Healing -The Wimber legacy?

Thinking about healing, my mind was drawn back to the ministry and methodology of healing as outlined by John Wimber, the bloke who started Vineyard.

Interestingly, I first met John when David Pytches brought him to the basement of a church in London to have a meeting with various bishops and other senior Anglican types and sat enthralled as he spoke about his journey to faith, the shock he had when he turned up at church to find that they didn't do the stuff in the Bible (like healing) but just talked about it (is that where we are now?).

He spoke of his first attempts in the healing ministry following what he was certain God was calling him to do and seeing those he prayed for get worse and die! Then, after about three years he suddenly found that people were getting healed! Then came the bit that made me realise this bloke had something to pass on over and above the healing bit, for he told his audience (I was doing the PA/Sound by the way) that there was 'other stuff' and said that rather than explain he'd let God do it.

He started praying and as he did this wave of anointing swept the place and many of the bishops fell of their chairs, some were weeping, others were laughing and the place was in uproar. I'd never seen anything quite like it and I heard later that the bishops had (politely) told John that neither had they and it wasn't for the CofE! (sad or what?)

So the man came and went and the next time I heard of him he was doing stuff at St Andrew's, Chorleywood, teaching people about relationship with Christ and healing. At one of these, at what John called a 'healing 101' session, he was getting people to pray for healing with what he called the easy stuff - legs. He'd ask if anyone had one leg longer then the other and then get people to gather round any who had and pray for them to be the same length - and they were (I saw it on a number of occasions).

John would always ask the people to find out if they wanted a leg lengthened or shortened (make it longer and you need a new wardrobe, make it shorter and you can take the trousers up - funny, but also very practical).

Whenever I saw him he would be calling upon people to 'do what we saw the Father doing'! I was impressed by the fact that he taught people to have a methodology in the area of healing rather than just ask what was wrong and get stuck in with the praying. The process was simple: Ask what was wrong and find out the history of the person and a little of who they were, find out what they wanted and then pray (always asking permission beforehand), listening to God and praying accordingly for healing (or whatever). This was revolutionary for many who had been praying for healing for years in the Nike model of ministry ('Just do it).

What happened during those sessions was obviously physical (as well as mental, emotional and spiritual) healing and many people took part in the various training events. So where is healing in our churches now ('healing on the streets' included) and what are they seeing? Surely there must be some robust evidence out there somewhere?

Healing is more than just 'caring' (but of course 'healing' is part of 'caring' and vv) and, in my experiences has been real, tangible and robust - so why don't we (I) see it? Why don't we (I) go for it?

The whole issue of 'robust evidence' is now troubling me because to date I have heard of none coming back in support of the fact that God can, and does, heal. I can turn on my TV and see 'healing' from some of the circus performance Televangelists and watch the please for money to keep the ministry on the road, but froth apart, where is the substance? For me healing is not a spectator sport, we are all called to engage in it but in saying that, surely it is a proclamation of God's power, mights, grace and love for all to see the who He is.

Pax