Healing Beyond Physical Boundaries

 Transcribed by AI

Welcome to the programme "The Secret of Life". This programme, in the light of the Holy Gospel, helps you to bring about fundamental changes in your life. In the name of the compassionate and kind Lord, welcome to the programme "The Secret of Life". Please accept my greetings. I hope each of you is doing well, healthy, and in good spirits. Thank you for liking and sharing my programme last week. You also left comments for us. We are immensely grateful. We are always happy to hear from you.

Today, we have with us dear Daniel. Hello, Daniel, and welcome. I also greet you, dear brother Shaib. I’m happy that even though we are far apart, we can gather together in different ways and be guests in the homes of our dear ones, wherever they might be, especially those in Afghanistan. This brings us immense joy and happiness. I wish you health and blessings, and the same for all our viewers around the world.

Yes, Daniel, some of our viewers might think that Christians have no problems or challenges. But you usually come to the studio. Can you tell us what problem you faced today that prevented you from coming? Unfortunately, my car broke down this morning. Maybe it has engine trouble; I don’t understand. It was smoking a lot, and I couldn’t make it from home, so I had to join the "Secret of Life" programme from home.

Truly, dear friends, we always serve God, and we face challenges. But what matters is not the problems we encounter, but how we rise again. How we strive against difficulties and continue our service, and we are happy, Daniel, that we are connected through Zoom.

Two weeks ago, dear friends, we gathered together in Athens, the capital of Greece, with a number of Afghan servants or Afghan Christians who serve, as well as non-Afghan Christians who have served or are serving in Afghanistan. We worked together to translate and print the first version or the first translation of the Holy Bible into the Pashto language of Afghanistan.

I would like to kindly ask the producer to play the clip that Hussain Jan Andriaz has put together for us. My dear brother, perhaps you know him not only from his lovely programmes but also from his music programmes, where he shares the word of God, and I thank God that today the Afghan Bible Society is present in Afghanistan.

Well, dear friends, on behalf of the Afghan Bible Society, I congratulate all believers on the establishment of this society. The goal of this society is that every Afghan, wherever they might be, can read the Bible, the Gospel, and learn about Jesus Christ.

Currently, we have five translations in progress in Pashto, which are fully completed and printed, and there is also a Dari translation. Today, we are celebrating. Today is a day of celebration. On September 27th, 2006, we present to the Lord the translation of the Holy Bible into the Pashto language of Afghanistan so that the Pashtuns in Afghanistan can know Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Lord with faith. Also, today we present the first New Testament translation in the Hazaragi language to the Lord. This translation, Hussain Jan, you participated in its initiation, and we bless your efforts.

Dear friends, consider that in Jesus Christ, we are all Pashtun, we are all Hazara, we are all Tajik, we are all Uzbek, and we all follow Jesus Christ together. Amen, amen, amen. My dear compatriots, currently, I don’t know your website address, but you can visit afghanbible.com. There, I will put the link to the Afghan Bible Society and the link to the Afghan Bible Society clearly. You can watch this video there as I will upload it on that website.

The word of God tells us that Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. This word is in our own language, in Dari, Pashto, Hazaragi, and Uzbek, and you can use it. The word of God says to taste and see that the Lord is good. Other religions may put pressure on you, but the essence of religion is not shown, and the word of God says to taste it, just like you taste an apple, like you taste food, like you taste water, and see in experience that it is good. You can find this goodness through the Holy Scriptures. May God bless you and may this video illuminate your hearts.

The first Afghan who came through the programme "The Voice of Christ" broke the chains and shared the word of God, and our brother Maragha Jan is also standing behind and he too is a dear servant of the Lord. Here, we are more than fifty people, singing and worshipping regarding how we can share the word with our compatriots. Believe me, God loves the members of the Talbar group, and when I say this, it is difficult for many of our compatriots to accept. God created us in His image, and they can repent and believe in their God, who is Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.

On the other side, there are people whose videos we do not want to show, but Sister Hailan Hailani is also here with dear Ms. Mistqar Jan. They too have lovely programmes, and today the Bible is translated into Pashto. Sister Hailan is here; you can follow her programmes in "Masi Gag" in the name of our holy Jesus Christ and for the glory of God the Father. Amen.

