Healing in the ministry

 

"If anyone is sick call for the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer offered in faith will give that person healing."  

James 5: 14-15

We might not receive the healing we expect or want, but there is always healing where there is faith in Christ for the purpose of his ministry is to heal so that his mission to bring the Kingdom of God to people may be fulfilled.

  We believe the gospel is a prescription for healing and so regard every service as one for healing and are reluctant to put the healing ministry into its own corner separate from the main focus of church worship.

  We would encourage other churches to adopt a language which emphasises this by calling 'intercessions' 'prayers for healing' so that congregations become used to healing being at the centre of worship and ministry. This also invites people to offer themselves for personal prayer which can include hands being laid on them by people who are near them or go to them.

  Prayer is at the heart of the ministry and healing and can be described as a 'spiritual massage' for as a massage provides a physical easing of the tensions and stresses of the body so prayer does the same spiritually for heart and mind.

  At Elmwood we can invite you to have both a spiritual and physical massage for we believe the Church has a very active role to play in the health and healing of both individuals and communities through a holistic approach in which a variety of activities can compliment each other.

  We believe that faith and prayer can help people through sickness and grief; that massage and oils and natural medicines can support the work of doctors and that with our faith we can both heal and prevent things which cause us harm.

  So we encourage the practices of homeopathy and relaxation therapy which are provided by Donna Bowes and Maxine Swann.

  For further information on a complete relaxation therapy with Donna please click on www.relaxeduk.com.

  And for details on Maxine's treatments please see the link to homeopathy

  Both Maxine and Donna are members of the Elmwood team who believe that everything we do is rooted in prayer and so people meet every morning at 10 am to offer prayers for healing. Although we believe every service is an occasion for healing we also meet on the third Sunday evening of each month for a service of prayers for healing with a guest speaker.

On Saturday September 5th we promoted the Healing Hands Conference and below is an Introduction to the conference and a Workshop paper that you can use with a group or reflect on:

Healing Hands: Conference Introduction

Please note that this is not a conference for the Healing Ministry but for healing in the ministry and we believe there is a fundamental difference which will influence our understanding of both physical and spiritual healing.
There can be ministries for reconciliation, justice and peace; there can be a ministry of welcome and ministries of counselling, listening, massage and homeopathy; ministries of music, dance and drama, or a ministry of deliverance but I do not believe there is a ministry of healing because healing is a product of all the aforementioned in various degrees.
Healing, therefore is IN the ministry, it is the ministry not a ministry and should not be regarded as a separate department of church life which is tucked away in a quiet corner on a Tuesday evening. If you have not done so before we would like you to go away from this conference recognising that heal-ing is at the heart of our faith and fundamental to God’s mission for all people.
We will be exploring this issue during the course of the day, but I hope you can at least take away that thought to reflect on with other church leaders and members of your fellowships: We are not promoting a healing ministry but raising an understanding of healing in the ministry. This is the con-text in which we begin: Our Ministry IS one of healing.
If we can work with that concept it can make a radical difference to our understanding of prayer, worship, daily life and the ministries in which we involved ourselves because they are all contributing to healing.
I hope we can begin to rescue the mission of the church from the shadows of the miracle and re-store healing to the top of the agenda where it belongs. I fear that the drama of the miracle has blinded us to the true power of healing in the ministry. Miracles happen, but healing can also take years to manifest itself through the prayers and love for each other.
I counted 3800 verses in the gospels of which only 450 relate to miracles. Do we expect 12% of the gospels to inspire our healing at the expense of another 88% if Jesus’ ministry? I think not so we need to look beyond the miracles to a much deeper understanding of healing.
I also hope that we can explore together different avenues through which God can enable people to provide healing hands and not feel threatened by the unusual. God will use our gifts to mend the bro-ken, to heal the hurting and comfort the mourning and no gift should be dismissed or assumed to be of the devil.
The disciples saw a man driving out demons in the name of Jesus and tried to stop him, but Jesus told them: “Do not stop him for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9: 50. Matthew 12: 30. Luke 11:23)
Many alternative and complimentary healing therapies have been criticised by the Church without considering the genuine faith of the practitioners and we promote the ministries of Maxine and Donna who use homeopathy and complementary therapy to help heal body, mind and soul.
We hope you will learn something from them today as you take the opportunity to experience the gifts they have to offer in the name of Jesus Christ. We don’t want to stop them!
Prayer is at the heart of everything we do and is like a spiritual massage of the heart and mind: Prayerful hands can do the same as a massage does for the body and ease the spiritual tensions of heart and mind which can cause so much depression. It is why it is so important to convince the medi-cal profession to recognise faith groups as a resource to compliment their work.
"We were like clay in the Potter's hands shaped in the beauty of the Creator's image but then we fell and now the hands hold a broken pot, a valued treasure, even with a crack, to mend and love and use as new..."
Introduction: Healing in context
Everyone has different needs and so we encourage the different gifts that God gives to be able to respond to those needs. The Ministry of listening is one of the most important for without that we can’t hear and discern what is troubling people or hear what God is saying to us.
“This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him,” (Luke 9: 35) is perhaps the most important command God gives, behind the love commands, for without that listening we have no faith to fol-low. That is why listening is on our agenda for today and will continue to be so.
If you want to know more about healing in the ministry at Elmwood we will be pleased to meet and talk about it, but we hope that you have a fruitful day today.
Richard Becher

