The Order of St. Luke The Physician in The United Kingdom Benevolent Society
Healing and a New Beginning
Christian Healing Ministry Pamphlets By Hilda M. Moore

HEALING   THE CHURCH'S RESPONSIBILITY.

So far this book has been written with the individual in mind but I would like to finish with a word to the Churches.
Christ's commission to the Church was to preach AND to heal. Is the church carrying out this responsibility?


We read in Matthew 10 and Mark 6 how He sent out the disciples. Then in Luke 10 we read how He sent out the 70 and they were told to PREACH AND TO HEAL. In Mark 16 we read how He appeared to the eleven just before He was taken up into Heaven. Again His instructions were the same when He said "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature .... and these signs shall follow them that believe .... they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover." This was His commission to the early Church and I believe that it still holds good today. Evangelism and healing go together.


When James was writing to the twelve tribes he emphasised this aspect of the work of the Church when he said, "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins they shall be forgiven him.''


How can the Church of today set about doing this? One of the answers to this is to have a Healing Prayer Group in the Church. However, people sometimes say, "Why bother about a Group? Is it not enough to mention the names of the sick during the prayers on Sunday as so many Churches do? In some cases it may be enough but I think Jesus meant people to do more than that. He said "Preach the Gospel and heal the sick." He did not just say "Pray for the sick" although of course He does want us to do that. In fact that is all that some people are able to do for a number of reasons such as age, sickness etc., and it is of course a very valuable part of the Healing Ministry. But there are people who are in a position to do more than that and these are the people who find themselves being called upon to work an the practical side of the Healing Ministry. Many Churches only pray for the sick of their own membership, but I think God wants us to do more than that. He wants us to extend our caring to the wider community of his family "into all the world" as James puts it, and many new members have been added to the Church in this way.


Many sicknesses are the result of the way in which we conduct our lives   the things we do and the way we think, and before a person can be healed they may need to change their way of life. This is where a dedicated group of people can be so helpful because they can surround the sick person with their love. They can let him know that someone cares. They may not be able to do anything about his physical symptoms, (in fact it is better to leave this to the medical profession) but they can give him moral and spiritual support while he fights his way back to health. There are very many instances where the doctors have been surprised at how quickly a person has recovered when they have had this support.


Usually we find that in a Healing Group there are people with differing gifts. Some are best at visiting physically sick people. Some are good listeners; some give counselling (Although there are times when this is best done by trained people.), some can lead prayers, or preach a sermon at a Healing Service, some lead a discussion and some write articles on healing for circulation. These are some of the benefits of having a group of people dedicated to the Healing Ministry to work together within the Church.

Another of the benefits of a group like this is that it also supports each member of the group. If any one member is going to do something such as leading a discussion or going to speak to another group, that person knows that his own group will be holding him up in prayer and that all will be well. I have known this support many times myself. Intercession is a particular form of prayer. It is a time when we put ourselves aside and think only of the person for whom we are praying. When we intercede for someone else our prayer has an added ingredient in it; the ingredient of love. When love is set free to work in us that is the time when God can really make use of us to do His work in the world. It is when we empty ourselves of self that He can really use US.


Let us now look at the practical side of operating a Prayer List. First of all we must remember that it is not just a list of names or cases. These are all people with problems of one kind or another (not always physical sickness). They are people who need our help. Frequently their particular problem will involve their families and friends as well. There may not be many names on the list to start with as at first you may find that people are a bit shy of having their names on the list in case people think they are more seriously ill then they actually are. However as time goes by you will find that they will come and you will be praying for people you have never even met.


It is better to have only one Prayer List, as you will find that it is too time consuming to try to keep separate lists up to date as it changes so quickly from day to day. A simple way of doing it is to have a Prayer Book in which people can enter the names of anyone needing prayer. It could have a column for the date, the name of the person for whom prayers are asked, and the name of the contact (that is the person who is asking an their behalf). The name of the illness or symptoms from which they suffer should not be shown. Only God knows the real reason for the illness and only He can meet them at their point of need. What we need to do is to hold them in our love and to see them as whole persons free from disease and able to go about their daily duties. And then to place them in the light of God's love, asking Him to deal with them according to their need.

One of the difficulties of operating a Prayer List is that of knowing when to remove a person's name from the list. Lack of information about them does not necessarily mean that prayer is no longer needed. It may be due to lack of co operation on the part of another person. This difficulty can be overcome by using a Prayer Book as outlined above. When you know a person is no longer in need of prayer the name can be crossed off. When the people on the list are prayed for only the names of the more recent entries would be read out (Perhaps the last month or so according to the length of the list). The prayer could then finish with the words "What we have prayed for the people we have named we also pray for any others who are an the list and who still need our prayers." This would then cover all the people about whom you have received no news.