It is truly uplifting, dear brother Shaib, when we see that the word of God has been fully translated into Pashto. Although there have been previous translations of the Bible into Pashto, this effort and this endeavour can be a tremendous blessing for the Pashtun people in our land. I am very happy to see that positive steps are being taken to bring the word to all ethnicities.

All ethnicities, with every culture, every tradition, and every language, can follow the word in their mother tongue, read it, and understand the truths that God wants to reveal to them. In the past, we were very indifferent to these matters based on tradition, culture, religion, and ethnicity; I too was like that. Perhaps many in Afghanistan are indifferent when they hear this news.

Because of cultural or religious roots, it may not matter to them. Why? Because religion has not allowed them to elevate the Gospel or the Bible. And from that interpretation given to us in the past that other books are obsolete and are not worth reading or pursuing, we need to go beyond that interpretation today, so that our Pashtun compatriots can read the Gospel and the entire Bible in Pashto, and see how the God of the Bible is introduced in the Bible, the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels. I am very happy to receive this news from you, and today I also saw you in that gathering in a video that brings blessings and joy.

Yes, dear friends, we Christians read this Bible in Pashto. Yes, dear friends, we Christians believe that the people of Afghanistan have been distant from this Bible in Pashto and Dari for hundreds of years due to the various problems today in Afghanistan, whether it be revenge, enmity, ethnic issues, or economic problems. These arise because we have been distant from the word and guidance of God for hundreds of years. But we are thankful to God that the Bible was published in Dari in 2008, and since 2008, thousands of Afghans have come to faith in Jesus Christ. We also hope and believe that through this book, the special Bible in Pashto, thousands of Pashtuns will come to faith.

Believe me, Daniel, before it was published, we put it online at afghanbibles.org a few months ago, and the number of downloads by Pashtuns has reached thousands from inside Afghanistan. The book had not yet been printed, but our Pashtun brothers and sisters in Afghanistan downloaded it and are reading it. We are thankful for this, just as we read in the Bible. The word of God says, in Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” What does the word of God do? It saves us from darkness, Daniel. Yes, exactly. The book of Amos also mentions that the time will come when the people of the world will be hungry not for bread or thirsty for water, but rather for the word of God.

We can perceive this time. The people of our world and our land in Afghanistan need the word of God more than ever; a word of hope, a word that can speak to them and teach them the way of life and how to interact with God.

In the past, we related to our God in other languages. I speak of my past religion and my current religion in Afghanistan. People relate to God in other languages, not in their mother tongue. They worship God in other languages, not in their mother tongue. But in Christianity, it is possible for us to have the Bible translated and relate to God in our mother tongue, recognise Him, understand Him, and be able to pray and study His character throughout the Bible. This recognition and study will be a blessing for us.

Someone who can truly worship is the one who provides this version to the dear Pashtun people so that they can read. More than all the words of the religious leaders or those who are religious leaders and do not allow anyone to read the Gospel or the Bible, today you can, as brother Shaib said, have the Bible in Pashto online, and in the near future, you will have the printed Bible in Pashto to study.

Yes, dear friends, the word of God is very important. In the Bible, in the Gospels and in other books, it is our guide for life and makes our lives better every day. Every day, when we believe in Jesus Christ and read the word of God continually and share it with each other, pray, and as you said in your mother tongue, how sweet it is. The videos of Isa Jan said to taste and see that the Lord is good. Indeed, when we read the word of God in our mother tongue, it brings much more joy.

We taste and see how the Lord is truly good. There is a completely different pleasure. In Pakistan, in 1999, when I first had the Bible in Persian and also in English, the Persian I read had a different taste. Now, reading it in Dari has a completely different flavour. It is exactly like that. When you read the Bible in your mother tongue, you can connect with it.

In the past, we were forced to read in Arabic, and when anyone asked us, we would say that we read it. Did we understand? We would say yes, but in reality, we understood nothing because it was a different language, and we could not connect with it. This raised many questions for me. It became very challenging. I would ask what these things in the Bible were. I could ask questions, understand, challenge, and seek guidance on what this word was that you spoke about or what commandments were given by God in this book. I could question them because I could understand it.

But when I read a book in Arabic countless times in the past, I could never understand or challenge it or ask questions to know God better. Now, I see how God opened my eyes through the Bible and changed my life.

