Welcome to St Alfred’s

Prayer Ministry Seminar

Jim and Carole Holbeck

“May Your Kingdom Come”

Announcements

Health issues – feel free to lie at the back

Mobiles – please turn off

Introduce yourselves – lots of visitors

Structure of Day

1.30 Sessions 1 & 2

3.30 Afternoon Tea

4.00 Sessions 3 & 4

6.00 Dinner

7.15 Evening Session and Prayer Ministry

Announcements Cont’d

Handouts – end of Session #3

Questions for Jim – write down; give to me

St Alfred’s prayer ministry training paper available - $2 available in foyer

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Series Title: “LEARNING TO RECOGNISE AND REMOVE BARRIERS TO HEALING”

TOPIC 1

“The Barriers Coming From Wrong Attitudes To God”

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• Human observation throughout history would show that 2 truths have to be held in tension

1. God has the power to heal any sickness or disease. He is Almighty

2. Not all who receive prayer for healing, are healed completely.

Thus there is "The mystery of healing." Eg., Kathryn Kuhlmann was used to heal many people. Not all were healed.

• When asked to explain she replied that it was all part of the “mystery of healing.”

The Need For Honesty Regarding God And Healing

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• Everything to do with God will have some element of mystery.

• The finite (humans) can never fully comprehend the Infinite (Almighty God).

• Job’s conclusion. Job 42:1-6, Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

• David’s conclusion. Ps 139:17-18, How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

• God’s declaration through Isaiah. Is 55:8-9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

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• However:- Some negative factors have been observed which militate against the reception of healing by individuals.

• Preparation for healing, means letting God show and correct any negative factors that inhibit healing.

• Some of these negative factors which create barriers to healing, may be grouped under the following categories.

• Each of them is like a "brick barrier" to God's grace and power.

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A). WRONG MIND-SETS ABOUT GOD AND HEALING

1. Ignorance about the possibilityMany do not know God nor His power today.

2. Scepticism. “When I see it I’ll believe it!” Really? 3. Unbelief regarding the healing power of God in today’s world

Jesus marvelled at the unbelief in His own generation. We will face it today as well.

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B). WRONG BELIEF ABOUT THE PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD.

1. About God As Father

2. About The Pre-eminence Of Jesus

3. About The Holy Spirit

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B1). Wrong Belief about God as Father

• 1. The Fatherhood of God. Some find it hard to see Him as Father. But note the Father’s love in Eph.3:15. Mat.6:25-34. Mat 7:11

Our experience as children of fatherhood or parenthood may have influenced our understanding of God as a father.

• A learning method. – Going from the known to the unknown. – Moving from the concrete to the more abstract.

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God as Father

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We can extrapolate upwards and outwards to try to understand God as Father based on our human (more

concrete) experience of fatherhood or parenthood

Earthly father or parent

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• We may rightly attribute to Him as our Heavenly Father many of the positive qualities (++++) we experienced in our earthly father (or parents)

• Faithfulness and reliability • Self-giving Love and affection • Affirmation• Safety and security

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But we may unwittingly attribute to God some of the negative things (- - - - -) we experienced in our earthly fathers (or parents)

• Unfaithfulness and unreliability• Lack of love and lack of affection • Criticism• Danger, not safety • Insecurity

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• The right understanding of God as Father comes from – His revelation of His character in His word – The evidence of His love expressed through Jesus.

• He is the Pattern of Perfect Fatherhood (parenthood) and all fatherhood derives from Him. Eph 3:15

• We are to look at His perfect pattern and gauge our earthly fathers (parents) in the light of His perfect pattern.

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God as THE TRUE Father

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Earthly father or parent

We start from God as the perfect pattern of fatherhood and then examine our earthly father

(parents) in the light of His perfection

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• In the light of that revelation we can look at our earthly fathers (parents) and see them as:-

• A. A wonderful reflection of God• B. A terrible distortion• C. A mixture

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Our own healing and our appreciation of God as Father may come as we:- – Thank God for the good we experienced

through our parents and as we – Forgive them for the bad

• There will be sins of commission and sins of omission in every parent

• Those sins may have affected our understanding of fatherhood

• He knows how to heal any damage from their sin

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GOD’S ATTITUDE TO JESUS. • We can have no lesser attitude to Jesus than God the

Father has.• Twice He spoke from heaven about Jesus.

