Cleansing & Healing

For

Ministers
    The enemy likes to target those in ministry to wound them, discourage them, condemn them, and to entice them to fall. 

I. Discovering God’s grace to meet the need.


At one time in ministry some years ago, I became burdened with all the garbage that the counselees were dumping on me. The load of garbage become so heavy, that I told God that if He didn't do something that I couldn't continue to counsel.  God was faithful and began to show me some principles coming out of the Old Testament concerning touching those things which were unclean.  There were specific procedures that I was to take place for cleansing.  This article gives the New Testament application of those laws.

II. The Minister must first receive healing in order to effective minister as he should.

Every Believer is to be a minister, but in being a minister, he or she becomes a garbage dump for the people to whom he ministers.
A. I have observed many ministers and counselors who need healing.  In fact, we all need healing!  Anyone who has entered in any way into ministry experiences contamination and receives emotional wounds vicariously to some degree. One can not minister to others without becoming the garbage dump for their issues!

B. We need cleansing from being contaminated.

"And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even" (Numbers 19:22).
II. The Minister can't afford to turn off his emotions.
I have heard some pastors say, "I do my counseling from the pulpit."  However, he is simply distancing himself from his people.  Whenever a minister or counselor turns off his emotions, the people with whom he tries to minister senses it and will feel that he doesn't care about helping them.  Trust is a major issue in ministering in any way to others.  A minister must be open to show empathy for the sheep or those who may become sheep.

I learned the lesson the hard way many years ago when a young man who had got involved in the occult and had done some very evil things came to unload on me. I didn't want to hear about what evil he had committed.  It probably would have led me to reporting him to authorities.  I didn't want to get that involved. I took what seemed to be a quite religious approach by saying, "It doesn't matter what you have done.  God will forgive you."  What I said was true and stopped him from unloading on me.  However, it also put up a barrier between us and closed the door for ministering to him.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).  There is nothing wrong with confession to an appropriate, trustworthy, person.

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" (Romans 12:15).  The minister should have empathy with those to whom he ministers.

III. There are at least four elements of cleansing coming out of the Old Testament and a fifth added in the New Testament.
A. The individual was to go to the priest and have a sacrifice was made for his cleansing.   "And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean" (Leviticus 14:20).
1. Today we accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our cleansing of all sin, including those we hear from others.
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2).
2. However, there is a sacrifice that we make, that is a sacrifice of praise.
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Hebrew 13:15). We can only do this by recognizing that God is working all things together for our good and His glory.
B. The person was to wash himself in running water.    "And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean  And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:  And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even" (Numbers 19:15-19).
Today we don't take a bath for the purpose of spiritual cleansing, but we are to wash our minds with the Word of God. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26).
C. The person was anointed with oil for cleansing.  " And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD" (Leviticus 14:28-29).
Today we need a fresh anointing and filling of the Holy Spirit.  Yesterday's filling is not sufficient for today nor today's filling sufficient for tomorrow.  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
D. The person was always to be set apart for a period of time. "And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And he that sitteth on any thing whereon he sat that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.  And he that toucheth the flesh of him that hath the issue shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even." (Leviticus 15:5-7).  "He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days" (Numbers 19:11).
Even Jesus told his own disciples to come apart and be separate for as season after they had been out ministering healing and and casting out evil spirits. "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (Mark 6:31).
E. This fifth area I do not find in the Old Testament as a practice, but may be projected as a practice with the coming of the Holy Spirit and the anointing.

Rather than worrying about all we have heard, we may pray beyond our natural abilities by praying in the Spirit. “But Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered”  (Romans 8:26). Also see: (Jude 1:20-21). 
IV. There are at least five elements to healing.

Again, a minister can't listen to the painful traumatic experiences of others and not be affected by he sees and hears. The minister himself or herself will receive emotional wounds vicariously. He also may because of those wounds, be tempted to become angry and take up offenses in behalf of a victim.
A. We must forgive all offenses and seek forgiveness for our own sins.
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).

B. One should make sure no doors are left open and rebuke any spirits left behind.
"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:26-27).

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:3-5).

C. We must recognize the Jesus suffered hurts for us.
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4).

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).

D. We must ask the Father to heal our hurts.
"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" (John 16:33).
E. We must ask God to refill our hearts with His love so that we can continually love those we may see as "unlovely".
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world"  (I John 2:2). "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead" (II Corinthians 5:14).
Ministry