The purpose of this ministry is to put God back into
healing, and healing back into the Church where it began.
We do this by working with churches who seek us out to
train and equip their members for the healing ministry.
We are not able to administer or disciple readers in
need of healing. this is for their local Church to do.
So how DO we think as a people in our culture?
Thanks to 30 minute TV sit-coms where problems always get
fixed by the end of the show, our culture is conditioned
to solving problems in 30 minutes or less. This is also
why info commercials are so popular. They solve a problem
and do it quickly. It also explains why Apps are so popular
with smart phone users. Have a need? Just download an app
for it and walla. Problem solved! I am telling you this
because the same mindset tends to follow us when dealing
with life's problems.
We want quick solutions to life's problems. We especially
want solutions without pain or suffering, or having to
change our lifestyle. This explains why so many people
fall for phony healing schemes, including many offered
by the medical industry.
People want quick fixes. Kinda like flipping on a light
switch, fast and easy, no pain. That same mindset also
follows us to Church. When it comes to spiritual healing
we want it, but we want it to be on our terms as we want
everything else in life to be.
Spiritual healing as we teach it is not miraculous as
people think of miracles. It is divine but not often
instantaneous. Just as faith must be taught
(Romans 10:17), so too must spiritual healing.
Believers must be taught to align their lives in
accordance with God's will in order for divine healing
to occur. That may sound simple enough at first. But many
believers carry around junk habits and beliefs foreign to
God's will. What's more, many Christians are not aware
these habits and beliefs are working against God and
healing.
The biblical way to teach Christians to align their
lives with God for healing is through discipleship.
Discipleship is the heart and soul of Church healing
ministries. Discipleship can determine whether an illness
is spiritual or environmental in nature. It could be
something as simple as learning the artificial sweeteners
they eat may be the real reason behind the heart attack
they suffered.
An often abused assumption is if I am a Christian, God is
suppose to heal me. And it's true. God certainly heals the
sick through the Body of Christ, His Church. But God does
not heal every Christian who asks for healing. As in all
things there is a reason why this is so. This is why
discipleship is needed. This is why your Church needs
a trained healing ministry.
It saddens me when people write to us for healing,
because we cannot disciple them. We cannot dig into
their lives to uncover whether or not there is a
spiritual reason for their malady. That is for
their local Church to do.
Now in case you are wondering why discipleship is so
important in healing the sick, it may surprise you to
learn believers oftentimes differ little from
non-believers on a number of basic Christian beliefs.
For instance:
Do you believe that Satan is a living entity? If you do
you are in a minority. Many Christians do NOT believe
Satan is a real living entity. In fact, over 50% of all
born again believers DENY the existence of Satan as
a living entity.
Do you believe if you are good enough you can EARN
a place in heaven? 45% (almost half) of all born
again believers think they can.
This information I am sharing with you comes from an
emerging trends study conducted by Princeton Religion
Research Centers. Among the beliefs of so-called born
again believers, the study discovered;
35% believe Jesus committed sins like other people.
35% do not believe Jesus was physically resurrected
from the grave.
26% read a daily Horoscope.
20% believe in reincarnation.
28% believe in ghosts.
50% watch porn videos
Now here's where I am going in all of this. Many Christians
who live by these standards think their beliefs and habits
are normal After all, it's what they believe. And this kind
of junk only scratches the surface. Some believers harbor
hatred and unforgiveness in their heart. Some carry pride
and/or think only of themselves. What's more, in many
cases they are not consciously aware of these sins in
their life. These are feelings that lie buried deep within.
The list is long and well documented. This is just some
of the junk in our lives that prevents God from healing
us. So who is to blame?
My purpose here is not to condemn or point a finger,
but you need to be questioning what your Church is
NOT teaching.
Truth is, Many so called born again believers do not
have a clue about sin, salvation and sanctification.
They may be well meaning souls, but are totally
ineffective as Christians.
The world is crumbling around us, including the Church.
Our very way of life is being threatened from many sides
in the world. While you may not have influence in the
world, you do have influence in your Church.
Let me challenge you to address your Church board,
elders or priest to get back to the basics of Christian
faith. There is a great need to preach the Word of God
even to our own.
Jim Lynn
God's Healing Word Ministry
(article from his recent newsletter-edited for length)
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