PARACLESIS - Healing // One Church Podcast, 27th March 2023

We Are One church. We love God love.

People love his mission and love his church.

Welcome to the one Church podcast.

Hello, everybody. I'm David hiding.

It's my privilege to introduce the one Church podcast today.

I read a scripture yesterday in a number of our sites from two

kings 25:29, jehoiachin put aside, his prison clothes and

the rest of his life, eight regularly at the Kings Table.

What a picture of a man who had been in prison, finding freedom,

and sitting with an invitation of the Kings Table.

And that Is the invitation for you today as you listen to this

podcast. But also, as you walk out this

week, the king invites, you to take off your prison clothes and

to sit at his table with new clothing and to hear from him

today, we have the privilege of listening to Phillip behind who

brought the last in our parakletos Series, yesterday at

our OB site be blessed as you listen, the God and father of

our Lord, Jesus Christ. The father of Compassion and the

God of All Comfort, who comforts Us in all our troubles that we

can comfort. Those in any trouble with the

Comfort. We ourselves receive from God

was just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ.

So, also our comfort, our bounds through Christ.

This idea of Pericles is the coming along side of each other

and has been a very precious for weeks.

I feel in the life of our church, I'm just going to I pray

because I really believe that as we sum up this series today and

believing that Jesus is going to come and do what only he can do.

Father God, we're just so grateful that we get to be

church family today. Thank you for the privilege that

we have of coming to worship you to join together, to praise your

name to remember you. And God, I just pray now that as

we listen to your word, would you come and speak to each of

our hearts? Would we be expectant for what

you can do? And would we be open to all that

you're going to do this morning? For your would Jesus name on

them? Well, this week, I've begun

watching a programme on BBC iPlayer.

If anyone is in need of something to watch.

It's called interior design Masters and basically want to be

interior designers, just let you know, I'm not one of them but

they're given rooms to transform and each week.

The weakest design gets voted off.

And one thing that I've learned is that it's only in the final

stages of someone's design in the last half-hour.

Our of the time that they've got that you can see if something

has been successful, you can see as they bring the different

aspects of the design. So as they bring together the

curtains, or the wall color, or the wallpaper, or some up cycled

Furniture, only until all those bits are gathered together.

You can see if it's been a successful scheme and if they've

done well in the designers, can you gather all these bits

together to create something cohesive?

Well, this morning is actually all about.

Out gathering together, all the pieces that we've been learning

about and seeing how together we can continue to live this life

of one another, during the idea of coming.

Alongside each other, we're going to arrive at a conclusion

today and a little spoiler alert for you.

The conclusion isn't a well-put-together, phrase isn't

a perfect four-step method. The conclusion is a person Jesus

and this morning we are all have the opportunity to encounter him

today as we gather together. All the things that we've been

learning, I've got some pictures to show you beautifully,

hand-drawn, pictures. First of all, the conclusion is

Jesus. And if you're listening along to

this message, trust me, it's like Picasso himself as walked

into the room ago. Got some beautiful pictures on

the screen, but the conclusion that we're going to land up

today is Jesus, what are we been thinking about?

Well, first of all, we've been looking at a compassionate H how

we can create a culture of love that comes alongside one

another, whatever our experience, wow, that is a

beautiful heart, whatever we have, we can give it to Jesus

and let him take in his Miracle hands.

And then he dropped his compassion into our hearts.

I wonder, how are you doing in loving one?

Another are you allowing Jesus to grow, Love in Your Heart.

Are you able to come alongside Is someone else with love?

We're on a great journey together.

Secondly, we've been looking at journeying how Jesus journeyed

with people and we looked at an example of Jesus walking with

the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

And we've been realizing that following his great example of

journeying and walking alongside we to have the opportunity to

walk alongside other people getting close showing up.

Walking in silence. Now, they're not dancing,

they're walking, they're walking with joy because they're

together. But they are, they are walking.

I wonder, have you begun to walk a little bit closer to someone

else or perhaps you just been reminded, how grateful you are

that? You've got someone who walks

alongside you. We've been growing in journeying

together and thirdly, we've looked at coming alongside

others by showing them that there isn't Alternative choice

to living. That is life-giving.

I love this quote from Sarah last week, she has with the hope

of being part of God's kingdom and the faith.

