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Hope Church Healing Centre: Ministry Training

Hope Healing Centre Ministry Training

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Contents

Four Pillars of Healing Pillar 1: Who God Is Pillar 2: Gods Work Pillar 3: Who We Are Pillar 4: Our Work Teaching Summary

IDEA Prayer Model Step 1: Inquire

Ask Good Questions Inquire Summary

Step 2: Discern Identify Root Causes Hindrances to Healing Discern Summary

Step 3: Engage Helping someone receive prayer How do we pray? Prayer Principles Prayer Etiquette Ministering to multiple conditions Ending Ministry Time Engage Summary

Step 4: Aftercare Post-Prayer Pastoring Aftercare Summary

IDEA Prayer Summary

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Four Pillars of Healing

Pillar 1: Who God Is One of Gods names is Yahweh Rapha - the God who Heals (Exodus 15:26). It is his nature and character to heal. Conclusion 1: Therefore it is Gods will to heal. He wants to! Conclusion 2: Healing is determined primarily by Gods ability, and not about our prayers, our faith, our discernment or the unbelief of the person being prayed for.

Pillar 2: Gods Work The primary way Jesus showcased the nature of the kingdom of God was through healing ministry Conclusion 3: Healing shows Gods love and power in an undeniable way

Pillar 3: Who We Are God created humanity to represent Him on the earth as sons, and He now dwells within us so we can be like Him. Conclusion 4: As sons of God, we have the authority (the right) and the power (the ability) to see healing through our words and works

Pillar 4: Our Work Weve been called to go into the world and make disciples, teaching them to do all that Ive (Jesus) has commanded you to do Conclusion 5: The apostolic call for us all is to represent Christ, doing his works and teaching others, until earth looks like heaven. John 14:12 - well do the works He did. Conclusion 6: There is no sickness in heaven because sickness is an invader into a sin-afflicted cosmos. Therefore, part of our apostolic mission is to oppose sickness. Conclusion 7: Opposing sickness through healing prayer is resisting the enemy, and therefore an aspect of spiritual warfare. So expect resistance, disappointment, disillusionment, discouragement, and see it is for what it is!

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Teaching Summary

Healing takes place because of who God is and what He does to reveal this, and who we are and what we do in accordance with that truth. It is a partnership that requires intimacy with God, faith and obedience on our part.

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IDEA Prayer Model Many of us have had prayer or ministry training, and maybe even specific training in healing ministry. Whether you have or havent, the following is just one model - it is not THE model. Dont let it become a rigid template, or a formula, but allow it to serve and help you to minister effectively. How can we pray for someone who needs healing? Here is a good IDEA!

1. INQUIRE 2. DISCERN 3. ENGAGE 4. AFTERCARE

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Step 1: Inquire INQUIRE to learn about the person and their situation KEY PRINCIPLE: discover what the issue is, and how long they have had it

Ask Good Questions Mark 9:17-21 Jesus is told about a boy who cannot speak, and who has seizures, all caused by a spirit. The boy manifests and Jesus asks How long has he been like this?

Brief interview with prayee. Be attentive, loving and gentle.

Find out their name, and introduce yourself.

Find out if they are a believer. If they are, ask them if they are filled with the Spirit.

Ask them what they need prayer for. It may sounds silly, but Jesus asked blind people what they wanted from him! (Matt.20:32; Mk.10:51; Lk.18:41). This also states the focus for everyone

Find out how long theyve had the condition. Do they know what the cause is?

Ask them if they are in pain, and if they are, to rate the pain out of 10 with 10 being agony. Remember this number - it will be a useful gauge for you later on.

Was anything significant happening in their life when this condition started, or a few months before it started? If they cant remember or say no, fine. If something was going on, there is a spiritual element to their condition. Useful to know - well come back to this in the next step.

For all these questions, dont get into lengthy details or stories. You just need the facts. We dont want an entire medical history and doctors reports. We want to be mindful of Jesus, not the problem - even if the prayee is more aware of their issue.

Some people come for healing, and some really come for sympathy. Find out who youre ministering too!

