+ What is "Christian Healing Prayer"?

Christian healing prayer is simply praying in the name of Jesus Christ for the person in front of us to be healed, whatever their need: physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. The prayer ministers might (with permission) place a hand on the person’s shoulder, or on a non-personal part of the body that is afflicted. In biblical terms, this is called “laying on of hands.” If the circumstances allow, the person praying may also anoint a prayer recipient with blessed oil, as instructed in James 5:1.

+ What do you mean by, "Bringing the healing ministry of Jesus Christ into the mainstream of life?"

The New Testament and historical accounts show that in the early centuries of the Church, all Christians commonly prayed in the name of Jesus Christ for people to be healed and/or delivered of spiritual oppression and they saw many miracles. Regrettably, over time the practice and the expectation of healing greatly diminished. Although it never completely disappeared, it came to be associated only with persons who were known “saints” in the Church. CHI seeks to restore this ministry to its rightful place in the Church by training and equipping all Christians to follow Jesus’ command to “heal the sick and cast out demons” (Matt. 10:8).

+ Why would a Christian need training for healing prayer? Jesus and his disciples just laid hands on the sick and they were healed!

The first teaching need is for Christians to understand that the biblical mandate to heal the sick and cast out demons never expired, nor did the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Then, because praying for healing is not a common part of our culture, we need to learn how to offer and provide prayer in a way that is natural and non-threatening to believers and non-believers alike. In addition, Christians ministering in this area have realized that because we are complex beings with bodies, souls and spirits that are intertwined, healing needs can be a multi-faceted. People desiring physical healing may need to forgive someone first; someone desiring to be freed from depression and anxiety may need healing from emotional wounds and trauma experienced over the course of their lifetime; and so forth – and they need prayer that is being offered in a way that is both effective and reassuring. Finally, as Christians desiring to pray for others, we need to learn how to get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit work through us.

+ I've heard some questionable practices regarding prayer and healing - what method of Christian healing prayer do you use?

At CHI, all that we teach and do is grounded and directed by Holy Scripture and the timeless, universal teachings of the Christian faith. We draw from those teachers and ministries preceding us who have adhered to those same requirements. We do not teach or promote any one single approach. We seek to provide Christians with an understanding of the various biblical ways in which the Holy Spirit can and will work through them to bring healing for themselves and others. Just as Jesus did not pray or minister to everyone in the same way, neither do we try to apply a formulaic approach to everyone.

+ Do you do "Inner Healing"? Isn't that "New Age"?

“Inner Healing” simply refers to healing for anything other than our physical bodies and can refer to the healing of any emotional or relational injury we’ve experienced in our lives. It is extremely common for people to seek “inner healing” from mental health professionals, and that is a good thing; but should we not also seek it in prayer from the Healer of our Souls?

Far from being “New Age”, the Bible often refers to this type of healing: for example, the Lord speaks through Ezekiel saying that he will remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh (Ezek. 11:19 & 36:26) and in Isa. 6:1-2, quoted by Jesus in his first public sermon, which says that the Messiah will “bind up the broken hearted.” The Psalms also are full of the crying out to God and assurance that God will heal our inner pain, fears, and anxiety. As with all spiritual practices, the manner in which a person seeks to offer “inner healing prayer” needs to be held up to Scripture and universal Christian belief to judge its adherence to solid Christian theology. At CHI, we have found that most healing of hearts and emotions involves some type of “truth encounter”, where a person is freed from lies that increased and sustained their pain: e.g., God doesn’t love me; I’m not worthy of God’s love, there’s something wrong with me, and many more. What could be more biblical than helping a person to be set free from the enemy’s lies (Jn 8:44)? God wants us to be freed from everything that prevents us from living a full life in right relationship with Him, others, and ourselves. That is inner healing.

+ What about praying for needs other than healing?

God cares about all our needs and the Bible tells us to bring those needs and requests to God in prayer and to pray for others, “making intercession for them.” CHI wants to equip believers to pray for whatever is on the heart of those who come to them. While most people associate healing prayer with physical ailments, in reality we are holistic beings – we need physical healing, emotional healing, and healing of relationships – including our relationship with God. In addition to teaching how to pray for those who are physically in our presence (all of which we put under the heading of “healing prayer ministry”), we also teach about the power, the necessity and the ways of praying for the needs of individuals and groups or lands who are on our hearts but not in our presence, a practice we refer to as “intercessory prayer.”

+ You've mentioned "deliverance" - what exactly is that? Is it the same as exorcism?

At CHI, we recognize that we all live on a spiritual battlefield, whether we realize it or not: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Much of our ministry and teaching is directed towards the goal of enabling persons to break free of Satan’s oppression, in whatever way it may manifest in their lives, and to help them to live in the freedom of Christ. We refer to the conscious and intentional breaking-off of demonic oppression in a person’s life as “deliverance” since that is how the Lord Jesus referred to it when he taught his disciples to pray, “Deliver us from evil/the evil one” (Matt. 6:9-13). Although the term “exorcism” is often misapplied to all deliverance prayer, it actually refers to a specific liturgical ritual originating with the Roman Catholic Church that can only be performed by an authorized priest. At CHI we do not practice that particular method of deliverance.

+ I would like to receive healing prayer/deliverance for myself/someone I know - can I come visit you to receive prayer?

Except in the context of our training events, CHI does not offer personal prayer. Our mission is primarily training and equipping churches, para-church organizations, and believers everywhere to do what Jesus did. However, we are associated with The Falls Church Anglican in Falls Church, VA, whose Healing and Intercessory Prayer Ministry offers personal prayer in a variety of ways. To learn more, please go to TFCA’s web site at www.tfcanglican.org/prayer. In addition, on the resources page of this website, we list a number of other prayer ministries that we have found over the years to offer biblically-based prayer ministry.

+ Do you belong to a particular religious denomination?

CHI is not limited to any particular denomination. We minister comfortably in all faithful expressions of the Christian faith, and our prayer ministers include individuals from a number of different denominations and non-denominational churches.

+ I have another question - how can I reach you?

You are most welcome to contact us at info@christianhealinginstitute.org.

+ Ok I'm interested! What can CHI offer me and my church to help us step into the ministry of healing and intercessory prayer?

If your church or Christian community would like to start or grow your ministry of healing or intercessory prayer, we offer a variety of ways to help and support you. Please click here for more information.