A Key Learning from Jim Hylton

Jim Hylton recently spoke at Crossroads on the subject of healing. It was thrilling to hear the reports of people being healed, and to see believers learning themselves how to pray for healing.
I believe churches should equip their people to pray for healing. Jesus told his followers to preach the gospel and to heal the sick. Healing expresses the Kingdom of God in a unique way.
People most effective in healing prayer share a few traits:
1. They listen to God. He will often reveal underlying factors causing the illness and how to pray in response.
2. They pray with expectation — faith that God can and wants to heal.
–> They have compassion.
Some years ago, Jim worked closely with John Wimber, one of the most respected and effective leaders in the area of healing prayer. When I asked him about Wimber, Jim said he was the most compassionate man he had ever known.
It is interesting that this is the quality Jim noted. Wimber was an exceptional, trail-blazing leader; he formed the Vineyard network of churches, taught a pioneering class on signs and wonder at Fuller Seminary, planted a church which quickly grew to over 5,000, created a distinctive style of worship music, and preached all over the world. Pioneering leaders generally can’t afford to be compassionate. Yet what Jim noted about John was that he was the most compassionate man he ever knew.
I asked Jim if John’s compassion was key to his effectiveness at healing, and Jim said, “certainly”. After all, the New Testament tells us that Jesus, filled with compassion, healed others.
We can grow in our ability to pray for healing by asking God to pour into us more of his compassion for hurting people.