Prayer Ministry Team Training
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God the Father’s plan. God’s plan for His creation is to make us whole by redeeming us from slavery to sin and rescuing us from all the devil’s plans which threaten to spoil His work. We know that Jesus came to earth for this very reason and we are encouraged to seek Him first for salvation and then as to receive His blessings. (2 Timothy 1: 10; Galatians 3: 14 and many other scriptures) Jesus and the first disciples prayed for others, often laying hands upon them (Matthew 14: 36; 19: 13; Acts 8: 15 – 17; 28: 8 and many others). Prayers were given both for healing and for receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit. God the Son and the work of the cross. The cross is key to our wholeness and salvation. On the cross Christ endured everything that ruins our wholeness, and because of His innocence He did not stay under its power. As we are ‘in Christ’ we share this victory over all the powers of evil and all the devil’s schemes. The Old Testament foreshadows this – e.g. the scapegoat (Leviticus 16: 10) and the Passover Lamb ( Exodus 12: 21 – 23; Isaiah 53:7). At the cross there is a ‘divine exchange’: Wounds/healing; sin/righteousness; death/life; poverty/abundance; shame/glory; rejection/acceptance; curse/blessing. The latter is very important in realising our human condition post-Eden. Humiliation, barrenness, unfruitful lives, mental and physical sickness, family breakdown, poverty, oppression, failure – these are all areas of curse from which we can be set free. Blessings are more powerful than curses – not least the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 53: 4 – 6; Matthew 27: 26 & 50; 1 Peter 2: 24; 2 Corinthians 5: 21; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 3: 13 – 14; Philippians 4: 19 are further powerful scriptures about the work of the cross. God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is poured out for all believers and the moment we accept Christ, he lives in us. (Acts 2: 38,39). We are urged to ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5: 18) as were the apostles (Acts 2) and Paul (Acts 9: 17) and John the Baptist describes Jesus as ‘baptising with the Holy Spirit. The verb in Ephesians means ‘go on being filled with the Spirit’. The Spirit in us produces the fruits of Christ’s work on the cross and remakes us in Jesus’ image. Therefore prayer ministry operates in the power of the Holy Spirit and seeks to enable others to be filled with the Spirit that they might be blessed. Why we need prayer People may respond in a whole range of ways to prayer ministry. Christians carry many unnecessary burdens and God longs to bring healing. Others may seek physical healing, need guidance, or be responding to a particular word given, while others seek to be refilled with the Spirit. It is important that every prayer minister begins by listening to the person seeking prayer as well as listening to God. The presented need may not be the same as the one God is meeting! We can carry hurts, sins, wounds and bondages as Christians which rob us of the blessings that God has for us. Some of these may be things which are our own fault and need confession, repentance and forgiveness. Others may have been initiated by someone else, but carried by us. Someone has hurt you, but you have nursed the hurt or not forgiven the perpetrator and so still need to repent. Acknowledge – repent – believe – thank This is a useful pattern through which to lead people in prayer. 1. Acknowledge A need or situation may first need to be fully realised and acknowledged. Coming to Christ brings light to bear on something that may well not be properly perceived initially (cf Luke 6: 41 ff). At the cross we exchange light for darkness. When we pray with someone we should ask for and expect God to shed light on the situation. Discernment and gifts of knowledge are gifts of the Holy Spirit given for such ministry. 2. Repent We are responsible for our own sins! If something is brought to light, we need gently to encourage the person receiving prayer to speak out repentance for the situation to God in a simple way. God’s forgiveness experienced will often then open the door for further healing and blessing. (1 John 1: 9) 3. Believe When people ask for prayers for healing, they will often be focused on the need rather than on Jesus, the Saviour. Their problem may well seem a ‘mountain’ too big to climb, but to God it is not! People need to hear words that encourage them to trust in the power and deliverance of God for them. Faith comes from focusing on God. And scripture confirms that faith plays an important part in healing (e.g. Mark 5: 34; Luke 7: 50) 4. Thank When God brings blessings and healing and His Spirit, we need to thank Him (e.g. Luke 17: 11 – 19) – this encourages faith and more blessing. The person we are praying with needs to be encouraged to thank God for what He is doing. Signs of God at work It is good for the prayer ministers to keep their eyes open when praying with others. Sometimes there are signs of God working in people, so then we know how we can go forward. Tears are the most common, but sometimes people may shake or even fall under the Spirit’s power. Healing will affect the emotions so it should not surprise us when people are more emotive when prayed for – not least in experiencing God’s love. Physical healing may be ‘instant’ but may also be gradual. ‘Every encounter with God is a healing encounter’ - the very faith to come forward and ask for prayer is enough faith for Jesus to use. (Matthew 17: 20). Some may come forward and ask to pray for someone else. This is perfectly scriptural! (Matthew 8: 5 – 13).
The context of prayer ministry The initial point of contact will be during/after a Sunday service. Because are buildings are as they are, we do not have huge space for prayer. People will be asked to come to the front and some may be prayed for there. Others may prefer you to take them somewhere a little more private (even outside in the warmer weather!) or to some chairs in the body of the congregation. You just need to be able to hear them and make sure they are comfortable praying in that place. Prayer ministry is not about saying a quick prayer and moving on. Nor is it about a half-hour session through all their problems! The process of letting God’s light into the situation and beginning to pray may take a little while and should not be rushed. But for some what is revealed may well need longer than 10 minutes or so. In this case it is important to finish with a prayer for God’s peace and arrange a follow up visit either by yourselves or perhaps from the Minister or Leadership team members. Provided follow-up is offered, God is not going to abandon what He has started! Do not rush. Keep it simple. Let God work. Finish knowing that God will protect from anything that is unfinished. Preparing for prayer ministry It is not us who heal or help but only God. Therefore we must always humble ourselves and submit to God. Our job is to be an effective channel for His Spirit, so we must be prepared for God to work in us before He can work through us. We need to spend time in the service making sure that we are submitted to God and also to what leadership is offered. If you are asked by the leader to pray for someone or partner someone in ministering, you should do it instantly and gladly rather than follow your own instincts. Philippians 2: 1 – 8 is a good passage to have read. Ask God to give you gifts of discernment, or words of knowledge, verses of scripture or pictures – even prophetic words. Expect Him to answer! So if you are praying with someone and a verse of scripture comes to mind, don’t spend a long time wondering if it is right – go ahead and speak it out to the person. We will only learn as we do this and God will override our mistakes. We seek not to be too directive and overbearing but allow God to do what He has decided to do in the person we are ministering to! Tips · Rejoice in God’s work – be excited by His salvation and love. · Don’t share your own hang-ups with the person to whom you are ministering! · Keep confidences. Ask the person you minister to if they are happy with you sharing anything- even if it is with the Minister. · If you feel out of your depth – ask someone else to help! · Always work in twos where possible (it’s good for one to be listening for God when the other is listening to or praying aloud with the person). Never one on one with the opposite sex.
Steve Fisher March 13th 2010 |
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