To The Sent Ones: Diving Deeper
See Jesus
Jesus came to show the world what the Father is like. One of the ways He did this was by healing the sick. Through healing and setting people free from evil spirits Jesus proclaimed that God is in a Good Mood towards people. He was showing that people are vastly important to Him even before they recognized or accepted Him as Saviour.
Let’s take a look at one example from John 5:2-9:
"In Jerusalem there is a pool with five covered porches. In Aramaic it is called Bethesda. This pool is near the Sheep Gate. Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some of them were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed. Sometimes an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and shook the water. After this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had. One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been sick for a very long time. So he asked him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered, “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the water when it starts moving. I try to be the first one into the water. But when I try, someone else always goes in before I can.”
Then Jesus said, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man was well. He picked up his mat and started walking.
The day all this happened was a Sabbath day."
Jesus is so kind! Did you notice? The man did not come to find Jesus, Jesus came to find him. This man was seen and valued by God. His circumstances and his body mattered to the Good Shepherd.
Let’s spend a bit more time with this story. Now, from a place of being rooted in the scripture, please take a moment to watch this retelling from the Chosen. Invite Holy Spirit's insight while you watch.
Family, in John 20:21, Jesus says to His disciples, “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”
We now get to do the same things Jesus did. We are sent to show the world what the Father is like. We are sent to heal the sick and to set people free from evil spirits. We are sent to proclaim that God is in a GOOD MOOD towards people, He loves them. We are sent to show people that they are vastly important to God, often even before they recognize or accept Him as Saviour.
This means healing the sick is for TODAY!
To help us with this, I wanted to end by sharing some practical steps on what healing the sick could look like:
-First, introduce yourself to the person and ask their name.
-Ask the person what happened to them.
-Ask them how much pain they are in, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst.
-Jesus never prayed to God about sickness, but He just told the sickness what to do. You are the boss of sickness, and you get to boss it around. (“As the Father sent me, so I am sending you”. The authority is ours in Christ Jesus. See also, Mark 16:15-18)
-Now tell the sickness to go, leave the person, and tell the person’s body what you want it to do.
-Then, have the sick or hurt person try out what ever was hurting before you prayed. Have them try something they couldn’t do before just like Jesus had the man get up and walk.
-If the sick or hurt person feels a little better but not completely, you can ask them if you can pray again.
Don’t be afraid to practice this with family or another believer who isn’t even sick. Sometimes acting things out might seem silly at first but don’t discount it! When emergency workers such as paramedics are in training they start by practicing this way too.
Let’s be stepping towards this Family. The world needs to know what the Father is really like.
Grace and peace to you Sent Ones!
-Pastor Charla
Know Jesus
This week, you can dive deeper into the message through one or all of the following:
Do a DBS on John 20:21-22
Pray for courage and boldness for yourself and for the Family. Holy Spirit loves to answer this prayer!
Step towards healing the sick with one person this week. You could pray with someone who needs healing or you can act it out with someone to practice what you can say.
When someone is healed, with their permission, share that testimony with someone. Let's encourage and build each other up in the faith! God is moving!!!
Discovery Bible Study
TO BEGIN
Pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you about God from His word.
Next, read the verse a couple of times.
Now, ask these questions:
What does this tell me about God/Jesus?
What does this tell me about people?
How can I respond to what I just read?
When you’re done asking these questions, it’s a great idea to pray and thank God for teaching you more about who He is and who you are!
Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a way for anyone, anywhere to read God's word! You can dive deeper into this week's message by doing a DBS one any one or all of these scriptures. DBS is a great tool to use for your own devotions, as a bible study with friends, or as an evangelism tool!
1 John 20:21-22
"Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."
Prayer Prompts
Pray that we would hear Jesus' Blood speaking, "Forgiven"!
Pray for a revelation of the love of God for you! Let that revelation transform you!
Pray for the influx of souls into the Kingdom! Pray that the love of God would shine through the family as we are on mission through hospitality.
Share Jesus
You can share this week's podcast, email, or blog post. Check out volunteer opportunities to get involved in the work of sharing Jesus in our church family and community.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Pastor Charla is creating the upcoming Kids Church schedule. You can reach out to Pastor Charla to sign up by clicking here.
Pastor Nicole is looking for volunteers for the administration ministry. If you are passionate about serving in the behind-the-scenes operations of the church, this is a great opportunity to get involved! You can reach out to Nicole by clicking here.