In the mighty power of God that is at work amongst us.

Let us show one another life-giving Alternatives and

let's expect Jesus to move in power with sensitivity and godly

wisdom. We've been thinking about how

when we come alongside others. Really get to know people, we

have the opportunity to speak and to counsel and to show there

is another way to live. There is a life-giving choices

that we can all make. I wonder, have you been able to

get alongside people even this week and learn together and

discuss together the greatest choice that we can make, which

is to follow Jesus. And all that comes with

following him and very much last week, Sarah was leading us to

this point. Point that actually, we show the

Alternatives. But ultimately, we have to let

Jesus do what only he can do. And today, we're very much going

on with that theme as well. We're going to talk about

leading people to The Healing Hands of Jesus and then letting

Jesus do what only he can do. If we've been looking at one

words. The first week was loving then.

Journeying then choosing today, the key word is healing.

There we go. Oh, that's someone praying for

someone else in case you're wondering, obviously, you're not

because it great and that we're going to be thinking how can we

lead people to The Healing Hands of Jesus?

It has brought Tom and I much pleasure recently that the past

two times. The girls teeth have fallen out,

have happened to be at his parents house.

And the reason why that's so great is because the Tooth Fairy

has to visit there. It's been brilliant, I promise

you we've not been given them an extra bass just before they

arrived and then the teeth fall out and but it's brought us

great joy because there's nothing worse than having to

scramble through the house in the middle of the night or at

And a.m. in the morning when they come downstairs and say the

Tooth Fairy hasn't visited. And you just tell them.

I do. It's because you're the last

delivery on the morning. Go and check again.

I'm sure it's there by now. So it's brought us.

Great joy. And actually, it's brought the

kids, great joy, because the bursts or Tooth Fairy pays way

more than the scrapped off Tooth Fairy.

So they are loving the fact that their teeth fall out at Mema and

Dad's house where our daughter Annabelle was one.

And I asked her, if I could share this story when she was 11

when we took it to the The dentist said to us, are I think

something might be wrong with your daughter's teeth.

We were told that her teeth hadn't properly developed.

And so we've been on a little journey with her.

The something about the enamel, when she was formed her teeth,

don't have the proper protection.

So we've been on a bit of Journey to help her and ensure

that her teeth are as strong as possible.

What we've done is, first of all, we've loved her, we've told

her that her smile is beautiful. Beautiful.

And she is gorgeous, and she can smile and her teeth that

wonderful. We've decided that we're

committed to this journey of helping her with her teeth Tom

and I have already discussed the thing that we might need to, you

know, put some money aside to pray for private dental care in

the future, who knows that we've committed to the journey.

We've also spoken to her about how she can best look after her

teeth. So, you know, watching what

sugary things, we eat brushing your teeth really well.

But ultimately, those things were all great, but only one

person could really properly, help her with her teeth the

dentist. And we went to the specialist

dentist, and over a course of a few years.

I did some special treatment, and then they took out some of

her teeth and thankfully, the burst or Tooth Fairy pays triple

for every tooth is taken out under general anesthetic.

So it's all great really. So, so grateful for this

Bissell, tooth fairy. But if We take that situation

quite a mundane story and think about this idea of this

journeying. This coming alongside well, we

loved her, we told her, she was beautiful.

We decided to commit to the journey, we've walked alongside

with her and we're going to stay helping her teeth.

We given her ideas of how she can best look after her teeth.

So we're coming alongside and showing her this life-giving

alternative and also ultimately, we had to take her To that one

person that could help. That's what we're doing this

morning with coming alongside. We've been coming alongside one

another. And today we're leading people,

we're having the opportunity ourselves to come to the one

person who can do something about it.

Let's go back to our passage in 2 Corinthians.

Praise be to the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the

father of compassion, and the God of All Comfort, who comforts

Us in all our troubles. So that we can comfort those in

any trouble with the Comfort. We ourselves receive from God,

for just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ.

So also our comfort, our bounds through Christ, we're To be

thinking about this word Comforts a little bit more.

How can we come alongside one another, as we Comfort when I

think of the word Comfort? I think of, my granny, and her

pot of what I have, always thought was called Comfort oil.

