I started taking notes on John last week, but then found the boiler had broke at church so spent the rest of the day trying to sort that. The joys of church leadership! Here’s the bits I did get…

Build faith – God is willing to heal today and his desire is to use you to do that.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and forever! (Heb 13:8)

New Wine’s Model for healing prayer – to use anywhere (not just in church/ on ministry team)

What does it mean to be a Christian? To become more like Jesus. 2 Cor 3:8 What does that mean in practice?

To have relationship with Abba Father (Rom 8), to live in holiness, and to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit – ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…’ (me too!)

Was Jesus fully God or fully man? BOTH.

How was he able to heal – if was because he was divine, then that rules us out. He sent his disciples out to show that a human being full of the Holy Spirit is enabled to heal the sick.

Francis MacNutt. ‘It is only when the thousands of (God’s people) are praying for the sick that people will regard the healing ministry as ordinary. Only then will the healer be regarded neither as an object of scorn, nor as a subject of worship.’

We are not to falsely idolise particular healers – but involve everyone in this kind of prayer!

Matt 3:13-15 – Jesus gave that authority to the twelve, to heal. Does he give it to us?

He tells them – 1) Be with me. 2) Go out with authority to preach and 3) HEAL!

Luke 10:1,9 He then appointed 72 others. – to do the same stuff. They are ‘little children’ – but they can do it! That’s what delights him.

Matt 28:18-20. Do MY stuff; preach the gospel and heal the sick! The twelve are not exclusive – ‘Everyone gets to play’ (Wimber).

If you haven’t been healing the sick systematically and consistently – why not? In some parts of the world, that’s what’s happening.

What stops us?

Inadequate Theology –
Liberalism/rationalism – miracles can’t happen – reinterpret them
or cessational view: miracles no longer required.
Both are head in the sand views – in fact, the more we pray, the more we see God is healing!
Salvation-only views.
Lack of compassion
Fear
of ‘failure,’ or false hope, or opinions of others, or pastoral chaos.

No repeatable model
(only in a particular way or place, like at the communion rail).
Or a particular ‘anointed’ person gets everyone in a prayer line…
It should be ordinary people, praying in an ordinary way & places.
No opportunity.
respect the leadership – you are not ‘entitled’ to be on the ministry team. We can all pray anywhere – ‘the meeting place is the training place for the marketplace’ (Pytches). We want to see ‘healing on the streets,’ in teams and as individuals.