The disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ asked whose sin was responsible (his or his parents) for the born blind man. Lord Jesus said it was neither, but the blindness happened for the glory of God to be revealed. (John 9:1-3) Church history is full of models and examples of how the saints of God took on themselves to bring the glory of God during misery. Missionaries toiled and brought succor for lepers, blind, mentally retarded and others.
Dr. Paul Wilson Brand (1914-2003) was one of the outstanding missionary doctors who pioneered the treatment and management for insensitivity to pain caused by Hansen disease, which caused injuries to patients. His contribution was recognized by the World Health Organization and became standard treatment too. He served in Christian Medical College, Vellore. Paul Brand along with Philip Yancey wrote a book “Pain: The Gift Nobody wants.” His biography “Ten Fingers for God” was written by Dorothy Clarke Wilson.
Another missionary was Graham Staines. (1941-1999) He served in Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home. On 22 January 1999, Graham and his two sons Philip and Timothy were burnt alive. The Least of These is the movie taken to portray the biography of Graham Staines, Gladys and three children. Following these models, Christian doctors from India also served such causes.
There is a church in the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad. The congregation has emerged from the rehabilitated people from this notorious disease. With their own contribution, they bought a place and have built a beautiful church. The worship service happens in Telugu, however, many young people there followed the English bible. (I Spoke there on 11 June 2017)
Fatalism made lepers as beggars, while gospel transformed them into disciples. And these disciples had the generosity to contribute to building their own church. Indeed, they received God’s gifts of missionary service, Word of God, and transformation power of the Holy Spirit. They responded with faith, also grew in spiritual maturity, giving and missions. They also learnt that it is better to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)
How has the gospel transformed my life?