GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH SEMINARY; DOCTOR OF HEALING MINISTRY LESSON FOUR - HOW CAN I HEAL TODAY?

Woman at the Well

How Can I Heal Today?

      

    The Healing Service in the Church is a vibrant and explosive force begun by Jesus Christ centuries ago. And yes, you too have the power to heal others. You need to tap into the power through faith and practice; remembering the Divine Son of God Who made us all gave us all the power of healing.
"These signs will accompany those who have believed; in My Name they will cast out demons . . . they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." 1 So be confident! Step forward and take your place - Jesus is in great need of healers today. 

My personal ministry
   Every interaction we have with another person can be either healing or destructive. There is a need to relate in a caring way to those who need our help.

If we have suffered and received healing ourselves, this brings a new depth of spiritual knowledge and empathy to our ministry.

  How do we know this? Well, why not wind back a few centuries and watch a woman so wounded by societal isolation and the consequences of her own lifestyle that she would not even draw water when other women were present. She was deeply, terribly alone . . .
 

The Woman at the Well

  The full sun of noon beat down at Jesus, light filtering through a dusty tree as He tiredly beat the dust from His clothing. It was a hot and dusty day as He traveled on the main road between His beloved Jerusalem and Galilee. Jesus looked at Jacob’s Well, and sat on the warmed stones. He was tired and somewhat discouraged; ministry in Samaria required tact and a peaceful tongue, as Galileans traveling to and from Jerusalem were not always welcome. Yet there was something more . . . as Jesus hitched his beige robe and sat, an indefinable stirring in the cosmos alerted the Son of God that a great moment was coming – a soul deeply in need of healing. And a soul of great passion and strength who had the ability to spread His Word of the Kingdom of God with great zeal.

 

  And then she came. A small lady, shoulders bowed and a fretful look about her face. Jesus, with His Divine Knowledge, looked upon her and loved her. He saw her deep need for love, which had not been met despite multiple partners. He understood her thirst for God, which had led her to worship timidly on Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan Jerusalem. Jesus sensed her racism which led her to ignore Him as she came up to the well; He was Jewish, she Samaritan, and there was historic strife and contempt between Jews and Samaritans. He lastly saw her deep and dreadful loneliness, the inner wounds of pain which bled quietly into her daily chores, and He smiled to Himself. Here was a woman with a fierce belief that the Messiah, the true Anointed, was coming; and He would explain all to her. And she would believe without reservation.

 

Living Water 
As the underground springs fed the well with its fresh and cool water, Jesus murmured in conversation with the woman. 2 Because the water from Jacob’s Well 3 is moving and not from a cistern, the ancients called it “living water” – a term to which Jesus Christ now gave new meaning.

  Jesus gave the woman healing; she was so excited at hearing He was the Messiah, she completely forgot about her precious water jar and ran to her village to spread the incredible news. How touching this was to Jesus; He, who had met with dissension and threats of being thrown off a cliff.

  This woman, healed in heart and soul by His Love and acceptance of her, thrilled to meet the Son of God, ran to tell all of the great news. This lady from Samaria was an Apostle of the Living Water.

 

  Jesus, Who had been hungry, thirsty and tired, now was cheered. When His disciples reasonably tried to offer Him refreshments, He laughingly told them He had secret food. This was His joke, as they were baffled and unamused. The joy of healing and bringing a new soul to eternal joy and fulfillment in the Father’s Kingdom was as satisfying to Him as food and drink to one deeply in need of both.

 

Healings of Jesus 
The healings Jesus carried out on the woman were many. Her loneliness and isolation vanished; this woman, frowned upon by her kinsfolk and neighbours due to her lifestyle, now ran back to the village and spoke to all.     Her shame at her failed relationships and criticism from others for her living with a man without sacrament was healed as she accepted the coin of true love and forgiveness from the Messiah. Her racism of people from a tribe other than her own was healed as she spoke with – and fully accepted – the Jewish Messiah. The living water of forgiveness and healing flooded over her soul, and she experienced rebirth into a new way of life; a life of confidence and trust in God. And from this she became both witness and preacher, telling all in her zeal that the Messiah at last had come.