The way in which a Prayer Group is operated depends very much on the make up of the group. But whether the group is large or small it is usually found that many people do not know much about the Healing Ministry of the Church and therefore a certain amount of teaching should be given if possible. This could well be done as part of the Prayer Meeting. There are many good books on the subject which can be obtained and one could be chosen which has fairly short chapters one of which could be read at each meeting and then thrown open for discussion. Another way is for any member to bring an article on healing from a magazine, which has interested them. This way would involve all the members of the group. If you are fortunate enough to have a Minister or someone who has past experience in the Healing Ministry you could have an occasional meeting dealing with some of the problems that are sure to arise from questions people will ask you.


At first you may find that you are praying for people that you know but as time goes by you will find that it spreads to friends and relatives living further afield. Some even overseas. This is where you will find a letter to be useful. It would show the sick person your concern for him and could ask his co operation in praying for the others on the list. Many people have been uplifted and helped on the road to healing in this way, simply by knowing that someone cares.


The Prayer Meeting will of course vary according to circumstances but the following is a very simple pattern that can be followed. First an Opening prayer, followed by a suitable Bible Reading. Reading of an article followed by discussion. There should be an Intercession Prayer during which the names on the list are read out. Members could then be asked to mention the names of any other people they know who need prayer but do not appear an the list. A prayer of thanksgiving can then be made, followed by the Grace. A short time for reports could be used (Perhaps immediately before the Intercession Prayers) but long discussions on symptoms should be avoided as this tends towards a negative rather than a positive atmosphere. In praying for others we can so easily pray amiss if we dwell too much an symptoms or disabilities and that is why "Picture Praying" is such a valuable part of the Healing Ministry. (See chapter 7).


Many people coming into this ministry for the first time have difficulty in knowing how to pray for the sick and this is one of the aspects which should be studied by the group as it is such an important part of the work. There are many books, which can be obtained on the subject of prayer and you will find various methods suggested. But there is one point that I have already mentioned and would again emphasise here. In your prayers do not build up a picture of a sick person. God does not need to be told what is wrong, as only HE knows the REAL cause of a person's sickness and only He can meet them at the real point of their need. Much is being said these days that sin is frequently the cause of sickness; sins such as resentment, envy, greed, unforgiveness and the like.


If you can hold a picture in your mind of a person who is fit and well and going about his daily business as he should, you are then creating a positive atmosphere in which healing can start. (There are other chapters in this book which deal with this subject more fully). As time goes by and you get to know the capabilities of the group there are many things which can be introduced. One of the first things I would suggest is that you try to get together a library of books on healing. This can be invaluable as they can be used by members of the group, especially new members coming into the group who are new to the Healing Ministry, and they can also be lent to people who are an the Prayer List. Tapes can also be included in the library as they are very useful to take to anyone who is unable to read. A tape of a meditation with a very soft musical background on a subject such as "Peace" can be very helpful to a sick or troubled person.


Sick people often find that they cannot concentrate on a full-length book and this is where booklets can be very useful.


It is very important that people should have an opportunity of bringing forward their problems for discussion and an occasional evening could be set aside for this.

When you feel that you are sufficiently experienced a Healing Service to which the general public are invited could be arranged, during which the laying on of hands should be offered. However before doing this you must be sure that you have a Minister or some other experienced person on hand who can answer questions or give counselling. This is important, as you will find that many people who come are in need in this way. If it is possible to arrange for coffee to be served after the Service this would give people an opportunity to talk together and borrow the library books or be given some literature that would help their particular problem.


The way in which a Healing Service is conducted will vary according to the people involved but one thing that must be remembered is that many of the people attending will be sick people and because of this the Service should not be too long.


An exchange visit with other groups is also a useful thing to do as each group can often help the other. This is especially good for a new group as they invariably have many problems in the early days and they can often be helped to cope with these by discussing them with an established group.


Perhaps later on a day or weekend conference could be held to which any other groups in the area could be invited. These are very valuable as they can give more time and opportunity for people to really get together to discuss their problems. An outside speaker who is experienced in the Healing Ministry of the Church could be invited to any of these meetings and many new aspects of the Healing Ministry could be looked at in this way.


As you will see from the foregoing, there are many different things that a group can do according to the capabilities of its members. And they are all different ways in which we can carry out Christ's commission to the Early Church when He said. “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature …. and these signs shall follow them that believe …. they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.''


This is a great responsibility that God has placed upon us. Is Your Church doing all it can to PREACH THE GOSPEL AND HEAL THE SICK?    

They crossed the lake and came to land at Gennesaret, where the people recognised Jesus.

So they sent for the sick people in all the surrounding country and brought them to Jesus.

They begged him to let those who were ill at least touch the edge of his cloak; and all who touched it were made well.

Matthew 14- 34,36
“But the greatest of these is love.”  (1 Corinthians 13 v13)