A new form of ministry has arrived at our Malaysian shores. This Sozo ministry, or sometimes Sozo prayer finds its inspiration from the Greek word meaning to save or deliver. Details about the ministry/movement can be found here at their website.
To start, the guys at Sozo Ministry get it absolutely right - God is all about salvation, healing, and deliverance. Jesus' ministry after all was made up of mainly declaring the good news of salvation, then healing the sick and delivering the demon possessed.
However, that is about the only thing they get right.
Sozo ministry is a unique inner healing and deliverance prayer model in which the main aim is to get to the root of issues hindering your personal connection with the Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
It was birthed out of Bethel Church in Redding, California, and is a combination of select tools from various inner healing and deliverance ministries as well as revelations from years of ministry at Bethel Church.
As you encounter Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are brought into greater truth and are released from the impact of wounds and lies that hinder you from walking in the destiny to which you are called.
The above passage is taken from their mission description. A simple read through raises several points of concern, which are as follows:
1. ...personal connection with the Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit.
The biblical view of a Christian's relationship with the Godhead is far more robust than the insular relationship suggested above. Passages like Heb 10:23-25 clearly shows us that Christians are saved not to have our own special individual relationship with the Godhead. Instead, we Christians are saved to live out our salvation through our community life of encouraging each other to persevere, to love, and to serve.
2. ...
is a combination of select tools from various inner healing and deliverance ministries as well as revelations from years of ministry at Bethel Church.
As a professedly Christian ministry, the omissions from this section is telling. The role of Scripture is conspicuously missing. Compare this to an excerpt from the CCEF (Christian Counselling Education Fund) About page, which can be found here:
Because God teaches us to see the world the way he sees it, and to see all things as they exist in relationship to him, we are committed to the complete trustworthiness and primacy of the Scriptures.
It makes you wonder what kind of 'select tools' they employ!
3. 'inner healing'
What on Earth is inner healing? The page provides no clear definition, except that it involves 'interactions with the Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit that bring restoration to spirit, soul, and body.' This is an issue because the phrase 'inner healing' is commonly associated with neo-pagan mysticism. Click here to see what I mean.
4. ...
you are brought into greater truth.
Hebrews 1:2 tells us that all we need to know about the Father, we see in the Son. 'Greater truth' implies that there is a special truth aside from what the Father has already revealed to us through the Son, that can only be accessed through Sozo prayer.
5.
... that hinder you from walking in the destiny to which you are called.
Rom 8:29 tells us that our destiny as Christians is our conformity to Christ, and that nothing will keep God from achieving his purpose, not even suffering. To suggest otherwise removes a great assurance of hope for the suffering Christian, and replaces it with an unbearable burden instead - you are not doing enough to walk in your destiny!
6.
Note: Counseling is not done during Sozo sessions. Sozo is a time of interacting with the Godhead in pursuit of freedom, intimacy, and wholeness.
Reading through the description, one comes to the conclusion that Sozo is either one of two things: humanistic counselling wearing Christian skin, or neo-pagan mysticism. This caveat at the end eliminates one option for us, leaving us with an unpleasant conclusion.
Which brings us to our conclusion. I am of the opinion that this Sozo ministry brings more harm to a Christian's growth that it does bring healing. To quote gotquestions.org on this issue, '
Sozo is much more closely related to mysticism and spiritism than to true intimacy with God. True intimacy with Him happens by illumination of the Word of God by the Holy Spirit and fellowship with Christ as we show love for the Father through obedience to and imitation of Him (Ephesians 5:1).'
Recommended Readings:
1. http://www.gotquestions.org/Sozo-prayer.html
2. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands - a book by Paul Tripp on Christ centred counselling
3. Christless Christianity - an article by Michael Horton examining the movement of the church from religion built on the foundation of Christ to an inward looking experience.
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