Skip to main content

November 2015 Prayer Column

Image
By

Greater works (John 14:12)

I read a really good book on holiday.  It argued that we should seek more healing in our churches with the aid of the Holy Spirit.  Healing and deliverance was what Jesus did all the time, and what the early church continued to do (as Jesus had promised they should), as in the book of Acts, and for the next few hundred years.  But then from the time of Constantine such good works were discouraged and declined.  Some said that only the holiest saints were fit to do it; others that is was presump-tuous to try and copy Jesus.  Later, some claimed that miracles such as healing has ceased with the apostles; and nearer our own time many have declared that today we should know better than to believe that such supernatural things ever happened at all. 
Thus, by one means or another, acts of healing and wholeness, once the lifeblood of the Christian faith, have been all but throttled – despite the occasional outbreaks of Pentecostal-style spiritual blessings at various times and in different parts of the church.  This includes the ‘enthusiasm’ of the early Methodists and, in the last hundred years, diverse Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.  The writer of this book urges that we open ourselves more widely to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit; and urgently seek the fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control); and also all the blessings of healing and wholeness he longs to give to the church for the glory of God in the world.  Worth a prayer?  With His power?
The Healing Reawakening: Reclaiming our lost inheritance. 
By Francis MacNutt, Chosen Books, 2005.

Roy LS

A prayer for each week

Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done.  Please Lord, help us to sing this with our lives.  Amen.

Holy Spirit, Teacher, please come and make your home in our hearts and minds, leading us into all your truth, through Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.  Amen.

Holy Spirit, Helper, please show us the vastness of your resources for living, and the depths of our daily need, and fill us with your presence.  Amen.

Holy Spirit, Counsellor, indwelling and ever present, please open our inner ears to your advice, and give us the sense to heed what you say.  Amen.

Holy Spirit, Guide, knowing us better than we do ourselves – our past, our problems, and our potential in Jesus, please keep us on your chosen path.  Amen.

Your own prayers


Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rock Solid

By
Rock Solid is the new youth club for 9-13 year olds at Wilsden Trinity Church . It aims to provide a group for older children to follow on from Wilsden Trinity’s other youth club, Friends and Heroes. Every Tuesday we meet for games, Bible stories, sweets, crafts and chats. Highlights so far include wrapping people up as mummies, making ice cream sundaes, playing Zip Zap Boing (which is as confusing as it sounds), building Easter gardens and making lava lamps. We set aside a good amount of time just for chatting, and each week we have a “Millstone, Milestone” section – each person can say if they’ve had a difficult week (millstone) or a brilliant week (milestone) and why. This has been a platform for many entertaining anecdotes and tales that the group has shared together. Rock Solid started in March 2017, and so far numbers are low. Our small group has fun, but we would love to welcome some new members! All children and young people between the ages of 9-13 can join. It is £2 on the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

For such times as these! - A good news story from Windhill!

By
For such times as these! (Esther 14:14) On June 1st James Stannet (from e:merge , a Christian Youth organisation) began his youth work for Christchurch LEP in Windhill. He says, "Well! June has been a really busy but very productive month. On Wednesday, in the park, numbers are climbing week by week, now averaging 25. Good partnerships have been made with local organisations. this has been a blessing: enabling us to deliver varied sport activities and build good relationships.' 'The Hope Revolution, youth event, based at Christchurch LEP was a massive hit. A BIG Thank you is expressed to the Church for the support, encouragement and prayers. 200 people attended the Fun Day. Despite the rainy weather, 100 young people took part in local projects: two house clear-ups, school garden project (Windhill Primary) and running the Fun Day. 10 Christian Organisations working together resulting in several families requesting Christian children's activities.' ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Saturday

By
Read John 19.31-42 Near to the place of crucifixion is a garden, where the body of Jesus is taken to be buried. Gardens play a significant role in the telling of scripture. In Genesis, the garden is celebration of God’s creation and a place of harmony between God and humanity. It is also the place of broken relationships, showing human limitations and failure.  In the New Testament, the garden of Gethsemane is a place where burdens are brought, and tears are shed. And the garden of Jesus’ burial is, of course, also the setting for resurrection, where the risen Christ is himself mistaken for a gardener.  At this time of year, many of us will be venturing out into our gardens once more. In the strange circumstances of our current crisis, the garden may be one of the few places where we can enjoy being outside and exercise. The garden in springtime is a place of new life – with buds showing and plants growing. This picture of new life can illustrate for us the truth ...
Post a Comment
Read more