October 25, 2009
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong, Chen Yi-hsuan
Written by Lydia Ma

After much anticipation, Paralympic table tennis gold-medalist and German pastor Rainer Schmidt finally arrived to Taipei on October 15 to host a series of seminars across Taiwan. Schmidt's tour in Taiwan included speaking engagements, interviews, and table tennis tournaments. Despite a hectic schedule and long hours spent on the road between seminars, Schmidt never showed signs of tiredness and remained cheerful and witty wherever he went.

During his forum on "How to understand instances of miraculous healing in the Bible" on October 17 at Shuang-Lien Presbyterian Church, Schmidt emphasized that whenever individuals reach the end of life, they will find that health is not as important as having company or people who care about them by their side. The desire to be surrounded by loved ones also reflects our need to know that God is by our side.

On the other hand, Christians who are ill and yet haven't reached the end of their lives desire miraculous physical healing through prayer more than those who are terminally ill. In some cases, these Christians will go anywhere to attend different kinds of conferences in search of miraculous healing.

In response to such trends, Schmidt said, "I believe there are people in this world who have the gift of healing, like Jesus did." But he also listed examples of friends in Germany who went to miraculous healing conferences only to experience temporary relief instead of permanent healing. In the end, the cancer or tumor got worse despite attending such conferences, forcing his friends to undergo surgery to remove a tumor or cure a disease.

From such experiences, Schmidt observed that patients usually go through a period of doubt as they ponder about God's will and why they must suffer. However, once a surgery heals their disease, their faith is strengthened when they see how God worked in mysterious ways to accomplish His good and perfect will.

Schmidt admitted he believes in healing through prayer alone, but he also thinks that such instances are God's special grace because most healings are not accomplished by prayer alone, but rather, by a combination of prayer and medical treatment. Furthermore, Schmidt firmly believes support and encouragement from family members also play a crucial part in the healing process.

Schmidt said though most people may not possess the gift of healing, everyone can offer encouraging words and show their love through action. Encouraging words and kind deeds are also instruments God uses to heal people.

"Is it God's will that some people are born with disabilities?" Schmidt asked his listeners. He answered his own question using the Bible and his own life experiences. "Yes, God allows people with disabilities to be born, but He doesn't want to see these people destroy their own lives just because they have disabilities," said Schmidt.

He went on to explain that though everyone possesses talents and disabilities, many disabilities are self-imposed by people who have closed their hearts and rendered themselves captive in the process. In God's view, all of creation is beautiful and that is why Jesus emphasized on restoring the broken relationship between God and humans instead of physical healing.

In terms of helping disabled people become whole again, Schmidt believes they must be saved first and then be healed. Jesus emphasized on reconciliation between people and God, others, and themselves, which can be summarized by his command to love others as we love ourselves.

"I'd hope for people to have friends and families who love them more than I'd hope for them to have a perfect, healthy body. I also pray that people will not walk away from God simply because nobody was there to love them," he said.

In response, Shuang-Lien Presbyterian Church's Rev. Chen Wen-Chin praised Schmidt for clarifying the difference between spiritual healing (salvation) and physical healing. He also emphasized that he personally believed in God's miraculous healing. However, his primary concern was that many Christians are so determined about being healed by a miracle alone that they fail to see God has already provided other ways for them to be healed.

"The fact that my arms are much shorter is obvious to everyone. This physical disability is plainly visible, but I also have other disabilities that are not as obvious, including colorblindness and difficulty with Taiwanese language," Schmidt said half-jokingly during another seminar on the same topic at Tainan Theological College. "Have you ever prayed to God for physical healing?" he asked the audience. Schmidt said he had never felt he had a disability until he was six years old. When he was young, he used to play, go fishing, and kick ball with other kids of his age. Whenever he couldn't scale a wall like others, his playmates would help him out. "I never felt there was anything missing, so, I never prayed for healing," he said.

However, after he was sent to a special education school for children with special needs at the age of six and saw that all his classmates were physically disabled and later lost touch with his former playmates little by little, he began to realize he had physical disabilities. It was then that he began to pray for God's miraculous healing.

Schmidt then referred to a story in the Bible about a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years who came to Jesus for healing. Schmidt reflected that though her physical healing was important, her spiritual healing was even more so. In this story, Jesus told the woman to go in peace. The kind of peace Jesus was referring to wasn't merely reconciliation between the woman and God, but also reconciliation between her and her community. In telling her to go in peace, Jesus was also asking her community to accept her.

"Disabilities serve the purpose of reflecting God's glory because God's power and strength are made even more obvious in weak people," said Schmidt. If we love people who seem disabled, we are also loving others the way God loves them.

During the question-and-answer period at the end of the seminar, Professor Wang Jen-wen asked Schmidt about the proper way of interacting with disabled people and Schmidt used one personal story to illustrate his answer.

Once upon a time, Schmidt went to a buffet and tried to fill his plate with food. Regardless of how hard he tried, he just couldn't pick up food. One well-meaning fellow came by and tried to help him. However, instead of asking what Schmidt wanted to eat, the fellow grabbed a bunch of vegetables to fill his plate.

"Sometimes, when we see someone with physical disabilities, we tend to assume that this person is also mentally challenged. In reality, this person, though physically disabled, has a perfectly sound mind and consciousness," emphasized Schmidt. He reminded his listeners that as they have compassion on people with disabilities, they must also be careful because everyone wants to be treated with dignity and respect.

The seminar at Tainan Theological College concluded with a friendly match between Schmidt and a few pastors who were also table-tennis lovers.

Taiwan Church News