Let’s start with the basic tenet from the Bible: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 Jn 1:5), and let’s take it literally:  God is LIGHT.

So, what is light? Light, scientifically speaking is particles and waves, which is a range of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by the human eye, or photons.  Photons, which are massless particles and bursts of energy “quanta” which move at the speed of light. Electromagnetic waves start when an electric charge jiggles back and forth. In fact, you can actually think of an electromagnetic wave as being two waves in one – it has both an electric field and a magnetic field that move together. Being more simplistic, light is energy.   The Bible also says that God is an all-consuming fire.  Once again, we’re talking about energy.

Question by a 14-year-old: “doesn’t everything have atoms or at least mass and weight? if it doesn’t, then is it really there?”

Scientific answer:  “Lots of things aren’t made of atoms. Light and other electromagnetic waves are an obvious example. Individual protons, neutrons, and electrons don’t constitute atoms until they’re combined.”

So, while God doesn’t have atoms and mass and weight, if God is light, then as electromagnetic waves, God can exist even though we can’t see God.

So… then let’s look at what Chinese medicine tells us about the human body:  As the basis of Acupuncture, Shen Nung (oldest known acupuncturist) theorised that the body has an energy force running throughout it.  This energy force is known as Qi (pronounced Chee).  The Qi consists of all essential life activities, which include the spiritual, emotional, mental and the physical aspects of life.  A person’s health is influenced by the flow of Qi in the body. If the flow of Qi is insufficient, unbalanced or interrupted, Yin and Yang become unbalanced, and illness may occur. Qi travels throughout the body along “Meridians” or special pathways.  Acupuncture is the insertion of very fine needles, (sometimes in conjunction with electrical stimulus), on the body’s surface, in order to influence physiological functioning of the body. The acupuncture points are specific locations where the Meridians come to the surface of the skin, and are easily accessible by “needling” and Acupressure. The connections between them ensure that there is an even circulation of Qi or energy.

How does Acupuncture work? Scientists have no real answer to this; as you know many of the workings of the body are still a mystery!  By some unknown process, Acupuncture raises levels of triglycerides, specific hormones, prostaglandins, white blood counts, gamma globulins, opsonins and overall anti-body levels.   The “neurotransmitter” theory states that certain neurotransmitter levels (serotonin & nor-adrenaline) are affected by Acupuncture.  One of the most popular theories is the “Gate Control” theory.  According to this theory, the perception of pain is controlled by a part of the nervous system which regulates the impulse, which will later be interpreted as pain.  This part of the nervous system is called the “gate”.  If the gate is hit with too many impulses, it becomes overwhelmed, and it closes.

If the body has this energy flow, and there are pathways that the energy is supposed to flow through, and the pathway gets closed because of the person’s emotions or stress, then this will lead to imbalance in the energy throughout the body, and leads to illness.   We have all read, at some point in life, that emotions are the root cause of almost every injury and illness. Anger, fear, unworthiness and other emotions get ‘stuffed’ into the body, over time these limiting emotions weaken the physical body creating stiffness, aches, pain and general discomfort, which eventually can cause more serious conditions like tumours and cancer.  And so acupuncture is used to open the pathways that were closed, restoring the energy and balance to ALL organs and areas of the body, and reestablishing good health.

So… what does ANY of this have to do with God?

Let’s say that we accept that God is (at least, one facet and part of God is) ENERGY.  Pure and simple energy.  And energy flows and moves.  We can also, scientifically, prove that WE (human beings) are ENERGY and this flows through us.

As we’ve already seen, negative emotions (what the Bible refers to as SIN) block the energy flow through our body and may lead to illness.  If we believe that we are vessels put here on earth to do God’s purpose, and that as God is light and we are to be filled with His light, we need to have open pathways for the energy to flow, any sin in our lives will block the flow!  God, being the gentleman that he is, is limited to those areas of our life where we allow Him to flow freely.

