Essential Oils | Wellness Centers | New Age

In recent years, essential oils have become a hot topic within a number of Christian streams. In fact, certain ministers mainly focus on essential oils as their primary teaching subject. This article will examine how this subject is affecting the church. It will also discuss alternative healing methods that are new age/occult in operation, but have been introduced into the church as “natural” healing methods. Wellness centers across the country have therapists that mix essential oils along with holistic healing methods in order the treat people. These wellness centers are visited by many Christians, and sometimes even referred to as Christian wellness/healing centers. This article will do its best to bring to light the Lord’s will in these matters. 

Healing with Essential Oils

There is nothing evil about essential oils. The Lord created these oils and they can have certain health benefits just as some herbal supplements do. Natural products from creation can be safer for our bodies than certain pharmaceutical drugs. The Bible does mention certain oils such as frankincense and myrrh. There are a few times in the New Testament in which oil is used to heal the sick: 

“They went out and preached that people should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:12-13 WEB).

Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Because of this, He used different methods to mister healing to people. On one occasion, Jesus spit in the mud, made clay and rubbed it on a man’s eyes; and then told him to go wash it off in a certain pool. The Father was choosing to heal the man this particular way, and so Jesus obeyed. If Jesus would have decided instead to pull out a bottle of essential oil, and rub the oil on the blind man’s eyes; nothing would have happened. The man would have walked away blind. Obedience to the Lord is the key to releasing the healing power of the Holy Spirit, not oil.

In Mark chapter six, the disciples anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them. During this period of time, the Lord must have spoken to them to use oil. Since the Lord had told them to do so, He was there in power to heal. The Lord does not need oil to heal anyone. If we make healing with oil a formula based prayer method, the Holy Spirit will withdraw and no one will be healed. The Holy Spirit is not in to formulas, He’s in to relationship. If He says to use oil, use it. If He does not tell you to use it, don’t use it. 

“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15 WEB).

It should be noted that the oil used in Mark chapter six and James chapter five is olive oil. The Greek word in both scriptures means oil or olive oil. Teachers who are peddling essential oils to bring in money for their ministry will probably leave that fact out of their message. They will most like tie in essential oils with those scriptures and tell you how powerful the healing properties are in their oils. It’s fake. The disciples used common olive oil to heal the sick. Don’t let merchandisers swindle you.

The Holy Spirit, through James, commands for elders of the assembly to use olive oil when praying for the sick. However that truth won’t make these “essential oil ministers” any money. They are involved in pyramid multi-level-marketing schemes.  These ministers make a living by selling essential oils, and getting people signed up under them to sell oils. They are in business for themselves to make money. They are not real disciples of Jesus, whose lives are laid down for Him and His cross. Instead they are using their Christian platform that Christ has given them for the merchandising of the saints (2 Peter 2:1-3).

It should also be noted in James chapter six that prayer must be in faith when praying with olive oil. It’s not good enough to simply anoint with oil for healing. Oil alone will not heal, but it must be combined with the prayer of faith.  

I have been in meetings where Christian ministers have preached essential oils rather than Christ. Red flags should always go up when something other than Christ is being preached. The message of these ministers was how the oil that they are selling will bring healing. They did not preach Jesus the healer, or even state that oils are useless apart from the power of Christ. They preached their own beliefs and their own ministry. Christ was not glorified and exalted, essential oils were. If we trust in oil to bring healing, we will be sadly disappointed. Christ is the healer and the source of all healing. Real apostles and prophets preach their Master, Christ. The false ones preach themselves, who they know, their ministry, and healing through other means such as essential oils.

Essential Oils and the New Age

As I stated before, essential oils are not evil. However essential oils are used by the new age movement. Also, there are some companies that market their oils to Christians, and have new age ideas attached to their products. For example, here is a description of an essential oil from Young Living: “Abundance” was created to enhance the frequency of the harmonic magnetic energy field that surrounds us. This higher frequency creates what is called "the law of attraction," which refers to the things we attract to ourselves. Abundance opens us to a wealth of possibilities.”

Anyone who is familiar with the New Age can tell you that the terminology used to describe this oil is from the occult. This is only one of many oils that have concerning descriptions. If companies are mixing essential oils with the New Age, Christians should be careful with the products they use. The company founder should be researched as well as the oils. New Age witchcraft is seeking to gain access to the lives of believers, and it will use any open door it can. 

Frequency and Essential Oils

A number of Christian ministers that have been preaching essential oils, seem to add a lot of talk about “frequency” or "vibrations" into their sermons. These preachers claim that essential oils can raise the frequency of the body and keep the body from getting sick or diseased. They also claim that certain processed foods and coffee lower ones body frequency, which can make one sick. In studying these claims, I have yet to find any main stream modern scientific research in this area.  There are only bloggers, New Agers, holistic healers, essential oil companies, and essential oil peddlers who seem to be preaching this theory online. Some of these people site an eighty year old study conducted in a foreign country. Most simply state this "frequency" theory as a matter-of-fact. 