Personal Testimony

  This lady from Samaria, so wounded and forlorn, was able to testify with great power and authenticity precisely because she was speaking from personal experience. Therefore, if we speak from our personal experience of healing at the Hands of Jesus, we speak with power and authority. The healings I have experienced through the goodness of God as I have walked the path of illness and difficulties have made it far easier for me to appreciate the challenges and need for healing that face others. The effective minister of healing is the one who is able to reach out to others; it is only by walking a mile in another's mocassins that we understand the problems the other faces. 4

Learning how to be a healer

  We learn how to be a healer by imitating Jesus. As discussed in Lesson One, Jesus taught the disciples to tap into their own healing powers by calling them to follow Him - to imitate Him. Today we have the way in which we can find out how Jesus healed in order to imitate Him;  the New Testament. Here is a vibrant account of different eyewitnesses who were actually there - front bench seat view, so to speak - at His healings. The eyewitnesses each had a different experience or viewpoint of the happenings and healings in Jesus' life. 

  Therefore the four testimonies of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John do not perfectly tally in every detail; but there was no need for them to. The testimonies were of what they personally saw and experienced at a very profound moment in their lives as they watched the healing work of the Saviour. The four Gospels are not a simple recording of words and deeds, but a manifestation of the soul-work and discipleship-training that Jesus was carrying out during the healings.       

  Jesus empowered the apostles and disciples to heal by taking them on tour with Him. They saw Him healing in many circumstances.  Matthew wrote of the great healings which took place on their travels. He saw a man with leprosy being immediately healed. 5 Matthew witnessed Jesus giving a command for the servant of the centurion to be healed of palsy, and the servant was forthwith healed. 6 

  Many other healings were attested to by Matthew; Peter's mother-in-law was healed of a fever. And when evening of that same day came, many suffering from possession and illness were brought to Jesus; and He healed them all - exorcising with a word.  7

  So as the disciples did, let us stand at the side of Jesus and watch as He heals. Read and reflect on the New Testament accounts until they become a part of the very fabric of your soul. We must imitate Christ until our reactions become those He would naturally have. That is the sum of what it means to become a healer. 

  There was general success of the disciples under Jesus' training. Jesus trained His disciples for three years under the principles of faith in Him as Son of God. 

  By studying the Gospels until they become second nature to us, we will be studying at the Feet of the same Master the disciples had.

  Jesus taught them to heal the sick and deliver people from possession [Matthew 10;1 / Mark 3; 14-15/  Mark 6;7/ Luke 9;1]. 

   He gave them freedom to practise their newly learned skills, and they experienced success in their healing and deliverance ministries [Mark 6;13/ Luke 9;6/ Mark 16;20]. 

  Jesus increased the faith of the disciples by challenging them to increase their skills. He encouraged Peter, who walked on water under His supervision [Mark 14; 28-31].  

  Jesus sent the disciples out to begin personal ministry [Luke 10;1, 9]. 

 Imagine it is you whom Jesus stands before, here and now; He gently places His Hand on your right shoulder, gazes deeply and searchingly into your eyes, and says 'Do you believe I have called you to be a healer?'

  If your answer is yes, then step forward onto a path of healing that will bind you close to Him as Master and Lord forever. 

Disciples Imitated Jesus 

  When Jesus sent out His disciples to heal as He healed [Matthew 10;1], they simply imitated Him. When Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead [Acts 9;40), he made the mourners leave the room where her body was - just as Jesus had done when He raised Jairus' daughter [Mark 5;40]. Peter commanded Tabitha to get up; Jesus had said, 'Talitha, get up'. Peter changed but the 'l' to a 'b'. Healing is the imitation of Jesus.

