Stephen Seamands

Follow the Healer provides those in ministry with a practical theology of healing—helping you understand how Jesus heals and why we still need to participate. It's easy to fall into one of two extremes when it comes to Christian healing: outright skepticism on one side and abuse on the other. Many of us have a lot of good and difficult questions:What is Christian healing ministry supposed to look like? How do we go about it? What forms and expressions should it take, and how do we evaluate it? How do we determine whether the healing ministry we are involved in is in keeping with what Jesus intended? Starting from the assumption that Jesus does heal in our day and age, Follow the Healer seeks to answer these questions with a balanced, pastoral, and scriptural approach. This is a call to help you better understand and minister God’s healing to a world that is in so much pain. You'll take a closer look at why Christian healing is still relevant and essential today and how to avoid the many difficulties, disappointments, and distortions that occur in healing ministry. Stephen Seamands draws upon over three decades of teaching theology and active involvement in healing ministry to help you grasp the "why-to" of healing that comes before the "how-to." This holistic, Wesleyan approach to healing will help traditional evangelicals more readily embrace healing ministry and lead Pentecostals and charismatics already engaged in this ministry to move toward a more discerning approach to healing.

Balancing sound biblical exposition with sensitive pastoral care, Stephen Seamands shows that because Jesus experienced abuse, shame and rejection, he understands the hurts we experience today. And Jesus' response to pain and suffering gives us hope that we too can experience forgiveness and new life.

Are you aware of the spiritual battle being waged around you today? The truth is that although spiritual warfare is a major theme in the Bible, many of us gloss over it--or ignore it completely. But 80 percent of the synoptic gospels addresses the battle with evil spirits, and Jesus and His disciples set a clear example for believers. We cannot afford to practice a powerless Christianity in a fallen world. In this essential, accessible resource, former evangelical seminary professor and missionary Charles Kraft helps you find your footing in the spiritual battle. Based on a solid biblical foundation and on decades of ministry experience, this book will help you:· Differentiate between myths and truths about spiritual warfare· Recognize the everyday battles taking place around you· Learn what demons really are and what they actually do· Understand the rules for engaging the enemy· Achieve victory in daily battles with the help of the Holy SpiritDon't let fear keep you from engaging the spiritual forces at work around you. Some problems can't be overcome in any other way." This book is a must-read for anyone looking to engage in spiritual warfare." --Larry Richards, author of The Full Armor of God"Dr. Kraft has removed the veil of mystery that has surrounded deliverance ministry for far too long. With truth and honesty, he has opened the door to the evangelical community and given us the tools to set the captives free."--Tim Howard, president and founder, Wellsprings of Freedom International"For more than thirty years now, Dr. Charles Kraft has been studying and writing about spiritual warfare. In this latest book, Dr. Kraft summarizes his findings and shares from his years of experience his approach to inner healing and deliverance ministries. This book needs to be read by every student studying spiritual formation, by every missiologist engaged in missionary activities and by every pastor and church worker committed to making healthy disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ."--Douglas Hayward, department chair, Graduate Intercultural Studies, Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University"Personally awakened to the spiritual nature of our Christian faith, Charles Kraft calls us to wake up as well. This book is a must-read for any who seek to understand God's work in the world today from the vantage point of an evangelical who daily engages in spiritual warfare."--Scott Moreau, professor of intercultural studies, Wheaton College Graduate School"Most Christians are blind to the spiritual realities around us. This book pulls back the veil into the unseen world, where there is a battle. This book will quickly become a classic. Charles is steeped in wisdom in the area of spiritual warfare and has dedicated his life to bringing restoration to the church."--Judith MacNutt, M. A., president and co-founder, Christian Healing Ministries"Charles Kraft has taken a topic that is still controversial among some in the body of Christ--spiritual warfare--and boiled it down to something we can all agree on: There is an enemy countering expressions of God's love in the lives of believers and lost souls alike that we must combat."--Jennifer LeClaire, senior editor at Charisma magazine and director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale"Again, Chuck Kraft has reminded us that 'we are at war with a cruel enemy.' This guide to the warfare reflects Dr. Kraft's passion for God's people to experience the full measure of the Father's love. His writing is grace-filled, balanced, thoughtful and practical."--John Shultz, Ph. D., president, Ashland Theogical Seminary

Pastoral theologian Stephen Seamands issues a stirring call to rediscover the centrality of Christ in preaching. Deftly blending doctrine and praxis, he revitalizes preaching by focusing on five key dimensions of Jesus' work: incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and return. Preachers will find here significant resources for worship and mission.

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Those of us called to Christian ministry are commissioned and sent by Jesus, just as he himself was called and sent by the Father. Thus we naturally pattern our ministries after Christ's example. But distinctively Christian service involves the Spirit as well, just as Jesus himself accomplished his ministry in the power of the Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--gives shape to truly authentic Christian ministry. Though as Christians we all affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, many of us might struggle to explain how understanding the Trinity could actually shape our ministry. Stephen Seamands demonstrates how a fully orbed theology of the Trinity transforms our perception and practice of vocational ministry. Theological concepts like relationality and perichoresis have direct relevance to pastoral life and work, especially in unfolding a trinitarian approach to relationships, service and mission. A thoroughly trinitarian outlook provides the fuel for our ministry of Jesus Christ, to the Father, through the Holy Spirit, on behalf of the church and the world." Essential reading for pastors, parachurch workers, counselors, missionaries, youth ministers and all who are called to any vocation of Christian ministry.

"By his wounds we are healed"--Isaiah 53:5. We are wounded people. In this fallen world, people are hurt and exploited. Children are abused. Marriages are broken. Tragedies of all kinds afflict us and the ones we love. Woundedness, it seems, is simply a fact of life. But we are not alone in our suffering. Despite our emotional, psychological and physical injuries, God has not abandoned us. God is not distant or aloof. On the contrary, through the ministry of Jesus, God enters our painful situations to bring healing and redemption. Balancing sound biblical exposition with sensitive pastoral care, Stephen Seamands examines the profound implications of Jesus' crucifixion for our healing and restoration. Because Jesus experienced abuse, shame and rejection, he understands the hurts we experience today. And his response to pain and suffering gives us hope that we too can experience forgiveness and new life. Filled with real-life stories of people?s brokenness and healing, Wounds That Heal offers comfort for our wounded souls. Ultimately, we take heart that God not only understands our pain but has done something about it. Encounter here the promise that the wounds of Jesus are wounds that heal.