Since there is no credible scientific evidence in this area, Christians should be cautious. I have heard Christian ministers preach a message on body frequency combined with essential oils on a few occasions. There was confusion present after the messages were over. Christ was not preached and the messages were humanistic in nature. One female minister who spoke on this subject, told the church that they needed to eat healthy in order to keep their frequency up. She also told the church that they should not drink coffee, because it lowers frequency. Then she spent the remainder of the time speaking about the high priced essential oils that she just so happened to be selling; that would raise ones frequency and make one healthier.

What I found to be ironic, was that this female preacher was over weight and out of shape; yet she was rebuking the congregation and telling them they needed to eat healthy. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they told people not to do things that they themselves did. In other words they were hypocrites. We do not have the authority to preach something that we are not living ourselves.

Since we are in the information age, most of us understand that it is not good to eat processed foods and junk food. We know that eating healthy and organic is best for our bodies (common sense). This is nothing new. If you are a coffee drinker, just remember that according to Colossians chapter two (and other scriptures), you are not any less spiritual than the essential oils/frequency preacher who is telling you not to drink it (but probably drinks it anyway behind closed doors). 

Jesus did not need essential oils to heal the sick. He needed the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). Jesus did not preach body frequencies to people, He preached the cross and the Kingdom of Heaven. It should be very easy for us to tell when humanism is creeping into the church. Humanistic preaching is a different gospel than what the apostles preached (Galatians 1). Some in the church seem to be drifting from the path by searching for the “next new thing.”

Essential oils and body frequencies are simply a side path that lead away from the person of Jesus (if we focus on those subjects). The human soul may get excited about these things, but they add nothing to us spiritually. Waiting on the Lord in His manifest presence adds to us spiritually, and it brings health to our bodies. Being with the Life Himself brings life. Moses, who spent much time in the Lord’s presence, was in great health because of it (Deuteronomy 34:7). Many believers in the modern church would rather spend money on oils for the possibility of health, than sacrifice the time and discipline that is required to wait on the Lord in His presence. It seems many believers are searching for an easy way, instead of the Way.

Wellness Centers

There are many centers throughout the country that focus on bringing emotional and physical healing. The issue with this would be that Jesus is not the healer or the power source of these wellness centers. These holistic healing centers use energy healing to minister to people. This is New Age or occult in origin.

Christians are drawn to these wellness centers, because of their interest in essential oils, juice fasts, and eating healthy (none of which are wrong). However some believers are starting to cross over into healing methods that are not of God, because of their association with these wellness centers. Some wellness centers even have a reputation among local communities as a place that is Christian, or a place that Christians should go. We will examine some examples of energy healing that are available in these “Christian” wellness centers. 

Emotional Release

Years ago a Christian minister was holding a conference near Kalispell, Montana. She made inner healing sessions available at a cost. My wife signed up for a session, because she wanted to make sure that she was free of some childhood trauma. During the session, my wife was asked to go back in her mind to the exact time the trauma took place. The minister then took her through the rest of the emotional release process. 

When my wife got home she was very agitated. She stated that the emotional release ministry she received stirred things up in her, and caused her to be emotionally upset. She went into the ministry session believing she would be helped, and came out feeling yucky and worse. She did not receive an emotional release, but rather hurtful emotions were only brought to the surface. Christ heals and releases a person from hurt, as both my wife and I have personally experienced. The process conducted by the minister was not the same as the true inner healing that comes from sitting before the Father.

Many wellness centers have therapists that minister in emotional release. We found out the hard way that this is not a healthy technique. I have found that the best way to be healed of emotional trauma is to wait upon the Lord in His presence. Then ask the Lord to heal a hurt from a situation. The Lord's presence and love will surround you, and you might weep as the Lord is healing. Encounters with Him can be different, but the results are the same. He makes whole. Jesus is the answer to every emotional hurt.

New Age Healing

There are a number of different healing techniques offered by holistic wellness centers that have their origins in the occult. Christians should be very careful, because new age spirits can attach themselves to believers who participate in the new age. Here are a list of healing techniques that Christians should research: Cranio Sacral Techniques, Hypnotherapy, energy massages, therapeutic touch, reiki, and acupuncture. There are many other “alternative” healing techniques that are not mentioned in this list. Believers should be aware that many of these techniques will ultimately be very hurtful to their spiritual life in Christ. 

Christ the Life

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The power of His Spirit should be the source of any healing power we need. We should be laying hands on people who are physically and emotionally wounded, and asking the Lord to come and heal. We must not turn to other methods of healing in which the source of power is unknown, obscure, secret, or mystical. Jesus is in the light, and His life flows from that light. We have to keep depending and trusting in Him for healing (even if He does not move according to the timing we desire). He must be the source of power that we trust in.

- Ty Unruh (2018)