Helping The Mentally Ill

1. New Jersey Institute of Theological Studies

2. What Must The Church Do? • The Church MUST remember these things about the mentally Ill: • Welcome the chronically mentally ill into the life of the local congregation. God CAN use the mentally ill, everyone has a divine purpose! • Support the families of the chronically mentally ill in ways that alleviate their heavy burdens of care. Often they are treated with equal distain. • Enhance the skills of congregational caregivers in their ministry to the chronically mentally ill. • Mental Illness is as much a disease as a physical illness; only in rare cases is demon possession the problem, mental illness can be genetic, from emotional trauma, or from a traumatic injury.

3. Ministering to The Mentally Ill and Emotionally Damaged • The magnitude of mental illness in this country is staggering.   According to the Surgeon General, one in every five Americans experiences a mental disorder in any given year and half of all Americans have such disorders at some time in their lives.   These illnesses of the brain affect all of us, regardless of age, gender, economic status or ethnicity.   Nearly every person sitting in the pews has been touched in some way by mental illness.   And yet individuals and families continue to suffer in silence or stop coming to their faith community because they are not receiving the support they so desperately need.  They become detached from their faith community and their spirituality, which is an important source of healing, wholeness and hope in times of personal darkness. THERE IS HOPE!

4. A Close Look at Man • Man is composed of a body, a soul (mind) and a spirit. • 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." • Our spirits are reborn instantly the moment we call upon Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:17 makes it clear that all who are in Christ are new creations. • "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." • When we accept Jesus, our spirits are united with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within our spirits. But there's another part of us that has not been instantly and wholly changed the moment we became children of God. • Your soul, which is your mind, was not instantly changed the moment you accepted Jesus. This is where the old fleshly nature can still be lingering in a believer's life. This is the part of us that Romans 12:2 is referring to as we are told to be renewed in our minds: • "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." • This is why new converts often carry over so much darkness in their lives even after accepting Christ. When is the last time you met a believer who can confidently claim that they've never sinned since the moment he has accepted Christ? Unless you happen to catch them on their way back to their seats from an alter call, I doubt you'll find many.

5. Sometimes it is Demonic • Demons are known to operate in both the soul and the body. • There is no Biblical evidence that I am aware of where demons are known to specifically operate within a man's spirit. Every time we see a demonic spirit at work in the life of a person, it is either through the soul (mind) or the physical body. In Matthew 17:15,18, we find an example where a young boy was mentally ill because of a demonic spirit: • "Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour." • The term lunatic here in the NT Greek translates to the word seleniazomai, which means moonstruck or crazy. To be moonstruck literally means mentally unbalanced, or mentally ill. Clearly the boy was affected mentally by this evil spirit. • People are also known to be physically affected by demonic spirits. In Luke 13:11, we are shown of a perfectly sane woman who was physically bound by a spirit of infirmity: • "And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself." • It is not uncommon for people to be tormented and harassed with fear and other mental torment, such as the case 1 Samuel 16:14, where King Saul received an evil spirit: • "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him." • When we trace the word troubled here back to the OT Hebrew, it gives us the word baath, which means to terrify, trouble or overwhelm a person. It is not uncommon for people to be mentally harassed by evil spirits in this manner.

6. Stay Balanced and Focused • How do we go to battle without becoming demon chasers? There are two extremes to avoid. Some people tend to blame every adversity on the devil, always assuming, "It's a demon!" They're impressed by the heaviness and the oppression. They know all the spirits and the "sub-spirits." This can be an unhealthy preoccupation. • But there are others who never admit the devil is doing anything. They don't want to even think about it. They say, "Let's not give the devil publicity! Let's just keep our eyes on the Lord." They may be frightened or maybe they don't want to be like some of the "demon chasers" they know. Unfortunately, you can't make the enemy nonexistent by refusing to recognize he's there. • So, how do you stay balanced? Don't assume the devil is behind something, but don't refuse to consider it either. How will you know? Ask God. When He shows you, that's what the Bible calls "discernment." • Be aware of what the devil does, but don't be influenced by his activity. Being aware won't hurt you - the Bible refers to demons and Satan all the time. But if you fall into the subtle trap of being influenced, Satan will have you focusing on him. Then you'll end up with a big, complex devil and a relatively small God in your mind. Find out what the devil is doing, but spend more time studying God and His greatness.

7. How do I Know It’s My Calling? • Our Ministry Arises Out of Our Faith: • We believe that all members of the human race, the chronically mentally ill not less than others, they have been redeemed by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  We invite them into the fellowship of faith with us. • We believe that all people, including the chronically mentally ill, baptized into the community of faith, need to be nurtured by the Gospel within the framework of their special needs. • We recognize that the local congregation is a community of God's people, one of whose hallmarks is mutual care and support.

8. Data About Mental Illness • Facts About Mental Illness and Resources For Ministering to the Mentally Ill • Numbers • Mental illness (brain disorders) strikes one in five families in the United States, according to estimates of the National Institutes of Mental Health. This estimate will tell you the probable number of mental illness cases in your church. • Care Ministry • Ministry to the mentally ill is generally less intentional and consistent than care for physical illness. Remember mental illness can strike ANYONE at anytime!

9. How to Communicate • Communication • It is not easy to read the thought world of the mentally ill when loose thought association moves the speaker from one subject to another without logical connection. • Delusions, inner voices, deep withdrawal can make conversation and relationships all but impossible.

10. What if it is ME? • If you are a Christian and you are suffering with an illness (Mental or Physical) of some kind be encouraged. God has not forsaken you. I know it may feel like it but He hasn’t. I have received great comfort from Psalm 13, a Psalm of David. This Psalm has taught me that one of the major problems with suffering is dealing with anger and bitter feelings towards God Himself. We have been taught the new wave message of “positive confession”, but what God really desires from us is an honest confession. Out of all the books in the Bible, the one that has delivered me the most is the Psalms. To many believers Psalms is just a collection of praise song. Many theologians look at Psalms, Proverbs, and especially Ecclesiastes as books without much doctrinal weight or value. How wrong they are! Through all of my trials and tribulations, I have been able to find a point of contact and understanding by reading Psalms. My favorite Psalm is Psalm 13.

11. Even Jesus Was Depressed • When Jesus was praying in the Garden Gethsemane he was so distressed he asked the disciples to stay awake and pray with Him. The Disciples went to sleep! Many in our churches are “asleep” when it come to the mentally ill and the emotionally/physically abused in the church. • When Jesus was on the cross He said, “My God, My God WHY hast thou forsaken me?” Yes Jesus WAS depressed too! It can and does happen to all of us at one time or another.

12. Post Traumatic Stress • Post-traumatic stress disorder may affect survivors of such traumatic events as sexual or physical assault, war, torture, a natural disaster or an airplane crash. • Post-traumatic stress disorder also can affect rescue workers at the site of mass casualties or other tragedies. These kinds of events may cause intense fear, • helplessness or horror.

13. Military Members and Their Families • War vets have to deal with the trauma of death and mayhem. • Separation from loved ones causes additional stress • Financial hardships • Marital Problems • Sickness and injuries • Inability to transition into civilian life