When we were younger, and my brother, and I hurt ourselves at

our grandparents house, she would go upstairs and she would

get her pot of comfort oil, and she would put it on our cuts and

bruises, and it was the best remedy.

In the world, we were instantly healed the moment that camphor

oil touched our skin and as I've grown older, I've kind of

thought. Well it's just a placebo doesn't

actually do anything, just if you hurt yourself, get off of

her. It's a bit like a wet paper

towel at school. You know, there's times when a

child bumps the head stick a wet paper towel on it or cut your

finger off. It's all right.

Stick a wet paper towel on it that will sort everything out

and it's a bit like that. I thought that come for oil was

actually just just a little silly thing.

In that, my granny had upstairs that she's makeup and she might

even been moisturizer. I don't know.

She just stick on and it's all better.

It isn't actually until I've been preparing this message that

it's not. Come for oil.

It's not called come for oil, it's called comfrey oil.

So I don't know what that is. It's apparently, it's that

there's a picture of on the screen.

It's a natural healing balm that actually has got remedies and it

has proven to bring healing apparently, but I've always seen

it as Um, Foyle, that's what I thought it was called, Comfort,

is more than some Placebo cream. So, Comfort is more than just

going there. They're still wet paper towel on

it. So, Comfort is to bring strength

to, to build up to restore and repair to heal.

And the first thing, I'd love us all to go away with this

morning, when we're thinking about coming alongside one

another. Well, forget about one another

for a second. I want us to understand that own

Hearts Comfort abounds through Christ.

He is the God of All Comfort. He Comforts Us in all our

troubles this morning. I'd love us Think Jesus coming

alongside us bringing Comfort. He is the ultimate comforter

because as the Bible says, Comfort our bounds through him,

we could read many stories this morning.

I'm looking at Jesus as our comforter but we're going to

read a story in Luke Chapter 13. The story of Jesus healing, a

Luke 13 · chapter mention

crippled woman on the Sabbath, it's going to come up on the

screens and you can follow along, starting in verse 10 on a

Sabbath. Jesus was teaching in one of the

synagogue's, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a

spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over, and could not

straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he He called

her forward and said to her woman, you are set free from

your infirmity. Then he put his hands on her and

immediately. She straightened up and praised

God as story of Jesus, the ultimate comforter that ultimate

strength bringer repairer restorer, healer, Jesus comes

and Comforts this woman. This woman had lived in severe

restriction for 18 years. We don't understand her exact

condition things. I've been reading some biblical

commentators think she might have had arthritis of the spine

but whatever was wrong with her was causing her to be bent over.

She was physically restricted and also because of her

condition or maybe as a separate issue, she was Also spiritually

and emotionally restricted. Because her back was bent and

she couldn't straighten it her the whole time.

Her eyes were fixed on the ground, her eyes just looked at

the dirt and the mess of the floor, in which she was

standing. She couldn't look up.

And so, perhaps that added to her emotional distress, her

spiritual restriction. The fact that her eyes were

always downwards, but we do know that she was bound emotionally,

physically and spiritually. She was Tricked it out.

After 18 years, she has an encounter with Jesus and he does

what only he can do. First of all, he saw her.

He noticed her in a crowded room on the Sabbath day.

This wasn't the temple. This was a synagogue.

So everybody was allowed to come in and on the Sabbath day it

would have been common place for people to gather and discuss the

scriptures and talk about God and talk about how you can get

close to him. And there would have been a

whole crowd of people and I'm I reckon it would have been

especially crowded because Jesus this Rabbi who was coming up

with new ideas. He was in the room speaking and

so it was crowded. Jesus saw her.

He noticed her, he then called her forward.

He brought her from the outside, to the middle, or to the front

of the room at that time in that culture, this woman because one,

she was a woman but also because she was crippled and perhaps

seen as unclean, she would have probably been on the periphery

of the room, sat in the You know, peasants benches at the

back over there. What did Jesus do?

Not only. Did he see her?

Because her, and says, come come forward.

Wow! Someone seen as unimportant.

Perhaps, the most important people were jostling for the

spots next to the rabbi. And what does Jesus do?

Because Jesus does this all the time, he brings the

marginalized, the oppressed, the broken the wounded, and he

brings them to the front to the front of his Attention to the

front of his care. Jesus.

