Lepers Are Still Meeting Jesus and Being Healed

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Physical Healing, Spiritual Transformation

Ram¹ turned over to look at the clock: 4:00a.m. Eager to begin the day, he grabbed the Bible from the nightstand and hopped out of bed. Nothing gave him more energy than reading his Bible. It was the most precious thing in the world to him. As he considered what life was like just one year ago, he could barely imagine himself without this bread of life in his hands, giving him daily nourishment and drawing him closer to the God who created and sustains all things.

He recalled that at first he didn’t believe all the stories. Jesus walking on water? Crazy. Moses sticking his staff into the shore of the Red Sea and making it part? Not likely. Yet he found himself continuing to read. And gradually, he began to believe what these words were saying.

He smiled as he sat down on the couch to open his Bible, remembering the day he went back to see his friend, Sujai, who had given the very Bible he was holding in his hands now. He could still feel the excitement from that day as he told Sujai that he had made the decision to follow Jesus. This excitement surpassed the excitement at learning the news that his brother could receive treatment for leprosy. And when Ram shared this news, Sujai was nearly as excited for Ram as he was; now he and Sujai were studying the Bible together.

Ram shook his head as the memory faded, wanting to dive into the reading of this wonderful text. After all, he only had time to read until 8:00a.m.¹

Dr. Sujai Suneetha, lead doctor at a leprosy clinic in Hyderabad, India, recently reflected on this experience as he rejoiced in the transformation that has been taking place in the lives of his patients and their family members. Ram is just one example of many stories of spiritual healing.

As a believer in Jesus, Dr. Suneetha has taken the responsibility of not only treating his patients’ physical conditions, but also sharing the opportunity for spiritual transformation. In 2015, Crossway raised funds through the Global Study Bible campaign to donate 10,000 Bibles to Dr. Suneetha’s ministry, and since then he has joyfully shared them with his patients and their families:

Thank you for the Bibles that you have sent to us. We have used discernment in our distribution of these Bibles, but we have made them available for those who need and desire them, or even for those who may have never come across a Bible before. ESV Bibles are transformational, and we believe that the first shipment of ESV Bibles have made an impact on this region, and we look forward to receiving more Bibles that will impact the lives of more people here.

Even though many of Dr. Suneetha’s patients haven’t read the Bible before, he has been surprised by how many are eager to learn more about God’s Word and read it for themselves when offered a copy:

The Bible is not a book that they would look for because my patients may belong to a different faith. But when you give it to them, they consider it to be very precious and they begin to use, read, and understand it.

We praise God for the ways he is moving in the lives of Dr. Suneetha, Ram, and countless other leprosy patients and their families. By giving to Crossway, you will enable the distribution of Bibles to people like Dr. Suneetha, thus further equipping him and others for continued kingdom work.

To learn more about Crossway’s ministry initiatives and to get involved, go to www.crossway.org/donate.