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July/August 2006 |
| Body, Mind & Spirit |
Have you offered God's healing lately?
By Todd Outcult
For the past 20 years, I've written for a little-known publication called The Wittenburg Door, a magazine of religious satire that also features some of the best interviews with religious leaders you'll ever read.
About five years ago the magazine was bought out by The Trinity Foundation, a ministry in Dallas, Texas that not only opens their homes to the poor, but also serves as a watchdog group that keeps an eye on televangelists who exploit God's people for personal financial gain. Over the years, we've exposed some pretty shady practices and people - and many are still on the air!
I tell you this because some of the most prevalent scams on the air today are centered around healing or miracle ministries. It's BIG business, and many people will give everything to the people who promote these miracles. Check out The Wittenburg Door Web site for details on these healing scams. (www.wittenburgdoor.com)
But the more I have learned about these healing ministries, the more I've realized how little we offer to people in our churches when it comes to God's healing touch and the prayers of God's people. More specifically, we rarely offer the Biblical model of anointing with oil, laying on of hands, and prayer centered on asking God for the miracle we seek.
A few weeks ago, at the beginning of the Lent, I had a healing service at Calvary Church in Brownsburg using our service in the United Methodist Book of Worship. In the weeks leading up to this service, I talked about healing and reminded people that on that Sunday we would offer anointing and the surrounding prayers of God's people - not just for physical needs, but also for emotional scars, financial needs and relational healing.
As usual, there were many people who came forward. We read promises from the Bible, anointed with oil, laid on hands and prayed for God's miracle in each life or situation. Unlike the rituals and show we see on television however, here people were surrounded by their own friends in a familiar worship space, not strangers in a basketball arena. They were being prayed for by people who loved them, not their money and knew them by name (the congregation and pastors). All this offered without price!
Isn't that what the church - the body of Christ - is called to be? Maybe I'm showing my bias here, but I think it's time we reclaim God's healing ministry from the shysters and hucksters that inhabit the TV airwaves! Let's offer God's healing on a regular basis.
I know people are hungry for the healing hands of Jesus. So am I.
Todd Outcalt serves as senior pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Brownsburg, Ind.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008