This morning was our fortnightly meeting for anyone involved in leadership in River... we tell stories, worship and pray together...
First there where some great stories from the Youth who had been "treasure hunting"... this is an approach to evangelism where you look to get words from Jesus that lead you to a person to talk and pray for...
First there was a team of three that got the words.... "Texaco", "boilersuit" and "arthritis".... they knew there was a Texaco garage near the river so walked down to it... across the road there was a man in boilersuit fishing so they went over to talk to him, they asked about arthritis.. which the man confirmed he did have... so tey prayed for him... the man couldn't be sure as his arthritis was one that came and went... but thank you Jesus for our young people...
Then there was a guy met at a psychic bookstall... who talked to our team for ages and then gave his life to Jesus!
On a different night, one of the people on our Big Year ( see http://www.riverchurch.org.uk/Groups/90393/River_Church/The_BIG_Year/The_BIG_Year.aspx ) took a friend to an meeting with a lady who works with Heidi Baker, the friend heard people speaking in tongues and wanted to know all about it... in short on that night he gave his life to Jesus, got filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues himself.
I'm noticing that arthritis keeps coming up at the moment, (as in the testimony above) also I am trying to arrange a date to go back and pray for the Sikh lady with arthritis, in Gibraltar I prayed for arthritis etc... Jesus I am looking for the breakthrough in authority with this disease that we currently see with bone and muscle pains... amen
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I'm Only reading this blog as I'm laid up in bed after injuring my back playing table tennis with Sam this afternoon - any long-range prayer welcome!!
ReplyDeleteJust been filming Jesus doing healings and what came to me was: intense compassion. Do you get taken there when He heals with you?
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteVery honored that you took the time to read this... really sorry to hear about your back... Judith tells me that you have had problems in the past but that things had been good recently... how bad is this injury? I will of course pray for you from a distance and maybe we'll get a chance to pray up close and personal too...
On the issue of Jesus feeling the compassion as he prayed for certain people... I love this phrase.... it appears in Mark and Luke several times... I have actually made it a prayer... that I would know more and more what it is to pray out of the compassion for people...
As to do I feel it, sometimes! When praying for people I have felt a range of emotions from a cool obedience to the call of Jesus in me... i.e I don't feel much at all... through things like anger at certain diseases that are robbing someone of the life they should have... sometimes joy and excitement at what might be about to happen... and to a certain level.. compassion
So actually compassion is one of the things I am asking Jesus to increase in me as part of my ministry experience... I think theoretically we are supposed to minister out of the full range of emotions... but on a personal level.. I developed an unhelpful stoicism that I and am now asking Jesus to break off me... and I think that sometimes undermines my authority..
Personally I don't think you can read the gospels, particularly Mark and Luke, without realising that Jesus was motivated by the full range of emotions, but his emotions seem appropriate to the circumstance in a way in which mine often are not... This is why I'm committed to going deeper with Jesus... I want to see change in me at the instinctive, inclination level not just at the behavioural.
Hope the answer is helpful...
Christen