PRAYER MINISTRY
TRAINING
LEVEL 1 – “A FIVE STEP PRAYER MODEL”
Based on “The Five Step Prayer Model” by John Wimber
LEVEL 1 – “A FIVE STEP PRAYER MODEL”
Based on “The Five Step Prayer Model” by John Wimber
Introduction
“You won’t get a very good effect if you pray generally. You need to pray specifically if you want to be effective in your prayers.” -John Wimber
-We tend to pray, “God bless Sam.” But what EXACTLY are we asking God to do? How do we “measure” how God answers this prayer? If you notice, every time someone comes to Jesus in the Gospels, they are asking for something specific.
-“Pray for a thousand people, then we’ll talk”
-John Wimber
-We can get excited about praying for people. However, after praying for 2-3 peoples’ healing and seeing no results, we may be prone to give up and assume it doesn’t work. Wimber urges us to pray for a thousand people before we start to have doubts.
-This is a relational, interactive way of praying for others as we listen to the Holy Spirit, a process that begins and ends with mercy toward the person requesting prayer, and that seeks both God’s will and God’s best for the person being prayed for.
-It is relational in that we are leaning heavily on our intimate relationship with God as we pray for someone.
-We welcome Him to speak insights into our hearts or minds that would directly impact the person being prayed for.
-Worst thing we can do I rely on our past experience when praying for another.
-If you prayed for someone to be healed of cancer and they were not, do not allow that to impact your praying for a second person with cancer.
-Not only that, each individual has a unique story. Do not assume that their situation is the same as someone similar you may have prayed over before. It is hard to find an example with Jesus of Him praying for two people the same way. Do not let yourself latch on to a magic formula or magic words to use when you pray. Let the Spirit direct you uniquely for each unique person.
-We can get excited about praying for people. However, after praying for 2-3 peoples’ healing and seeing no results, we may be prone to give up and assume it doesn’t work. Wimber urges us to pray for a thousand people before we start to have doubts.
-This is a relational, interactive way of praying for others as we listen to the Holy Spirit, a process that begins and ends with mercy toward the person requesting prayer, and that seeks both God’s will and God’s best for the person being prayed for.
-It is relational in that we are leaning heavily on our intimate relationship with God as we pray for someone.
-We welcome Him to speak insights into our hearts or minds that would directly impact the person being prayed for.
-Worst thing we can do I rely on our past experience when praying for another.
-If you prayed for someone to be healed of cancer and they were not, do not allow that to impact your praying for a second person with cancer.
-Not only that, each individual has a unique story. Do not assume that their situation is the same as someone similar you may have prayed over before. It is hard to find an example with Jesus of Him praying for two people the same way. Do not let yourself latch on to a magic formula or magic words to use when you pray. Let the Spirit direct you uniquely for each unique person.
PRAYER MODEL STEP 1 – THE INTERVIEW - “HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU”
-Matthew 8:5-10 - When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him,“I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority,with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
-Matthew 8:5-10 - When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him,“I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority,with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
-In this case, Jesus does not have to ask the question because the man comes right out with his SPECIFIC request.
-Mark 8:22-26 - And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
-In this case, it is a group of friends who present the specific request to Jesus on the man’s behalf.
-Mark 10:46-52 – And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say,“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
-This man initially cries out to Jesus with a GENERIC request for mercy. Jesus responds by asking what it is SPECIFICALLY that the man desires be done for him.
-Luke 4:38-39 - And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
-Again, an example of others making the specific request to Jesus on behalf of another.
-In the interview step, assess the person’s situation and need.
-Do not make it a counseling session. Do not try to fix their problem or offer them advice. They came asking for prayer, so pray.
-You don’t need full medical history, so don’t pretend to be a doctor. God knows the whole story, you do not need to know all the specifics of their symptoms. Also, don’t try and diagnose their symptoms, gather facts. They do not need you to share about a friend who had similar symptoms and what they ended up having. You have no idea if this is the same, so don’t give them something to worry about.