Now wait a minute

  Now wait a minute, I can hear you say. Does this mean that I'll be expected to raise people from the next life or heal full paralysis? Well, no. Full and unaccountable healings still occur, and often. But it isn't expected that you personally need to carry out dramatic healings. As healers, we are called to walk with the sorrowing; help the sick; comfort the sad; listen to the remorseful and bring them to reconciliation with God. We are called to minister the healing sacraments of Jesus Christ, and trust in Him to do whatever healing is necessary. And, in some instances, we might find that we have been given an especial gift of imparting healing. Only time, prayer, discernment, discretion and good judgement can tell.

Medical and scientific examination

  The International Medical Committee of Lourdes - in existence since 1947 - examines all claims of reported healings at the Lourdes shrine. 8   

  The Lourdes Shrine of Healing has had to deal with approximately 7000 cases of unexplained cures. Of these, 69 have been definitively proven by rigorous medical and scientific examination to have been miraculous (that is, there is no natural explanation for the cure). God continues to work among His people, and healing is a great part of His Ministry. 

  However, the dramatic returns from death apparently no longer occur. The reason is possibly that there is no need; the raising from the dead prefigured and underlined the great message of the Resurrection of Jesus; that we are destined for full and final healing in the afterlife, for eternal life. That message having been received and fully documented in the Gospels, it was time then to move on.

Forms of healing  
  The great and dramatic healings still occur; they are the province of God the Eternal Healer. So what forms of healing are we called to do, you might ask? Here comes the interesting part. Each of us has a different and  unique gift. All have the gift of healing; but not all are called to be fully in the healing ministry. 

  All Christians can heal by their faith in Jesus Christ [Mark 16;18], but not all are equally gifted healers [1 Corinthians 12;30]. Nearly all people can run, think or sing; but some have especial gifts in these areas. It is possible that one-third of Christians are especially gifted healers, but few know this. They rarely, if ever, use their healing gift while countless sick people go through these healers' lives without receiving healing. In a world of sickness and pain, this is a sad waste of supernatural resources. 9

  Those who have a special gift of healing will have this revealed to them by God's Holy Spirit. Sometimes this may only occur over years. People may begin practising in health and prayer professions, and over a period of time signs begin to show that they either have - or are developing - a special talent for healing.

 

  Much time needs to spent in prayer by the healer. A living relationship with the Living God is a must. A faith-filled life with practice of the Sacraments, communal worship and genuine efforts to live a Christian life are the ongoing necessities for a healer. Jesus prayed before healing [Mark 7;34-35], during healing [Mark 7;31-37], and after healing [Luke 5;16]. We need to do the same.

Discover your talent 

 Discover the extent and type of your talent. Perhaps you have an ability to find the right words to comfort the bereaved heart. Possibly you have a calling to walk with those in palliative care [ care of the dying]. You might have skills in working with troubled youth. The particular skill you have been given by God in your ministry, is an excellent indication of where your talent as healer may lie.

  Healing is needed in many hearts. Prisoners, children of prisoners. People struggling to make ends meet, fathers, mothers. Single moms, single dads. People struggling with gender issues, those feeling marginalised. Refugees, those who have suffered assault. The ill. The despairing. The suicidal. The addicted. The dying.

  As priest, you may be called on to heal through the Sacraments of Healing. Hearts are healed through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where people are brought back into healed relationship with God by their repentance of former lifestyle which was impeding their spiritual progress - and the reassurance of God's forgiveness. Healing of hearts and minds, and at times bodies, are wrought by the great Sacrament of the Eucharist. 

  The sharing of the Divine Life of Christ through the bread and wine has brought about more mysteries of healing in mind, heart, body and soul than will ever be known except by God. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has healed many. There are others who have a special ability to heal through the laying on of hands. 

What does this all mean for me?

Something wonderful and awe-inspiring. Perhaps you have an especial gift for healing. Perhaps that is why Divine Providence inspired you to take this course. Close your eyes in faith, live a simple and God-filled life, and trust Him to take you by the hand and lead you on the path of discernment that surrounds every vocation as healer.

Questions for Reflection

1. Sit at the feet of the Healer Jesus and listen to Him speak to your heart. What do you hear?

2. Develop a greater familiarity with stories of healing from the Old Testament. Discuss one of them, and what significance this story has had in your life.