But one thing happens at once. It is our relationship with God. And when our relationship with God is restored, our lives become peaceful in the strength of God, and God's blessings flow. Amen. Many Afghans, when they read the Bible from the beginning, in Dari or Persian, they come to challenge the Bible. But the opposite result occurs. The result is that the Bible is the word of God. Those who read it, whether Afghan, Iranian, or Pakistani, challenge it, and as a result, they repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

This is truly a source of joy and happiness. That today we have the Bible in both Pashto and Dari. And all of us can access it online at afghanbibles.org to read and download. Now, let’s watch a clip together and we will return shortly.

We hope in God, You are the only salvation, You are the way out of this darkness, You are the only one whose great voice reaches my soul. You are the God who does not abandon the world, You do not leave me alone, You are the way of separation for the lost. You are the only healer.

Dear viewers, we continue with our lessons about the miracles of Jesus Christ, and today we want to discuss another miracle of Jesus regarding the healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath, according to the Gospel of John, chapter five, verses one to fifteen.

Daniel, I will read these verses and ask you to share your thoughts on this. The Gospel of John, chapter five, verses one to fifteen: "After this, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now there is in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralysed. They were waiting for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?' 'Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.'

Then Jesus said to him, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.' At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, 'It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.' But he replied, 'The man who made me well said to me, "Pick up your mat and walk."'

So they asked him, 'Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?' The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.' The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well." May the Lord bless His word.

Thank you, Daniel, for reading the word.

When we encounter this story in the Gospel of John, we realise that this is the third miracle mentioned in the Gospel of John. In this sign, a particular characteristic of a man who had been bound for thirty-eight years is highlighted. For thirty-eight years, he had been stuck in a state where perhaps he had distanced himself from a normal life, caught in circumstances that had turned into a way of life for him, lying next to a pool, waiting, having no other means of escape.

The surface aspect of this story is something we can all follow, but as I prepared this teaching, I was thinking about the condition of that individual and that pool and that area. I really don’t understand where the pool of Bethesda is, what it looks like, or which people it belonged to historically, or what faith and religion were associated with it.

But when I consider that man waiting for healing, stuck in a competitive atmosphere, how is it? In such a way that he cannot reach it himself when the angel of God comes. He has no one to help him enter the pool. In that moment, once a year, others have relationships, intermediaries, power, the ability to change places, and no one has that capability.

The image that forms in my mind is one of the modern world. A world where people feel they are stuck in life and have no way out. Why? Because they have no relationships, no intermediaries, no one to lift them up or help them out of their situation. This is a picture of today’s world.

The pool is a metaphor for the part of the Bible that mentions the current world. People who are all competing to gain and do not pay attention to each other. I must fulfil my needs and do not care about others. With all my effort, strength, means, and relationships, I use every opportunity to fulfil my needs first, without considering others.

So we are indeed living in such a world. Perhaps, in Afghanistan, those who watch this programme may feel the same way—that we are stuck, that no one cares about us, and we are caught in a situation, as brother Shaib might have heard from you.

Yes. One thing that caught my attention here was that when Jesus asks the paralytic if he wants to get well, this man does not say yes. He focuses more on his problem. He says, 'I have no one to help me.' Here, what is he doing? He is not saying, 'Yes, I want to get well.' Instead, he brings up his problem.

I think today if this question were posed to Afghans, 'Do you want to be free from this state?' What would we hear? The answer we might hear could be similar to that of the paralytic, which is, 'Well, while I want to be saved, another problem arises.' It means bringing up another excuse.

You've made a very good observation, brother Shaib.

But when we start from the beginning, for example, we see that we are in a world where the stronger, quicker, or more cunning people, or those who have relationships, are caught in a very competitive system, which can sometimes be very brutal. They strive to gain, disregarding others.

This individual has been caught in such a system, in such a situation. The image of a pool where this paralytic cannot eat properly, but the point here is that others are looking for intermediaries to escape their circumstances. But Jesus comes to this person directly, stands beside him, and asks a challenging question: 'Do you want to be healed?' The question is strange—how can this man not want healing? He has been stuck there for thirty-eight years.

Why does Jesus ask such a question? I think the point you mentioned refers to this section: this person seems to have accepted his condition, accepted his situation, and has been in this way for years. To obtain or change his life, he has not made any effort.

