Is It Still A Healing Community

I am still getting a lot of calls from people who want me to pray for them. In fact, an old friend called tonight telling me that he is getting similar calls. People we knew 30 years ago are wanting us to minister to them because they do not have a church that knows how to pray for healing. That is a shocking situation.

I recently spoke with a woman from Europe whose Missionary husband told her to stop praying so much. He restricted her to 15 minutes each day of prayer and he told her she was praying for other people too much. It seems that many young mothers were calling her asking for someone to listen to them and pray for them. "It is unseemly," he said, "for these people to air their dirty laundry in front of others and ask them to pray."

Can you imagine St. Paul telling his small band of believers not to pray so much. In fact, the Bible says to "Pray without ceasing". If there is anything that is taking up too much time it is not prayer. Television, radio, sports, coffee shops and gossip take up more of our time than prayer.

When we get to the place that the Ministers do not know how to pray for people we have passed crisis and entered into chaos and agony. How many churches do you know that have prayer meetings and healing meetings? Not many.

We are doing a research study on ways the church can help families with a disabled child. One of our questions was, "Has the church taught you to pray for your child?" Few answered "YES!" In fact, not many churches pray for the child or the family.

Can you imagine training doctors who did not know how to take blood pressure? Would want a Doctor that did not know how to use a stethoscope?

Would you take your car to a mechanic that could not drive?

Would you hire a carpenter that was unable to use a hammer or screw driver?

Basic tools of the trade must be mastered by every profession yet so few Clergy know how to pray for healing and how to teach their members how to pray.

No wonder so many people are chronically sick, weak and debilitated. What happened to the simple truths that Jesus practiced and taught about healing prayers?

The story is told about a Pastor that was awakened from a deep sleep one night in New York City church. When he opened the locked door, a homeless, sickly old man confronted him by asking: "Well, are you doing it or not? The Pastor replied, "Are we doing what, sir?"

The sickly man said, "Are you doing hat you advertise on the cornerstone of the church?" The Pastor said, "What does it say?" and he went around to read the cornerstone which had on it: "Jesus Christ told His followers to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

"No," said the Pastor. "We don't do those things today. We have doctors, medicines and Psychiatrists so it isn't needed."

"well then," replied the man, "take that off the cornerstone or I will sue you for false advertising."

What do your advertise? Do you still deliver it?

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