Enabled or disabled?

One of the wonderful opportunities given at Soul Survivor is the space ad generosity to pray and minister blessing into one anothers lives. The lack of chairs allows one to move around and at each meeting there was opportunity to pray for one another. All credit to Mike Pilavachi and his  team for that.  Mike’s statement that the requirement for praying (for the sick) is “loving Jesus and being alive” sums up a wonderful value. On one occasion at Soul Survivor though our group did run into a little trouble..

“Enablers” are the people with badges at Soul Survivor. Their job was to check that the ministry being done among 11000 teenagers  was appropriate and helpful. Most thankfully did what was on the label (ronseal ministries) but there is always a danger with badges that they go to people’s heads and bypass their spirits! On one occasion as one of our capable young men was praying for someone he was “disabled” by the enabler who informed him he shouldn’t pray in that particular way, but should have his eyes open. No, he wasn’t praying some heretical prayer, or pushing someone over, shaking him, or working himself up into a frenzy, he simply had closed his eyes…

 

What is it with Christians and labels? Some of us would make great traffic wardens “you’ve been parked on the floor there far too long now, move on or I’ll give you a ticket”.

Ministry in its purest form is all about enabling and releasing others in the enabling power of Gods Spirit. Its not about controlling an environment or a group of people which is actually disabling and limiting. To be fair Soul Survivor seemed to adjust the problem quickly and I’d put it on record as the most releasing conference I’ve ever been to in trusting people and freeing them up to move out in prayer and prophesy etc.

 

Of course its not the only time or event I’ve run into this type of thing. “I can pray for the sick cos I’ve got a badge ministries”  is very popular in charismatic circles. We do it to safeguard and protect the vulnerable and the weak, but unless those given the badge are enabled by God’s Spirit to discern with  humility and a servant heart that facilitating prayer is very different from controlling it you can occasionally run into problems. Delegated authority must be received lightly and operated with  a gentle touch.

The disciples once asked Jesus whether they should stop a group doing stuff in Jesus Name who were not part of their gang and probably as a result doing things differently in some ways. Jesus was much more comfortable to allow this to continue than His followers seemed to be!!

 

Lets truly enable one another in the Spirit of Christ and not disable something/someone just because its not done the same way as we would wish it or its outside the orbit of our control.

 

When all is not as it seems..

Soul Survivor was a great experience. I’ve done a bog cast (sorry podcast!) outlining what I think are the great values for me as a 49yr old with a bad back of being there.

One incident that stood out happened in the bogs (sorry toilets, can’t get away from the mud anywhere!)

I couldn’t get over the hand driers in the loos. I’d stand there patiently thrusting my dripping hands under them and nothing came out. I always made sure the switch next to them was turned on but nothing happened. Prayer, commanding them in the name of Jesus, Singing “blow four winds of heaven” you name it they steadfastly and defiantly wouldn’t work.

Half way through the camp I commented to one of the cleaners about this problem.

“Aah but you see sir, they’re paper towel dispensers!”

The clues to be honest were there for me, blue paper strewn all over the floor, but I was on auto pilot. The machine looked like a hand drier to me  so I assumed it was one. I was expecting it to do something it was never meant to do. I did feel more than  a little stupid!

 

As Christians we quickly jump to assumptions about so many things, and people. We make value judgements and can “box” or limit people to roles that they may never be supposed to play. There are signs “in the Spirit”  if we look for them, but if we have convinced ourselves in our minds we are right about something we can even miss the most obvious ones!

Things aren’t always as they seem. Be ready for surprises!