So, Jesus asks him a challenging question, and the answer he gives indicates, as you pointed out, that he does not say yes; he is looking for an explanation. He philosophises, saying, 'I have no one; I am alone; I am without assistance; I cannot eat.' He doesn’t say, 'I want to be healed.'

It seems like wanting healing starts from somewhere else, not from his feet, not from his hands, not from any other illness. I remember a friend in Iran who was much older than me, about fifteen years older. He was paralysed, injured in the Iran-Iraq war. And while he was completely paralysed from the waist down, he was a capable person. He used his hands well, was very strong, read a lot, and was a great teacher. He even participated in sporting events while on a wheelchair.

He began healing from somewhere else, not from his feet. When Jesus asks the paralytic if he wants to be healed, he begins healing from his feet, from that dependency that had kept him trapped for years. Here, I expand my thoughts and try to find interpretations that help me. What is it that has imprisoned me for years, and all I think about is that, without taking another step or making a new decision? I have not pursued a new plan for my life, and I have become dependent on that condition, accepting it.

Many times in our lives and in the lives of our friends, family, and relatives, we see people like this. They have no plans or goals. For thirty-eight years, perhaps more than thirty-eight years, forty years, fifty years, they have been stuck in one place. They have not followed any plans, goals, or patterns. But Jesus comes to him, asking, 'Do you want to be healed?' It is evident that he wants to be healed.

And when he wants to heal, Jesus gives him a beautiful command: 'Get up! Take up your mat and walk.' Rise from the conditions you have accepted, from the habits you have formed, from the bondage and slavery you have found yourself in, and rise.

And today, His message is also for me. It can be for you too. Rise from those habits. Change your place. Rise! It is true that we need our feet to rise, but before that, we need a thought, a will, a decision. When this decision takes root in our hearts, in our thoughts, in our spirits, it transforms into action, not into bondage. This man was enslaved by his mat.

He was trapped by his situation. There was no hope left for him. Brother Shaib, would you like to add anything?

And here, if we continue with these verses,

Well, Jesus heals him. He says, 'Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.' The man was healed at once; he picked up his mat and walked. That day was the Sabbath. Therefore, the Jewish leaders told the healed man, 'It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.'

He replied, 'The man who made me well told me to pick up my mat and walk.' They asked him, 'Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?' The man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd. Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.' The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

This point, this testimony from this man is very significant. When we experience the healing of Jesus in our lives, we should share it. We should tell others that Jesus healed us; He is the healer. When He heals us, this message reaches our people and all our compatriots that Jesus can heal them too—from poverty, unemployment, illness, and sin. This is the message of Jesus: He is the healer. Amen.

Many times, we think we need to do new things for our lives and need people to help us in these actions, to lift us up from where we are, but in this story, we see that God Himself comes to this individual and lifts him from his place. Sometimes, we need to trust.

I was reading another article related to this part of the Bible, and the writer pointed out that we plan for all our life activities, looking for people to help us and to lift us up, but we spend as much time in planning as we do in allowing God to come in and bring changes.

We must open a space for God's presence to come and bring those changes. In this story, we see this paralytic caught in a competitive and religious atmosphere on the Sabbath. The religious leaders said you should not move or carry your things. The religious issues became a burden for this individual, preventing him from understanding his relationship with Christ. When asked, they scold him for working on the Sabbath, which goes against Jewish law—the day of rest for the Lord.

This man, when he picks up his mat, is challenged by the law. They do not consider that he has been healed; they focus on the law. They do not see the need of this man; they focus on the law.

We see that even though he mentions the man who healed him, he doesn’t seem to fully understand who Jesus is. But he acknowledges, 'The man who healed me told me to pick up my mat and walk.' Here we see that Jesus even stands against religious authorities. He directly confronts them.

On the Sabbath, Jesus performs actions that show God works to love people, and He says, 'I work too.'

This point is crucial: religion cannot heal us; culture, ethnicity, or our language cannot heal us. Our past cannot heal us; our state cannot heal us. We are hopeless, but the one who can heal us is Jesus Christ. Why? Because He is the healer. He had and has the power, because He is alive. He is the healer.

Well, dear friends, let’s watch another clip together and we will return.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The Word was with God in the beginning.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The Word was with God in the beginning.

The Word was the truth, the music of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.

