About 1,600 Christians from various churches in Singapore gathered for the Ecumenical Charismatic Healing Service at Church of St. Mary of the Angels on 30 Oct 2015 for a time of worship and ministry.
Bishop Dr Wee Boon Hup from The Methodist Church in Singapore began his homily with the eighteenth-century hymn ‘Rock of Ages’. Quoting Isaiah 53:4-5, he spoke about the double cure – spiritual and physical – that can be found in Jesus Christ. The first cure is spiritual, as we experience forgiveness when we turn to Jesus, who died on the cross to save us from the power of sin and God’s wrath in our lives.
In the second cure, Christ died to heal our sicknesses, suffering, misery from affliction and pain. Bishop Dr Wee made reference to the gospel of Matthew in 8:16-17, where Jesus did “the ministry of healing”, casting out the spirits with His Word, and healing all who were sick, to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah.
Miracles of healing can still occur today in God’s sovereignty, and through the ministry of “gifted human agents who rely on God”, when the power of the Holy Spirit is present.
Our healing must ultimately rest on God’s Word and promises, as it is “life to all who find them and healing to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22, ESV), and indicates how to maintain our healing. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that we are to glorify God with our bodies. The Bishop pointed out that sometimes, we can bring sickness into our bodies through neglect, and the lack of proper diet, adequate sleep and exercise.
He also highlighted other parts of Scripture such as Ephesians 4:26, which caution us to “be angry and do not sin” (ESV). Anger can give the devil a foothold in our lives, and affect us in many ways. Forgiveness and reconciliation is necessary, and we are to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave [us]” (Ephesians 4:32).
Then, prayer teams consisting of clergy and laity from various churches ministered to people who came forward for healing. Many people rested in the Spirit, and witnessing God’s work was palpable, both a privilege and blessing. Friar Derrick Yap, OFM, said that he felt “this unitive energy on the evening of the event. It is the Holy Spirit’s fire that is consuming us, bringing us together, and healing the divisions outside of us and within us.”
“Tonight, I caught a glimpse of how all men from all denominations came together for one purpose. It was a night when men and women willingly submitted to the sovereignty of God, establishing His kingdom on Earth,” said the Rev Jeffrey Tay, Ministry Coordinator at Alpha Singapore.
Yu Shun Yuen, a church member, said: “It was truly an awesome night! I could feel the energy and power of the Holy Spirit moving through the church… pouring down His love and grace upon all present… healing and reconciling to one another. Praise the Lord!”
Helena Pang, who came to the service for healing from bitterness, felt that “the message on forgiveness and faith, and the point about exercise was good”.
At the end of the service, the Most Rev Archbishop William Goh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore gave the blessing.
This year is the third edition of this annual event, which is organised by the Archdiocesan Catholic Council for Ecumenical Dialogue, an ad-hoc Protestant Team and Alpha Singapore.
Photos courtesy of CatholicNews and Church of St. Mary of the Angels
Chia Hui Jun is Editorial Executive at Methodist Message and worships at Foochow Methodist Church.