He knew that she was wounded. He could see her physical

afflictions. And also he could see the

Brokenness. That was inside the things that

were binding her and causing her not to be able to stand up

straight, and then he does something he touched her.

He reached out his hand and touched this woman, who'd been

bound and restricted him was seen as unclean he touched her,

and then something amazing happens as he laid his hands on

her. She was set free from her

infirmities. She was healed Jesus by touching

the woman. He loves her immediately.

She was loosed from all the things that were binding her.

She was healed. And then we hear this

immediately. She stood up and praised God, I

wonder what the atmosphere was like in the room at the time and

Jesus doesn't just heal her, but he then does one step further.

He reminds her of her identity. He didn't just heal the woman of

her sickness, he didn't just see that.

She could stand up straight, he actually calls us something a

daughter of Abraham In This Moment In Time Jesus.

Earns her of who she is. She isn't just an outsider.

She isn't. Just someone who is destined for

the back row. She is a daughter of Abraham.

Jesus is saying, this is my child.

He reminds her of her identity. This is my child.

I'm going to tell you that you're my child.

And also there is a great inheritance that comes with

being a dearly love child of God.

This woman. She meets Jesus and Jesus does

what only he can do. He brings Comfort, restoration,

healing reminds her of Truth. And as we think about this base

truth today Comfort abounds, through Christ, I wonder if you

could picture yourself in that room for just a second.

In the crowded synagogue, where you feel like one of a crowd,

are there any parts of your life that resonates with the woman's

life? Perhaps you are facing physical

restriction. Perhaps you are currently facing

an illness or a sickness, or maybe it's been ongoing for many

years and you feel that it's restricting you But also is

there anything hurting you, emotionally?

Things that are causing us to have our gaze, fixed on the dirt

in the ground. Perhaps you've encountered some

wounds from life and all the challenges that life brings that

have left. You a little bit been over.

Perhaps, you're carrying wounds from past traumas that are

keeping you bound or you're living in fear.

Something that's stopping you from fully standing up straight

and living out your potential. I reckon there's parts of all of

us are a little bit, like the woman.

Parts of all of us that are leaving us a little bit

restricted, a little bit then over not quite able to fully

extend and look up all the time. Well, may, you know this today

comfort and healing bound through Christ.

Jesus sees you, you're not just one of a crowd, you are the one

in the crowd and he notices, you Jesus calls you just like he

called the woman on the edge to come forward into his presence

Jesus calls you today. He loves you.

He notices you not just one of a crowd to him, but he calls you,

he says come come to me. I wonder do you hear that call

today? Jesus knows.

You just like he, he knew the woman and what was binding her.

He knew her physical afflictions and also what was restricting?

Her emotionally. Jesus knows you.

He understands he sees the broken parts of our lives.

He watched as that damage took place.

He sees the physical pain. You're in the little things that

bind you and you might think oh they're little Jesus doesn't

care about that he does he sees you he understands you he knows

you. Next, Jesus can touch you this

morning. There's a song that says just

one touch from the King changes, everything and just like this

woman, having received one touch from Jesus.

And immediately she was healed Jesus by the power of His

Spirit. Can come and touch you this

morning. And you can leave this place

having encountered, Jesus having received a healing touch from

him. Jesus can heal you.

He is the god of the impossible, he can set you free from

whatever is binding, you, he can heal you from any physical

Affliction Jesus through him, all things are possible, and

Jesus also reminds you that because of him, you are no

longer slaves to fear, but you've been given the spirit of

adoption. You are a dearly love child of

God. And maybe this morning, Jesus

reminding you you are a child of God, you are a son, you are a

daughter of God most high and you have a great inheritance,

you have been adopted into his family, you no longer have to

live in a spirit of fear but God has got great plans for your

life. You've got potential.

Jesus reminds us today that because of him, we have a great

identity where a child of God All Comfort abounds in Christ.

And before we think about how this goes with the theme of

coming alongside one another, let's just stop and take a

moment. All Comfort abounds through

Christ. Just like the woman met with

Jesus. And her life changed.

We can meet with Jesus and I life can change.

And you might say, well, I've already met with Jesus.