3. Think of one way in which you can bring healing to our world. Discuss this.

4. Spend time in prayer after reading one of the many stories of the healings by Jesus in the Gospels. How did this passage speak to your heart?

Footnotes

1 Mark 16; 17 - 19 2 John 4; 1 - 42 3 Jacob's Well is also known as Bir Ya'qub; in Hebrew  באר יעקב‎ and in Arabic بئر يعقوب‎

4 American Indian Proverb; 'Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked a mile in his mocassins'

5 Matthew 8; 1 - 3

6 Matthew 8; 5 - 13

7 Matthew 8; 14 - 16

8 Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes, The International Medical Committee of Lourdes, en.lourdes-france.org

9 Presentation Ministries; 2014. Healing; The Imitation of Christ. Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

Good Shepherd Church Seminary
Doctor of Healing Ministry Lesson Onehttp://lumierecharity.blogspot.ie/2014/09/good-shepherd-church-seminary-doctor-of.html

 

Good Shepherd Church Seminary
Doctor of Healing Ministry Lesson Two

http://lumierecharity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/good-shepherd-church-seminary-doctor-of.html

 

Good Shepherd Church Seminary
Doctor of Healing Ministry Lesson Three

http://lumierecharity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/good-shepherd-church-seminary-doctor-of_52.html

Rev Catherine
Use freely for any worthy purpose

GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH SEMINARY; DOCTOR OF HEALING MINISTRY LESSON THREE - HEALING IN THE ANCIENT WORLD

 

Healing in the Ancient World

      

    The roots of healing go back to the beginning of time. Healing touch was used during the New Stone Age – the Neolithic Era; as long ago as c 10,200BC.  Luminous cave paintings discovered in the Pyrenees, France show clear evidence of this. 1 Healing and the laying on of hands was common practice in centers such as Babylon, Greece and Egypt. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of medicine and the healing profession as we know it today. The great Asklepios founded a number of Sanatoria which were famed throughout the world for their success in healing therapies. Myths and legends grew up over the centuries around Asklepios’ name. Brushing under the patina of the centuries, however, some facts come to light.

 

Asklepios (in Greed Ἀσκληπιός) was honoured as a god of healing. He was known as the son of Apollo (the sun god and god of light) His mother was the mortal woman Coronis. Thus the legend; and the religion that grew up around Asklepios. It is now thought that Asklepios was an actual historical figure, renowned for his healing abilities. He and his sons are mentioned in the Iliad in c 8BC. Asklepios passed his healing knowledge on to Podalirios and Machaon, who in The Iliad healed Menelaus from an arrow wound, by putting balm on the wound. 2

     Asklepios founded healing shrines, then temples; which eventually led to the foundation of the first hospital. About 430BC a great temple was built to Asklepios at Epidaurus. Greece. This temple began as a healing shrine. Great healings took place in Epidaurus, and other of Asklepion healing centers.

    Healing took place in shrines which followed the blueprint for healings thereafter.

·        Water was an essential element. The shrine of Asklepios in Corinth was built immediately adjacent to a spring; with healing waters

·        Peace and rest was needed; a stepping away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Corinth’s Asklepios was set apart from the city center and bustle

·        Faith was an essential part of the healing process

 

    Priests and priestesses in the shrine attended to healing duties. Healing itself was seen as the mystery. Patients were treated with plant compounds; fractures and surgery were dealt with. Patients drink the healthful waters from the underground springs and bathed in it; the water was considered to carry within its essence the healing powers of the earth.

    Many patients fasted; and carried out repeated ablutions in the sacred precincts of the Abaton, the temple. Patients then slept  in the group dormitories of the Abaton so they might dream. Specific rituals for encouraging dreaming were held, where the deepest wisdom was called on to send dreams revealing the reasons for the patient’s illness and how to treat it. The next day the patient told the dream to the priests who then prescribed a treatment. It was also said, that the first image which came into the dreamer’s mind would become a guardian spirit, and would never leave them.

