Back in the 1990s, our church in Christchurch was praying for a young woman who was dying of cancer, but despite our prayers she soon died. The Holy Spirit seemed to be saying, "This church does not have victory over sickness". After I asked prayed about this, I came across two scriptures.
Revelation 2:18-23
1 Corinthians 11:29-32
These two verses are the key to understanding why sickness has such a strong hold on this city. There are two reasons why the health of the people in this city is so bad.
Jezebel (Rev 2:18-23)
Christchurch is under a Jezebel Spirit. The consequences are
sickness (she will be cast on a bed of sickness) v 22
depression (she will suffer intently.
suffer = pressure, depression tribulation) v22.Suicide (her children will be struck dead) v 3.
All these things are evident in Christchurch.
The healing ministry has been hard work in Christchurch.
Christchurch has had the longest surgical waiting lists in New Zealand.
The incidence of some sicknesses is the worst in the world.
Depression and youth suicide are common in Christchurch.
When the church in Christchurch is renewed, it will challenge the spirit of Jezebel in the city. This spirit does not surrender, but persecutes the people of God. Persecution of the church will follow.
Failure to discern the body (1 Cor 11:29-32)
The body is not functioning as it should in Christchurch.
Cancer is a few cells that grow really fast, out of proportion to all the other cells the body. It is rapid, unbalanced growth. Some parts of the body are growing at the expense of other parts. There is cancer in the body of Christ in this city.
Bowel Problems are common in this city. The bowel gets rid of the rubbish (This the task of the prophetic?). In 1 Cor 12:22-23 we are told to give special honour to the parts of the body that appear to be weak. In Christchurch, all the honour goes to the pastors/leaders (who do not need it). The city finds the prophetic ministry hard to accept (this is partly the effect of the Jezebel spirit; she is hostile to the prophets). Paul said the unacceptable parts, like the bowels, are to be given extra honour. He then went on to say that we should seek the prophetic 1 Cor 14:1 (were they despising it). Bowel problems are a sign that things are out of order in the body of Christ, because we are not honouring the parts that appear to be unimportant or dishonourable.
Lung Problems
Christchurch has the worst lung problems in the world. The cause of this problem is considered to the air pollution. However, we should think about what this means. Follow the word sequence below, remembering that:
(Breath = spirit), and
(Christchurch = Jesus body)
The consequence of lung problems is that:
Christchurch is breathless
Christ's body is breathless
Christ's body is lacking the Spirit
Here is a question:
What should Christ's church be filled with?
The Holy Spirit.
Christchurch is filled with black smog
The Church in Christchurch has grieved the Spirit. It has depended on human organisation. The founders were good organisers, but spiritually poor.
According to 2 Chronicles 9:4, when the Queen of Sheba saw the wisdom and wealth of Solomon (a type of Jesus), she was breathless (loh ruach). Translated literally it means "without the spirit" or "her spirit departed from in her".
In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on his disciples and they received the Spirit. The body in Christchurch has no breath to give.
Jeremiah warned Jerusalem that it would have laboured breath, as a result of backsliding (Jeremiah 15:5-9). Laboured breath is a result of backsliding in the Church.
Rock of Offence
A number of years ago, a prophetic friend challenged me about the Rock of Offence in Christchurch. I did not have a clue what he meant and several years went by before I discovered the meaning of his suggestion. My understanding of the expression can be read in Rock of Offence.
Jesus told his disciples to heal the sick and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. The two go together. Before the church in Christchurch can receive the Kingdom of God, it would need to overcome the Rock of Offence and get victory over sickness.
Return to Christchurch.