Dont worry if they dont look like they have faith. Faith is unseen so dont let what

you see influence you because if you do, youve stepped out of the realm of faith and into the realm of fear. Remember Lazarus was resurrected - how much faith did he have for that!?

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You should now have an awareness of the nature and maybe cause of the condition, and maybe a leading whether it has physical or spiritual aspects. If you dont know, let the HS lead you or make an educated guess.

Inquire Summary

Your goal is to know who you are praying for and why you are praying for them. Find out how long they have had their condition. Dont spend a long amount of time listening to history, but enough to find out what you need without being rude.

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Step 2: Discern DISCERN the nature of the ministry KEY PRINCIPLE: discern the possible root(s) of the condition

Most of us arent medical professionals so we shouldnt be practicing medicine or giving medical advice here!

We are seeking understanding from what the prayee knows and shares, to guide us in how to best minister

Identify Root Causes Our inner man impacts our outer man, and our outer man impacts our inner man. We notice this principle in the account of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. He was depressed and suicidal, and the advice given to him was eat and sleep. So root causes of physical issues might not be physical, and so on: Possible root causes could be:

A spirit of affliction or infirmity A sickness of the inner man that has physical manifestations

Emotional stress can cause head, neck, shoulder and back problems. In that case, minister peace.

A natural cause, such as an accident, injury, cut, break, born with it etc. Accidents are often traumatic, and a spirit of trauma may attach itself, and

need to be dealt with. Sometimes with accidents, a person may need to forgive the person who

caused the accident - or even forgive themself if they did. A violation of Gods laws for living

Addiction, ie alcohol or drugs Nightmares from occultic activity Habitual sin

Key information that we should have discovered earlier was how long theyve had the condition, and if anything was happening in their life around that time. If there wasnt, thats fine - move onto the next stage. If there was, our ministry will look different at the beginning.

Hindrances to Healing Before we talk about hindrances to healing, it is important to point out that Jesus never teaches that something prevents healing. So primarily, rather than be concerned about blockages to healing, we need to be more aware of the truth that healing is in the realm of God the Healer and He is more powerful than any sin or unforgiveness. Having said that, experience has shown that two things sometimes can interfere. But even with this fact, ultimately, God is bigger. We still have a choice about the spiritual atmosphere that we are going to allow to set the spiritual temperature. Will we let the truth of Christ, the

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hope of glory within me, shape the environment, or will we let the existence of unforgiveness or sin dictate what we do and what we see? If you discern the possibility of unforgiveness or conditions caused by consequences of someone's choices, we can minister to them clearly in an honouring and healthy way. Ministering to Unforgiveness If it appears that the condition was caused by someone else, or someone wronged the person around the time the condition started, there could be unforgiveness. Unforgiveness can be a hindrance to healing and needs to be ministered to.

For example:

A woman has had spine issues for five years. Not long before, her husband left her for another woman. Has she forgiven both her husband and the woman?

Sometimes people can be angry at God for perceived injustice or suffering, and need to forgive Him

A businessman has had headaches for ten years, ever since there was a fallout in his organisation and many partners walked out on him. Has he forgiven the ringleaders, former friends, and anyone else involved?

To lead someone in forgiveness:

Gently, sensitively, ask them if they are angry at the person concerned. If they say they arent, move on - even if you arent convinced! If they are, ask them if they want to forgive them. If they dont, move on! If they do,

thats great! Get them to articulate their confession of unforgiveness, repentance, and forgiveness

of the person(s) by name in their own words. If they need it, you can feed them a prayer phrase by phrase.

After theyve forgiven the person(s), get them to check their condition if possible. If its a painful condition, ask them to rate it out of 10. Has there been a change? They might get healed! Ministering to Self-Inflicted Consequences If it appears that the condition was brought on by sin, gently and kindly find out if the person agrees that this is the case. If they dont, move on. If they do, lead them to confess and repent specifically and ask Gods forgiveness. Again, after theyve repented, get them to check their condition. If its a painful condition, ask them to rate it out of 10. Has there been a change? they might have been healed! Never accuse someone confrontationally of causing their condition by sin. As an example, ask them if they think there could be a connection to this condition and anything theyve done in their past. Make it easy for them to say yes, or say no. Even if you have a word of knowledge, use open questions. Dont partner with the enemy by accusing!

