other hand was born with a double collecting chamber in his right kidney. In addition to the double collecting chamber he has two ureters emptying fluid into his kidney instead of just one like most people. And that’s not all! The emptying tube coming out of the kidney has an obstruction that is causing a good amount of the urine to shoot back up into the kidney when his body tries to expel it. The urine shooting back up into the kidney and not being correctly emptied has a high likely hood of causing serious infections which will give him a high fever, blood in the urine, and could even cause the kidney itself to eventually die.
So we can’t help but ask ourselves the question “Why is it often one thing after another?” Why does it seem that the seasons of peace and perfection are few and far in between and the seasons with reasons to fear and to worry are many?” As we have been thinking about all this God turned my attention to James 1:2-4. These verses say “Rejoice when you experience trials, because the trying of your faith works patience. And let patience have her perfect work so that you yourself will be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”We have thought and thought about this verse. We have looked over the past years and contemplated the fact that in 2013, our tenth year of living and serving primarily in Indonesia will begin. And as we look back we realize that trials aren’t a new thing. It seems to have always been the case, since we began following Jesus at all in fact, that the times of peace and tranquility have been few and the times of trials have been many. It was the same way for Jesus Himself, the same way for his disciples, the same way for Paul and for Jesus’ saints throughout the ages. The book of James in a simple way tells us why. God has it this way for a reason, and the reason is that it “Tries our faith”… it “Works Patience in us”…it even “brings us ourselves to perfection”. A “perfection” that will leave us so satisfied in Jesus Himself that even in the midst of trials, we will “be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”! In other words, it will teach us how to say along with the tried and true saints over the ages, “Jesus is enough. He is my satisfaction.” We look around us in light of this verse during this few months stateside and begin to notice as we come into contact with friends from the past, some of which we haven’t seen or heard from since we moved overseas years ago, that to our surprise many of our oldest friends have turned their back on their faith and on God. People we went to Bible college with and used to even serve alongside are now mediocre at best and are so overrun with “the cares of this world” as Mark 4 puts it, that they don’t even care to talk about God’s Word anymore. It is not a coincidence that the very same friends that have had a comfortable life and minimal trials, and have taken it easy over the years, are the same ones that haven’t grown in their faith and seem to shrug God off all together now years later. On the other hand, the friends that are still passionate about God and just can’t seem to quit talking about him after all these years are the ones that have been been through hard circumstances from deaths to surgeries. Those that have been spending their time in places like Afghanistan, and South America and have been even shunned by family and friends for sharing their faith. Those that have been through storms and trials in their own lives but have held to God in the midst of it seem to be the ones standing the strongest and closest to our King. This is exactly what God is teaching us in our own personal lives through James. He wants our family to see and know and hold on to the fact – that He knows what He is doing. When He puts trials into our lives He just wants us to draw closer to him though it. He loves us that much. So what else can we do except for pray for God’s healing and ask you to pray with us for little Job. What else can we do except for have faith and in faith ask God to work in us patience and bring us to perfection through this concern. What else can we do except for turn towards Jesus and run into Him. It seems that is exactly what He wants us to do in the first place. Please pray together with us for the healing of Job’s kidney. His next appointment is on October 2nd as the doctors say “there is a fifty fifty chance the kidney could correct itself in the first few months of life”. At that time the doctors will do more tests and specialized ultrasounds and discuss more with us whether or not he needs surgery in the next few months before we head back to Indonesia and to the Dao Tribe. In the meantime while we are waiting for that doctors appointment we will spend time speaking at some of our supporting churches in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Please pray that those are profitable time that are encouraging to the listeners and if you have time, come out and hear firsthand what has been going on in Dao recently. Also, with these unforseen problems with Jobs kidney have also come a lot of unforseen doctors bills. Pray with us that God will provide everything needed for those unexpected bills and even perhaps raise up people to play a part in that need.Finally,please continue to pray for our co-workers, the Dao teachers,(Top center picture is Kogipiyaa-one of the Dao bible teachers we have trained to teach in our absence) and the believers there in Dao as they continue to teach and study in our absence. Pray that they will stay faithful and grow in their walk with Christ. Pray that they will make wise decisions concerning the various trials that they also are facing on the other side of the world.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Because He said “GO!” – Scott, Jennie ,Moses & Job Phillips – Luke 9:60/17:10 Our website: sjphillips.org has videos, pictures, and info on the ministry God has allowed us a part in among the Dao tribe. Feel free to check it out if you get some time. And now, you can follow us on Twitter@sjphillipsorg