Well, let me tell you, you can meet with him again, there's

always more that he wants to do. There's always more that he

wants to bring to our lives. As always, in a bits of healing

that we still need working on. And getting better.

There's always more with Jesus today.

May, you know this, Jesus is given as a gift, the person.

Perfect. Paraclete the perfect one who

comes alongside as, in the form of his spirits, the one who

comes along side, you and comforts you in your troubles,

he builds you up. He strengthens you, he heals

your diseases. He looses, you from things that

can restrict you so that you can live out your full potential.

Jesus is in the room. He comes alongside you today.

But how does this fit in with our theme of parakletos?

How can we come alongside one another?

We Comfort out of the comfort that has been given two words

out of the comfort that we have received.

So if we wanted to fit this in to the main theme, what we're

saying is this when we receive Comfort, when we receive healing

we then get the chance to give that Comfort to someone else to

pass it on. You might think.

Well, I can't heal someone. That is true, I can't heal

anybody, but Jesus, who is at work?

Within me? He can heal and we can lead

people today to The Healing Hands of Jesus.

So what does that look like practically?

How can we come alongside one another with healing?

Well, first of all, we can tell people out a story and believe

that he can do the same for them.

I love Psalm 40. It says this.

I Took patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard My

Cry. He Lifted Me Out of the slimy

pit out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave

me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth.

A hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the lord

and put their trust in him when Jesus met with this woman.

And when she received a healing touch from him, um, her response

was to praise God. When Jesus heals us, when he

lifts his out of our slimy pit, when he sets us on the Rock and

gives the firm place to stand our response.

Can be Look What the Lord Has Done.

I've been given a new song to sing.

I'm gonna tell everybody at the amazing things that God has done

for me. And then it says this, many will

see and understand what the Lord has done.

And put their trust in him when we receive comfort from Jesus.

We have a new song to sing and we get to tell other people

about this comfort. So we tell people a story and

believe that he can do the same for them.

We also carry people to The Healing Hands of Jesus.

I was reminded this week of the story of what I like to call the

hole. In the roof.

And if you've spent any time in Sunday, school growing up, then

you will probably have heard of the time and acted it out with

Duplo. I'm sure of the time when four

friends carried their paralyzed friend, to Jesus on a mat and

there was no room for them to get near Jesus because everyone

had heard what Jesus was doing. And so, what did the four

friends do? They walked up to the roof, they

made a hole in the roof they lower down.

Down there friend and it was there that he met Jesus.

He had a healing Encounter With Jesus.

To come alongside someone else in this error of healing.

Sometimes we have the privilege of carrying our friends, to the

feet of Jesus. If someone comes to you and

says, I'm really struggling with this if you know, a friend who

has been dealing with a physical problem for some time when

they're longing for healing or perhaps someone talks to you and

as you talk to them you think. Are you carrying some wounds?

Are you carrying some her? Hurts our job, just like the

four friends who brought their friend to Jesus, is to say, I

can't heal you, but I know the one who can let me take you to

him and you tell them about Jesus, you tell them, the

amazing things that he's doing, you sing, the new song that has

been put on your heart and you believe that Jesus can do the

same for them. And finally, we tell Jesus about

those who need. Healing.

In John 11, we encounter two sisters, Mary and Martha.

You might have heard of them before and they have a brother

called Lazarus and he was sick and I love what it says in John

11. So the sisters sent word to

Jesus Lord, the one you love is sick.

Part of coming alongside others in this area of healing, is

going to Jesus and said Jesus. The one, you love my friend,

that's sick. They need a touch from you.

We can come alongside one another by, in our homes praying

for other people, they might not even know that you're praying

for them, but we can come because we have a living

relationship with God for whom. Nothing is impossible and we can

say, God, the one you love is sick.

Martha goes on to talk to Jesus about Lazarus being sick.

And she says this, she says, if you were here, he wouldn't have

died. She says this, I believe you are

the Messiah, the Son of God. I believe that you can do

anything and I believe in you and long to see your glory

coming alongside other people is about petitioning to God.

The one you love is sick but I believe in you.

I've seen what you can do. God, would you come alongside my

friend? My family member would you come

and Do what only you can do. All Comfort abounds through

Christ and if we just put the final picture up on the screen

of this great picture of perak laces. the cycle feeds itself,

because I receive comfort from Jesus.