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A person may need to forgive themselves if theyve caused their own injury or condition. Lead them to do this as you would forgiveness for someone else. Again, after theyve forgiven themselves, get them to check their condition. If its a painful condition, ask them to rate it out of 10. Has there been a change? They might have been healed!

Discern Summary

Your goal is to discern the best way to minister to the person, depending on what you learnt from them during the inquiry stage. Consider prayerfully what could be possible root causes of conditions. Are they physical? Emotional? Spiritual? If you sense the possibility of unforgiveness or a self-inflicted condition, minister into that. If you need to ask more questions, thats fine - but remember, were there to pray, not interview someone or listen to their life story. Partner with the leading of the Holy Spirit and trust His voice to you!

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Step 3: Engage We ENGAGE with the Holy Spirit and the prayee, so they can to do the same KEY PRINCIPLE: Pray in partnership with the Holy Spirit

Helping someone receive prayer

We want to cultivate an attitude of rest and receiving in someone we are ministering to.

Sometimes, people pray/or speak in tongues as a form of striving/works because they cant receive as children. Could be trying to earn their healing. Dont be afraid to stop and gently encourage them to rest!

Ask the person not to pray or speak in tongues while you are praying for him. Here again, be gentle and loving, and say something like: I know this means a lot to you, and you have probably prayed a lot about your condition. But for now I need you to just relax and to let me know if anything begins to happen in your body.

Sometimes a person may just find it very hard not to pray despite being encouraged not to. Dont be hung up on this. Pray for the person anyway!

How do we pray? Mark 9:25-26 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. You deaf and mute spirit, he said, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out... Commands A COMMAND is an address to a condition, body part, or a spirit, best used:

If there has been a word of knowledge When dealing with anything spiritual As our first approach, unless we are led otherwise by HS.

For example: In the name of Jesus, I command this growth to dissolve In the name of Jesus, back, be straight! Be healed! In Jesus name, I command all pain to leave this hip In Jesus name, I command affliction to leave Johns body When speaking to spirits, dont say demon of pain or spirit of affliction - minister sensitively. Dont make it weird and about demons. The spirits respond to the

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authority you have in Jesus - you know you are talking to them and they know you are talking to them. Nothing extra needs to be said. If you discern a spirit oppressing someone, don't rebuke what you see/sense on people - release the opposite. They know what they battle with. So, for example, if you see or sense a spirit of anxiety or fear attached to someone, release a spirit of peace. If you sense or see depression, release a spirit of joy. Romans tells us the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit Were ambassadors of that kingdom, so have authority to minister those things! Petitions A PETITION is a request to heal, addressed to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. For example:

Father, in the name of Jesus, restore hearing to this ear. Father, in Jesus name, come and straighten this spine. Father, release Your power to heal, in Johns body, in the name of Jesus. Come, Holy Spirit. Release your power. Touch Johns hip, in Jesus name

Dont let your petitions shift into begging or pleading Dont pray "if it is in your will" because it is! We are conduits of grace - our feet made be on earth, but were seated in Heaven!

Pray how you feel led, and comfortable. Rule of thumb: command first, then petition.

Prayer Principles

The following is a list of best practice when praying. Remember, the point of prayer ministry is encounter!

A. Ask the Holy Spirit to come

Just pray Come Holy Spirit! or Come Holy Spirit, with your healing power.

You may feel the HS, or not. Whether you do, or dont, it doesnt mean the prayee is feeling something - or isnt!

If there is a visible manifestation, or the person says they feel something, just linger until the manifestation passes. When it does, check to see if healing has started. If its a painful condition, ask them to rate it out of 10. Has there been a change? If there has, thank God! If there is still pain, continue.

B. Remember to command first, then petition - always in Jesus name Mark 16:17a, 18b And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; ... they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

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C. Keep commands and prayers short

Pray short - not lengthy, or begging, or pleading, or negotiating. Sometimes long prayers reveal anxiety and a lack of faith on the praying persons part - or they are trying to convince themselves and others! Polished prayers dont matter - were believing and declaring that God is who He has said He is and does what He says He does!

