What is Jesus Ministry based on?

Jesus Ministry is based firmly in Scripture and seeks to bring believers and the church back to the basics of how Jesus Himself ministered to others, and lived His life. It also seeks to restore the church to the original model provided for us in the book of Acts. The key scripture is from Luke 4:18-19:-

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

A key aspect of the ministry is understanding the two realms we live in: natural and spiritual. The Bible talks about the "heavenlies realm". Jesus has all authority over heaven and earth. Our natural realm is influenced by what is happening in the spiritual realm. The Bible talks about this in, amongst others, Daniel 10:7-20 and 2 Kings 6:8-23.

Jesus-Ministry aims to exert Christ's authority and truth over our lives in the spiritual realms, which then has an impact on our natural lives.
Another key is to understand that the salvation Christ brings is not only from death, but from many things that hinder us in life. Mike Riches writes:

"Luke 19:10 was key in expanding my understanding of "Jesus-Ministry. " Christ stated that He came to seek and to "save" that which (NASB & NKJV) or what (NIV) was lost. There were two things I noticed in this verse when I read it through fresh eyes. One is that Jesus came to save more than "who" was lost (although personal salvation is fundamental to Jesus' mission and ministry), but that He came to save what was lost.

There was much lost in the garden when Adam first sinned. Mankind's right standing with God was lost; healthy relationships were lost; God's design for marriage and family was lost; physical, mental, and emotional health was lost; the list goes on and on. Jesus came to begin the restoration of what was lost; and it was to go beyond mere salvation to a comprehensive restoration of the person. It is also interesting to note in Luke 19:10, that the word translated "save" is the Greek word "sozo." This word has a broad base of meanings. "Sozo" means to save, restore, deliver, heal, and make whole. It is used to describe one being restored into right relationship with God through forgiveness of sin (Romans 10:9), a demonized man who was delivered from his demonic oppression (Luke 8:36), and a blind man who received his sight in physical healing (Mark 10:52). We realized there was so much more to carrying out the ministry of Jesus than solely evangelism.

So the focus of Jesus Ministry is to:

Restore:
our right relationship with God
the design and purpose God has for our lives
our marriages, families and relationships
physical, emotional and spiritual health

Equip us:
to live life according to God's purposes
to realize the blessing of repentance and the freedom it brings in daily life
to hear God's voice clearly and obey him
to realize in practice our authority in Christ Jesus over the spiritual realms
to strengthen us to live filled with the Spirit in humility, unity and obedience to God
to live together in love and service as the body of Christ
to minister to others (particularly non-Christians) the freedom we have experienced in Christ's salvation

Jesus-Ministry is not some new program! It is a tool kit of practical teaching and ministry that frees us to live as Scripture has taught us. It is based soundly in Scripture, and includes all the basic elements that we know about our faith.

Some terms used in Jesus Ministry:

The prayer team:

All Jesus Ministry is conducted in teams of two or usually three members. A Captain leads the group, and is the authority in terms of discernment and protection; team members listen to God to hear what He is saying and write it down. This is offered to the Captain for discernment before being offered to the person being prayed for.

Original Design or DNA prayer:
The prayer team asks God to reveal how He sees you now, in terms of how He designed you and the purposes He has for you in life. This is allows us to walk in the truth of how God designed us, and His love for us. Psalm 139 says:
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Freedom or Stronghold prayer:

The prayer team asks God what areas of your life are preventing you from moving forward in His purpose for you. More specific areas may be dealt with in terms of health problems, emotional issues etc. These problems are often rooted in sin, or being the victim of others' sin. The word stronghold comes from 2 Corinthians 10:

"3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

The aim of destroying strongholds is to bring freedom through the truth of Jesus.

The four R's:

Prayer follows a biblical framework of:

Repent: This is in order to clear the way between us and God, and to take away any influence the enemy has had in our life due to our own sin. This is not only sorrow for our sin but a heart decision to turn away from the behaviour.

Receive: God's forgiveness is received consciously by the person. This is an important step in letting go of sin, and also leads to forgiving others who have sinned against us.

Rebuke: The person stands in his/her authority given by Christ and rebukes the enemy in the specific area he has brought influence through the sin. This removes the enemy's power over that area of your life. Other things that can be broken are generational sin, soul ties and curses.

Replace: The person declares God's truth over that area of their life, specifically from scripture. The team prays for the infilling of the Holy Spirit and for blessings.

This is not a formula! This framework ensures that spiritual transactions do take place, according to Scripture, so that we may experience the freedom and restoration Jesus promised.

19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 1 Corinthians 4

Some important points

Jesus Ministry begins at home. This is a lifestyle that includes practical steps, including hearing God's voice about our daily lives, being quick to repent, submitting to authority, and seeking to serve others. Only when we have cultivated this lifestyle will our ministry be effective in the church.

This ministry is not about self-preoccupation. The aim is to deal with our issues as soon as possible to bring us the freedom we need to help others. When we experience Christ's restoration we will not be able to wait to help others who are broken and lost!

This ministry is not about how we "do" church, but about the heart and loving God and one another.

Jesus Ministry does not concentrate on emotions or spiritual "experiences". It focuses on the truth of God's word, repentance, and the victory Christ won for us. When we pray according to these truths, we can be completely changed even if we don't feel anything!

The way ahead for St Mary's

Prayer ministry teams have been formed from those who have had training and experienced the freedom that this ministry brings. They will be available for DNA prayer and Freedom prayer on Thursday evenings or at other times if that is more convenient.

We aim to share this Good News with others who are seeking a closer walk with their Saviour irrespective of their denominational background.

The Ministry Leadership
Peter & Geraldine Kerton-Johnson
Training & Team Leader
Nicholas Kerton-Johnson
Ministry Co-ordinator
Lesley Strutt