With the Comfort I receive iComfort other people.

How will I love them? My heart is full of love for

somebody and I come alongside and I show love with the things

I have. I also Journey with people, why?

Because I've received comfort from Jesus.

He's Journey with me, so I can come alongside someone else and

journey. With people along the journey, I

get a chance to talk to people to show them.

That there is a different way that Jesus has many, many

life-giving alternative choices that we can make, and I get to

tell people about that. And then, when it comes to

Healing, I got to say to people. You need a touch from Jesus,

guess what? Comfort abounds in him.

Let me show you come and meet him for yourself and then that

person meets Jesus for themself, they receive comfort.

And then what happens? The cycle begins again because

that person loves another person that person Journeys with

another person that person sits and councils and and gives

advice. And then that person comes to

Jesus finds the comfort for themselves and Paws out again.

This is this idea that we want to see our church living out

Comfort, a bounce through Christ and when I received that

Comfort, I get to pass it on. And then they pass it on and

then they pass it on and then they pass on and before we know

it, we've got a whole church family whose heart is for one

another to come alongside each other.

Thank you, Philippa for that. Brilliant message all around the

one Church sites this weekend, we then had the chance to

respond with people. Pray with people.

They were many amazing testimonies moments of healing

and impact. And right now, as you listen to

this podcast wherever you are, we believe that God is able to

step in and do something, only he can do in your life as well.

So why not wherever you are? If you're able, to course, if

you're driving, keep those eyes. Eyes wide open.

But why not pause. Close your eyes and get ready

for God to do something in your life.

Holy Spirit. We welcome, you come and touch

our hearts again, come and reminders of simple truths that.

We've heard over these last four weeks, come and bring people

along side as come and comfort us, and allow us to comfort

others, with that same comfort. And there we know today, you'll

complete Comfort. Your restoration, your healing,

Would you come again and build this up?

Lord. Right now I pray for those who

are suffering and struggling in certain areas whether physically

or mentally spiritually, emotionally, relationally Lord,

we thank you that you are the God of All Comfort.

Your the answer for all need. So right now, come and meet with

people in a powerful way. Lord, even right now for those

who are walking alone, oh perhaps they are on their own

right now. Would they be fully aware of

your presence with Them in this moment.

Would they know that they have the paraclete with them?

Holy Spirit you come and you dwell within us.

You come and you walk through this life with us because this

is the kind of God that you are one who will never leave or

forsake us and Lord our healer, a companion, our Pericles, our

comforter our carer. We give you all the glory today

in Jesus, mighty name. Amen.

Would you know that you're not alone today and that as a church

family, we are here for you and for one another save you need

anything. Get in touch today and we'll be

standing with you in prayer or in any way that we can there's

lots coming up in church life. So here is your family news.

For firstly hand-in-hand preschool have a vacancy for a

setting manager in high Fields if you are interested in this

full time role, if you've got some Experience with children

and think that you may have the skills needed and the Heart

required to make a difference in many families lives than we

would love to talk to. You get in touch with us today

and you can find the details for this online or give us a call or

send an email today. Secondly, leading up to the

Easter weekend, we have three days of prayer and fasting from

the 5th, to the 7th of April. So join us on zoom in the

mornings at 7:00 a.m. as we pray together and join us at 30 in

the evenings, As We Gather to worship to pray and to wait on

God, thirdly, as part of that build-up, to the Easter weekend,

on Good Friday, we have a time of family communion.

Well, we're encouraging the whole of our church to come

together even with children younger children and they'll be

something to help engage them to.

We're going to be meeting at 6 p.m. and that will run for less

than an hour. You'd be very welcome to come

and join us on the Good Friday. The 7th of April and finally on

Easter Sunday. We are celebrating with some

brilliant. Guest services in many places

around Lester, come and join us on that morning.

As we have a special opener that we've recorded and can't wait

for you to experience. We have great worship impactful

word, that is going to be focused Around Jesus, who is

alive groups for all of our children and much more in each

individual site. So come and join us.

And why not this Easter? Or bring a friend or someone you

know to join you. In our church services will see

you on the 9th of April. The Lord bless you and keep you

the Lord. Make his face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward

you and give you peace.