The GOSPEL is healing: A Workshop

This sheet is prepared for today’s workshop so that it can be taken away and shared with leaders and other groups to enable us to discover together a better understanding of healing in the ministry. It is another contribution among the many produced over the years and is inspired by the image of us all being like broken pots being held in the hands of the Potter who wants to mend us so we can still be used in the Kingdom of God.
It is helpful to start from where you are in your understanding of healing in the ministry and grow from there so it is good to share a few questions, remembering there is no wrong answer:
Which stories of healing in the gospels most inspire you?
Have you had a personal experience of healing which has seemed like a miracle?
Do you know anyone who has had such experiences?
Do you have a personal understanding of healing in the ministry?
How is healing viewed in your Church?
How is that view reflected in the worship life of the Church?
I fear that the drama of the miracle has blinded us to the true power of healing in the ministry. I believe in miracles, and have witnessed them, but when people are constantly looking for the dramatic miracle they miss many more little things which bring healing to the lives of so many people over a longer period of time. When the quick fix miracle doesn’t happen people can lose faith in God, but some ‘miracles’ can take years to be fulfilled.
Let us explore and discover together some of the deeper issues which bring healing in the ministry and help us on the mission of fulfilling God’s Kingdom:
Read: Matthew 18: 15-20; Matthew 6: 14-15 and John 20: 23
Matthew 18: 21-35 and John 21: 15-19
Where is the healing in those readings? Forgiveness is the theme and being forgiven can be a power-ful source of healing, as can forgiving.
Forgiveness can be the release of so much guilt, anger and bitterness which can cause tension, fur-ther division and ruin lives, both of individuals and whole communities.
Just reflect on some of your own experiences of anger and guilt and the pain they have caused.
God forgives us so that we can be healed and commands us to do the same and until we give and re-ceive it we can’t experience the wholeness — even with the cracks — which we are intended to be.
Read: Matthew 3: 2; Matthew 4: 17; Mark 6: 12-13; Luke 13: 1-5
A good beginning for healing is our own recognition of what is wrong with us or listening to the ‘Physician’ diagnosing our problem and being prepared to put it right. Sorry that I’ve been like that or said that or done that and show me how I can change and be better. We begin with our own healing and you might like to reflect on how much better you have felt when you have done that. Repent for healing is near……!
"We were like clay in the Potter's hands shaped in the beauty of the Creator's image but then we fell and now the hands hold a broken pot, a valued treasure, even with a crack, to mend and love and use as new..."
The Gospel IS Healing
Read: John 14: 25-27 and John 20: 19-23 and 26-27
Mark 9: 50; John 14: 1-4 and Matthew 5:9
It is not a peace that the world gives through human understanding but a much deeper peace from the Kingdom of heaven. Imagine, if you don’t know, what it is like to have this peace in your heart, mind, body and soul!
With such peace you will probably have no fears or worries and will know the direction in which you must travel. This is the peace which brings healing to the individual but also is the source of healing for the nations as conflicts and divisions are healed.
Read: Luke 18: 1-8 and Luke 16: 19-31 or Matthew 18: 21-35
Matthew 25: 31-46
The injustices that persist in society can cause so much poverty, conflict and bitterness between individuals which pervade the whole of society. A commitment to seek justice will bring healing for so many people because the injustices can cause violence and sickness as people struggle with pov-erty and all the related issues.
Reflect on the injustices that you have experienced or are aware of and how a more just society could bring healing. When we live the gospel message and respond to the needs we will receive and provide healing.
Read: Luke 15 and John 4: 1-42
Losing something can be painful — sheep were a farmers bread and butter and a coin could buy food for the table. Losing them can be so distressing so to find them is a wonderful healing experience. Reflect on the things you lose and the worry and tension it can cause. In the finding there is great joy.
In the Prodigal Son parable reflect on many different aspects of healing: For the lost and for the finder and for the healing still to happen. Reflect on your times of feeling totally lost and the relief when you are found and how it must feel if a child of yours goes missing.
I would call this reflection Finders Healers, losers weepers!
Also reflect on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and how she is healed by what she finds and because of that what happens to the community?
Having explored a deeper understanding of healing in the ministry you can find healing through many other gospel events but does it change our attitude and how we regard healing?
Miracles happen but they don’t always manifest themselves overnight or with a quick fix prayer and healing is like mending the broken pots so that they can be used in the Kingdom of God.
Healing should be at the heart of everything we do, but do we do everything we can to put it there in our own lives and the life of the church?
So what can we do?

Whats on @ elmwood..