We believe that prayer for healing is a key part of the ministry of those who are disciples of Jesus. We base this on Matthew 10: 7-8 where Jesus instructs his disciples: “Proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” That seems quite clear, doesn’t it? Proclaiming the good news is our first priority but prayer for healing is not an optional extra; it is an essential part of our calling.
We have been pleased to support the ministry of healing at a number of events this autumn. Roger is often invited to preach in churches, especially those where the church leader is a member of one of our EQUIP groups. He does not always preach about the healing ministry but he does routinely offer to pray for people at the end of the service, always quoting the words of Jesus that if we have faith like a grain of mustard seed we can tell mountains to move and they will move. We suggest to people that if they came to church with any kind of mountain in their lives they should not go home with it, but instead come for prayer. It is not always possible to tell immediately if the prayer has been answered, but in recent times we know of one person whose hearing loss in one ear has been restored, a man with cancer who now has no trace of it left, and someone who is now on top of a serious addiction which has been dominating his life for years. We are finding that God is with us and we are trusting him even more as our ministry develops.
Andrew Evans is the vicar of St Katharine’s Holt, Wiltshire, and one of our trustees. This year Andrew and a team from St Katharine’s have been hosting a monthly meeting as part of their Gateway Christian Healing programme. The vision is to bring God’s healing love to all as a declaration of His goodness. All meetings include worship, a talk, and an extended time of prayer. Each month a different speaker is invited, covering a whole range of aspects of prayer ministry, and in November Alison spoke on ‘I am the Lord who heals you’. There was a wonderful atmosphere as people huddled together to pray, sitting or wandering off into corners, and eventually drifting off late into the dark night outside. The Gateway programme continues next year, and all are welcome – if you are in the area do take a look at their website. Next up is Simon Guillebaud!
October found Roger in Wroughton near Swindon where he had been invited by vicar Phill Harrison to lead a parish weekend on prayer. Similar weekends have happened in other churches and proved popular; the next one will be in January in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Roger normally does two sessions on the Saturday; the first of these is on solitary prayer based on Matthew 6: 6 “When you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret”; Roger tries to answer the question ‘how do we listen to God in these solitary times and what do we talk to him about?’. The second session is based on Matthew 18:19-20 “If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven for where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them”; the session is about praying together – the aim is to show how to discover the presence and the power of Jesus when we pray in groups. Then on Sunday Roger usually preaches from Luke 11:13 where Jesus invites his disciples to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit; in Wroughton as in other places people came forward for prayer to receive the Holy Spirit and others for healing.
To find out more about our long-standing healing course In His Name and other resources on prayer ministry, or to think about the possibility of hosting a prayer weekend for your church, check out the links or give us a call.
Christmas offer
The Mathetes Trust 