    An interesting part of the healing was the use of non-venomous snakes which slithered all over the floor of the dormitories during the night. They were believed to be divinities who mediated between Asklepios and the patient. In past times the snake was not regarded with revulsion. They were revered; because of the way they shed their skins, snakes were a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. Wonderful healings were reported, such as the healing of Theopompas the writer of comedies; whom Asklepios healed by the laying on of hands. A man having but one good eye slept in the temple, and dreamed that Asklepios applied an ointment to the empty socket. He awoke in the morning with two sound eyes.

    It is easy to see why many saw in the goodness and service of Asklepios and his follower Hippocrates, a symbol of the forebears of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Not least among the symbols would be the snakes. Would you be surprised if I told you that Jesus Christ claimed in effect, “I am the Snake of Life”? The words of Jesus relating to snakes and the Torah is not always well known or understood today; yet, seen in the context of healing and prophecy, they make perfect sense. Let us discuss this controversial statement of the Messiah.

 

The Snake of Belief

      What has a snake got to do with healing, you may ask me. Well, everything really. Modern physicians and pharmacists display the sign of medicine; the distinctive snake-entwined staff, the symbol of healing. This symbol stems from the times of Greece and Rome. In art, Asklepios is usually depicted as a powerful bearded man of middle or advancing years, with bare or sandaled feet and an ankle-length cloak slung across the left shoulder. His distinctive attribute is the snake-entwined staff, and Hygieia – his daughter – is often shown with the same symbol of healing. For among her other powers and duties Hygieia assisted in the temple and fed the snakes that were sacred to her father. The staff probably signified the long walking stick used by Greek travelers. This would have been a natural attribute of Asklepios, who journeyed widely as a mortal physician and – according to legend – later as a healing god. The staff was imbued with symbolic meaning, as a support or relief for the sick. 3

    Are you frightened of snakes? Or do you admire them? Either reaction to a snake shows a negative or positive reaction. And, in just the same way, snakes evoke a negative and positive reaction in the ancient mysteries.

    Jesus would have known the Torah, the life of the great Moses, and possibly the healing history of Greece and Rome. It is thought that Jesus may have done worked as carpenter in the sophisticated city of Sepphoris which lay six kilometers north of Nazareth. International news travelled in on the Silk Road which hosted international travelers. This road passed through the valley below Nazareth. It was the main trade route between the Orient and Rome to Egypt, and it is more than likely that the young Jesus would have had ample opportunity to get up to mischief, and spend time chatting to travelers. What would be more natural than to hear about Asklepion, and the mysterious healings at the shrines?  

    The history of healing and snakes has been closely tied for centuries. The word “life” in Chaldean is the same for “snake”, and in Arabic it’s the same except for one letter. Among the ancient Egyptians, the uraeus – the divine cobra on the headdress or forehead of the pharaoh – represented the life force with all its power, as it was supposed to strike with lightning any enemy or any negative principle. However, they did not confuse this snake of highly positive qualities with the other, the serpent Apophis who brought chaos and negativity. 4

    The snake of negativity was seen as bringing in sin, pain and death in Genesis.

Yahweh made great use of the snake symbolism, both in its positive and negative aspects.

  Consider the words of the Prophet Malachi in ancient times, ‘the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings’ Now listen to the words of Jesus, ‘Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you’’. You can clearly see that the Torah, the Old Testament, foretold that Jesus, Son of God, the sun of righteousness would primarily bring healing; and that Jesus affirmed our need for healing.

      In society today, there is a great need for healers – and for priests with the gift of healing. Many people are suffering, and need someone to help them heal. There are many forms of suffering; and many forms of healing ministries.

 

Moses and the Bronze Serpent

  As the people of Israel travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, they experienced a plague of venomous snakes. Many were bitten and tragically died.

  The people came to Moses in desperation, and asked for his intercession. Moses prayed for his people, and God directed him with the following words;

  'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.'

So Moses made a bronze snake, and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they no longer were doomed to fatality; they lived. 5

 

We are not told the species of snake that was so troublesome.