– His baptism “You are My Son…”– His transfiguration “This is my Son…..”

THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERSThey saw Him as divine. John. Jn 1:1-3. Pre-existing; Creator; Life; Light Paul. Col 1:15-20. God’s Image, Creator and sustainer.Luke. Acts 1. Acts could correctly be named, “The Acts Of

The Risen Christ By His Spirit Through The Apostles And Others”.• He is alive in His body the Church and He can do things

in today’s world.

B2). The Pre-eminence of Jesus.

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• We must not ignore God's supernatural dimension.

• He can do things beyond the “normal”. – Many people healed through the Healing ministry

have been told by their doctors, – “There is just no medical explanation for your healing”. – “Your healing just can’t happen, but it obviously has.”

• An example: 15 year old girl on a life support system.

B3). The Present Ministry of the Holy Spirit

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3. The Present Ministry of the Holy Spirit (Continued

Jesus Himself relied on the Holy Spirit for His ministry• The prophecy of the Messiah in Is 61:1-3 The Spirit of the

Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…

The fulfilment by Jesus in Lk 4:16-21 as He read the prophecy in the synagogue. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing

His ministry as the Messiah would be conducted under the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit

Peter said of Jesus’ ministry, Act 10:38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

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3. The Present Ministry of the Holy Spirit (Continued

St Paul’s reliance on the Holy Spirit

Rom 15:18-19 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience--by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God--so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

A leading Medical Specialist relied on the Holy Spirit to give him the wisdom and skills to practise medicine, but as he said “God alone heals”

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THE HOLY SPIRIT AND US

God has anointed believers with the same Holy Spirit

• 2Co 1:21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

• 1Jn 2:20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (OR “All of you know”)

• 1Jn 2:27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything--and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you--abide in him.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT AND US (continued)

• God anointed us by His Holy Spirit that we might BE the people of God He wants us to be in Christian character. Fruit of the Spirit

• He has anointed us with His Spirit so that we might KNOW what He wants us to know in Christian knowledge. True wisdom

• He has anointed us with His Holy Spirit so that we might DO what He wants us to do for Him in Christian service. God at work in us to will and to work for His good pleasure. Phil 2:12-13.

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C). REMOVING BARRIERS BY CORRECTING OUR MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT GOD

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C). REMOVING BARRIERS BY CORRECTING OUR MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT GOD (continued)

C1). RELATING TO THE TRUE FATHER He is a loving FATHER who loves us and wants the best for

us. He has shown His love in the gift of His Son for us• The Father-heart of God. The God of grace. The Waiting

Father. Lk 15:11-32• God is for us. Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these

things? If God is for us, who can be against us? • God graciously gives us what we need. Rom 8:32 He

who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

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C). REMOVING BARRIERS BY CORRECTING OUR MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT GOD (continued)

C2). RELATING TO JESUS THE SON OF GOD• Jesus is God’s Son and God’s agent

– in the Creation of the world. We are His creatures – In His Reconciliation of the world to Himself. 2Cor 5:19 that is,

in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

– In Saving us– In Indwelling us by His Spirit– In Praying for us – In Coming for us at the end of time at His Second Coming

• Jesus is our Friend. “What a Friend We Have In Jesus”. • Jn 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not

know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you

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C). REMOVING BARRIERS BY CORRECTING OUR MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT GOD (continued)

C3). RELATING TO GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT• He will be with us for ever Jn 14:16 And I will ask the Father,

and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth … You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

• We are “Sealed with the Spirit”. 2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, 4:30• He helps us to pray as we should. Rom 8:26• Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know

what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

• He guides us, Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

• He fills us with God’s presence. Eph 2:22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

• We need to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit! Eph 5:18

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“Learning To Recognise And To Remove Barriers To Healing.”

THE END TOPIC 1

“The Barriers Coming From Wrong Attitudes To God”