That anger that I am holding onto, that resentment or bitterness, it not only affects my relationship with other people, but it directly inhibits me from having an openly flowing relationship with God!  The pathway is somewhat (or in some cases) totally blocked.  I can’t be used as a vessel for God to my full potential, because I have a blockage.

Consider one more thing:  1 Peter 1:16 “Be holy, as I am holy”.  If God is “holy” and God is light, and there is NO darkness in Him, then we are called to have NO blackout areas.  There is no room for short-circuits in our lives and the energy flow in our body.  We are to be totally free of any blockages which may lead to darkness having a place in our bodies.  We are to be holy (totally, not partially).

Holiness and sanctification go hand in hand.  We are told in 1 Corinthians 6:11 that we are washed, sanctified and justified.  “Sanctification occurs as a result of salvation. At the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit enters our life. We are no longer held hostage by death, but are free to live the life God desires for us. We are thus sanctified simply because of our standing as lost souls saved by grace.”  So, once we are saved by the blood of Christ, (let’s think of that like getting a blood transfusion, replacing all of our old & decrepit blood with fresh, oxygen full blood!), we are to live a process of sanctification.

Why a process?  Unlike the things and places that are sanctified by God in the Bible, people have the capacity to sin. Even though we have been “set apart” as God’s children, we have free will and may continue to behave in ways that are contrary. As Christians, we realise shortly after we have been saved that there is a new inner battle being waged within us – a battle between our old sin-lead nature and new Spirit-lead nature.

So, while we got the blood-transfusion, there are still parts of the energy pathways in our lives that are blocked.  That have to be unblocked (and not re-blocked), so that the Spirit can flow through us.   And this is a constant process – we must continually clean out any blockages (confess sins), so that the energy of the Holy Spirit flows through us.

If I am angry with my neighbour, I have a blockage in my relationship with my neighbour.  Unfortunately, this same blockage that doesn’t allow me to speak openly with my neighbour exists in my body also – and so affects my relationship with God.  The blockage is in ME.  It’s not just in my relationship with my neighbour.  In some cases it goes as far as physically affecting my body.

I read about the following exercise: close your fist tight, and hold it tight until your knuckles go white (lack of blood & oxygen).  If you kept the flow of oxygen from your knuckles for long enough, they fingers would eventually die.  It’s medically been shown that something similar happens with anger and resentment… and how this affects some of our digestive organs.  When we are angry, one of the muscles that cramps up is in the abdomen (yeah… that “knot in your stomach”).  This muscle, if it cramps up too much and too often, forgets to relax… and then may cut off the proper blood supply to our stomach (resulting in ulcers), our lungs (means the muscles won’t inhale and exhale as they should, reducing the oxygen in all our body), or our heart (which may lead to heart attack).  And this is the just physical aspect!

And look what stress does to us:  When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.  We all know that your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand.  The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.  Unfortunately, the body can’t distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

How, then, am I sanctified? How do I become holy, because God is holy?

Well, if my body is a vessel through which energy flows, both my energy (Qi) and God’s energy, and I have blockages, then I cannot reach the level of holiness that my body (heart, soul & spirit) allows God’s energy to TOTALLY flow through me.  Sanctification is the process through which I let go of each blockage and remove it (confessing my sin, accepting God’s forgiveness, and then repenting – never repeating it, so as to never re-block that pathway), until such a point that the light of God completely flows through all of my being. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit, my energy and His energy combine, and I can do greater things.  I become a totally useful vessel, when I allow Him to flow through me, rather than wanting to do my own thing!  (No more singing, “I did it my way”).

One of Jesus’ parables teaches us that a farmer summarises whether or not a tree is good by its yield.  This isn’t the yield in one season or over 1 or 2 years.  This is the yield during the tree’s lifetime.  My works (actions) declare and manifest outwardly the reality of my faith which is not visible to man.  If I am bearing fruit, this shows that I am alive, healthy and productive.  My fruit is NOT what makes me alive.  It’s just the evidence that I am alive and well.  What makes me alive and well is the life ENERGY that flows through me!  And as I allow myself to be filled with God’s energy, and not just limited to my own, the results can be overwhelming!