I am writing this edition of Moving With The Spirit Online while we are in the midst of an amazing event at the Community of the Cross (COC).
We are seeing Jesus Christ working through the Holy Spirit in our midst doing His healing ministry – this includes spiritual healing, inner healing, healing relationships, physical healing, and setting the oppressed free from evil spirits.
In the corporate worship time, praying for one another to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we may be empowered to return home as witnesses to Jesus Christ. In the back ground Kay Pyron is standing as one of the intercessors providing prayer covering.
This week has been like a week of walking with Jesus where we find many summary statements such as this – “…He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and cured those who needed healing.” (Luke 9:11)
The guidance that we received from the Holy Spirit was that we were to intentionally create at the Community of the Cross the first of the three phases in the Dynamic of Cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the work of Jesus Christ.
This first phase is setting the context. This begins with our relationship with God the Father, with Jesus Christ the healer and a welcoming of the Holy Spirit to work. For a week about 35 people, most of whom had been through PRMI’s advanced healing and deliverance course, gathered at the Community of the Cross. They came at their own expense, from as far away as England and Alaska; they came to offer their spiritual gifting, their prayer and just availability to be used by God in healing ministry.
We became a worshipping, serving, praying, ministering community at the Community fo the Cross to which all were welcomed who were seeking any of the forms of healing offered by Jesus Christ.
The whole fellowship after supper on the porch in worship and praise. We wrapped our days in worship which exalted Jesus.
Some came with friends, others came as couples to be prayed for together, some came alone but were quickly welcomed into this loving community. People came for prayer from as far away as Canada and as close as Black Mountain.
People could join the healing community for as short as one day.
Some came for the entire four days. There were up to fifty or more people sharing together in meals , corporate worship and prayer times
We shared meals together on the porch at the Log House at the Community of the Cross. This provided a time of fellowship and rest.
We have no staff at the Community of the Cross, rather we serve one another and share in the meal preparation and clean up as part of building fellowship.
This is part of the vision of the Community of the Cross.
To have people involved, however, takes a huge amount of work as well as planning and organization – this ministry of hospitality was provided by Joyce and Terry Davis.
Putting all this together was truly part of the guidance of the Holy Spirit for what to us is a new model for offering healing ministry.
The fabric that held all this together was the WALK of Prayer. Various rooms of the log house were turned into prayer stations with different themes, each focused on an aspect of Jesus’ loving work. One location focused on the forgiving work of Jesus. Another location provided art materials for expressing what the Holy Spirit was doing within. Other locations included soaking prayer provided by a team just waiting to minister as led by the Holy Spirit. In addition to the rooms decorated with different themes, there is the natural sanctuary of the land with the lovely prayer paths.
Team members providing prayer or hospitality, along with those who came to receive prayer ministry were all welcomed to do the WALK. Many had profound experiences of God. The WALK provided the order and rhythm of the day and included everyone in engagement with Jesus Christ just where they needed to be.
Benjamin McEntire, a newly ordained Anglican Deacon and member of the healing prayer team, resting in the section of the WALK focused on the Blood of Jesus Christ. All members of the prayer ministry teams were able to take part in the WALK for refreshment for ministry.
The other rhythm of the day was the offering of prayer appointments with teams of well-equipped prayer ministers. One had to sign up ahead of time for these special prayer ministry times. We of course keep complete confidentially – so I can give no details or names – but I can share that we had situations of terminal cancer, marriage difficulties, deep inner wounding, illnesses and demonic oppressions. Each of the prayer teams was carefully selected to fit the needs of the particular person. They would spend as many sessions as needed with the person.
Art was used as another form of worship during the week. Participants were encouraged to express God’s love and revelation through painting and drawing. “The Garden”, shown here, was painted by a couple after one of the morning prayer sessions. This painting was done as a remembrance of the wonderful garden place that Jesus took them to as their place of sanctuary. They painted it together on the porch while being covered in prayer and song.
At the end of the day we all gathered together, first as a ministry and prayer team for debriefing, then supper followed by times of worship and thanksgiving for the amazing ways we had experienced God working all day. To see the glory of God and the joy on people’s faces, both those who prayed and those prayed for, and those offering the WALK or preparing the meals, was wonderful beyond words. This was truly an amazing time of experiencing Jesus’ healing ministry.
The team members “debriefing” – sharing the incredible things that God had done in their prayer teams. The reports were amazing! We witnessed all the forms of Jesus’ healing ministry as seen in the Gospels: Spiritual Healing, Inner Healing, Relational Healing, Physical healing and casting out evil spirits that were blocking the healing process.
We believe that we have been given a model for healing prayer ministry at the Community of the Cross and one that may be adapted for local congregations.
We will be offering another week of healing prayer at the Community of the Cross prayer on September 28-October 4, 2009. If you are called to be on the healing team (this is by invitation), or if you need prayer or someone you love does, then please contact us early!!! Our space is extremely limited. There is a simple application process for all those who want to come to this week.
If you are interested, please visit the Program description Page The Week Of Healing At The Community Of The Cross.
