Taking off the Grave Clothes

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” — Gospel of John 11:44

The other day I sat with a pastor in the Boston area - faithful, thoughtful, grounded in a tradition that hasn’t always emphasized the supernatural. But his context is forcing new questions. In an urban setting, people are walking in off the streets carrying more than visible needs. There are layers of oppression that counseling alone cannot resolve. There are realities that are not merely psychological or social, but spiritual.

And the question is simple, but urgent: what do we do? How do we minister?

In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. But when he walks out of the tomb, he is still bound. Wrapped. Restricted. Alive, but not yet free.

And Jesus turns, not to Lazarus, but to the community: “Take the grave clothes off him and let him go.”

This is the work of the church.

Only Jesus raises the dead. Only Jesus brings new life. But He invites His people to participate in the unbinding. To help remove what still constrains. To walk with people into freedom.

In recent conversations with leaders connected to the Asbury Revival 2023, one theme surfaced repeatedly: churches that wanted to sustain a move of God needed trained prayer teams. Not just people who could pray generally, but people equipped to sit with someone, discern, and minister freedom in the name of Jesus.

Across New England, churches are beginning to recognize that if God moves in power, if renewal deepens and spreads, we must grow in our capacity to care for people at that level. Not only intercession, but direct prayer ministry. Healing prayer. Even deliverance. As revival increases, so will the need for people to be set free.

So many believers are spiritually alive, and yet wearing grave clothes that keep them from a full “range of motion” in discipleship. And if that is true within the church, how much more will it be true for those coming to faith out of the broken and confused and spiritually oppressed culture we are living within? 

A couple questions to consider? 

Does your church have a framework for prayer ministry, healing prayer, and deliverance?

If not, may I gently challenge you? Now is the moment to begin. As we ask God to move, we also must ask Him to form us into a people ready to care well for those He brings.

If equipping prayer teams is something your church is exploring, Revive New England can help. This is a way for us to steward and support all those who are covenanting in prayer to seek God for revival. 

Rev. Greg Johnson
Director, Revive New England