  As the Israeli summer heats up, so does humidity ... and snakes. Snakes can be found from the Negev all the way to the north. Many of the small snakes in Israel are not poisonous; of those that are, the viper is routinely found in built-up areas between Beer Sheva in the south and the Upper Galilee in the north.

  In the south, rare finds include the adder, ringed snake, black cobra and several other poisonous snakes.

  The amazing story of the bronze serpent of Moses has a prophetic element; GOD has the power to override nature itself.

  In this instance, the natural course of events would have led to mortality after snakebite. However, when the afflicted Israelite looked with faith at the bronze image GOD had directed to be uplifted, that believer was healed.

 

  The faith of the afflicted, together with the mercy and the absolute power that GOD has over all of nature, worked together in a powerful symbolism for our age; belief in GOD can cause miracles.

 

'I AM THE SNAKE OF LIFE'

  The use by GOD of the snake analogy in the Book of Numbers was an apparently deliberate prophecy of the ultimate healing of humanity.

  The Israelites were poisoned by the venom from the snake. All of humanity has been poisoned by the venom of the snake of negativity, which symbolizes satan or the fallen angel who led our ancestors into rebellion against GOD. 6

  GOD had made provision in His Divine Plan for ultimate healing - not merely of physical, mental, spiritual and social ailments which humanity are subject to - but the full healing of the dreadful effects of The Fall.

  In order for this massive Plan to be carried out, He required the deliberate confrontation of the Snake of Life [GOD] to face and conquer the Snake of Death [satan].

  This confrontation was to occur in future centuries, in future generations - in fact, in the generation of Mary of Nazareth, Joseph her betrothed, and Jesus Christ.

 

  The Plan of God for this confrontation was already laid out soon after The Fall.

He clearly stated, 'I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you wills strike his heel.' 7

  The woman was to be Mary of Nazareth. Her offspring, the Son of God; Jesus Christ.

This came to pass in the Incarnation and the Nativity, in which Jesus Christ - the Greatest Healer of all - was born to our earth. 8

 

  Once Jesus had grown to full stature and come to full mature understanding of His Call as Healer according to the prophecy of Moses, He openly attested to the fulfilment of the prophecy in His own Person.

  'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,  so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.

  For GOD so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' 9

 

  Jesus was lifted up during crucifixion, so that all could look at Him. Today, we continue to look in prayer at the crucifixion and realize the immense healing that flows from Him.

  Countless are the testimonies of those who have cried to Him for healing and been healed. How many are the places of healing that have been founded in His Name.

  How often the mercies of healing and peace of heart have been received by those who turn towards the uplifted Son of God.

 

  Healing in the Ancient World wove its way through history from the kindly healers Asklepios, Hippocrates and Hygieia through the prophecy of Moses to the fulfilment of the Divine Healer of all, Jesus Christ.

 

Questions for Reflection

1. What importance did the snake have in the ancient world?

 

2. Why do you think GOD made use of the snake symbolism from earliest times?

 

Footnotes

1 Sherwood, Keith; The Art of Spiritual Healing, Llewellyn Publications, USA, 1985, p 142

2 Lawson, Russell M; Science in the Ancient World, An Encyclopedia. ABC-Clio.Inc, USA, 2004, P 117

3 Cure and Cult in Ancient Corinth. A Guide to the Asklepieion. American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Princeton, New Jersey, 1977

4 Gigal, Antoine; Secrets of the Serapeum, Part 2. http://www.gigalresearch.com/uk/publications-serapeum-2.php, 2013.

5 Book of Numbers 21;4-8

6. Genesis 3;1-15

7. Genesis e;15

8. Luke 1; 26-38

9. John 3;14-16

 

Good Shepherd Church Seminary
Doctor of Healing Ministry Lesson Onehttp://lumierecharity.blogspot.ie/2014/09/good-shepherd-church-seminary-doctor-of.html

 

Good Shepherd Church Seminary
Doctor of Healing Ministry Lesson Two

http://lumierecharity.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/good-shepherd-church-seminary-doctor-of.html

Rev Catherine
Use freely for any worthy purpose