-As a part
of praying for someone, make them feel valued and blessed.
-Matthew 8:3 - And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
-Matthew 8:3 - And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
-Jesus is able to
heal someone from a distance. In this case, he reaches out and touches a leper.
This man has not been touched by another person in years. Jesus did not have to do this, but chooses to show this small act of kindness.
-Matthew 8:10 - When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
-Jesus takes a moment
to commend the man for his faith.
-Matthew 9:2 - And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
-Before healing the
man, Jesus takes a moment to encourage him (take heart), show him love (my
son) and pronounces the blessing of forgiveness (your sins are forgiven).
-Mark 8:23 - And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
-Jesus could have
done this many different ways, but He personally takes the man by the hands and
leads him out of the village.
-Mark 10:49 - And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”
-This man has already
expressed his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus now sends his disciples to let
the man know that the Messiah wants to personally meet with him. Jesus could
have gone himself, but shows more “fanfare” in sending the invitation. This is
like the difference between the President showing up at your house as opposed to
sending a caravan of secret service and police cars to personally take you
to the White House.
-Luke 4:40 - Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.
-Jesus could have easily
spoken healing over the entire crowd, but takes the time to personally place His
hands on each and every individual person.
A psychological journal states this regarding the power of human touch:
-“When you are touched, the many nerve endings in your skin send messages back to your brain. This is the way we feel things like pain or heat. When you are touched by another person, the signals sent to your brain translate into feelings of security, happiness, and comfort. These feelings are supported by a decrease in stress hormones and an increase oxytocin, a hormone thought to calm and counter stress.”
A psychological journal states this regarding the power of human touch:
-“When you are touched, the many nerve endings in your skin send messages back to your brain. This is the way we feel things like pain or heat. When you are touched by another person, the signals sent to your brain translate into feelings of security, happiness, and comfort. These feelings are supported by a decrease in stress hormones and an increase oxytocin, a hormone thought to calm and counter stress.”
-Just imagine the extra blessing and value shown to someone when we take the extra step to place our hand on them as we pray. We can add to this by speaking words of affirmation and blessing over them while we pray (more on this later).
-When you
listen to the person, listen on two levels:
1) Natural level – hearing the physical request
-Mark 8:22-26 - And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”25 Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”
-Jesus pays attention to changes in his physical condition. Even after limited change, Jesus does not stop, but prays again. There may be times when we need to pray for someone more than once to see the desired result. Not just days later, but even in that moment.
2) Supernatural level – listen to God about the situation
-Be open for God to give you a Scripture, a picture, a word, or a word of knowledge.
-1 Corinthians 12:4-11 - Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
-You may not always understand how this connects to the person or their situation. During the recent College of Prayer in Aliquippa, we were instructed to partner with someone and pray for each other without talking, and just relying on the Lord to direct us. I prayed for a man I had never spoken to before. In my spirit, I saw a picture of the sun breaking through clouds that were clearing away. I just said, “I don’t know if this means anything to you or not, but I feel like God wants you to know the clouds are parting and the light of His presence is breaking into your life.” Immediately, the man fell to his knees weeping. The picture made no sense to me, but perfect sense to the man.
-Take your
time, be quiet, listen. Don’t rush. Be willing to allow for extended pauses, no matter how awkward, so that you can “dial in”
to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
-“It’s more important to know what kind of person has a bug rather than what kind of bug has a person.” -John Wimber
-God may want to touch
something other than what was shared. He is more concerned with the person than the need
they are presenting.
-If you are
not sensing anything from the Lord, do not make something up to sound spiritual, be honest and pray for God’s blessing.
-The point of the interview step is to get the information needed to pray, then move on to prayer. Instead of talking for 9 minutes and praying for 1 minute, it would be better to talk for 1 minute and pray for 9 minutes.
-The point of the interview step is to get the information needed to pray, then move on to prayer. Instead of talking for 9 minutes and praying for 1 minute, it would be better to talk for 1 minute and pray for 9 minutes.
