John Wimber / MC 510 / Healing

In January of 1982 John Wimber (founder of the Association of Vineyard Churches) began to teach a class at Fuller Theological Seminary called MC510: Signs and Wonders. I was in attendance for this class, which was held in the basement of a church because of the large number of students, faculty, staff, and others who were curious about whether or not spiritual gifts were for today and God still was in the business of doing signs and wonders in answer to the prayer of faith.

John taught for over an hour on the Kingdom of God. He taught that no greater reality existed than the authority of God’s rule. John explained that while not everyone was healed, more were healed when we prayed in faith, than when we didn’t. He used the idea that Jesus had inaugurated the in-breaking of God’s reign, but that the Kingdom had not been consummated. That would happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ. So till then we lived between the “already” and the “not yet.” We were to occupy or do “Kingdom business” until He comes again and ends the present age. All Christians were given the delegated authority to do God’s works. He granted gifts, or “gracelets,” for ministry. We all get to do what Jesus did. “As the Father has sent me,” Jesus said, “so I send you” (John 20:21). John illustrated the present predicament by explaining that we lived between “D-Day” and “V-Day” reminding us that when the Allied troops in WWII stormed the beaches of Normandy, the tide of the war had turned, but the war itself wasn’t over until the soldiers marched through the streets of Berlin. Between the invasion and the final victory the Allies were in a “mopping up” operation. So it is with us today. The enemy had been defeated, but we still battle until the war is consummated.

Wimber then said it was time to do “lab.” He shared several “words” that he felt God had given him. He said things like, “Someone here has a pain in their lower left side and God wants to heal you tonight.” Or, “Someone has just suffered a major betrayal, and God wants to deliver you from your pain right now.” After several words like this, John asked people to identify themselves if one of the words were for them. He then very naturally began to pray for the first few. He said he went through a ministry interview in his mind. It went something like this. “Where does it hurt? Why does it hurt? Was this caused by an illness or an accident or perhaps a sin? What prayer do I pray? What is happening while I pray? Were people engaging with God? Were people experiencing any phenomena in their bodies? Did they feel heat, or heaviness, or peace, or anything at all? Then, When do I quit praying? When people were healed or there was a release from the Holy Spirit. The last question was, Is there any post prayer instruction? Like, Go and sin no more, or, Make restitution as you can.

After minimal instruction John moved us into an experimental mode and then had people all over the room pray for each other. He said to expect God to prompt us with words for people and to go slow and pay attention to what was happening while we prayed. Soon the level of conversation escalated as people ministered and people were healed. It was really happening. I saw cripples healed and blind eyes opened. Here was a practical illustration that God still was honoring His Word and His saints as they ministered in faith. I was utterly amazed. Here were ordinary evangelical Christians taking the Bible at face value and seeing God move in amazing ways. This is what I wanted to do the rest of my ministry for the rest of my life. And we have never really left that commitment even though there certainly has been an ebb and flow in the moving of the Holy Spirit over the years.

What I am going to share in my seminar this weekend (Friday, 6-9pm and Saturday, 9am-Noon) is from my MC510 class syllabus. We will be laying a biblical and historical foundation, and practicing in “lab” the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As John used to say to us, “Learning to live naturally supernaturally.” God wants us to live a 24/7 lifestyle of operating in the superior reality of the Kingdom of God. We all get to play. So for those who are wondering about how to get on the ministry team at Heartland Church, or who need a refresher getting back to the fundamentals of ministry in our church, or even for those who have let skepticism creep back into their lives, this seminar is for you.