After a short command or petition, it is wise to re-interview regularly to see if any progress is being made. Good things to ask include:

What has happened to the pain now? Did you feel anything? If they are a believer, ask them what God is doing. Can you read the sign now? Do you still feel WHATEVER MANIFESTATION THEYVE PREVIOUSLY

DESCRIBED Can you move your knee/shoulder etc now?

Use the pain scale to assess.

DONT ask have you been healed because that takes the focus away from God and

onto results. For some conditions that arent painful, it may be impossible to know if there has been any healing until later. But we still pray! For other conditions, healing or change may only become apparent when they try to use that body part. In that sense, it is OK to test the healing by seeing if they can do something they found difficult to do prior. If pain ever gets worse after prayer, or the pain changes location, youre certainly dealing with a demonic spirit of affliction. This can also be the case if a condition has existed a long time, or is resisting medical treatment. (I command affliction/NAME CONDITION to leave PRAYEE NAME, in Jesus name) D. Thank God for whatever He does.

Psalm 100 tells us we enter His gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Thankfulness accesses the presence of God in greater measure!

E. If a command or prayer results in partial healing, keep using it until it no longer seems to work.

Mark 8:22-25 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the mans eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, Do you see anything? He looked

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up and said, I see people; they look like trees walking around. Once more Jesus put his hands on the mans eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

If you try one kind of prayer or command and get results, but not complete healing, continue. You may need to explain why youre repeating yourself.

If you dont get any effect after a few times, try something else. Persevere!

Philippians 1:6 - what God begins, He brings to completion. If Hes started the healing work, Hell finish the job!

Prayer Etiquette

Preparation for prayer ministry is important. Be a clear, clean conduit for God!

Pray in tongues before ministry time so you have edified yourself in the Lord.

Pray in pairs where possible. It provides security, covering, support, insight, accountability and a second pair of eyes. Always have one person present who is the same gender as the prayee.

When praying in pairs, one is the first and the other is the second. Agree who is who before you start! The first talks, sets the pace and direction, and checks in with the second consistently. The second is quieter, watching and hearing what God is doing and saying, supporting and sharing with the First when asked - and being ready to catch if the prayee falls under the power of God! Firsts - dont dominate and ignore the second! Seconds - dont switch off, or try to take over!

Deodorant and breath mints are good things

Lay on hands - but ask before you lay on hands! Always ask permission before you lay hands on someone - irrespective of gender of prayer and prayee. Be wise where you lay hands too! No pushing & heavy hands either - Its OK if there are no visible manifestations or falling over.

Its OK to not pray out loud - just advise the prayee that you are praying silently and not standing awkwardly! Use this time to listen to the Holy Spirit.

Be yourself. Dont copy others style or mannerism. Learn, without being a mimic

Be careful with your personal manifestations, especially if you are in an environment praying for nonbelievers, or non believers could be observing. We can control ourselves (1 Cor 14:32) and should do. If we cant or dont, we risk the focus moving from God and what He is doing, to it being us and what were doing!

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Pray with your eyes and ears open, so you can see and hear what God might be doing. Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19-20). Signs to look for can include:

Fluttering eyelids Trembling/shaking Perspiration A change in facial expression Change in breathing or posture

Keep your inner dialogue with God going. Jesus only said what he heard the father

say (John 12:49; John 8:28). What is God saying to you?

Use your normal tone of voice. Shouting or praying loudly in tongues doesnt increase your effectiveness, just your annoyingness!

Dont preach, teach, give advice, or prophesy. Our job is to be a conduit of healing first and foremost. Compassion moved Jesus to heal, not sympathy. Sympathy will lead us away from prayer and into counselling. If you do have a prophetic word, or advice, or want to evangelise, wait until after youve finished praying.

Minister out of love. Even if healing doesnt happen, theyll leave feeling encouraged, loved, hopeful and ready to come back again.

Keep the communication lines with heaven open. All the time, see/hear/sense what God is saying to you. Trust you hear his voice. Act on it! Check in with your partner too.