I must be more praying, fast more, be more religious, and a morality is imposed in society based on force, pressure, and restrictions. If someone has problems in life, they are quickly told that you are not a God-fearing person and you need to put more pressure on yourself and try harder.

When we read this story, we see the Pharisees were just like that. They would not allow anyone to eat, not allow anyone to think properly. All the thoughts and systems of life would entangle people in religious matters and their own harsh confrontations, leading to a radical religion of God or a religion filled with violence in society.

When we face such a society, we encounter people who behave in their personal lives in the same way. They compete to gain more, stepping on others, disregarding them. Society becomes a self-centred one. Everyone thinks about themselves. Everyone tries to gain for themselves and pays no attention to others.

But against this, Jesus comes into the lives of individuals, healing them from their inner pain. When Jesus encounters this paralysed person, He seems to confront an identity burdened by illness. This identity is trapped in surrender and depression. Jesus revives him. He wants to change his inner being.

For thirty-eight years, you have done nothing. For thirty-eight years, you have waited. You have no plan. But today we are encouraged. Jesus has come today in every way; through the translation of the Bible into Pashto, through the programme "The Secret of Life", through social media, or on the internet, to show us who He is.

When we see Him, we should not behave like others who focus on the gift but neglect the giver.

Those who desire blessings but do not enter into a relationship with the God of blessings. We are in need of such a God who will help us enter our lives and change us.

From those dependencies that may feel like a mat, lying beside a pool, or a false image. We must separate from that and experience something strange. Like an imaginary picture, it resembles superstition, not the truth. The truth lies in the presence of God.

You must meet Him. He can bring about transformation and change—not the imaginations of doing more, gaining more. Yes, we must strive, work hard, and seek understanding.

So, today, our youth in Afghanistan, our people in Afghanistan are testing a religion, an ideology, a belief that for years has not yielded results. They are waiting for years for something to happen.

Today, many of our people are waiting for another day, another year, hoping that a deceptive religion will bring them blessings, salvation, healing, and health. For how many more years will they wait? Today, Jesus has come and asks, 'Do you want to be healed?' Do not create excuses. Do not simply seek gifts, money, and blessings. Enter into a relationship with Him, know Him, and invite Him into your life.

So that He can heal all aspects of your life. Through social media or various clips from inside Afghanistan, we see many people in Afghanistan waiting for someone to save them or trying to remain in their current state or justifying their condition.

As you mentioned, when a plan, a decision, a way of life has not yielded results for hundreds of years, another day, another year will yield the same results.

So dear friends, what is our counsel to you? Our counsel is to turn towards someone whose work brings results. Do you understand what I mean? To turn towards someone whose work brings results, and that is Jesus Christ. We read in the scripture that Jesus healed that man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. He was paralysed; he had no strength. He had become accustomed to this. But he was healed. He said, 'Get up, take your mat and walk.'

Today, Jesus wants to heal our people. He wants to heal each one of us from sin, from revenge, from enmity. Healing that is internal, not just physical healing, but He wants to heal us from within.

And before it is too late, dear friends, believe in Jesus Christ. Daniel, would you like to pray for a couple of minutes so that our people truly come to faith in Jesus Christ and find healing?

Absolutely, brother Shaib, as you pointed out, many love healing but have no interest in the healer. Many seek blessings but have no interest in the one who blesses. Jesus wants to heal our hearts. He wants to enter our lives to heal our entire being.

Certainly, when we are healed, we can make better decisions, act better, and God's blessings will flow into our lives.

So let us pray together. Lord, just as this man had been stuck on his mat for years, perhaps many of our dear ones today are stuck in various issues in their lives—poverty, unemployment, illness, migration. All these can be likened to that paralysis or to that person who cannot move from their place, or likened to that mat that has not moved for years.

Lord, I pray that truly all our dear ones may receive blessings from Your glorious presence. I pray that we know You better and enter into a closer relationship with You.

Indeed, we seek healing from You, blessings from You, but we want that the first blessing to be healing through knowing You and growing in our understanding of You. Then, certainly, in the rest of our lives, we will receive Your blessings in the holy name of Christ. Amen.

We commend you into the blessed hands of the Lord. Have a wonderful and blessed week. We commend you into the blessed hands of the Lord. Have a wonderful and blessed week. We commend you into the blessed hands of the Lord. Have a wonderful and blessed week.