Always ask permission of the prayee if you want to do something unusual or different. This means any prophetic action on their part, or if you are doing anything that outside of being with weird crazy prophetic christians, youd get looked at! As a rule of thumb, if you wouldnt do it in the middle of John Lewis, tell them what youd like to do and ask permission - and honour it if they decline!

It's impossible to pray & for nothing to happen - don't be affected because nothing

seems to be happening

Ministering to multiple conditions

Is there a spirit of infirmity here? Find out history and root issues.

Let the HS guide you to focus on one condition at first. Finish praying for that before you begin praying for another, unless HS leads you differently. This prevents distraction, and faith is more likely to grow if they see breakthrough in one area.

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Dont be pressured or directed by the prayee to pray through each condition like a list - gently explain you will finish praying for the first thing first.

If you are praying for one condition, and they experience a (good!) manifestation in another area, shift your prayer focus and partner with what God is doing.

Ending Ministry Time We stop praying for someone when:

1. They are completely healed. 2. They ask us to stop, whether that is due to tiredness or choice. 3. You feel the Holy Spirit tells you to stop. 4. You arent gaining ground, and dont have any other way to pray.

We live with mystery. Some people will get healed and it will be easy. Some, itll be a battle. Some wont get healed and many times, we wont know why! But if we bear the burden that is really Gods when they dont get healed, well take the credit that is Gods when they do get healed.

Engage Summary

Your goal is to connect to God, connect with the prayee, and lead the prayee well into connecting with God themselves. Use commands and petitions, ask questions, and trust the Holy Spirits leading to learn what God is doing and saying, responding and partnering with Him every step of the way.

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Step 4: Aftercare

AFTERCARE is the essential pastoral work we do post-prayer. KEY PRINCIPLE: Ministry doesnt end when we stop praying

Post-Prayer Pastoring

Check in with them. How are they feeling?

Whether they have been healed or not, encourage the prayees relationship with God.

If they are a believer, share scripture and perhaps prophesy over them if appropriate.

If they arent a believer, ask them how they found being prayed for, and if appropriate and they are open to it, prophesy over them without being Christiany! Be alert as this could open up to a God conversation - but if it doesnt, dont force one. Balance the tension between being bold and being pushy.

NEVER tell someone they have been healed - let them be the one to determine that. Even if you are utterly convinced - Proverbs 19:2! This is especially key for conditions that are not visible. If pain has disappeared, thats great - but until a medical professional has assessed and verified, all you know is that pain has gone. They may be healed, but maybe the pain has gone but the condition is still present.

NEVER suggest to someone to stop taking any medication. Even if they are adamant they have been healed and no longer need it, urge them to continue taking it until they receive an all-clear from a medical professional to discontinue treatment.

If a condition has resulted from unwise choices or lifestyle, gently and sensitively suggest a change in lifestyle may well be needed

If someone isnt healed, be gentle and compassionate. Dont accuse or suggest a lack of faith, or hidden sin, as the reason for not being healed.

Sometimes healing is progressive, so encourage the prayee to get prayer from others, or come back another time.

If they are a Christian, advise that they may experience spiritual attack after any healing. Help them to be prepared to resist it - if symptoms recur, they can command them to leave in Jesus name. If a bad habit is the cause, they may find unusual temptation to recommence the habit. There is grace available for them, and mercy if they do stumble.

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Aftercare Summary

Your goal is to keep peoples focus on God after prayer whether they are a believer or not. Love and care for people after prayer so they leave feeling in a better place than they arrived - whether they were healed or not.

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IDEA Prayer Summary

1. INQUIRE so you know who you are praying for and why you are praying for them. 2. DISCERN the best way to minister to the prayee, depending on what you learn from

them. 3. ENGAGE with God, engage with the prayee, and lead them well into engaging with

God themselves. 4. AFTERCARE for people post-prayer ensures they leave in a better place than they

arrived - whether they were healed or not.

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H o p e H e a l i n g C e n t re - anthonyhilder.com · q u e st i o n s, t h a t ’ s f i n e - b u t re me mb e r, we ’ re t h e re t o p ra y, n o t i n t e rvi e w so me o